I'm looking at Harbor freight and Craftsman for impact wrenches. Was wondering about the appropriate size for impact sockets. OK.. so which is recommended; 1/2 or 3/8 ?

 

1/2 inch for an impact wrench/sockets. HF or Craftsman would not be my first choice for an impact wrench. If you can spend the money go Ingersoll Rand like a 2235TiMax. If really on a budget try an Aircat 1150. Good Luck!

 

I've been selling Tekton brand tools for a long time, made by Michigan Industrial. Most of their stuff is manufactured in China but MIC spec their stuff very well and I've had very good luck with the Tekton stuff. Its affordable and I would say on par with older (truly U.S.A built) craftsman stuff. Leaps and bounds better than anything that harbor freight, Stanley, kobalt, Sears, etc is putting out.

Fun fact. Even snap-on and matco are manufacturing a ton of tools in China now. They are getting away with stamping U.S.A on them by "finishing" them in the states. This doesn't apply to all of their tools but a lot of their wrenches and sockets are Chinese forgings that have been polished and stamped in the states.



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The simple fact is that I wouldn't use these tools on an everyday basis. I mean lug nuts, suspension parts and brakes, mostly. So going cheap would suffice. I mean, 1/2 drive would be overkill on calipers?? Not too sure. (Yes, I heard Snap On is made in China, but slapped with expensive label. Not worth the status)

 

I prefer cordless tools, due to not having a shop and working on the go. I picked up a Makita impact wrench the other day. Puts out some serious torque for a battery powered impact.

Makita XWT08Z 1 2 034 Brushless Impact Wrench LXT 18V 740 ft lbs Forward 1180 Rever | eBay