Is Ryobi's Impact Wrench Worth Buying? Here's What Reviews Say

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Many people's introduction to an impact wrench will be when working on a vehicle, often for loosening or tightening the lug nuts on the wheels. The tool can be equally useful when undoing any stubborn nuts and bolts, assembling metal components, or driving long lag bolts or screws when building a deck. If your drill driver doesn't have enough power to get the job done, an impact wrench is often the tool to turn to.

Ryobi's Impact Wrench at The Home Depot is currently just $99.00. That's a very competitive price, especially given that it comes with a charger and two batteries. Ryobi is one of the best power tool brands at Home Depot, according to customers, and those same batteries can be used with over 300 other products. So on the face of it, it's an investment well worth making.

That said, there are Ryobi tools that are a waste of your time and money, according to some, so is the impact wrench worth buying or not? The majority of buyers give very positive feedback, but not everyone is a fan. Let's take a look at what reviews say in more detail.

Ryobi has an exclusive deal with Home Depot in the US, so most customer feedback comes from them or the Ryobi website. We also checked other retailers like Amazon, where Ryobi tools can sometimes be found, though prices may be higher.

Home Depot customers give the Ryobi impact wrench an overall rating of 4.6 stars. Typical comments are that it's compact and works surprisingly well for the price. Over at Amazon, where it gets a 4.8-star rating, it's a similar story. Again, the majority say it's compact and great value. One buyer underlined the advantage of choosing tools with the same platform when he said, "It is heavy built and does the job perfectly! A plus is, it uses the same batteries as my drill!"

It will probably be no surprise that reviews on the Ryobi website, where the rating goes up to 4.9 stars, are in the same positive vein. One comment, "Powerful tool I really recommend," reflects the feelings of many. So, for the majority, it seems Ryobi's impact wrench is clearly worth buying. It's not for everyone, though, so let's consider why it might not be the best choice for you.

Power is not an issue. A key performance indicator for impact wrenches is torque (twisting force). The Ryobi delivers up to 220 foot-pounds (ft-lbs). That should be more than enough for most lug nuts, which require around 100 ft-lbs. In fact, critics are not easy to find. A couple of buyers questioned whether it actually developed the full torque claimed, and another thought it was particularly loud. To be fair, the hammer action does make impact wrenches quite noisy tools. It's important to realize you need to buy specific impact sockets to go with any impact wrench because the high forces generated can break regular sockets. That will increase the price. 

Those who want an impact wrench for home use will probably be satisfied by the Ryobi, but it may not be robust enough for professional use, and surprisingly, it doesn't have a belt hook. We are also aware of occasional issues with power packs, though fortunately, there are storage tips to prevent your Ryobi batteries from exploding.

Judging by the vast majority of reviews, home auto enthusiasts and avid DIYers should find the Ryobi impact wrench worth buying. One important note: the current price may be a special promotion. Normally, the Ryobi 3/8-inch impact wrench retails at $129.00 with just one battery. That's still competitive, but not quite the great value it is right now. So you might want to check out rivals from Kobalt, Craftsman, and Ridgid before making your decision.