Milwaukee Vs Makita: Who Sells The Better Impact Wrench?
Impact wrenches are incredibly handy for working on your car. It's never fun to wrestle with stuck bolts, and a decent impact wrench can save you a lot of time that would otherwise be spent angrily pacing around your garage or attempting to get a stubborn bolt out by sheer force of will. And a lot of the time, a ratchet or breaker bar just won't provide enough juice to get the job done. You need an impact wrench. It's worth noting that an impact wrench is different from an impact driver in that its front end is made for sockets and not conventional impact bits.
Modern tool brands offer a variety of impact wrenches, with models from Makita and Milwaukee hanging out on the high end of the spectrum. Both brands are well regarded for offering very high-quality tools for professionals and DIYers. But when it comes to perhaps the most convenient tool to have in your garage, which brand takes the cake? Neither brand will leave you hanging, but one brand may just edge out a victory over the other.
High-impact comparison
When it comes to sheer variety, Milwaukee unequivocally takes the win. Milwaukee offers a staggering 51 different types of impact wrenches (including soon to be released models), along with various battery kits on its website. Those wrenches vary from compact 12-volt models to old-fashioned corded impact guns, to huge D-handle 1-inch impact wrenches for working on very heavy equipment like tractors, forklifts, construction machines, and locomotives. If you need a bolt or fastener removed, and you need it gone now, Milwaukee has a solution.
But ruling Makita out from the game just because its lineup isn't as vast wouldn't be fair. The brand offers more than just automotive tools. Makita offers a still-respectable 32 models of impact wrench. Makita does not offer anything extremely heavy-duty like Milwaukee. But realistically, most people aren't going to be disassembling an industrial excavator in their garage. And if they are, they probably already have their tools sorted out. For everyone else, the largest Makita tops out at a 3/4 inch model.
The winner
Realistically, 1/2-inch brushless models from both brands are the best to compare as that size gives the most variety. Additionally, most impact socket sets you will find at the hardware store are for 1/2-inch wrenches. Milwaukee's offering in this arena is the Model 2767 M18 Brushless High-Torque 1/2-inch. Milwaukee's tool has four different modes and can put out 1,000 foot-pounds of torque when fastening a bolt, and 1,400 foot-pounds of torque when removing a bolt at its highest setting. It is priced just under $300 for just the tool and no batteries or charger.
For comparison, Makita's tool, the Model XWT08Z 18-volt Brushless High-Torque 1/2-inch has three different speed modes, topping out at 740 foot-pounds of torque for assembling, and up to 1,180 foot-pounds of torque for disassembly. It is priced in the $350 range for the tool only.
On specifications and price, Milwaukee takes the victory. However, that does not mean the Makita impact wrench is a "bad" tool. It is still rated at nearly five stars on Home Depot's website. If you can find one on sale or on clearance, it's definitely worth picking up.