Tornado Tools 12V DC Impact Wrench 185ft lbs Of Torque

The impact wrench is very handy. A little awkward to use at first as there is no convenient way to use both hands. It should be noted in the description that like most of these type impact wrenches the wrench "spins" at a fast rate for a couple of seconds then "strikes" the nut. Usually by the second or third strike the nut is loose and quickly spins off. The directions could be clearer and more in depth. One review mentioned that the manual does not say where the fuse is. It is in the end of the power plug. Just screw the tip off and it is easily replaced. Be careful not to lose the metal tip in the very end as it can fall out as well as the spring in the bottom under the fuse.The fuse is mentioned in several reviews as blowing often. The extra fuses that came with mine were broken. I replaced them with a "slow blow" type fuse and have not blown a single fuse. When the unit "strikes" the bolt it causes an instaneous current surge which probably is why the fuses blow if you are not careful. The "slow blow" fuse alleviates this. Having worked in electronics many years my view is if the motor fails it is underated and should be upgraded to a stronger motor. I have had no problem and have seen no reviews saying the motor had failed. I have used the wrench for many projects with no issues whatsoever.

Thankfully I rarely have to actually use an impact wrench to pry off lugnuts, so I just have limited experience with the Tornado when trying to install snowtires a few days ago. All in all, the Tornado makes a good effort, but the lugnuts I was dealing with were so rusted-on that it just hammered away on them for a few minutes *each*, to no avail, and I was only able to get off 3 of the 10 for the rear tires. Had to take the car to my corner station to have my mechanic give 'em a good whack with a 24" cheater-bar.The first Tornado I got (directly from Heartland, and which was stolen when my car was broken into) was able to get off 9 of 10 bolts, but loosened the last one enough that I could use my crossbar wrench on it. This time, a coupla years later with accumulated rust, left me less lucky.So... first and foremost, make sure any monkeys who deal with your wheels don't use *their* industrial-grade impact-wrenches to crank the living crap out of the lugnuts when tightening them, or *nothing* will get them off later. Second, I don't care what anyone else says, I'm going to use anti-seize on the bolts first before reinstalling.Anyway, it comes in a nice (*very*) form-fitted blow-molded plastic case, a bit tight when trying to stuff everything back in, but it's doable. The biggest chore is trying to fold up and stow the power-cord.The reversible sockets are a clever design, and fit most hex nuts (use your adapter if you have spline-type nuts, or "security" nuts, etc.).Anyway, it hammers away nicely, at least on normal lugnuts, not necessarily those which are rusted-on due to exposure to water, salt, etc. So this should work nicely in most cases, especially if not overtorqued, not frozen-on, etc., and will save lots of labor trying to manually pry them off. But if not, you'll still be stuck, and will need at least a 24" or longer cheater bar to sit on to get enough torque to pry them off.Once loosened, though, the last hammering will spin the nut right off, so it's got some decent oomf behind it. Bottom line, as long as the lugnuts aren't obscenely overtightened, nor rusted on, the Tornado should do a good job. If not, then only brute force will do.

bought and placed in trunk. when i had flat tire, it failed to work.. amazon refused return over 30 days. do not buy. too bad there isn't a zero stars rating.

work good for a while till the switch tore up now i can`t find out how to get intouch with the company to get a new switch..bought it fromfrom heartland but they can`t help they have no address or email for the company

Works as advertised so far. As another reviewer noted, don't expect this to work like a shop's air-compressor impact wrench. This is a striker. It spins up on the inside while nothing moves on the outside at first, then BAM it hits, then it starts the process over. IF the nut is loosened, that one hit will bring it all the way off usually. I'm using it for my scooter's variator and it puts it on/takes it off with ease (and considering that I had a friend tighten this same nut last week with a breaker bar and a socket wrench and it still flew apart, that's saying something about strength). Just hope it lasts. Will update if necessary.

Works as advertised. Some buyers may not be aware of what an "impact" wrench is. The wrench socket moves in jolts, like someone is banging on the wrench -- hence the impact. This occurs until the lug nut is loose. The wrench does not spin the socket, which means that this wrench would not work to spin the raise-lower element of a car jack.

Just what I wanted for keeping in vehicle. Good torque to break lug nut torques, easy to use. Would strongly recommend using battery alligator clips that come with this unit to connect directly to car battery as it can draw enough current to pop you cigarette lighter fuse if you have the unit plugged in to the lighter. The unit itself is fuse protected so there is no worry of cooking the unit or your battery. Pay close attention to the duty cycle of the unit as too much use at one time can cause some damage.

THIS IS A SECOND UNIT - THE FIRST ONE WORKED SO WELL FOR REMOVING WHEELS AND PUTTING TH EM BACK, THAT I DECIDED TO GET ONE FOR MY SON AND HIS WIFE. HIS VAN HAS A TIRE THAT DOESN'T GET F;ATS SO HE DECIDED TO CARRY IT IN HIS JEEP. THE TOOL IS ONE OF THE BEST IDEAS THAT HAS COME ALONG IN A WHILE. I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GET ONE AND STORE IN THE BACK OF YOUR VEHICLE...............USE LUG WRENCH TO TEST THE TIGHTENING OF THE LUGS ALWAYS!!!!