Battery operated Impact Wrenches have become more powerful in the last year. Currently, Ingersoll Rand and Milwaukee are leading the pack with two heavy hitters from the Ingersoll Rand IQV20 series and Milwaukee’s M18 Platform. Both are claiming over 1,500 ft-lbs of nut busting torque. That brings up the question “What is Nut Busting Torque?”
Nut-busting torque is a marketing term for a tool’s ability to remove a bolt that has been tightened down using methods other than the tool itself. This will vary from tool maker to tool maker and some will use a bolt and lubricant to tighten a nut down to a value and immediately remove it, claiming the tool removed a nut torqued to that amount. Clearly, that is not a situation that wone would ever find in the real world.
So what does that mean with Ingersoll Rand and Milwaukee battling it out with marketing specs on these new tools? Not much. Our video above does show a clear winner over and over, so make sure to check that out if you plan to buy the biggest and baddest impact wrench on the market.
The reality is that both tools are able to remove almost everything you can imagine with impact sockets that are made in 1/2″ drive. To test these tools we have to use an adapter to go to 3/4″ and 1″ drive sockets.
These two tools clearly are very powerful and will do the job most mechanics will throw at them. If anything else is needed, it would be heated from a large torch.
