2020 test2 productsPower Tools
Which Cordless Impact Wrenches Brand Wins?
We compared 2 cordless impact wrenches options head to head. Makita XWT11Z came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Makita XWT11Z
Price shown in test: $138
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Budget pick
Cousin Eddie (unbranded knockoff Makita impact wrench)
Price shown in test: just under $30
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Manufacturer rated torque | Weight | Speeds | Trigger response | Loosening rotation count (trigger squeeze to anvil stop) | RPM, low impact mode | RPM, medium impact mode | RPM, high impact mode | Lowest variable trigger speed | No-load power draw | Tightening torque test, low impact (ft-lb) | Tightening torque test, medium impact (ft-lb) | Tightening torque test, high impact (ft-lb) | Loosening torque test, high impact (ft-lb) | Lug nut removal speed test | Auto stop feature test | Galled/cross-threaded nut removal, 30 second test | 10 ft drop test onto concrete | Impact-on-anvil stress test | Heat after repeated head-to-head runs | Teardown | Manufacturer claims | RPM, soft impact mode | RPM, hard impact mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Makita XWT11Z 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 3-Speed 1/2 in Sq. Drive Impact Wrench$138 | 210 ft-lb maximum tightening, 295 ft-lb nut busting/loosening torque | 1,133 grams, made in China | 3 forward and 3 reverse speeds, plus a reverse rotation auto stop feature | nearly instantaneous, no noticeable lag; completed about 4.5 rotations before Cousin Eddie even began spinning in a side by side slow motion comparison | 8 rotations | close to 1,500 forward, just over 1,500 reverse, about 100 RPM slower than its own rating | close to 2,000 forward, 2,140 reverse (faster than its rating) | close to 2,750 forward, just over 3,000 reverse (faster than its rating) | 45 RPM, offering much finer low speed control than Cousin Eddie | 2.61 amps / 52 watts forward, peaked at 3.4 amps / 65 watts reverse | 57 ft-lb at 650 PSI | 100 ft-lb at 1,150 PSI, which already beat Cousin Eddie's high impact result | 178 ft-lb at 2,050 PSI, a little short of its own 210 ft-lb rating | 159 ft-lb at 1,825 PSI | 35 seconds | about 25 seconds, finished the loosening and auto stop sequence before Cousin Eddie's nut even began to rotate in 3 of 3 side by side trials | 5.75 rotations, close to twice the work Cousin Eddie did | a few scratches to the casing, less bounce than Cousin Eddie, no functional damage | handle flexed near the battery under a hard blow but the tool kept working | only about 4 degrees F cooler than Cousin Eddie | hammer weighs 297 g (heavier than Cousin Eddie's 253 g), plastic case is much more robust, anvil shows only a very small amount of wear after testing, uses a pin detent anvil design | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Cousin Eddie (unbranded knockoff Makita impact wrench)just under $30 | not tested | 1,132 grams (1 gram less than the Makita), made in China, shipped from China, took about a month to arrive | 2 forward and 1 reverse speed, plus a reverse rotation auto stop feature | noticeable trigger lag; the Makita completed about 4.5 rotations before this tool even began spinning | 10.5 rotations, 2.5 more than the Makita, enough in some cases to fully decouple a nut from a bolt | not tested | not tested | not tested | 470 RPM, far less fine low speed control than the Makita's 45 RPM | 1.73 amps / about 34 watts, both forward and reverse | 78 ft-lb at 900 PSI | not tested | 91 ft-lb at 1,050 PSI, far short of its claimed 384 ft-lb | 113 ft-lb at 1,300 PSI | 49 seconds | about 34 seconds | 2.75 rotations | bounced more than the Makita, only cosmetic scratching, one rubber trim piece popped off but was reseated, no functional damage | the plastic casing broke at the base and the handle broke, though the tool kept working | ran about 4 degrees F hotter than the Makita | does have a genuine brushless motor, hammer weighs 253 g (lighter than Makita's 297 g), anvil shows noticeably more wear/rounding than the Makita's, uses a friction ring anvil design | 520 Newton meters (about 384 ft-lb) of torque claimed, 3,000 RPM no-load claimed | 1,800 forward, close to 2,300 reverse | 2,300 forward, 2,300 reverse, 700 RPM short of the 3,000 RPM claimed on its spec sheet |
How it was tested
- maximum tightening and loosening torque (hydraulic ram test rig, PSI converted to ft-lb)
- no-load RPM across all speed/impact modes, forward and reverse
- no-load power draw (amps and watts)
- lug nut removal speed test (seconds)
- reverse auto stop feature response time (seconds)
- galled/cross-threaded nut removal against engine brake resistance (rotations in 30 seconds)
- head-to-head trigger response and power showdown
- 10 ft drop test onto concrete
- impact-on-anvil stress test
- heat after repeated runs
- teardown and internal component comparison (hammer weight, anvil wear, case material)
“So, is a $30 impact wrench, or the cheap knockoff, as good as the Makita? Absolutely not. Pretty obvious that Makita dominated the showdown.”