DEWALT 18V Brushless 1/2" Torque Impact

DeWALT DCF961N-XJ 18V Brushless 1/2" Torque Impact Wrench (Bare Unit)

Extremely highly praised by reviewers and tradesmen alike, this high torque impact wrench from DeWalt's 18V XR range has 1,632 Nm of fastening torque and 2,373 Nm of breakaway or "nut-busting" torque. It has a feature which some reviewers have nicknamed "vtec mode", whereby there is a fast ramp up of additional power. If you use the impact wrench at full power for more than approximately 4 seconds, this mode kicks the impact rate up even higher. Torque curves demonstrated in this mode have shown that as soon as this happens, the machine is at about 85% of the maximum power. This is in contrast to virtually all others on the market, where the torque ramps up slowly, only producing 85+% of its power after a sustained impact of 10-15 seconds. What this means in practice is that if the DCF961 enters the higher power mode for a few seconds and isn't breaking loose the fastener, you can be confident in knowing that other avenues are needed, such as the application of heat.

The DCF961 is right at the upper limit of what is possible while still remaining on the Half-Inch anvil platform. This makes it ideal for those who have a complete set of half-inch accessories but still want the most power possible. Naturally, the 961 has a pressure sensitive trigger which allows you to vary the speed (and impact rate) depending on how hard you squeeze the trigger, giving greater control. There are four modes that allow you to take full advantage of the machine. Three of these are different speed modes, and one is a bolt mode. The bolt mode in reverse uses maximum power as described in the previous paragraph, until the fastener breaks free at which point it slows to prevent the chances of throwing a nut. In forward direction, it waits for the first impact, at which time it pauses briefly to give you a chance to stop before full impacts are delivered.

The previously mentioned 4 second delay before full power is delivered is there because DeWalt know that the majority of the time, most fasteners will be broken free within the first 2-3 seconds. This reduces the vibration to the user unless the extra power really is needed. Another way in which vibration is reduced is what DeWalt call Batteryguard. This allows the battery and main electrical terminals to float while high vibrations occur, not only reducing vibration inertia to the user's hand, but also protects the battery from heavier vibrations.

Features:

• Incredible torque levels.
• 1/2" square anvil.
• Batteryguard vibration isolation.
• 1632 Nm of fastening torque.
• 2373 Nm of breakaway torque.
• Precision Wrench Mode.
• Hog ring socket retention.