Impact Wrench

Avid Power brushless impact wrench including battery & charger, and 4 deep sockets.

Not necessarily a “must have”, but the new generation of portable, battery operated impact wrenches are very affordable and will spoil the hell out of you.

I confess that I was a late-comer to the game. Growing up, I only had memories of impact wrenches being very expensive, pneumatic requiring a steady source of compressed air, and something only found in professional repair garages. The rest of the world simply relied on those general purpose T-bars or breaker bars for loosening/tightening lug nuts.

On trail runs, though, there always seemed to be one or two mechanic types who traveled along with their own portable impact wrench. I have watched in amazement as they defeated stubborn lug nuts with the speed of an F1 racing pit crew.

While researching some tire repair gear on Amazon, I kept returning to these new impact wrenches. Not only have they gotten smaller, but they have become quite affordable.

You can find complete systems, including lithium battery & charger, in the $50-75 range at Harbor Freight or Amazon. I watched several reviews on YouTube, and came to the conclusion that the same company who makes our handheld air compressor also offers one of the better rated impact wrenches.

I found a really good unit from Avid Power on sale for around $60.

Yeah, the kid in me just had to get one!

Lug nuts require around 80 pounds of torque to loosen. These impact wrenches deliver up to 400 pounds, way more than needed for a Jeep.

We tried it out on our rig, and the lugs came loose in seconds with no exertion on our arms. Tightened them back, just as effortlessly.

Because the wrench is a standard 1/2-inch driver, same as my socket set — I can use it for a myriad of chores.

No, you certainly do NOT NEED one. But you will love having one in your kit!