I was somewhat skeptical when placing the order on eBay for this 3/8 inch impact wrench. I was so used to my 1/2 inch Ryobi, I couldn't wrap myself around the idea of a smaller wrench, with a smaller capacity battery being just as good as my 18v Ryobi. In addition, the Milwaukee is a bit more expensive. This wrench was $200, came with a case, two 12 volt batteries and a charger. For $130 you can purchase a Ryobi Impact Driver and Impact Wrench kit with two batteries, a charger and a bag. And to be honest, for a casual gearhead, the Ryobi kit is more than enough. You can easily bust lug nuts, and over torque them back on. Want to replace a steering wheel? Done in under two minutes. It's a great kit for wrenching on your car in your garage, and that's that. If that's all you're looking for, you should stop reading this review at the end of this sentence, and buy the Ryobi kit from Home Depot for the advertised $130.
You kept going, good. Let me continue by saying that if you're a mechanic, the Milwaukee is the right wrench for you. For most of the time, as a small car mechanic, you deal with 3/8" sockets. The little Milwaukee can bust lug nuts all day, and has two torque settings. This means you have little to no risk of over-tightening even the smallest bolts and nuts, thus breaking studs and creating more headaches. It's also very mobile; shifting between chains of 10mm nuts is easy, and the weight of the impact allows the user to feel as if it's a part of his/her body. As you are going through bolts and nuts, you don't have to worry about the battery giving out. The entire time I was using the impact, I kept forgetting that it utilizes a 12 volt battery. Not only does the battery hold charge well, but the power fades very little when the battery reaches a low level. The battery takes very little time to charge, around 45 minutes in my experience. While the first battery is charging, you can enjoy the already charged second battery for the next week or so of continuous use.
What didn't surprise me, however, was my colleague's reactions; they were drooling all over it. Moreover, a couple of them actually decided to purchase it, and I can see why. As I'm writing this, tons of sellers on eBay sell these for $160 shipped, brand spanking new. It's a stupid good deal for someone who does this type of stuff for a living, and this is by far my second favorite investment (first being my Snap-On 1/2" Techwrench). If you have the extra $200 to shell out, wait no further, buy this tool. The most important thing you must remember is that this tool is more than something you buy for the moment; you are making an investment, and it will pay off.