Impact wrench torque, and what you are actually loosening
Impact wrench listings lead with a torque number, and the number is real. What it does not tell you is whether the tool will do your job — because the job is defined by what you are trying to loosen, and by which of two very different torque figures the listing is quoting.
Two numbers that are not the same
Fastening torque is what the tool applies while tightening.Breakaway (or “nut-busting”) torque is the peak it can deliver to free a fastener that is already seized. Breakaway is always the larger figure, and it is the one that matters for rusted lug nuts, suspension bolts and anything that has been on the vehicle for years. When a listing gives one number without saying which, assume it is the larger one and look for the other.
Match the drive to the fastener, not to the number
A half-inch drive is the general-purpose size for wheels and chassis work. A three-eighths drive fits smaller fasteners and tighter spaces, trading peak torque for access. The torque figure is only useful once the drive size is right for the sockets you will actually put on it.
More torque is not free
A high-torque wrench is heavier, longer and louder, and it will happily over-tighten anything it touches. For light work — trim fasteners, small brackets, furniture — it is the wrong tool in a literal sense. The storyboard line we keep coming back to is honest: “overkill for light work.” A compact tool at a lower figure is often the better buy, and the platform guide explains why the battery decision comes first anyway.
What to check before you buy
- Which torque figure is quoted, fastening or breakaway?
- Drive size against the sockets you own.
- Weight, including a pack — this is a tool you hold at arm’s length.
- Kit or bare tool, and which battery platform.
- Whether the tool has a lower-power mode for delicate fasteners.
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