The Best Air Impact Wrenches (Review & Buying Guide) in 2018

If you want to know the stand out feature of this pneumatic wrench, well the clue is right there in the title. This tool is designed to kick out an incredible power level, and when AIRCAT call this product a “Killer Torque” impact wrench, well that’s not an empty brag.

A shade under 1,300 ft-lb (foot – pounds) of loosening torque is a power application that should breeze through the loosening of even the tightest or rustiest bolts. This is backed up by up to 1,400 BPM (Blows Per Minute) for an impact wrench of truly impressive power. This is in part due to the upgraded internal rotor, a full 15% bigger than on the previous version of this model.

Quite honestly, you wonder just how AIRCAT managed to squeeze the extra large rotor into this tool. This is a very small chassis, with a tool total weight of just a little over 4.5lbs making this one of the lightest air impact drivers that doesn’t cut back on power to deliver on size. As an added bonus it’s also remarkably quiet, measuring at 86 decibels during operation. A typical air impact driver will be more like 100 to 110 decibels, so if you want to keep the noise levels down in your garage then take a closer look at this model. 

All in all then a very impressive model with a lot of useful design points and a very handy torque output.

Ingersoll Rand have been producing power tools of various models and designs for over a 100 years. They’ve learnt a thing or two of that time, such as how to make a top quality air wrench. This model, the 231C has been on the market for 25 years now itself, and it does gave a very attractive classic design.

It has some useful features backing up that design too though. 600 ft-lbs of max torque may be a little lower than you will see on some other models, but it is still a respectable power output that will tackle all but the most fused, over-tightened bolts. The tool makes use of a twin hammer internal layout to deliver this power in such a small package. It is in fact less than 8 inches long and weighs less than 6lbs.

It’s also a nice feature to see it comes pre-lubricated and ready to use straight out of the box. Once in use, it has an internal lubrication chamber that helps to keep all the moving parts lubed up. You shouldn’t rely on this self-lubrication to do the job all by itself, but it does go a long way to making this an easier tool to maintain than some others.

A second cat related power tool manufacturer to make out list, and we’re only at tool number 3. What the connection is between cats and power tools we’re not sure. What we do know is that this is a very well put together and well-designed air impact driver.

The big eye catcher is the fact is deploys Kevlar in its chassis construction. That’s good to see because, well Kevlar is pretty cool for one thing. It’s also extremely tough whilst also being lightweight, which in turn translates into an air wrench that is, well, both extremely tough but also lightweight. It can kick out 1,295 max loosening torque, making this one of the more powerful models on the market.

Just like the previous cat focused impact wrench, this model is also very quiet, operating within a 82 – 86 decibel range. It is easy to control, with a simple forward/reverse switch and a rear mounted torque power adjuster. It is small and fits comfortably in the hand with a nice ergonomic grip. You won’t get much change from 200 bucks with this tool, but you are getting a high quality model for your money here.

Next up we have this air impact driver from Campbell Hausfield. With a price tag of around 50 bucks this is certainly one of the cheaper models to make the list. Despite that low price tag though, Campbell Hausfield have managed to squeeze a lot of useful features into this well designed tool.

For one thing it is tiny, weighing in at a huge 4.4lbs total weight. When combined with the ergonomic soft grip handle, you are looking at a tool that is a delight to hold and will not fatigue your arm or hand even over prolonged periods of usage. There is a 3 speed power selector too so you have a reasonably useful level of power control over the torque output.

This is one of those models that sacrifices power for weight, with a max output of 550 ft-lbs. That is not going to be enough power for universal application, and whilst it should be enough for the everyday bolts and lug nuts on the average car, it may struggle with tougher ones on bigger vehicles and trucks. 

When you are creating a list of power tools, it is almost a foregone conclusion that the famous yellow and black of DEWALT will appear sooner or later. The reason for this is simple, they just make good quality tools for a reasonable price – which is exactly what we have here.

This is a mid-range product with a mid-range price. So, 650 lb-ft of max torque is produced from this tool. Again, this is less than you will see on higher-powered devices, but it is more than you will get with many others. A twin hammer mechanism is mounted inside and it has a simple to use power adjuster dial. It’s also a neat feature that that the direction button is mounted just behind the trigger. That allows you to switch rotation direction with only one hand.

