just picked up something just like this. thought there was something wrong with it by how it operated but it looks like it is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. it's surprisingly loud when the hammer kicks but it does get the lug nuts off.
The bearing is powdered metal, I have worked in many powered metal plants. Powdered metal is a big industry in my area. It is probably made of remill iron powder (ground up scrap parts that were not sintered to bond the powder particles together) because remill is the cheapest powder. Some of the other parts are probably powdered metal too like the gear, and the impact mechanism housing. The impact hammers are likely not powdered metal, it does not hold up to well to heavy impact. Powdered metal is porous if you dip it in oil after some time the oil will soak into the part and it will be dry to the touch and the part will be self lubricating because it has oil in it. Powdered metal is a more common and similar but different process then metal injection molding.
THANK YOU ! . I recently bought a similar tool and didn't think it worked, now that you have shown how it needs to get up to speed to expand the fly weights I'll try it again and see what happens . -Nate
When I opened it and tested it I only held the output shaft in my fingers and goosed the trigger a few times , the output shaft never moved . I took it all apart and discovered it'd been assembled DRY - no grease / lube so I cleaned and greased it , same result ~ now I know to let it spin up to speed . -Nate @@JJCCENG
There is a newer version of this tool in a larger plastic Orange housing and it has even more power there is a video of a guy popping off axle nuts with ease. Very cool engineering work on these tools.
I’m here because my Chicago Electric 12v “Emergency Roadside” Impact Wrench (92349) failed on me. It’s pretty much the exact same thing but I got mine 12 years ago for 20 bucks (25 - 20% coupon). Like yours it came in a blow-molded case with the the cable to adapt from a lighter socket to terminal clamps. I saw a Kawasaki-branded version about 12 years ago too. Someone grossly overtightened the lug nuts that mine failed on. After trying for way too long it finally seized. You can’t turn the 1/2 inch driver easily by hand but the blue LED still comes on (why BLUE?!). I can’t fault it since the same lugs also snapped my Ryobi impact adapter when used with my DeWALT impact driver. Ultimately, I needed to torch the lugs and jump up and down on a breaker bar, damaging the stud threads to remove the lug nuts. One thread sheared off like a perfectly formed spring/coil! I got it for working on my motorcycle where I have no power source. Crankshaft sprocket mostly. It worked well for that but I haven’t needed it there for years.
Oh yeah: Don’t do what I did by immediately placing it back in the blow-molded case after it fails. I came back days later to inspect it and found the paper manual had blacked burned parts going pages deep… so it almost caught fire (well, did, but smothered itself).
1st) I know that this is an older video, but i just found it so i am chiming in at this point anyway.... ok, so i am not mad at it....from a physics point of view it is actually pretty bad ass. Uses both inertia and centrifugal force to multiply the INITIAL impact for a burst of breaking strength. The downside It would seem is that each time it hammers that initial impact that it will have to "spool" back up to impact again. HOWEVER, it would also seem that the torque multiplication would have the potential to be tremendous. Imagine if a higher end company made one of their impacts with their higher end motor/components with this gear reduction/inertia hammer as the mechanism......I would think that it would be a freaking game changer!!!! Great channel, great content, great job on the technical breakdown......watched the Bauer video first and then linked to this one.....now a subscriber keep up the great work
I bought a similar model 17 years ago and it came in handy many times when I couldn't budge a bolt using a breaker bar. But I tried it a month ago and now it just spins and spins without any pawl engagement. Any idea what's wrong?
HI DONT BUY PIECE OF SHIT TOOLS WHATS WRONG IS THE WINDING IS FKED UP INSIDE HAPPENS A LOT I GOT A 120 VOLT OMPACT WRENCH FOR MY SUBIE! WITH MY 1700 AMP JUMPER WITH INVERTER ITS A LITTLE HEAVY BUT DOES THE JOB
@@ekop1778 I agree but I bought it 17 years ago.....at a time when the cordless impacts were not like they are today and used to cost a fortune. This cheap tool has saved my butt a dozen times.
If it does literally nothing, it almost has to be the trigger switch is burnt out... It looks very generic, might be able to find a replacement on eBay or such
Very possible... really, due to the price point, I would think it most likely to be Zamak or a comparable zinc alloy except for the heavy impact... certain cast zinc alloys can be good bearings but not the most resilient so hard to say. Good question, thanks.
