Dropped my impact wrench from the lift - still works! What's your 'tool abuse' survival story?

Hey all, had a classic 'oh crap' moment yesterday. Was up on a 12-foot ladder doing some overhead work on my truck's suspension, and my Milwaukee M18 Fuel impact wrench slipped right out of my hand. Hit the concrete floor with a nasty CLANG, bounced twice, and landed in a puddle of coolant I hadn't cleaned up yet. Thought for sure I'd killed a $300 tool. Wiped it off, pulled the trigger... and the dang thing still runs perfectly! No weird noises, full power. Honestly impressed - these newer brushless tools can take a beating. Anyone else have a tool that survived what should've been a death sentence?

LOL Betty, reminds me of my apprentice last week. Kid dropped my Fluke multimeter off a rooftop unit - 20 foot drop onto gravel. Case cracked, screen's got a line through it, but it still reads voltage accurately! I told him he's buying the next one though. For impacts, I've had good luck with DeWalt's XR series too. Dropped one in a condensate pan once, fished it out, blew it out with air, still going 2 years later. But hey, if that Milwaukee ever acts up, check the anvil - sometimes the impact mechanism gets knocked out of alignment and you'll lose torque.

You guys with your little hand tools... try dropping a 3/4" drive Snap-on impact gun from the cab of a loader. Thing weighs like 15 lbs, fell about 8 feet onto packed dirt. Broke the forward/reverse switch clean off. Still worked if you jammed a flathead in there to turn it, but Snap-on guy replaced the housing no questions asked. That's why I stick with truck brands for the heavy stuff - that warranty is gold. But for real, Betty, keep an eye on that battery connection after a hard drop. Seen more than one where the tabs get bent and you get intermittent power.

Good points both! Paul - that Fluke story is wild, those things are tanks. Wendy - yeah the battery was my first check, seems fine but I'll keep testing it. Actually reminds me of my old corded Sawzall that survived falling into a bucket of drywall mud... twice. Cleaned it out, still works but sounds angrier every time I use it. Maybe some tools just have more lives than cats!

Drywall mud in a Sawzall? That's a new one! Worst I've done is leaving my Klein lineman's pliers on a roof in the rain for a weekend. Rusted solid. Soaked in evaporust, worked the joint, good as new. Sometimes the old school steel holds up better than the fancy coatings. Anyway, if that impact starts slipping under load, bring it to the Milwaukee service center - they're pretty good about checking internals even if it's out of warranty. Cheaper than replacing it!