2022 test9 productsPower Tools
Which Cordless Right Angle Impact Wrenches (and Battery Ratchets) Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 9 cordless right angle impact wrenches (and battery ratchets) options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Budget pick
Skil
Price shown in test: $100 (for the impact wrench, battery, and charger together)
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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 | Note on price | Weight | Head size | Noise | No-load RPM range | Tightening torque test (hydraulic gauge, 15 sec) | Loosening torque test | 50 ft-lb lug nut breakaway | Screw driving speed (5in wood screws) | Lug nut installation speed (free driving) | Claims | Made in | Tightening torque test | 100 ft-lb lug nut breakaway | 150 ft-lb lug nut breakaway | Average finish ranking (5-way, size not a factor) | 3-way lag bolt head-to-head (8in lag bolts) | Battery note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Milwaukee M12 battery ratchet | no price stated in the transcript for this ratchet specifically | 1 lb 7.9 oz / 678 g (lightest of all tools compared in the weight factor recap at 23.9 oz) | 29.7 by 31.42 mm (smallest head diameter and depth of all tools tested) | 79.4 dB measured 24in away | 22 to 485 (would not spin slower than 22 rpm without stalling) | barely moved the needle past zero | 25 PSI, barely moved the needle again | did not make enough torque to break the lug nut loose | 26.1s, 25.4s, 25.4s (no explicit average stated) | 1 minute 16 seconds | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Milwaukee M12 1/4in right angle impact wrench$99 (least expensive impact wrench tested) | not tested | 2 lb 3.1 oz / 996 g (35.1 oz per the weight factor recap) | 38.1 by 56.8 mm | 71.2 dB (nearly as quiet as the M18, the two quietest impacts of the lineup) | 73 to 2,378 (measured, versus 0 to 2,425 claimed) | not tested | 300 PSI before running out of time | about 1.5 seconds | 15.97s, 20.1s, 20.7s, average 18.9 seconds | not stated as an exact number for this tool; the transcript only says the M18 finished in 30.5s, 'a fraction of a second slower than the 1/4in Milwaukee and the SKIL,' implying this tool's own time was marginally faster than 30.5s but no digit is given | 0 to 2,425 rpm, 0 to 3,300 impacts per minute, 600 in-lbs fastening torque; brushed motor | China | 325 PSI | unable to remove the lug nut | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3Skil$100 (for the impact wrench, battery, and charger together) | not tested | 2 lb 7.6 oz / 1,124 g (39.7 oz per the weight factor recap) | 5 mm larger diameter and nearly 10 mm longer front-to-back than the 1/4in Milwaukee | 79 dB (8 dB louder than the 1/4in Milwaukee impact) | 156 to 2,650 (worse low-rpm control than the Milwaukee's 73 rpm floor) | not tested | 750 PSI (finished 4th of 5 in the final ranking) | about half a second, fastest at that point in the sequence | 9.4s, 11.2s, 11.2s; final leaderboard lists 10.6 seconds average, finishing 4th of the 4 ranked in that recap (Milwaukee M12 Fuel, Kobalt impact, Ingersoll Rand, Skil) | not given as an exact digit; only that the M18 finished 'a fraction of a second slower than the 1/4in Milwaukee and the SKIL' at 30.5s | brushless 12V system with Power Core 12 battery technology; claims 900 in-lbs torque (versus the 1/4in Milwaukee's claimed 600); 0 to 2,700 rpm, 0 to 3,750 impacts per minute; charges 0-25% in 5 minutes, 100% in 45 minutes | China | 815 PSI (took the lead over the Milwaukee impacts at that point in testing; finished 4th of 5 in the final ranking) | 2 seconds | too much for the Skil, could not remove it | 3.25 (3rd of 5) | not tested | not tested |
