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Harbor Freight "Earthquake" impact wrench

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TomMull

TomMull

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My local auto repair shop has been using a Milwaukee cordless electric impact wrench for some time now and their air CP wrench is pretty much retired. There's far less compressor noise and no hoses on the floor and the owner's claim was that power was at least equal to the old CP. I liked the idea but pushing near $1000 with a couple of spare batteries it was not an option for me, so I held my nose and bought the knock off from Harbor Freight for $259. It came with one battery and a charger.
I've been looking for challenges for it and so far have found none. It merely spins off lug nuts with no "hammering" at all. Same for the differential pinion nut on the TR3. No chance of counting the turns though, even with the mark I put on the socket. Perhaps I'll go a bit lighter on the trigger next time.
The biggest advantage is that since I don't leave the air on in my garage, whenever I need an air tool I have to start the compressor, uncoil the hose and wait for pressure to build. Now I just grab the cordless tool and go. Of course hope that I've charged the battery.
Just so you'll know that I'm not plugging Harbor Freight and I've only had the tool for a couple of days so know nothing about longevity, I'll mention the impulse purchase I made when I picked up the wrench. It is a plastic "tear drop" hammer and a real piece of c**p. Cheap of course at less that $10 but so poorly made that I'll need to hide it. You can see clearly in the picture below the sheet rock screw that holds the head on the handle. The picture is from their on-line catalog.
Tom
image_16577.jpg
 
I've had an electric impact for years for lug nuts. 120 volt, no batteries. It must be 20 years old by now and still works perfect. I have a couple air impacts but hardly ever use them. If one needs portability then I could see paying $400 + for a battery powered impact, but just for shop work, constantly charging batteries is not my cup of tea for a tool that might get used once in 3 to 4 months. Everything else I have is air powered.
 
I have been considering buying a 1/4" hex drive cordless impact driver for my shop. I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I thought it might be good for breaking fasteners loose and spinning them out. I will continue to use my air impact wrench for breaking large bolts free.

I've had mixed results with HF tools. Some have proven to be great investments, others clearly below average. Has anyone tried the relatively new "Bauer" or "Hercules" brands sold by HF?

As for the drywall screw holding the head on the nylon teardrop hammer... how do other makers attach the nylon heads? I've never seen them use the wedges used on metal head hammers.
 
Cordless impacts took over the heavy equipment shop I worked in. The SnapOn and Matco's are truly impressive with their breaking power. Young temps were steered to the HF Earthquake air impacts as a low cost alternative that was reliable and still powerful enough. When someone showed up with the cordless Earthquake, there were skeptics. Turned out it was pretty strong and reliable too. Some will point out it's not a brushless motor, but that's what makes it affordable. This guy's 30+ minute review of the gun is pretty involved and positive.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UkPzjV-ZaTU
Anymore at home, I only use the compressor to air up tires. I'm totally cordless.
 
dklawson said:
As for the drywall screw holding the head on the nylon teardrop hammer... how do other makers attach the nylon heads? I've never seen them use the wedges used on metal head hammers.
Click to expand...
Here you go Doug, I did try to remove the screw (photo on right) as it was in at an angle and protruding fro the surface but got only the head. I bought the other hammer (photo on left) several years ago and can't remember where but it is a proper one with a metal wedge.
And D., I wail the thing like a mad man, which I probably am but I appreciate quality.
Tom
tear drop 2.jpgtear drop 3.jpg
 
You beat me to it. I was going to link to this review. He seems to do good and very thorough reviews of tools. Has a lot of interesting videos on you tube

David

3798j said:
Cordless impacts took over the heavy equipment shop I worked in. The SnapOn and Matco's are truly impressive with their breaking power. Young temps were steered to the HF Earthquake air impacts as a low cost alternative that was reliable and still powerful enough. When someone showed up with the cordless Earthquake, there were skeptics. Turned out it was pretty strong and reliable too. Some will point out it's not a brushless motor, but that's what makes it affordable. This guy's 30+ minute review of the gun is pretty involved and positive.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UkPzjV-ZaTU
Anymore at home, I only use the compressor to air up tires. I'm totally cordless.
Click to expand...
 
I don't buy my primary tools at HF but I do occasionally get something in a pinch, or if I need some specialty tool in a hurry. I bought a rather large Tap and Die set a few years ago and it's been fine so far. Also, when I decided to install 3/4" oak flooring throughout my house, I bought their pneumatic flooring nail gun for $99. It worked great for all the flooring that I did.
 
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