AIRCAT Pneumatic Tools 1056-XL 1/2-Inch NITROCAT Composite Compact Impact Wrench : Low Weight Power Impact Wrench : Tool for Automotive Improvement & Maintenance

best small gun i’ve ever hadgreat for brakes and front end work

Ive had this thing since 2018, its 2025 now. This is my go to and there's only been a hand full of times im had to get something bigger. If you have enough air, this thing will take it off

A good impact gun,works great in tight areas, build quality seems good with stands some heavy duty nuts in a subframe of a trailer

The media could not be loaded. I finally got to use this impact for the first time today when replacing the lower control arms on a Nissan Titan. I know it's not really designed for suspension work but I wanted to see what it would do and while it's not as strong as my bigger Nitrocats (who would expect it to be) it did wonderful.Lug nuts at 90-it didn't even have to try, ball joint pinch bolts-barely had to hit them and they where flying off, shock absorber bolts came right out, everything was 19mm-22mm head, with that I am not in the rust belt but normal corrosion on the bolts from time.I honestly don't understand some of the lower rated reviews on this impact but maybe I got lucky????? I also only use Milton high flow fittings at ALL of my connections (your air flow is only as good as it's weakest link so anything that's not high flow will kill air flow)I use a 35 gallon Dayton compressor with a single stage 11.5cfm compressor pump running at 90psi at the regulator, 10' of 1/2" piping (1/2" inlet/outlet pressure regulator-inline oiler) and a 50'-3/8" hose, max tank pressure 110psi. So as you can see my system isn't high end and still runs this impact and any of my other air tools with ease.So if you are having issue's with your air tools please consider taking the time to read a bit about proper piping/fittings and hoses for your tools and you may be surprised at how well you can make your air supply work.Update: I uploaded a video to show this impact removing lugs nuts. In the video I say 90 ft-lbs and that was my mistake for assuming Hyundai had torqued them to spec when my father in law had taken it there to have it worked on, I used a torque wrench on the other side and the lug nuts where actually breaking loose between 105-110 ft-lbs. The impact when I am using it in the video is actually below recommended air pressure since I am only running 90psi at the reg and it will drop by the time it goes through a 50' 3/8" hose. I'm planning to run a 1/2" I.D. hose then adapt to a 3/8" the last 10' in order to pick up volume and help keep the pressure drop from happening.

So this review is fairly new as I've only had the tool for a month but I've been using a HF Earthquake Ultracompact for awhile so I can tell pretty quickly what is good and bad about the Aircat. I'm not a mechanic by trade but wrenching is a big hobby so I've had a chance to use it pretty often. I won't talk about the size much...if you're reading this, you can obviously see from photos that this thing is tiny. A few points of comparison I'll throw out compared to the HF impact and an old Ingersoll Rand impact.1. Performance- While the HF struggles a lot and often fails to take off wheel lugnuts and in one occasion, head bolts on a junkyard engine, the Aircat has yet to meet a bolt or nut that it has not removed. It struggles at times and didn't want to budge a nut on a wheel hub but neither did the IR. Heat was needed in that situation and then the Aircat had no issues. Rust has funny ways of defeating tools no matter how much torque you can apply. It is noticeably slower under high torque applications compared to the IR so if you're paid by the hour, this might be something to consider if you expect it to quickly zip off lug nuts. A friend who is a mechanic in the army borrowed both the Aircat and HF impact for a day while installing armor panels on military HMMWVs...when he returned them, he asked me where I bought the Aircat because he wanted one for himself.2. Comfort- This is where I have issues with the Aircat. If you have larger hands, you'll notice that the pommel at the bottom of the grip extends outwards all the way around. That plastic is hard, comes to a sharp edge and will dig into the palm of your hand with extended use...I filed that area flat on mine because it was too uncomfortable. If you have tiny hands or use gloves, this probably won't be noticeable for you. I like the texture of the grip when my hands are greasy or oily but I have to say the HF's smooth plastic grip is much more comfortable when my hands are dry. The obvious positive for the Aircat is it's weight...you can work for a long time before feeling any fatigue from using it compared to the IR which weighs about 5x as much(it is pretty much a solid block of steel though so it's to be expected). Another important point for the mutants out there who are left handed...this tool is designed for normal right-handed people. The forward/reverse switch is perfectly positioned for your thumb but gets in the way when using your left hand...It doesn't look like the switch can be flipped to the other side. I prefer the switch to be mounted on the back of the impact like the IR so it is ambidextrous but the side mount switch is handy for switching between forward and reverse when you have a bolt or nut that needs that back and forth motion to break it free without twisting anything off.Durability- Overall the tool is solid and balanced...trigger is solid and the switches for changing direction and torque have good detents with an audible click when adjusting them. I do not like the fact that the trigger and torque adjustment wheel are plastic...I would have liked to see them made from aluminium. I also don't like the shaft of the trigger being exposed, it has already started to gather dirt and will eventually be a wear point. The HF is designed similarly and uses the same materials however the trigger wiggles and just feels cheaper than the Aircat despite the price being so similar. The jumbo hammer design is fairly reliable but will need regular lubrication and the occasional rebuild if you plan on using it daily. My IR is at least 40 years old and is finally nearing the point where it needs to be rebuilt...tools were just made better back then so I don't think that is really a fair comparison. It is not, in my opinion, designed for daily heavy(high torque) use but excels at daily lighter duty applications where you don't need to max it out on every bolt or nut.I'll update this as I find more to write about but I deducted one star for the grip, the plastic trigger/torque adjustment wheel, and the right-hand only design.

I had some stuck brake caliper bracket bolts that could only be accessed from behind the brake rotor and it was a tight squeeze even with turning the wheel out. My cheap air impact wrench and a cheap Chicago electric impact wrench couldn't budge them. A breaker bar couldn't loosen them either and I had to use swivel sockets and extensions which made the problem even worse because of the force being applied at an angle .I took this AirCat 1056-XL 1/2 inch out of the box attached the hose fitting and fired up my 30 year old 22 gallon 3 HP 6.5 SCFM compressor and it took those rusted bolts out like they were not even tight. The manual calls for a min of 8 SCFM but it worked fine for short bursts. I think a big advantage is the small profile of this tool so you can apply the force directly in line with the bolt or nut along with the power of this little tool. I called AirCat and they told me that the three position switch near the handle that is not explained in the manual is as follows.... 1= about 20% 2= about 50% and 3 was full torque. They said any good thin air tool oil was OK to use. Turn the wrench upside down and 3-4 drops in the fitting end while holding open the trigger to lubricate.