You are in need of the best air impact wrench that works with your current air compressor and has all the muscle needed to break loose stubborn bolts. When you check out what is available, the number of choices can be imposing.
How much torque do you need? Will it be comfortable to hold for hours on end? Do you really need to go for the high-end tool or can you save some bucks on a bargain option?
We have done all the work for you and brought together a buying guide and product reviews in one spot so that you can find the best air impact wrench.
Read on to learn more.
Table of Contents
How To Choose The Best Air Impact Wrench
It is especially important for you to take the time to find the best air impact wrench designed for your specific needs and use.
A low price may look attractive, but when you are going to use the wrench every day in the shop, it might be wise to check the specs of the gun and your compressor before making a decision.
If you have never worked with an impact wrench, it is recommended to take the time and test out some of the most popular tools before adding it to your toolbox.
Lightweight And Well-Balanced
The best air impact wrench will have a rugged Construction ready to stand up to plenty of abuse around the shop.
At the same time, it should not be overly heavy so you can stay comfortable while holding it for your entire shift. Even a gun that is off-balance can add to muscle fatigue.
It is a good idea to head out to your local store and pick up each impact wrench before buying. A rubberized grip may feel nice and cushy, but the vibrations of the gun can end up causing blisters. Gloves are a better investment for a good grip that won’t rip apart your hand.
Enough Torque For The Job
If you are a homeowner and want to work on your lawn tractor, an inexpensive impact wrench capable of 500-600 lb-ft of torque will do the job.
If you use your wrench every day to crank on engine mounts, heavy-duty axles, or non-stop tire rotations, look for a wrench able to produce over 1,200 lb-ft of torque.
Price will go up along with the torque numbers, but if this tool is for your daily job, it is worth the added investment.
Quiet Technology
This is especially important for those mechanics that use an air impact wrench every day. Traditional wrenches can create noises up to 120 dB-which will cause hearing damage.
A powerful wrench that reduces noise below 90 decibels will help you to avoid hearing damage and reduce fatigue over the course of the day. Remember to wear earplugs or noise-canceling headphones while working in a busy garage, too.
Responsive Trigger
You don’t need all available torque for every use of the best air impact wrench. Your wrench should have an adjustable power switch and a trigger that revs up the power.
This will help to prevent stripping out bolts before their time and reduce fatigue on the tool. Sticky triggers will shorten the useable life of your wrench and potentially cause damage to the car or truck that you are repairing.
Paired With The Right Air Compressor
Should you be wanting to add an air impact wrench to your home toolbox, you must make sure that you have an air compressor able to support it. If you are changing one tire, your 2-gallon compressor will be able to help you remove the lugs, but it won’t be able to tighten them again.
Make sure that you are using as short a hose as possible and minimize the number of connections between the gun and the compressor to maintain sufficient pressure to get the job done.
5 Best Air Impact Wrenches Reviews
Here’s a list of the best air impact wrenchs on the market:
1) Ingersoll Rand 2235 TIMAX Drive Air Impact Wrench
Ingersoll Rand has been building the best air impact wrench to be used in a commercial setting for decades. Their 2235 brings all the muscle to bear with a 1/2-inch wrench ready to work with heavy machinery while using its 1,350 lb.-ft of torque.
The housing is made out of a durable composite able to withstand the twin-hammer motion for years of Constant use.
It weighs just under 4.5 pounds, so is lighter to hold than many other wrenches on the market and the power regulator and trigger offer a variety of settings, so you get the amount of power needed for the right job.
This unit does not come with noise abatement technology, so it makes quite a racket when in use. Since the handle uses the plastic composite for the grip, the motor in the front of the gun unbalances the entire tool which can place significant stress on your wrist while using it throughout the day.
You are putting down a good investment for this tool, so make sure that it works for you before buying. That said, you can expect this wrench to maintain its high performance for years of use.
PROS:
- Rugged lightweight housing
- 4-position power regulator
- 1300 lb-feet of torque
Cons:
- Unbalanced–hard to hold for an entire shift
- Can be noisy
2) NitroCat 1200-K 1/2-Inch Kevlar Composite Air Impact Wrench
The NitroCat comes loaded with a variety of features that firmly places it in the running for the best air impact wrench.
The handle is ventilated such that any dust or debris created by the spin of the motor is exhausted out the bottom and away from your face.
It uses a twin-clutch design that allows you to engage the bolt before applying the needed torque to tighten or remove it. Kevlar is used in the outer housing, which can stand up to plenty of impacts around the shop.
It also has the sound-deadening technology and reaches nearly 1m300 lb-ft of torque. All while saving your about fifty bucks compared to the highest prices units.