| 4Kobalt 24V ratchet, 3/8in drive$129 (tool only, not battery and charger) | not tested | 3 lb 1.2 oz / 1,397 g | 40.4 by 45.59 mm | 86 dB (loudest tool of the entire test) | 22.6 to 235 (nearly as slow-spinning as the Milwaukee ratchet) | not tested | 450 PSI | not tested | 23.64s, 23.3s, 22.1s, average 23 seconds (about 2.5 seconds faster than the Milwaukee ratchet) | 1 minute 35 seconds, by far the slowest of all tools in this test; narrator notes it reacts strongly when a lug nut runs out of threads | no-load speed up to 250 rpm; brushless motor; 55 ft-lbs torque; manual hand-torque mode up to 150 ft-lbs; LED light | China | 350 PSI | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 5Kobalt 24V right angle impact wrench, 3/8in drive$150 ($21 more than the Kobalt ratchet) | not tested | 3 lb 6.8 oz / 1,556 g | 57.96 by 77.81 mm (nearly twice as large as the Milwaukee ratchet) | 81.8 dB (2nd loudest tool of the test) | 285 to 1,964 | not tested | 1,550 PSI (finished 2nd of 5, moved ahead of the Skil) | fastest at that point in the sequence (qualitative, no exact time given) | 8.0s, 9.01s, 9.4s; final leaderboard lists 8.9 seconds average, 2nd of 4 ranked | 32.1 seconds, only 2 seconds slower than the Milwaukee and Skil; narrator notes a small delay between trigger pull and tool response | brushless motor; maximum torque 180 ft-lbs; 0 to 2,000 rpm; up to 3,400 impacts per minute; impact assembly located at the head of the tool | China | 1,625 PSI (nearly twice the Skil; finished 2nd of 5 in the final ranking) | less than half a second | made very easy work of removing the lug nut | 3.0 (2nd of 5) | beat the Ingersoll Rand 38s to 47s; lost to the Milwaukee M12 Fuel 40s to 23s | not tested |
| 6Milwaukee M18 (two-speed, 3/8in right angle impact)$179 (tool only) | not tested | 2 lb 7.6 oz / 1,123 g (39.6 oz per the weight factor recap) | 38.08 by 58.28 mm (2nd most compact head of the lineup) | 71.1 dB (quietest tool of the entire test) | 170 to 2,051 | not tested | 525 PSI (lowest, 5th of 5) | just over a second | 16.8s, 19.4s, 19.4s (individual times only; not included in the final 4-way screw-speed leaderboard recap) | 30.5 seconds, 'a fraction of a second slower than the 1/4in Milwaukee and the SKIL;' narrator praises very responsive electronics | up to 60 ft-lbs of torque (notably the lowest torque spec of the powered impact wrenches tested, per the transcript as stated); 0 to 2,250 rpm; up to 3,400 impacts per minute; includes LED light; head diameter stated separately as 'right at 1.4 in' | China | 500 PSI (lowest of the 5 ranked impacts, 5th of 5) | unable to remove the lug nut | not tested | 4.5 (5th/last of 5 on raw average finish) | not tested | not tested |
| 7Milwaukee M12 Fuel (3/8in right angle impact with friction ring)$199 | not tested | 2 lb 13.8 oz / 1,301 g | 58.93 by 71.85 mm (described as pretty large) | 79.1 dB | 180 to 2,818 (fastest spinning tool of the entire lineup) | not tested | 2,000 PSI, first place overall, 'very impressive' | even faster than the Kobalt | 6.74s, 7.04s, 7.86s, average 7.2 seconds, first place; narrator calls it 'a torque monster' | 30.7 seconds; narrator notes he made a small error on the last lug nut which slowed this tool down | up to 220 ft-lbs of 'nut busting torque'; brushless motor; 3 modes, highest mode up to 3,000 rpm; battery level indicator; LED light; impact assembly located at the head of the tool | China | 2,100 PSI, first place overall, 'moves into first place over the Kobalt... very impressive' | even faster than the Kobalt, succeeded | made very easy work of the lug nut, succeeded | 1.75, first place overall on raw average finish | beat the Kobalt impact 23s to 40s, described as 'by far the fastest' | not tested |
| 8Makita$239 (tool only) | not tested | 40.1 oz per the weight factor recap | 35.69 by 58.1 mm, described as designed for tight spaces | 75 dB, quieter than average | 81 to 1,833 (best low-rpm control of the lineup per the narrator) | not tested | not tested | about 1.3 seconds | 19.16s, 21.35s, 22.5s (individual times only, no average given; not included in the final screw-speed leaderboard recap) | 31.3 seconds; narrator praises great electronics and instant trigger response despite the lower no-load rpm | 3/8in drive, brushed motor, 0 to 2,000 rpm, 0 to 3,000 impacts per minute, LED light, compact 2 