I used this to take off and replace all 4 struts/shocks on my car today. My last problem when replacing brakes was that there were SO MANY rusty, corroded and just plain stuck nuts and bolts that the job took FOREVER.
This tool unscrews nasty, stuck-on nuts and bolts like they were held in by wax. There was only one bolt that this tool couldn't get out. I hate that freaking bolt.
I investigated a TON of impact drivers and wrenches before buying this one. The Lowe's tool expert told me that Bosch was the best brand they sell, and this one gets as low as $170 from amazon.com (not marketplace). This one also has the highest torque of the cordless impact wrenches I looked at, and if you ever want to use it as an impact driver there is a $10 adapter.
One complaint: I went through 2.5 batteries today during a long, hard 10 hour job on the car. Didn't matter though cuz the charger takes 30 minutes.
This thin feels sturdy in your hand, you know it's quality. Nicely balance and small enough to get into hard to reach places. Plus the warranty is AMAZING: 3 years!!! Would definitely recommend and buy again. Can't wait to use it again. Bosch 22614 14.4-Volt 1/2-Inch Impactor Cordless Impact Wrench Kit
This impact wrench is amazing. Typically great quality....I have several other Bosch power tools and they are all great as well. This wrench is lightweight, powerful and compact. Great for auto, atv, snowmobile, etc..
The only thing you have to look out for is the plastic case that it comes in. The latches are reversed compared to other cases that I have. It's easy to open it upside down and everything falls out: solution - just mark the box "TOP" and "BOTTOM"......sounds stupid, but it works for me :) I still give it 5 stars...it's the tool that I'm rating.
As a mechanic, it is sometimes not practical to use air tools when doing interior work because of the air hose. I love this little impact for dash work (I use an adapter) because it's so small and quick at removing bolts, nuts, and screws without dragging an air hose into a customer's nice vehicle. Also, this Bosch item was $60 cheaper than Dewalt brand and $100.00 cheaper than Snap-On's 3/8" 14.4 volt Impact! BTW, the Bosch warranty is 2 years on the batteries and 3 years on the gun. Snap-On and Dewalt were only 1 year then you have to pay more $$$. I recommend this highly for it's light weight, power, and compact size.
I am a heavy equipment field mechanic, and this tool works great for the times when you just need to run some bolts in or out but don't want to do it by hand or fire up the air compressor. I have used some cordless impacts in the past and was pleased with them, but this one is just better! The battery seems to stay up forever, and they recharge faster than you could run the next one out! The tool isn't really heavy, but when you hold it, it feels like something with some substance to it. I really like the compact length, because you can get in there and use where you need it. When you add up this, plus the great warranty, and the great price here on Amazon, and its awfully hard to pass up (I couldn't find a better deal!). I would recommend this to anyone.
I bought this impact wrench to work on my old Camry 95 DX. Its a great tool for removing old nuts and bolts. I bled the brakes and replaced brake pads all with smart usage of this wrench. This wrench as the maximum torque rating for its price. I got it for $129.00+free shipping. In the hindsight had I done my research I would've got an impact driver with a chuck to use as impact wrench. I tried finding a chuck to use this impact wrench as impact driver but there's only ONE chuck, Cowan chuck available with any impact driver!!
But for my usage this is a great product and I highly recommend it even for regular usage. Feels sturdy and solid. If you shell a little more get the Dewalt. A good competitor for this one is the Craftsman impact driver.
I bought this tool hoping it would handle some of my basic automotive work on the weekends. This includes taking off lug nuts, caliper bolts, engine plastic cover bots etc. The impact wrench worked very well on the smaller bolts and is very well put together with a handy carrying case. However, on the larger bolts, including most lug nuts, the little Bosch struggled a lot and finally was unable to take the nuts off. I guess that made me a bit wary about keeping it. However, to give it a fair chance, I took the lug nuts off using an air impact wrench and re-tightened them using a standard manual wheel spanner (4 socket type). I then tried removing the nuts using the Bosch and this time too the little Bosch struggled and was unable to loosen the nuts. That was a deal breaker for me, as I wasn't ready to have a small compact impact for the smaller jobs and another larger one for the big boys. Thus, I sold my Bosch and now own a Craftsman C3 19.2 V which does almost every job well (however, it is a little bigger than the compact Bosch). I wouldn't say this is a bad tool. I just feel that you need to define your application well before you buy it. Its great for small, light jobs. Awful for when you need more torque.
If I were to start again I would go with a Bosch 18V model.
I bought this impact wrench to have a maximum torque for lug nuts. I am very happy with the Bosch 22614. It has much more torque than that.
I looked at many other cordless impacts and found this one to be the highest torque at 14.4 volts. Actually, the torque rating of this tool exceeds most all 18 volt impact driver's ratings (not impact wrenches). Ratings are fine, but I wanted to check the torque myself.
I just received the tool today and started checking it out. My review is based on one day of use. It is rated at 147 ft-lbs of torque. Unless you have a 2 ton or more truck, the lug nuts should be torque below this (that's mainly why I bought it). My tire's lug nuts are typically set at 80 to 100 ft-lbs. My Bosch 22614 was able to break a few lugs off my car fairly easily (I didn't know the exact torque as the lugs had been on for a while). I re-torqued the lugs to 100 ft-lbs and the 22614 again loosened the lugs without hesitation. There is plenty of torque in this tool for lug nuts!
I continued testing the torque limits of the Bosch with some larger ½" bolts and nuts in a vise. My torque wrench is limited to 100 ft-lbs, but I was able to tighten bolts above this and the impact wrench could easily break them free. I can confidently say this wrench will easily exceed 100 ft-lbs of torque. The manufactures rating of 147 ft-0lbs is likely a conservative rating IMO. Again, this is the highest in the 14.4 volt class and I don't recall any 18 volt impact drivers much above this!
In my research on cordless impacts wrenches and drivers, I had one concern before purchasing this. It was the Amazon consumer who gave a negative review (At the time of this writing, Amazon has 1 of 12 reviews below 4 stars). SKS gave this tool a 2 star rating. Perhaps SKS had batteries with low charge or bad batteries, but her comment on going to a craftsman tool and my testing makes me now highly suspect of that reviews issues.
If you're still reading this review, I don't know why or why I'm still writing. Anyway, it's April 2011 and Amazon sells this tool for about $200. I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon, but I found it for a much lower price at buckeye tool supply. Use your favorite search engine to find it. I have no association with this other company so use at your own risk, but that's where I got it. - Impact Wrenches - Impact Driver - Impact Wrench - Bosch'
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