Impact Wrench: Borrow or Buy?
FriendsWithTools.io earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you. We do not test these tools ourselves — all claims are sourced from manufacturer specifications, retailer listings, and aggregated user reviews, each linked inline. Prices and ratings were verified on May 2026 and may have changed.
An impact wrench is overkill for most household tasks but essential for regular automotive work. If you change your own tires, do brake jobs, or work on suspensions, buy one. For the once-a-year stuck bolt, borrow.
The Numbers
Why Borrow
- If you change tires twice a year (seasonal swap) and that is your only use, borrowing covers it
- A breaker bar ($20) loosens most stuck bolts with enough leverage
- For a single automotive repair, one afternoon with a borrowed impact wrench is plenty
- The good cordless models cost $200+ and the sockets are an additional expense
Why Buy
- Tire changes go from 20 minutes to 5 minutes. That matters if you do it for multiple vehicles.
- Suspension work, exhaust work, and anything with rusted hardware is dramatically easier
- If you are already on a battery platform (Milwaukee M18, DeWalt 20V MAX), the impact wrench bare tool is $120-180
- The torque an impact wrench delivers is not achievable by hand on some applications
Check Before You Buy
Someone in your neighborhood probably owns a impact wrench and uses it a few times a year. Borrowing saves money, saves garage space, and keeps tools in use instead of collecting dust.
See How FriendsWithTools WorksCommon Questions
Impact wrench vs impact driver: what is the difference?
An impact driver uses a 1/4" hex shank and drives screws and small bolts. An impact wrench uses a 1/2" or 3/8" square drive and delivers much higher torque for lug nuts, suspension bolts, and large fasteners. An impact driver cannot remove a lug nut. An impact wrench is overkill for deck screws. Different tools.
How much torque do I need?
Lug nuts require 80-100 ft-lbs. A 1/2" impact wrench delivering 300+ ft-lbs handles them easily. For most automotive work, 250-350 ft-lbs of breakaway torque is plenty. The 700+ ft-lbs models are for heavy equipment and commercial use.