My old impact gun gave up the ghost on a brake job this morning

It was a cheap one I bought when I started out, and the motor just smoked pulling a caliper bracket bolt. I had to finish the job with a breaker bar and a lot of sweat. I always thought a basic impact was fine, but this convinced me to invest in a better tool. Anyone have a recommendation for a solid mid-range model that can handle daily rust?

3 comments

3 Comments

park.wyatt3mo ago

Check out the Milwaukee mid-torque, it eats rusted bolts for breakfast lol.

jennifer693mo ago

Honestly, I've had cheap ones outlast the fancy brands. Sometimes you just get a bad unit, a better motor might not have saved it. What brand was your old one?

thomas_brown29d ago

Did the old one have a brushless motor? I've noticed that makes a big difference even with cheaper brands. Not saying it's the whole story but it seems like the brushless ones hold up better over time. And yeah I've had a cheap no-name impact driver last me years while my buddy's expensive DeWalt crapped out in six months. Honestly sometimes it feels like luck of the draw more than anything else.