MILWAUKEE M12 IR-201B 12V IMPACT RATCHET

SCORE 8/10

Part number: 433FT (Screwfix) Price: £179.99 screwfix.com

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Mechanic Dan Smith at MJ Motors already uses one of these battery-powered impact ratchets and, after trying all of the other tools, he still favoured the Milwaukee. We sourced ours through Screwfix which, at the time of writing, sells it with a single 2.0Ah lithium-ion battery, a charger and a soft carrycase, plus a three-year guarantee.

The compact driver is only powerful enough to tighten a fastening up to 47Nm, so we struggled to undo stubborn brake caliper slider bolts, but we could use it like a manual ratchet driver and undo the fastening, before finishing off with batterypowered assistance. Even at a mere 47Nm, there was quite a kickback from the ratchet when it locked and couldn’t undo or tighten a fastening any further. However, this is typical of the battery-powered ratchet drivers we tested, due to their design.

A metal paddle switch provides variable control of the trigger when operating, and illumination from an LED helps to highlight the work area and remains lit after releasing the trigger. Plus, there is a bank of LEDS on the body of the driver to show the state of charge of the battery. A recharge of the single battery takes up to 40 minutes, but Screwfix sells spare batteries for £29.99 each (product number 577FJ).

After several weeks of use, this impact ratchet was looking well and truly filthy, so we carefully and gently cleaned it using a soapsoaked pan scourer. We had to take care not let any liquid drip through the vents on the body, which could cause a short circuit, but afterwards the impact ratchet looked as good as new.