DCA 682 N·m, four modes, two batteries review

What you are getting

A 1/2-inch brushless cordless impact wrench on the DCA 20V platform, stating 383 ft-lb / 520 N·m tightening and 503 ft-lb / 682 N·m loosening torque, with four modes at 350, 420 and 520 N·m plus a 682 N·m nut-busting setting, a Smart Loosen mode, a 1/2-inch hog ring anvil, an LED work light, a 6-inch body at 4.4 lb with a 4.0 Ah battery, and two 4.0 Ah batteries included. Stated for M12–M20 bolts. $44.99.

It answers four of this shelf’s five questions, which nothing else here does

The introduction lists what it compares: “stated torques, platform, weight, control modes and anvil.”

Question	This tool
Both torques	520 N·m fastening, 682 N·m loosening
Torque per mode	350 / 420 / 520, plus 682 nut-busting
Weight	4.4 lb (2.0 kg) with a 4.0 Ah battery
Anvil	1/2-inch hog ring
Platform	DCA 20V — the open question

Of the nine tools on this shelf, this is the only one that publishes all four of the first group. The DEWALT tool here publishes both torques and no torque per mode and no weight; the published Dong Cheng wrench publishes stage torques and a weight and only a maximum; the published Einhell wrench publishes no torque at all.

The mode torques are labeled by job, which is the usable version

“350 Nm for car tires & equipment — 420 Nm for SUVs, trailers & fence anchors — 520 Nm for trucks, steel structures & farm machinery. Plus 682 Nm nut-busting to crack loose the toughest seized bolts.”

Three graded fastening settings and a separate loosening setting, each with a figure and an example. The published Dong Cheng page says why that matters: publishing the torque of the stages “is what makes a selector usable”.

Note what the bottom setting is not. 350 N·m for car tires is still two and a half times a wheel nut’s 110 to 140 N·m. The rule at the top of this shelf stands: “an impact gun loosens wheel bolts, and a torque wrench finishes them.” The graded modes make the tool controllable; they are not a torque setting, and DCA does not claim they are.

And it fits M12 to M20, which is a bolt range rather than a torque

“fits M12–M20 bolts.”

That is an unusual and useful statement — the only bolt-size range on this shelf. M12 to M20 covers car wheel studs, suspension bolts, subframe bolts and towbar fixings; below M12 the tool has more torque than the thread can take, which is how a bolt is snapped rather than tightened.

The MAGSEN and Robustrue tools here answer the same question by supplying sockets — 17 to 24 mm (0.67 to 0.94 in) and 17 to 24 mm (0.67 to 0.94 in) across the flats — rather than by naming thread sizes.

Two kilograms and six inches, which is the second-lightest here

“only 6 inch compact body and 4.4LB (with 4.0Ah battery) for better balance in tight/overhead spaces.”

The introduction puts weight third among its criteria “because this is held at arm’s length under a wing”.

Tool	Stated weight	Stated length
Robustrue	3.74 lb (1.70 kg)	5.9 in
This tool	4.4 lb (2.0 kg)	6 in
Dong Cheng, published	2.2 kg (4.9 lb)	—
MAGSEN	10 lb (4.5 kg)	16 in
DEWALT	not published	—

Two kilograms at 682 N·m is a good ratio, and six inches front to back is what gets a tool between a brake disc and a wishbone.

The listing writes the figure as “4.4LB kg”, which is two units on one number. The pound figure and the comparison both work; the “kg” is a slip.

A hog ring anvil, which is the fifth thing the shelf compares

“1/2” hog ring for tool-free, quick socket changes with secure spring-steel retention — ideal for frequent swaps (tire service/repairs).”

A hog ring holds the socket with a sprung steel ring rather than a detent pin and a hole, so sockets come on and off by hand and stay on under hammering. The DEWALT tool here has the same. No other tool on this shelf names its anvil at all.

The Smart Loosen mode is a published function; the leak-proof claim is not explained

“Smart Loosen Mode prevents nuts from dropping off accidentally.”

That is the same function the published Bosch wrench calls automatic slow-down and the DEWALT tool calls preventing “fastener run-off” — the gun eases off as the nut breaks free instead of spinning it onto the floor. On a wheel at head height it is the difference between four nuts in your hand and one under the car.

The same bullet continues: “while Precise Leak-Proof Technology targets critical oil leak spots effectively. Two smart protections working together.”

That is quoted exactly, and it is not explained anywhere in the listing. An impact wrench has no oil and seals nothing; what “leak-proof” refers to here is not stated, and nothing on this shelf offers a comparable feature to measure it against. Read it as copy rather than as a specification.

Two batteries, on a platform that is the whole risk

“DCA 20V Battery Platform | 2×4.0Ah Included — One platform runs them all: Drill / Wrench / Pruning shear / Angle grinder / polisher / Blower.”

$44.99 with two 4.0 Ah packs is the lowest price on this shelf, against $89.99 and $99.99 for the two other cordless tools that include batteries and $194.00 for the DEWALT tool with none.

The introduction’s warning is the counterweight: “the battery platform — the tool is cheap and the ecosystem is not.” A DCA pack fits DCA tools. The published Einhell wrench runs Power X-Change, which its own page notes “covers garden and DIY tools as well, which spreads the platform cost”; the DEWALT runs 20V MAX. DCA’s range is listed in its own bullet and is the one to weigh before buying three more tools on it.

What is not published

No impacts per minute. No no-load speed in rpm, where MAGSEN publishes 3,800 and Robustrue 2,800. No impact sockets supplied, where MAGSEN ships five and Robustrue four — and the buying advice for this shelf is that chrome sockets “fail by shattering rather than by deforming”. No charger stated in the contents. No case. No warranty term. No explanation of the leak-proof claim.

At $44.99 with two batteries it publishes more of what this shelf measures than anything else here, and asks you to buy into a platform to get it.

Availability

On sale at around $45 on the American Amazon store at the time of checking.

Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.