So, how dangerous are these for your car considering the lack of a diode? Like a solenoid, the current that has nowhere to go each time the hammer blow momentarily stops everything. Is this possibly why mine failed and nearly caught fire?
@@JJCCENG I’m admittedly out of my depth here… just recalling something from an Adafruit video about why every solenoid driver circuit has a diode and how inductors and solenoids will cause a higher voltage spike when current is shut off since the current wants to keep flowing through a coil (just like an inductor). Now that I think about it, voltage isn’t shut off through the electromagnet coils in the motor so I’m really not sure what the effect would cause.
A Lug Nut when tighten up ,often need less torque to tighten and more force to break the seal ,not only does an impact gun reach an impact torque, but also the jolting breaks the seal between the to metal surface between the lug nut face and the tires face plate surface 🤔🙊🙉🙈
Nice! But it's just not torque vs dollars. It's also about build Quality, and for $35 well ?? the clutch and hammer system is extremely light duty. Imo grab a Milwaukee / rigid or ryobi. 😎
Yes, the build quality is very poor and it's not a direct replacement for either one, but if you just need to break loose a stubborn bolt and you don't have $400 to spend on compressor + air impact or brand name battery impact, it's a helluva shortcut money wise. thanks for the comment!
I'm looking at one of these to keep in the car to do emergency roadside tire changes in case the guy at Discount Tire really impacted the lug nuts on and I can't get it off with the 4way. Much less of a chance someone steals one if these over a brand name tool.
@@paulschuebel5487 I'm not sure what you mean by that? There are some that hook straight up to the battery terminals, and others use the cigarette lighter.
Well every successful product gets into its "cash cow" phase where the development costs go to zero and its all profit... at the tail end of this phase the price tends to be discounted as the product becomes less novel and exciting.
Nobody except the Amazon no name brands are making these. Why? A 12v corded impact wrench I can plug into my cigarette lighter? Yes please. No worrying about having batteries, or that those batteries are actually charged! Why is nobody jumping on this idea?
@@JJCCENG I guess. Maybe I'm just used to the concept of an Impact that is powered by the vehicle because I'm an offroading enthusiast. Guys will fabricate huge front bumpers out of steel tube, seal them up, and make those their air tanks. Then they add onboard air compressors, and they have air tools anywhere on the trail. Would be really nice to have that same portability with power tools without having to rely on batteries. I'm gonna give this one a try. Your tear down was very detailed, and makes me feel like it might be worth the money.
Total garbage kinda impact wrenches! Have bought new one like this crap,,, I attempted to loosen the 5 lug nuts on my car’s front wheel to rotate tires, it took off 2 of them successfully,,, until the 3rd lugnut, watch this…it kept struggling for a whole 60 sec. and what eventually happened is the impact motor kept on running, but NO impacting I can hear, and it made a weird sound like something got broken inside and a piece fallen off inside it, and I could hear it very well, when I opened it up, I saw the that grey metal piece splitter in two! I was like wtf?! it’s only the damn 3rd lugnut yet ! Then I knew they’re intended to use for a SINGLE lugnut, not even a single use! what the heck!
![KSI - Dirty [Official Visualiser]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VoDh1h1dPUE/mqdefault.jpg)
just picked up something just like this. thought there was something wrong with it by how it operated but it looks like it is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. it's surprisingly loud when the hammer kicks but it does get the lug nuts off.
Yep, feels like something is broken... until it kicks!
The bearing is powdered metal, I have worked in many powered metal plants. Powdered metal is a big industry in my area. It is probably made of remill iron powder (ground up scrap parts that were not sintered to bond the powder particles together) because remill is the cheapest powder. Some of the other parts are probably powdered metal too like the gear, and the impact mechanism housing. The impact hammers are likely not powdered metal, it does not hold up to well to heavy impact. Powdered metal is porous if you dip it in oil after some time the oil will soak into the part and it will be dry to the touch and the part will be self lubricating because it has oil in it.
Powdered metal is a more common and similar but different process then metal injection molding.
Awesome information man, thanks so much.
THANK YOU ! .
I recently bought a similar tool and didn't think it worked, now that you have shown how it needs to get up to speed to expand the fly weights I'll try it again and see what happens .
-Nate
Yes, the delay makes it much slower than traditional impact wrenches but still very effective in my experience.
When I opened it and tested it I only held the output shaft in my fingers and goosed the trigger a few times , the output shaft never moved .
I took it all apart and discovered it'd been assembled DRY - no grease / lube so I cleaned and greased it , same result ~ now I know to let it spin up to speed .
