Excellent at loosening, and never the tool that finishes the job
An impact wrench exists to undo what is seized, and makers publish two different numbers for it: fastening torque and the much larger breakaway torque, which is what it can loosen. Comparing one brand's breakaway figure with another's fastening figure is the most common mistake on this shelf. The second consideration is the battery platform — the tool is cheap and the ecosystem is not — and the third is weight, because this is held at arm's length under a wing. Modern tools add torque-limited modes, which matter for the one rule that never changes: an impact gun loosens wheel bolts, and a torque wrench finishes them. We compare stated torques, platform, weight, control modes and anvil.
Air · 1/2 inch · 1600 Nm stated · 3-stage torque selector · forward/reverse lever
An air impact wrench at 1600 Nm with a three-stage selector — the cheapest way into serious loosening torque, provided you already have a compressor.
Best for: A garage that already has a compressor and needs loosening torque rather than portability.
Cordless 18 V · 215 Nm stated · 3300 rpm · two automatic modes · auto shut-off and slow-down · belt clip
The compact one: 215 Nm and 3300 rpm on the 18 V Professional platform, with automatic modes that slow and stop the tool rather than hammering on.
Best for: Someone already on the Bosch Professional platform who wants a compact tool for general work.
≈ $335
Cordless 20 V · brushless · 800 Nm stated · three torque stages (0–431 / 0–507 Nm stated) · 2.2 kg (4.9 lb) with battery · 3 LEDs
A brushless cordless wrench at a stated 800 Nm and 2.2 kg (4.9 lb) with battery, with three torque stages published as figures rather than as icons.
Best for: Someone starting a battery platform from scratch and wanting torque per euro.
Cordless 18 V Power X-Change · brushless · 3 torque stages · quick-stop · supplied with a 4.0 Ah battery
A brushless wrench on a battery platform shared across a large tool range, supplied with a 4.0 Ah battery rather than bare.
Best for: A household already using Power X-Change for garden or DIY tools.
520 N·m fastening / 682 N·m loosening, both stated · 4 modes at 350/420/520 + 682 · hog ring · 2 × 4.0 Ah included · 2.0 kg (4.4 lb)
Both torque figures, a torque published for every mode, two 4 Ah batteries — at the lowest price on this shelf.
Best for: A first cordless wrench, bought on published numbers rather than a brand
1200 N·m maximum stated · 3 stages at 500/800/1200 N·m and 1800/2800/3800 rpm · 5 impact sockets · 10 lb, 16 in body
The only tool here publishing a torque and an rpm for every stage, and the heaviest at 10 lb.
Best for: Scaffolding, machinery and ground-level work where 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) is carried, not held
800 N·m maximum stated · 3 speeds by rpm · 3.74 lb / 1.70 kg with battery · 5.9 in long · 4 impact sockets · 2 × 4.0 Ah
The lightest and shortest tool here at 1.70 kg (3.7 lb), with four impact sockets and a record claim the shelf disproves.
Best for: Overhead and wheel-arch work, where 1.70 kg (3.7 lb) is the specification that counts
Air · 1 inch drive · 6711 Nm working / 7016 Nm breakaway stated · pinless clutch · 6-stage control · aluminum housing
A truck tool: one-inch drive, a stated 7016 Nm breakaway torque, and a six-stage control — far beyond a car, and priced accordingly.
Best for: Trucks, trailers, agricultural machinery — not a family car.
≈ $210
1030 ft-lb fastening / 1400 ft-lb breakaway, both stated · 4 modes · hog ring anvil · 20V MAX · tool only
The highest cordless torque here, with fastening and breakaway published separately — and no battery in the box.
Best for: A garage that already owns 20V MAX batteries and meets seized suspension bolts
Breakaway torque decides what can be freed. It is the characteristic that separates a convenience tool from one that genuinely frees things.
A three-kilo impact wrench is held under a wing for ten minutes, no more. The stated weight with the battery decides what gets done on the ground.
A tool with a single setting snaps a stud as fast as it frees one. The stated number of torque settings decides what can be refitted without a torque wrench afterwards.
No. It approximates, without measuring. Final tightening is systematically taken up with a torque wrench.
Impact sockets only. An ordinary chrome socket can shatter under the impacts.
Breakaway is almost always stated higher than tightening. Compare the same figure from one tool to another.
Insufficient torque, a weak battery, or a genuinely seized bolt. Penetrating fluid and time often do more than power.
Colored-sleeve sockets limit the torque transmitted and prevent over-tightening. They do not replace the torque wrench.
Cordless is self-contained and heavier; pneumatic is light and requires a compressor with sufficient flow, not just the right pressure.
On a corroded bolt, yes. The break is sometimes unavoidable, and penetrating fluid applied in advance makes it less likely.
No: a chrome socket can shatter under impact and throw fragments. Impact sockets, recognisable by their black finish, are the only ones made for this.
An impact wrench approximates the torque without measuring it: final tightening is always taken up with a torque wrench. Impact sockets only — a chrome socket shatters — and the stated torque is almost always the breakaway figure.
There is no table here, and the reason is in the listings. The figure published most often across these 9 products is platform, given by 5 of them — short of the four in five a column needs to compare rather than to display gaps. Each product page says what its own maker published.
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for garage tools and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa.
Most recent revision in this category: October 6, 2026.