The grip is comfortable enough, though it is missing the extra comfort of soft grip surface inserts for that added comfort. It essentially does everything you would expect of a DEWALT tool. It’s well made and easy to use, packing a lot of useful features but not quite everything you would get on a truly top range model and it has a price tag of a bit over 100 bucks.

Next up is this model from Chicago Pneumatic, and oh boy is it bringing the power! Up to 922 ft-lb of torque power to be precise. That is probably more power than many at home mechanics are really going to need – but heck, you are certainly covering your bases power wise with this tool.

It’s claim to be the most powerful impact wrench on the market is not quite true, as we have products on this very list that can crank out a little extra torque. Its claim to being one of the lightest definitely does stand up though. The total unit weight of 4.4 lbs is very low, especially considering the power it can crank out.

The low weight is down to the composite construction. This is paired with a very comfortable, ergonomic injection molded grip for a tool that is extremely kind on the hands. It’s also less than 9 inches long, so it’s pretty small whatever way you look at it. Power control is split between 3x settings and again the rotation can be adjusted with the trigger finger for one handed operation.

You’re looking at a price tag around 150 bucks, but you are buying a lot of raw power for that money.

The first thing to note is that this is a premium tool, potentially one of the best air impact wrenches to make the list. It is also carrying a premium price tag of around 250 bucks – ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the most expensive item on our list today. So just what are you getting for all that money?

Power. Raw, power. 1,350 ft-lb of torque power, to be precise. Yes, it is the most expensive item to make out list. It’s also clearly the most powerful however. That power is controlled across four settings, whereas most of models only have up to three.  The extra power setting is required for more accurate control of such a high level of torque output.

Aside from the fact it is insanely powerful, you’re not really getting a whole lot else here. It won’t be the nicest looking thing in your tool chest – in fact it’s pretty ugly! It’s nice and light, but it doesn’t boast the kind of ergonomic handles you’ll see on some other products.

But if you are looking for sheer power, you should certainly take a closer look at this little beast. 

From the most expensive item on the list, we now turn to the cheapest. This model from ACDelco comes with a price point that will give you change from a 50 dollar bill. For tools of this type that represents phenomenal value. But, are you missing out on anything to get to that price point?

Well, yes. Just take a glance down at the key features in fact, and you’ll see that this impact driver tool is only putting out a max 500lb-ft of torque. That is significantly lower than many models on this list. The thing is though, not everyone needs an air wrench with enough torque to rip Robocop’s leg off. If you just need a model with enough power to tackle the occasional maintenance work on a small, modern car this will probably be enough.

Yes, it is a very simple design and yes you are missing out on a lot of the bells and whistles, not to mention power, of more high-end models. But if you need a decent little wrench gun that can tackle most if not all jobs, this could be an option for you.

Our penultimate model comes from BOSTICH. It is all in all in a pretty simple and straightforward design, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective. It contains the twin hammer design we like to see in impact wrenches for example. It also has an adjustable power regulator and a comfortable and ergonomic design. The casing of the tool is tough aluminum too, which is a useful design feature. 

The trigger is a little small and you may not grasp it as instinctively as with other models – it almost feels as if it has been mounted a little too low.  Then there is the fact it only puts out 500lb-ft of torque, a surprisingly low amount of power given the high-end price tag of just under 200 bucks.

This is obviously a very solid and well-built tool. To us though it just doesn’t quite seem to have the features or design points to really justify that price tag.

We’ll finish up with this model from Astro. As you can see from the image, it is of a different design to the models we have looked at so far. What we have here in fact is an extra small, extra compact air impact wrench. It has been designed use in smaller areas of the vehicle – if you are working on the transmission for example, or underneath the engine block. To help with this it measure less than 4 inches in length and weighs under 3lbs.

It’s pretty powerful though, despite it’s tiny size and can put out up to 450lb-ft of torque. That is very impressive for such a tiny device. It also has three speed settings in both forward and reverse. It should be noted that this tool takes Bit attachments of 3/8” size, so smaller than the bits used on every other model we’ve looked at today.

The other small thing about this model is the price tag, and you can expect change (not too much though) from about 100 bucks. Small but perfectly formed and deceptively powerful, this is certainly an interesting little tool to finish up on.