1/4in head, delivers up to 44 ft-lbs of torque (the lowest torque spec of all impact wrenches tested), long ergonomic body for maximum reach | Japan (the only tool in the lineup not made in China) | 305 PSI, very low, consistent with its low 44 ft-lb torque spec | too much for the Makita, could not remove it | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 9Ingersoll Rand$400 (includes the impact wrench, a 20V 2.5 amp hour battery, and charger; most expensive tool tested) | not tested | 3 lb 10.6 oz / 1,663 g, heaviest tool of the entire test | 54.11 by 72.05 mm | 78.7 dB, a little louder than average | 215 to 1,719 | not tested | 1,025 PSI, 3rd place | very fast (qualitative only, no time given) | 9.2s, 9.89s, 10.9s, average 10 seconds, 3rd place, 'fast enough to move into third position' | 34.7 seconds, slowest of the powered tools in this particular test; narrator notes trigger response is not as immediate as most other brands | up to 1,900 rpm; 180 ft-lbs of reactionless torque; brushed motor; long-life 20V lithium ion battery with high charge capacity and low internal impedance; no light included; impact assembly located at the head of the tool | battery made in Taiwan, impact wrench made in China | 1,075 PSI, 3rd place, 'good enough to move into third place behind the Kobalt' | about half a second | needed a few extra seconds but got the job done | 4.0 (4th of 5) | lost to the Kobalt impact 47s to 38s | uses a 2.5 amp hour battery, versus the 2 amp hour batteries used on all other tools in this test |
How it was tested
- maximum tightening torque (hydraulic ram gauge, 15 second test, reported in PSI)
- maximum loosening torque (same hydraulic rig with a left-hand threaded bolt, reported in PSI)
- speed driving 5in wood screws under load (3 attempts each)
- 3-way head-to-head race driving 8in lag bolts among the three fastest impact wrenches (Milwaukee M12 Fuel, Kobalt, Ingersoll Rand)
- speed installing lug nuts freely (not torqued), a qualitative/less-scientific comparison
- breakaway torque removing lug nuts torqued to 50, then 100, then 150 ft-lb
- no-load RPM range (minimum controllable speed to maximum speed)
- noise level (dB) measured 24in from the tool
- weight, head diameter, and front-to-back head depth measurements
Data notes and caveats
This video declares two different conditional winners rather than one universal winner, matching the per-use-case-favorites pattern: (1) on the raw 5-way average-finish ranking across torque, speed, and lug-nut tests ('if tool size is not a factor'), the Milwaukee M12 Fuel came out on top at an average finish of 1.75, with Kobalt impact 2nd (3.0), Skil 3rd (3.25), Ingersoll Rand 4th (4.0), and Milwaukee M18 5th (4.5); (2) once weight, noise, head diameter, and low-rpm control are factored in, the narrator explicitly states 'the Milwaukee M18 came out on top, but it was a very tight race among the top four finishers.' A third, separate value/budget recommendation calls out the Skil brand for its price-to-performance ratio. Per the extraction rule against forcing a single winner onto per-use-case conclusions, winner is left null here with both conditional verdicts and the value pick preserved above and in the affected products' own notes. All three brands able to break loose a lug nut torqued to 150 ft-lb (Milwaukee M12 Fuel, Kobalt impact, Ingersoll Rand) share the same impact-assembly-at-the-head design, which the narrator credits directly for the extra torque. Two ratchets (Milwaukee, Kobalt) are included as a separate baseline comparison against the impact wrenches; both ratchets lacked enough torque to break loose even the 50 ft-lb lug nut in powered mode. Makita is missing from the final 5-way average-finish ranking table despite being tested throughout every other metric; this gap is flagged rather than resolved. No brand-name transcription/mangling issues occurred in this video; all names matched the description's Products Tested list cleanly throughout, and chapters map to each brand's individual test section.