Currently I am dismantling some vehicles and where they are sitting is away from buildings and things like electricity and an air compressor. So, I started looking into 18v cordless impact wrenches.
I ended up buying a Makita BTW450 1/2" wrench after reading a lot of good reviews about it. The biggest complaint about the wrench in reviews was the weight. It is heavy, but very durable. It is also isn't cheap. The kit came with the tool, 2 batteries, a charger and a nice canvas carry bag for a little over $400.
Pros: Powerful! It zipped off everything I tried to remove pretty much instantly. Lug nuts are off before you can blink. Battery life is good and the batteries charge quickly. A dead battery can be fully charged in under 30 minutes. The wrench is coated with rubber where you hold it so the transfer of the impacts to your hands is subdued. It is a very heavy built tool that looks and feels like it can take a bit of abuse.
Cons: There is no way to dial back the power so you really don't want to use it for tightening anything, only removal. It is rated to tighten up 350 ft/lbs. The trigger is a rocker switch that controls direction. Press the top of the trigger to spin counter-clockwise, press the bottom of the trigger to spin clockwise. I don't care for it all that much, but it does seem to work well.
All in all this is one of the handiest and most useful tools I have purchased in a while and feel it was money well spent.
