Review on Wagan EL2288 12V Roadside Impact Wrench, 1/2 Inch Drive, 258 Ft-Lbs Torque Power, Tire Repair Tools With Sockets And Carry Case by Justin Abreu

The device works, but not as effective as I would like. This 12V impact wrench best operated with car running to supply 14V to make this product work better. At one impact per second or so, it takes a few seconds to wack wheel nut loose. Bottom line, it works, but for practical reasons, if it takes time to deal with the cable and its hookup, and throw in the one impact per second operation, it is just too much fuss with little reward. Better to have a breaker bar and appropriate lug nut size socket to leave in car for more efficiency. The short ineffective lug wrench supplied with most cars easily compensated by a good long Craftsman breaker bar with appropriate socket. With no assurance of how tight the lugs are when reinstalling them, a real wrench is best used anyway after using this impact wrench. However, the item is a keeper for me as home mechanic to deal with certain suspension work and long reach hardware. I would not recommend this product to the average buyer eyeing this product as an alternative to normal methods.6/2012: Now comes a positive update. The tool is very useful when time comes to perform car maintenance beyond working at one wheel. When rotating tires, this impact wrench amplifies its advantage compared to single wheel work scenario. Rotating tires or removing multple wheels to perform brake work are times when this tool really shines. There is the need to use a breaker bar or torque wrench to tighten the lugs with proper torque. Counting number of impacts during tightening process may not generate consistent tightening torque from lug to lug. But this tool works!