Flex 24V FX1451 Impact Wrench

Ryobi's HP brushless mid-torque doubles the old brushed P261 with 450 ft-lbs of fastening and 600 ft-lbs of breakaway torque, and its 2,800 RPM top speed ties Ridgid's R86012 for the fastest here. Three speeds plus Auto mode handle the finesse: Auto stops after a few impacts in forward so you can finish with a torque wrench, and in reverse it ramps up to break a fastener loose, then quits. A friction-ring anvil, three LEDs around the nose and a die-cast gear case round it out; the high-torque PBLIW01 is a separate, much larger tool.

Ridgid claims 500 ft-lbs fastening and 650 ft-lbs breakaway for its current 1/2-inch mid-torque, which is 10% more compact than the R86011 it replaced. Three speeds cover most jobs, and a fourth auto mode stops once a bolt seats in forward, then runs full breakaway in reverse and stops when the bolt comes loose. The die-cast gearbox and friction-ring anvil are what you'd expect in this class. Register within 90 days and Ridgid's Lifetime Service Agreement covers parts, service and batteries.

Of the impact wrenches here, Craftsman's Brushless RP 1/2-inch is the lightest-duty: 275 ft-lbs of max fastening torque, a 1,900 RPM top speed and two mode settings. A hog ring anvil makes socket swaps quick, and an LED work light and variable-speed trigger help in tight wheel wells. Craftsman doesn't publish a breakaway or impact-rate figure, so it's hard to compare directly against rivals that do. At around $149 bare it's the cheapest impact wrench in the catalog.

Replacing the DCF894, DeWalt's current mid-range 1/2-inch wrench is rated at 600 ft-lbs fastening and 800 ft-lbs breakaway, the biggest paper numbers in the 18V-class mid-torque field. A push-button selector gives three impacting speeds plus Precision Wrench, which pauses briefly once impacting starts in forward and slows down in reverse so a loose nut doesn't fly off. The DCF891 uses a hog-ring anvil; the DCF892 is the same tool with a detent pin.

Rated at 568 ft-lbs tightening and 774 ft-lbs nut-busting, Metabo HPT's 36V mid-torque wrench has a 4-stage speed switch running 1,500 to 2,400 RPM. An auto stop mode prevents snapping bolts from over-tightening, and it can be combined with the High/Low selector. The main unit is rated IP56 against dust and water, and a vibration damper sits between the handle and the battery mount. It runs on any MultiVolt 36V/18V pack or on Metabo's AC adapter.

This 1/2-inch Bosch mid-torque trades headline numbers for control: 330 ft-lbs fastening and 590 ft-lbs breakaway from a 6.6-inch, 3.5 lb body. Three speed/torque settings sit alongside two assist modes, one that stops when the fastener seats and one that stops spinning once a nut breaks loose in reverse so it doesn't drop into the wheel well. The anvil has both a friction ring and a thru-hole, so you can run quick-change sockets or pin them for overhead work. It's connected-ready, but the module that unlocks custom presets in the Bosch app is sold separately.