Harbor Freight Bauer 1050 Ft/Lbs Corded Impact Wrench Review/Teardown 

I’m still gonna buy one because I’m cheap and don’t want to pay the ridiculous prices for battery powered ones and air tools and tanks.

I have their cordless and corded. When I changed the heavily corroded bolts on the saltwater boat trailer last summer, the cordless one worked fine except for a couple that were rusted the worse of all. Got my buddy's DeWalt. It wouldn't touch them either. Broke out the extension cord and Bauer corded impact wrench and got the stubborn ones out with ease. It zipped them out like a hot knife thru butter. I certainly didn't use it when installing new bolts and nuts.

I have had this thing for quite a while and it generally stays in the box unless it’s some heavy work that needs to be done. It’ll zip off axle nuts like nobody’s business. However there have been some bolts that I have been able to take off with a breaker bar and cheater that this hasn’t been able to even make a dent on. I doubt it does 1050, probably closer to 6-700 if anything. Worth it for the price. Glad there now is a review on it because there isn’t much information on it or videos out there when I got it.

Battery powered ones are smaller yet more powerful. However they are much more expensive and that's just the tool only as you have to buy the batteries and charger separately. So you'll probably end up paying 3 times more for the cordless one. The fact that I'm just a DIY weekend warrior made me choose this corded impact wrench.

I am on second OG HF corded and I have used them a LOT. One gave up finally but at 39 bucks with coupon they were a steal!

Had to work on vehicles remotely that weren't mine. Didn't have air so this tool was handy for lug nuts and what not. Haven't invested in the battery stuff yet.

I bought this for $54 on sale 2 years ago and returned it for better options. Seemed to be able to break loose 95 percent of bolts.

The DC powered/Cordless impact makes more Torque because DC power doesn’t alternator. AC power power alternates 60 cycles per second. 60Hertz in Canada 50hz. So every time the current alternates theres a super quick moment the motor doesn’t have power. DC power stands for Direct current. The current doesn’t alternate. So the motors have a torque advantage.

Extremely thorough review. Nice one!

I've had this impact for a year, got it for $60. My main complaint is it's heavy and bulky, other than that it's been great. I use it almost exclusively for lug nuts. Haven't found a nut it can't take off. Although I'm going to change my pinion seal soon and the nut on it is a 1 7/8 torqued to 400 ft lbs so that'll be interesting

Great job for the review. I was going to buy it but after seeing how the trigger is set up, I agree only a few months of use the trigger will break off the handle. Thanks again, I am getting a Ryobi P262.

At 4:18 the one you're showing is a 3/4 inch vs 1/2 inch. That's probably the price difference.

Had an issue with later runs. If you go to service the anvil, you may find massive slop in tolerance on the driveshaft. The hammer assembly falls free. One I have is like the one in the video. Also had some motors run way worse than others. Manifests as vibration and low power.

The 3/4" drive is $289, the 1/2" drive is $279... Harbor Freight needs $10 extra for the bigger anvil apparently.

Good review and teardown 👍🏽

Bought one broke after a month I paid warranty but its good enough for 50 bucks.I take it with my overlanding rig and inverter. Pay for warranty in store exchange is nice

I've got one. It's works fine. Nothing special. Does it's job. Recently went with a DeWalt 1/2" battery impact.

People tend to get these and try to take a bolt or lugnut nut off that no impact gun has a chance to break then they take it back

When those first came out they were $120, then $100 now $89. I wonder when the continued price drop , they began making it cheaper.

Just pick one up today.. let's see how it holds up.. hopefully I didn't get a bad one 🙄🤣

The reason for corded one having lower torque, despite it having more powerful motor could simply be that it's designed for higher speed (more impacts per minute/faster rotation), which means that in the rated torque range it spins bolts/nuts way faster than something that's optimized for higher energy impacts/more torque and will spin slower or loosen the bolts slower than the high speed one. Think of a car gearbox, in first gear, you can climb hills easily/have very high torque, but in 5th gear it's impossible to even start moving on level road, but you can drive at 100mph since on level road, you don't need as much torque. You won't be going 100mph in first, though. That's what makes power; torque and rotational speed. You can either have a lot of torque or a high speed, but you can't have both, except something in between. I don't know why such differences in forward and reverse torque, though...

I tested it on an Excursion (basically ford F250 Super Duty) and no luck. I had to stand on the factory lug nut tool to break them free. I'd guess the nuts with corrosion took about 200-250 ft lbs to break loose.

There prices are up for sure

I just purchased a Benchmark impact wrench, from Home Hardware, that looks identical to this Bauer, except that the rubber on the Bauer goes up the tool another inch, and my Benchmark has a 25 foot cord. I thought it had variable speed as this was mentioned online, in the manual and the cardboard packaging over the plastic case. It is certainly NOT variable speed, and no, going from off to on does not count as variable speed. This is 1/2" drive, 380 foot pounds.

I think it has something to do with the hammer inside maybe

SUPER REVIEW....

man i really want one of theses to... lowes has a Craftman one for 90 or 100 bucks.... problly 8 amps...bauer might be better.

I don’t get it! Why so many positive reviews on HF if the tool is as bad as you have shown? Thanks for review as I almost went a bought the corded impact.

I use mine for small engine repair, its done every task I ask of it

I got the von haus and it looks to perform about the same

Another channel that tests torque showed it produces 650+ftlbs busting torque.

Mine works fine on Honda crank bolts. I'll keep it around.

Likely only 350-350ft lbs

The $289 one on the website you showed said 3/4 drive.

Now I know not to ever buy one of these because of the power cord issue. Thank you for the video!

I got one I most all ways have electricity with me I have generators & inverters, I’m all my vehicles, , I just think the little I use it , the battery one would be a wast of my money & im all ways afraid the battery is going to go dead on me the little I do use it if I got a battery unpacked wrench , & that has not failed me yet for the thing I use it on & for

yo compre este impacto y esta exelente y fuertisimo

Use it once to get lug nuts off. It stopped spinning by the time I got to the last wheel with motor still running fine. Called toll free number and they told me because I was past 90 day warranty I was out of luck. Bottom line you buy cheap you get junk. Paid total of 63.96 after tax for one use

what's the forward torque rating on this? thank u

Does it have buttnusting tork?

He scares me

✌

If you're going to go corded, pneumatics are superior 😉👍

Sell you my Milwaukee corded impact for a fitty. lolz

Lol I bought one that died in 3 days

2:02 uh-oh busted a little prematurely there didn't you buddy 🤭

Great review, informative break-down, Ty. Hardly ever use Harbor Freight. They really don't sell my brands. And, I don't buy chinesium.

had mine brake doing my exhaust.....😢🤣