Exploring The Types of Impact Wrenches

What are the types of impact wrenches that are commonly found in the market? The impact wrenches are divided by 3 categories according to its power supply, which is the air impact wrench, electric impact wrench, and hydraulic impact wrench.

The impact wrench is a tool to make it easier for us to tighten or loosen a screw, nut or bolt that uses external energy sources to operate.

The impact wrench can provide a high level of torque with only a moderate amount of effort on the user’s part.

The utilization of the impact wrench is quite broad, from product assembly, motor vehicle repairs, construction and even DIY projects.

So, in today’s article, we will give you a guide of the types of impact wrenches to better understand this power tool, let’s get into it!

Types of Impact Wrenches

1. Air Impact Wrench

The first one is the air impact wrench or also known as the pneumatic impact wrench.

As its name implies, the air impact wrench is operating by using compressed air as its main power source.

And with that being said, the air impact wrench needs to be connected to an air compressor in order to function properly.

The main advantage of using the air impact wrench is, as the pneumatic impact wrench does not require electric power sources, you can use this tool continuously without any interruption.

But, it’s also one of its weaknesses, as not everybody can get access to a powerful air compressor.

The pneumatic impact wrench has become a staple choice of power tool and are commonly used in automotive repair, construction and heavy machinery maintenance.

Also Read: “What is an Air Impact Wrench? And How To Use It?“

2. Electric Impact Wrench

The next one is the electric impact wrench that as its name suggests uses electricity as its main source of power.

This type of impact wrench is also the most common option to use in a variety of industries because of its availability, reliability, and ease of use.

Also, the electric impact wrench are further divided by 2 categories, including:

• Corded Electric Impact Wrench: The first one is the electric impact wrench with a cord. In order to use this impact wrench, you must plug it into a power cord and cannot function without plugging it in. And because there’s no battery in it, you can use it for an unlimited amount of time. But, this type of electric wrench might lose some of its portability and convenience because of the need to plug into an electric socket every time you use this tool.
• Cordless Electric Impact Wrench: The next one is the cordless electric impact wrench that is powered by a battery. This type of electric impact wrench is the most commonly used impact wrench because of its portability, flexibility, convenience and ease of use. People who work on road maintenance will benefit the most from using the cordless electric impact wrench.

3. Hydraulic Impact Wrench

The last one on our list of types of wrenches is the hydraulic impact wrench which is powered by the hydraulic system.

This tool is the least used types of wrenches because of the complexity of its energy sources, and is mainly used in extremely heavy industrial settings.

The main advantage of using the hydraulic impact wrench is you can get an extremely high output that is even higher compared to the pneumatic impact wrench.

Also, the hydraulic powered impact wrench usually is bigger in size, so its portability and convenience might fall especially for home use.

There you have it! The types of wrenches according to their power sources!

Sure the impact wrench can give us a lot of convenience especially for people who work in automotive repair or construction industries.

But did you know that this device also has potential dangers when used?

That’s why many countries set a regulation about this tool that serves as a guideline to ensure its safety and quality aspects.

And Indonesia is not really different, there is a regulation for the impact wrench that clearly stated in SNI IEC 60745-2-2:2015: SNI Certification For Impact Wrench in Indonesia.