Which Milwaukee impact wrench is best for you?

What Do the Different Impact Wrench Sizes Mean?

When talking about the different sizes of impact wrenches, what we’re actually talking about are the dimensions of the drive anvil.

This is the business end of the impact gun, and it generally comes in 1/4-inch, 3/8-inch, 1/2-inch, 3/4-inch, and 1-inch. This value is a measurement of the flat edges of the anvil, and it is what determines the sockets that can be attached to it, as well as giving an indication of the impact wrench’s overall power.

M12 FUEL 1/4-Inch Stubby Impact Wrench

Built for precise nut-busting and fastening work, the M12 Fuel 1/4-Inch Stubby Impact Wrench from Milwaukee manages to produce a ton of power in a compact frame. This gun is mostly going to be good for bolts that are 10mm and below and is going to be a handy all-rounder for a lot of mechanics handling precision work rather than requiring the highest torque impact wrench on the market.

The great thing about this impact gun is its compact size, which lets you work efficiently in tight spaces while still outputting around 136Nm of torque.

A ¼ inch impact wrench coupled with a 3/8 inch will handle most automotive challenges that standard compact cars will throw at you and if you’re a home DIYer or dealing mostly with newer cars and fastenings, then you’ll be able to make short work of them with this duo.

Milwaukee M12 FUEL 3/8-Inch Stubby Impact Wrench

A great all-rounder in terms of power, the 3/8 Stubby from Milwaukee has 339Nm of nut-busting torque and a compact design for more convenience.

The 3/8 Stubby is good for anything under the engine bay, transmission work, all the way to dismantling engines. This gun offers enough power that it will handle rusted lug nuts and bolts well enough while being compact enough that it won’t get in your way while you work.

Milwaukee offer a Stubby version of the 3/8 as well as a mid-range version that is larger in size but offers up 813nM of torque for when power trumps manoeuvrability. This mid-torque 3/8” gun is going to handle work on heavier equipment like farm vehicles and work where you have room to move a lot better than the little Stubby.

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 1/2-Inch High Torque Impact Wrench

The ½ inch impact wrench is probably the most commonly used in professional settings because it sits in the sweet spot between the 3/8 and 3/4-inch impact guns in terms of precision and power.

When dealing with large construction equipment like excavators or bulldozers that need repairs or servicing, a 1/2in gun is going to be a great option. It’s also a fantastic gun to work in tandem with a 3/8 and 1/4 inch impact wrench to handle tougher automotive applications like dealing with axle nuts and heavily rusted fasteners that the smaller guns might struggle with.

This is overall a much more practical gun to use as a mechanic than a 3/4-inch gun as well, which is more suited to applications where there is more room to move and where you’re dealing with industrial equipment or building work that requires huge amounts of torque and perhaps less precision.

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 3/4-Inch High Torque Impact Wrench

Once you get to the ¾ inch guns in Milwaukee’s impact range, you’re dealing with tools that are mostly for professional and industrial applications. There isn’t really the need for this much torque at home unless you’ve got a large vehicle or truck that has large components you’re constantly servicing.

In a professional setting, the Milwaukee’s 3/4” High Torque Impact Wrench is a solid choice for mechanics dealing with trucks and heavier machinery and is great for agricultural work where you’re dealing with large lug nuts on farming equipment — really any stiff nuts that require serious busting.

At 218mm, this is the most compact high torque cordless impact out there, producing 2,034Nm of nut-busting torque and 1,627Nm for fastening, offering a great balance of power and manoeuvrability. If you’re an industry professional who wants a more convenient and compact impact setup — free of air hoses and compressors — then a 3/4 cordless from Milwaukee is your best option.

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 1-Inch D-Handle With One-Key

The Milwaukee m18 Fuel 1-inch Impact Wrench with D-Handle is about the toughest impact tool out there. This is a tool that is built for industry professionals, for heavy-duty construction work, large agricultural or construction equipment, or roadside wheel changes for trucks and other heavy vehicles.

If you need large nuts and bolts busted quickly and efficiently and want more portability than a 1-inch air impact can offer, this is probably going to be a Godsend. The D-handle helps to absorb the vibration that 2,711 Nm of nut-busting torque tends to produce, and it has the runtime to perform up to 120 lug nut removals and installations using a single High Output HD 12.0ah battery.

The One-Key features also allow you to set repeatable torque output for the gun, which can help you to avoid over-torquing bolts when fastening.

The extended anvil on this gun can make it a bit cumbersome for tighter work, so you might want to try Milwaukee’s standard High Torque 1-inch Impact Gun for tighter spaces or overhead work or stick with your 3/4 inch.

The extended anvil makes it the perfect gun for taking tyres off though, so if you run a tyre shop or you’re dealing with a ton of lug nut removals, this is the gun for you.

Brushed vs Brushless Milwaukee Impact Wrenches

We should note that all of the tools in this article are from the Milwaukee Fuel range, meaning that these impact wrenches have a brushless motor that helps to give them extra power. They are a bit more expensive for this reason, so if you’re not too worried about having tons of torque, then a brushed impact wrench might be a good option for you instead.

Milwaukee Impact Wrenches at Repco

We’ve got a wide range of Milwaukee products available both in-store and for sale online, with impact wrenches for all applications, whether you need a compact ¼-inch or a big bad 1-inch gun. We also stock Milwaukee Impact Wrench Kits that come with batteries, chargers, belt clips, and cases, making them the perfect start to your rattle gun collection.