-Nate
@@JJCCENG
There is a newer version of this tool in a larger plastic Orange housing and it has even more power there is a video of a guy popping off axle nuts with ease. Very cool engineering work on these tools.
That's impressive!
I found one in my junks and this thing is friggin amazing. Its super strong. Feel like its going to break a lugnut. Scary
Yes, it really packs a punch... eventually lol.
Thanks man, you saved a tool, i can repair mine now
Great to hear!
Can you look at some of the new ridgid maxoutput tools after Christmas when they come out.
Yes, I would be very interested to see how they stack up. Thanks.
I’m here because my Chicago Electric 12v “Emergency Roadside” Impact Wrench (92349) failed on me. It’s pretty much the exact same thing but I got mine 12 years ago for 20 bucks (25 - 20% coupon). Like yours it came in a blow-molded case with the the cable to adapt from a lighter socket to terminal clamps. I saw a Kawasaki-branded version about 12 years ago too.
Someone grossly overtightened the lug nuts that mine failed on. After trying for way too long it finally seized. You can’t turn the 1/2 inch driver easily by hand but the blue LED still comes on (why BLUE?!).
I can’t fault it since the same lugs also snapped my Ryobi impact adapter when used with my DeWALT impact driver. Ultimately, I needed to torch the lugs and jump up and down on a breaker bar, damaging the stud threads to remove the lug nuts. One thread sheared off like a perfectly formed spring/coil!
I got it for working on my motorcycle where I have no power source. Crankshaft sprocket mostly. It worked well for that but I haven’t needed it there for years.
Oh yeah: Don’t do what I did by immediately placing it back in the blow-molded case after it fails. I came back days later to inspect it and found the paper manual had blacked burned parts going pages deep… so it almost caught fire (well, did, but smothered itself).
1st) I know that this is an older video, but i just found it so i am chiming in at this point anyway....
ok, so i am not mad at it....from a physics point of view it is actually pretty bad ass. Uses both inertia and centrifugal force to multiply the INITIAL impact for a burst of breaking strength. The downside It would seem is that each time it hammers that initial impact that it will have to "spool" back up to impact again. HOWEVER, it would also seem that the torque multiplication would have the potential to be tremendous. Imagine if a higher end company made one of their impacts with their higher end motor/components with this gear reduction/inertia hammer as the mechanism......I would think that it would be a freaking game changer!!!!
Great channel, great content, great job on the technical breakdown......watched the Bauer video first and then linked to this one.....now a subscriber
keep up the great work
Great insights dude! thanks for kind words and the sub. more videos coming!
It is possible to weld steel to bronze using bronze brazing rod. I was a welder for about 10 years and in mechanical engineering for 20 years
Great info; Thank you for your expertise.
I bought a similar model 17 years ago and it came in handy many times when I couldn't budge a bolt using a breaker bar. But I tried it a month ago and now it just spins and spins without any pawl engagement. Any idea what's wrong?
HI DONT BUY PIECE OF SHIT TOOLS
WHATS WRONG IS THE WINDING IS FKED UP INSIDE
HAPPENS A LOT
I GOT A 120 VOLT OMPACT WRENCH FOR MY SUBIE!
WITH MY 1700 AMP JUMPER WITH INVERTER ITS A LITTLE HEAVY BUT DOES THE JOB
@@ekop1778 I agree but I bought it 17 years ago.....at a time when the cordless impacts were not like they are today and used to cost a fortune. This cheap tool has saved my butt a dozen times.
Likely the latch that needs to open up as the rpm gets higher has rusted or seized. might just need to open it up and lube it or break it loose.
I bought mine from Walmart for 25 bucks aroundn7 years ago. So using it for changing flat tires. Changed the fuse twice. No other issues
It's amazing how much can be done with $35
It really is. Best money I ever spent.
Great Video. I found this looking to see what it might take to repair the one I currently have for my car. I engage the trigger, but no Joy.
If it does literally nothing, it almost has to be the trigger switch is burnt out... It looks very generic, might be able to find a replacement on eBay or such
I wonder if you could put a brushless motor from an rc in there
Probably could with some modification but honestly after using this to take my lugs of my car, i'm pretty happy with how fast and powerful it is.
Any chance the bearing is made of Zamak? Kinda reminds me of that. Loved the video!