For all of that, it really isn’t intended for use in a busy body shop. Connections and finishes tend to wear out or crack. The grease fittings are so narrow it is almost impossible to properly maintain your tool.
It is significantly slower, too, only producing 950 impacts per minute. That may not seem significant if you are taking off one tire, but over 8 hours, the speed will slow down your work. The NitroCat is perfect for the dedicated hobby mechanic, but perhaps not for the professional.
PROS:
- Twin-clutch mechanism
- Through-the-handle exhaust
- Kevlar composite body
Cons:
- Less torque than competition
- Not designed for a busy shop
3) Ingersoll Rand 231C Super-Duty Air Impact Wrench
Maybe you just have one stubborn bolt on your lawn mower that needs to come off and you don’t want to spend a lot on the best air impact wrench.
Ingersoll Rand created the 231C just for this purpose. Priced well within your comfort zone, it is able to provide the added muscle you need for smaller projects in the garage.
You can literally pick it up out of its box and put it to use as all lubrication is completed at the factory. It is a little heavier than its professional cousin, but you are not expected to be using it for hours at a time.
It does not have any sound mitigation, so expect for your ears to be ringing. If you are working on farm equipment of your super-duty truck expect to get frustrated as it only produces 600 lb-ft of torque and will just frustrate you.
Finally, the housing is not crafted with the same attention to detail as their pricier models, so some users have found that the internal mechanisms will rust after just a couple of years. For the homeowner needs to get one job done, this is a reasonable option, just don’t expect to open your own auto repair shop with it.
PROS:
- Lower price
- Designed for the home mechanic
- Arrives pre-lubricated
Cons:
- Noisy mechanism
- Not designed for truck bolts
- Trigger can stick and rust
4) Campbell Hausfeld TL140200AV 1/2″ Impact Wrench
Finally, for the auto hobbyist who is looking to save every penny, the Campbell Hausfeld might be the best air impact wrench for you. You can grab this bargain-basement wrench for a quarter of the price that the commercial guns are listed.
It weighs even less than other units, topping the scale at just 4.4 lbs. It offers a rubberized grip, which gives the novice user a more confident grasp. It is rated for only 55o pounds of torque, so any really stuck bolts are likely to remain that way.
While the product description on the website says that you can use a 4 or 6-gallon air compressor tank, the fact is that for any extended use of the wrench, you will need at least an 8-gallon compressor to maintain sufficient psi to take advantage of its torque.
Finally, it has a very pretty chrome finish that is destined to be scratched after a few uses. Some things are not meant to look pretty. Even a weekend warrior is likely to be disappointed with the Campbell Hausfeld when settling on an inexpensive air impact wrench.
PROS:
- Budget-friendly price
- Rubberized grip
- lightweight
Cons:
- Chrome finish subject to scratching
- Misleading product specs–requires at least an 8-gallon tank
- Not for heavy-duty jobs
5) AIRCAT 1150 Killer Torque 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench
When you have been looking for the best impact wrench that is easier to use and won’t empty your wallet, you might like the AIRCAT 1150.
This one uses quiet technology to reduce the amount of noise generated, producing just 86 decibels-which is below the OSHA maximum for a safe work environment.
You will be spending significantly less compared to the commercial wrenches, and AIRCAT backs up their product with a 2-year warranty. It produces a top torque of 1,295 lb. ft. and 1400 impacts per minute.
Now that it is looking like the best air impact wrench, double check its performance. Users report that the trigger can feel sticky, which can result in a surge of unexpected power. If you thought this is just as good as a beefier model, it does have less power.
Its socket retainer ring has also been known to slip, which leads to stripped bolts and sockets. This wrench will perform much better compared to a real bargain basement option, but it is not engineered to withstand the abuse of a busy shop environment.
PROS:
- Quiet technology lowers sound to 86 decibels
- Reasonable priced
- 2-year warranty
Cons:
- Trigger is touchy
- Socket retainer ring can slip
Which One Is The Best Air Impact Wrench?
If you need a new wrench to use at your busy shop, the Ingersoll Rand 2235 TIMAX Drive Air Impact Wrench brings all the torque and rugged Construction to the table. It is really the best air impact wrench for the hardworking mechanic.
But if you don’t want to spend all that money for your home garage, check out the NitroCat 1200-K 1/2-Inch Kevlar Composite Air Impact Wrench with a wealth of features and enough muscle to keep all your cars on the road.
We hope that you enjoyed our buying guide and were able to find the right wrench for your needs. If you have experience using any of these products, give us a shout-out in the comments section or on your social media page.
Related Articles: