Over at Acme Tools, they have new special pricing on the Dewalt 20V Max XR cordless 1/2″ mid-range impact wrench bare tool, model DCF894B.
This seems like a very good deal on a mid-range impact wrench. At the time of this posting, the bare tool is priced at $149. Some other retails have the same impact priced at more than $220, but $199 seems to be the regular price. With this deal, you’re saving $50.
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The deal is valid for a limited time, and there’s a limit of 2 per order.
Dewalt says:
This Mid-Range Cordless Impact Wrench is ideal for grooved couplings, pipe flanges, wheel lugs, concrete anchor setting, and many other applications where a lot of torque is needed in a compact space.
I’ve used this Dewalt 20V Max mid-range impact wrench before, and it offers a very nice balance between power and size. It can deliver quite a bit of torque, but in a more smaller and lighter package than heavier duty impacts.
Why the 1/2″ anvil? Some users might prefer 3/8″ for a mid-range impact, others prefer 1/2″ because it works with their existing 1/2″ impact sockets and accessories.
Key Features & Specs
- 1/2″ anvil with detent pin
- 330 ft-lbs max fastening torque
- 600 ft-lbs max breakaway torque
- 3 mode settings
- Precision Wrench control feature
- Weighs 3.48 lbs
Sale Price: $149
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If you’re not in the market for a mid-range impact wrench, what have you been shopping for? Acme also has a couple of other promotions going on right now:
James R.
I bought this specifically for working on my Jeep. I picked it up on ebay in January for $159.99 (buy it now.)
It’s a fantastic tool, and makes short work of wheel / suspension work for me as a shade-tree hobby mechanic.
MM
I bought one of these about a month ago. Lowe’s had marked them down to $149 at the time; I mentioned it here a couple times as well.
I think it’s a good tool. It’s not super compact but it is competently powerful. I put mine to work swapping the front leaf springs on my 1-ton Ford and it had no problem with the the spring/shackle bolts, the big U-bolts on the springs themselves, despite them having never been touched for ~25 years. It has replaced my Ingersoll pneumatic impact for general use.
Like Stuart says this is a nice balance of power and size. It’s enough for nearly all general purpose auto/truck work yet it’s not obnoxiously huge either. Of course a pro mechanic will probably find themselves wanting to complement it witha smaller impact and someone working on heavy duty trucks or construction equipment will need a bigger one but for general use this one is great.
Philip Proctor
Why is the hog ring always more expensive than the detent pin model?
Matt the Hoople
I tend to prefer the tool free socket changes of a hog ring as well. Detent pins have their place ( working in elevated locations and such).
Amazon has the hog ring version for $15 more at $165.
DEWALT 20V MAX XR Cordless Impact Wrench with Hog Ring Anvil, 1/2-Inch, Tool Only (DCF894HB) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0795Y49SQ/
Incidentally, Lowe’s also has the detent pin version for $150 as well. Should this be more convenient or Acme run out.
XR 20-Volt Max Variable Speed Brushless 1/2-in Drive Cordless Impact Wrench https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-XR-20-Volt-Max-1-2-in-Drive-Cordless-Impact-Wrench/1000404679
James R.
I own this exact impact wrench with the detent pin and it doesn’t require a tool to change sockets. Just give it a good solid tug and sockets come off.
Mike
Yeah I like it better than the hog ring which sometimes be a pain in the arse to get on and off
Matt F
I have a pin detention version from the earliest production and my only complaint is that my IR and Tekton sockets nearly fall off.
Matt the Hoople
I have an older 18v version with the detent pin and I can’t pull sockets off without sticking something in the hole to depress the pin. I find that if I am working with it in a horizontal position as you would when removing or installing wheels, I tend to put the socket on such that the detent pin does not go through the hole in the socket. Makes it easier to change but sometimes the socket wants to come flying off so it limits the situation in which it is practical. I have an older IR air impact with detent that I can pull the sockets off with a good tug. The detent pin on that one is a little more rounded and a little shorter with a little weaker spring. In general, I have had better luck with hog rings. I think if I had an impact wrench with the hog ring and the hog ring was a smidge too tight, then I would probably just file it down a little bit until I get the fit I wanted.
I have contemplated taking apart my Dewalt and either shortening the detent pin spring slightly or replacing it with something a bit weaker provided it is even possible to get the anvil apart. However, I recently purchased one of the 12 V Dewalt impacts that has more torque than my old 18 V so that it doesn’t see much use anymore. It is now relegated solely to tire duty so basically lives with the 19 MM socket permanently attached.
I know hog rings can be hit or miss on the amount of tension they apply to the socket. The hog ring on the new impact I recently got is about perfect. If it were overly tight, I would probably take advantage of the Dewalt liberal return policy and exchange a few times until I found one that was just right.
Matt the Hoople
Ok. All this detent pin talk got me thinking…. I just took a cordless 1/2 inch belt sander and sanded the back side of the pin on my 18v model slightly to increase the angle just a wee bit. I now am able to pull the sockets off with just a moderate tug. I may now be a detent pin convert:) Just wish I had thought of that sooner.
MM
My experience is like Matt the Hoople’s here. I have an older Dewalt impact wrench, the DCF880, which is a fairly low-powered 1/2″ model. It has a pin anvil and on every socket I own you have to push down that pin with some small object before removing the socket. It has quite a steep taper with sharp edges on the pin.
My recently-purchased DCF894 isn’t quite so aggressive, it requires a pin for some sockets but others can be pulled off with a good sharp tug. I would imagine that it would be easy to round over the detent pin a little bit–give it a radius at the tip–and it should be quite a bit less “grabby”.
Matt the Hoople
Yep. That’s basically what I did. Made the angle slightly less deep and rounded the tip a bit. Took about 10 seconds with a Ryobi belt sander. A dremel or file could do the same thing. Actually like it a lot now.
Glad to hear the newer ones may have a little better design cause that older pin was horrible.
Rx9
Detent pin models are aimed more at construction applications where fasteners are usually more similar (less need to switch sockets) and dropping sockets is a liability (elevated workspace). Hog ring models are aimed at mechanical service applications. I usually see both offered at the same price, so my guess is that for this instance, there were more detent pin models made than necessary and this price imbalance is a way of thinning detent pin inventory.
rob
Weird, I’m used to seeing the hog ring version being about 10% less than the less popular detent pin version. Is this a Dewalt thing?
Corey Moore
It’s a great impact, and that’s a good price. I’ve had the detent model for a year or two and I’d buy it again in a heartbeat if I needed to.
JoeM
I dunno… If you need one, get it? I’m to the point where the main XR line of DeWALT 20 Volt tools literally come down to “Do I do this kind of work?” as what decides my purchasing.
I have an Impact Driver, and some Socket Adapters for it… It seems to do everything I need… so far… But if I was ever given the chance to have 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2″ Impact Wrenches like these? Like… Lined up in a box, ready to go? Full set of deep-socket and regular sized Metric and SAE Laser-Etched marking sockets for use with them? I wouldn’t say no… Except… I don’t do near enough with Sockets to warrant that kind of investment.
Maybe I might upgrade to more impact-ready socket adapters for my impact driver, for now? I still haven’t found (What I’m looking for… STIIILLLL Haven’t Found… What I’m Looking For… U2 stuck in my head now… And I love you all, but if I gotta get the earworm, so do you here.) a proper… just… EVERY size of Metric and SAE Deep and Standard Impact-Rated sockets… I’ve only ever found sets that run a handful of each… Making multiple purchases to fill in the gaps, results in huge numbers of excess copies of ones I have… No pun intended, but it does drive me nuts.
For now… Yeah… I think this is enough encouragement to look into Impact-Rated socket adapters for the 3 size ranges… Until I get the magical chance to step up to needing a real Impact Wrench, my Impact Driver can stand in.
William
I bought one for $125 last month on northen tool. Feels light and well built, but I was disappointed that it couldn’t remove some of the lug nuts that were overtightened with an air wrench. My buddy has the 2nd gen m18 mid torque with 3/8 anvil and it didn’t even break a sweat removing the same lug nuts. The milwaukee is a bit shorter on length, but the dewalt feels slimmer overall.
Jerry
I can see construction crews like g this. I worked at building grain bins some years back, and would have loved to have something like this. Enough power for the job and not huge and heavy. I moved on to other things about when cordless impacts were becoming practical, and there were lots of discussions about not dragging a cord and the extra weight and short run time of a cordless. I’d say about half preferred the cordless at the time, which were 18V NiCad units. Now with the lightweight lithium batteries, I can’t see anyone preferring corded.
It is possible this is aimed at construction crews, because NONE of us wanted a hog ring anvil. You’d run 500 bolts, all the same size without changing sockets sometimes more than that.
Rx9
If you work on cars, you absolutely want an impact wrench of some sort. Air or electric, just get one. That said, I feel like the minimum breakaway torque on it needs to be at least 350 ft lbs. Fastening torque is completely irrelevant, as you should be using a torque wrench for that.
If you are bought into the 20v max system, you work on vehicles (amateur or pro), you don’t already have one, and have the cash to spare, jump in on this deal.
James R.
600 ft-lbs max breakaway torque
atnfromatl
I have this. I still use it at home.
I’ve since replaced it with Milwaukee’s Gen 2 mid torque. What I like about the Dewalt is the slight angle of the impact and how the battery pack doesn’t extend past the nose like with the Milwaukee impact. It’s also lighter and was more affordable when I bought it.
However, it let me down on quite a few occasions. The Milwaukee has been able to remove every lug nut and suspension bolt I’ve thrown at it. Maybe Dewalt’s next gen will be better.
Nathan
I lusted after one until I saw the size with socket and measured some of my veichles. I still sort of lust after one but for everything other than my truck the body with socket is too big to be useful in many situations.
The ratings and heft of it are great though. LIke some one else for mechanic work on I’d compliment this with something smaller and less strong for the other needs where this tool won’t fit. I currently lust after the new compact 12V impact wrench for it’s torque and overall length. (fits where this won’t).
All that said – I’d buy both but I don’t have a need for this amount of torque right now. If I needed a 500 ft lb plus torque wrench for car work I’d buy this over a pneumatic.
Hog ring vs detent pin as said hog ring is prefered for mechanics but people forget those hog rings have to be replaced occasionally. I personally like the detent pin – and I rarely engage them. Usually there is a side on our impact socket or extension that doesn’t have the hole – so the pin won’t engage. Then it’s like a tight ratchet to remove.
MM
Yeah, this is more of a tool for taking off tough-to-remove fasteners than it is a tool for general convenience. If you want a tool for the average auto fastener? Get a 1/4 or 3/8 drive 12V compact impact and a set of swivel sockets. You want a tool for lug nuts and the big bolts which are difficult to get by hand? That’s what this tool is for.
But it’s honestly an amazing deal. Back when I bought my Ingersoll pneumatic impact many years ago it was over $300…and I bought it used! New they were over $400. And if we correct for today’s prices it would have cost even more. This thing performs about the same, practically speaking, and it’s $150? And no hose? That’s a heck of a deal. Not to mention that if you need to get the whole system, a charger is a lot cheaper than a compressor. Now I must admit that the pneumatic impact is more powerful for *tightening*, but there are precious few auto fasteners that need tightening beyond 300 ft-lb so I don’t think that’s much of a disadvantage for the intended purpose of this tool.
Even if all you use it for is lug nuts that alone is worth the price of admission in my opinion. It turns wheel removal from a hassle involving a lot of physical exertion and a decent chance of injury to a total non-issue that’s done in 30 seconds, even if the wheel is free to spin.
Steve
I started with the big 1/2″ impact and then bought this one when it first became available . . . and then picked up the 3/8″ last of all. The 3/8″ does 90% of what I need. The mid-range 1/2″ is what I reach for if it is big nuts and the big 1/2″ is just for lug nuts and such anymore. Can’t say I “need” them but they are handy and sure look pretty lined up in their hangers. Had they come out in reverse order I probably would still have bought all three. Just a sucker for nice tools.