Very possible... really, due to the price point, I would think it most likely to be Zamak or a comparable zinc alloy except for the heavy impact... certain cast zinc alloys can be good bearings but not the most resilient so hard to say. Good question, thanks.
Doesn't it just have one sprung loaded weight per rotation direction? One actuates clockwise and the other actuates counter clockwise.
That makes alot of sense... Probably an oversight on my part. Thanks!
@@JJCCENG Blimey. Next you'll be telling us you're not perfect!
@@stupot_64 🤣🤣
Please do a review of current gen dewalt
So, how dangerous are these for your car considering the lack of a diode? Like a solenoid, the current that has nowhere to go each time the hammer blow momentarily stops everything. Is this possibly why mine failed and nearly caught fire?
Very interesting, I had not considered that.
@@JJCCENG I’m admittedly out of my depth here… just recalling something from an Adafruit video about why every solenoid driver circuit has a diode and how inductors and solenoids will cause a higher voltage spike when current is shut off since the current wants to keep flowing through a coil (just like an inductor). Now that I think about it, voltage isn’t shut off through the electromagnet coils in the motor so I’m really not sure what the effect would cause.
Link please
Added to description. Thanks for reminding me.
A Lug Nut when tighten up ,often need less torque to tighten and more force to break the seal ,not only does an impact gun reach an impact torque, but also the jolting breaks the seal between the to metal surface between the lug nut face and the tires face plate surface 🤔🙊🙉🙈
Absolutely. and this think packs a hell of a punch... kind of jars your hand if your not expecting it.
@Ave and @Torquetestchannel need a whack at this guy. Great break down. Centripetal actuation is pretty genius
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the high praise.
Nice! But it's just not torque vs dollars. It's also about build Quality, and for $35 well ?? the clutch and hammer system is extremely light duty. Imo grab a Milwaukee / rigid or ryobi. 😎
Yes, the build quality is very poor and it's not a direct replacement for either one, but if you just need to break loose a stubborn bolt and you don't have $400 to spend on compressor + air impact or brand name battery impact, it's a helluva shortcut money wise. thanks for the comment!
I'm looking at one of these to keep in the car to do emergency roadside tire changes in case the guy at Discount Tire really impacted the lug nuts on and I can't get it off with the 4way. Much less of a chance someone steals one if these over a brand name tool.
@@Aperson156 trick would be the power cord
@@paulschuebel5487 I'm not sure what you mean by that? There are some that hook straight up to the battery terminals, and others use the cigarette lighter.
Couldn't you test it to show if it works or not? 🤔
Yeah yeah yeah....but how does it perform? Is it worth the investment?
It does what i expected it to do, but slower than the big 18v 1/2 impact wrench beasts.
I'm assuming this is based on an obsolete design because I don't think $36 will cover engineering costs.
Well every successful product gets into its "cash cow" phase where the development costs go to zero and its all profit... at the tail end of this phase the price tends to be discounted as the product becomes less novel and exciting.
Nobody except the Amazon no name brands are making these. Why? A 12v corded impact wrench I can plug into my cigarette lighter? Yes please. No worrying about having batteries, or that those batteries are actually charged! Why is nobody jumping on this idea?
Im guessing the convenience aspect. It does take more time on a stubborn bolt or nut. I like mine though.
@@JJCCENG I guess. Maybe I'm just used to the concept of an Impact that is powered by the vehicle because I'm an offroading enthusiast. Guys will fabricate huge front bumpers out of steel tube, seal them up, and make those their air tanks. Then they add onboard air compressors, and they have air tools anywhere on the trail. Would be really nice to have that same portability with power tools without having to rely on batteries. I'm gonna give this one a try. Your tear down was very detailed, and makes me feel like it might be worth the money.
It's $97.10 now...
Inflation is a b****
Total garbage kinda impact wrenches! Have bought new one like this crap,,, I attempted to loosen the 5 lug nuts on my car’s front wheel to rotate tires, it took off 2 of them successfully,,, until the 3rd lugnut, watch this…it kept struggling for a whole 60 sec. and what eventually happened is the impact motor kept on running, but NO impacting I can hear, and it made a weird sound like something got broken inside and a piece fallen off inside it, and I could hear it very well, when I opened it up, I saw the that grey metal piece splitter in two! I was like wtf?! it’s only the damn 3rd lugnut yet !
Then I knew they’re intended to use for a SINGLE lugnut, not even a single use! what the heck!
I don't use mine very often but that makes sense i guess given the price point. Thanks for the feedback!