I've always enjoyed using air tools in my home shop. I have lines plumbed all over the place. While it's hard to beat the delightful whirring of an air turbine, the great new brushless/cordless tools have me reaching for air less and less.

I recently bought a DeWalt 20v 1/2" impact wrench. Holy crap! The specs indicate 700 lb ft of torque. I seriously doubt that my CH air impact and a small compressor can even come close to that. Add in the portability of the cordless and the AIW is gathering dust. Might be time to put them in the local auction.

Do you still use air tools or are they a historic relic of my youth?

I've gone all electric except for body work sanders. Water and electricity can cause a few problems. I don't use the cordless tools because I ALWAYS forget to charge them when I'm done.

I have a lot of nice air tools, but ever since I bought my Milwaukee Fuel 18v 3/8" impact, I haven't touched them. It is so nice not having to drag hoses around and listen to the compressor kick on and off. I've thought of picking up the 1/2" version but so far the 3/8" has taken anything off I've encountered.

Battery operated tools have come a long way since I was a kid.

I've owned my home 17 years and have had air tools in it since day one. Ten years ago I upgraded my compressor to a Kobalt 26 Gallon upright which is more than enough for my needs.

No sense wasting money on new cordless tools when my current tools do just fine.

I bought an electric impact wrench from Sears a long time ago but rarely used it though I should. Even though I bought the impact sockets during Black Friday at Sears 2 years ago, it sits on the shelf too.

Donated my pancake compressor to Goodwill earlier this year. The advancement in electric tools made it expendable to me.

I use the Milwaukee M18 system. All of my tools are brushless. The lithium ion batteries hold their charge, charge quick have great stamina. We're getting into the time of year when you can get 2 of the extra capacity batteries, 4 amp, I believe, batteries for around $99 at Home Depot when on sale.

I've had electric impact wrenches (Makita and Milwaukee) for about 10 years, but I still use an air impact far more often. Never needs to be charged!

Electrics are handy sometimes and supplement air tools, but, to use the example you gave, no electric impact gun can match this: [URL=https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200578662_200578662?utm_source=bing_PPC&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=Feed&utm_content=AirCat 1150&mkwid=ycZodJEH&pcrid=74010935208525&mtype=bp&devicetype=c&storeId=6970&langId=-1&type=search]AirCat 1150, 1295 ft.lb. initial torque in reverse[/URL] And that isn't even their top-of-the-line one. 700 ft. lb. won't loosen a Honda crankshaft bolt. So far as I know, nobody makes an electric hammer, but I use this air hammer all the time: Snap-On Super Duty. Steep buy-in, but lesser ones just don't do what I need them to do. Every minute saved, for example, cutting through a half-inch rivet, is money. And unless they have changed their design recently, don't drop a DeWalt anything on a concrete floor. It will land battery-first and bust up the battery.

Not trying to be a "tool snob" here, I'm just telling you guys what does or doesn't work for me.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
Electrics are handy sometimes and supplement air tools, but, to use the example you gave, no electric impact gun can match this:

Actually, the Dewalt has 1200 lb ft of breakaway torque, so it's very close. As a homeowner, I also don't have a compressor that can sustain 8CFM. I understand that it would be different in a pro's auto shop where the tools are used constantly for really big jobs. The hammer is one tool that cordless can't duplicate (yet).

I have a nice Ingersol 3/4" impact I have used exactly one time since I bought it 15 years ago. I do however use the small air angle grinder quite a bit. For home use, even relatively big jobs, I find electric will perform 90% of what I need and is much more convenient.

I've used air tools for years and always liked them but I have to admit that the only thing I use now is my Harbor Freight impact driver I picked up for something like 60 bucks. Use that thing all the time and the portability factor is huge.

I put myself in the air tool camp.
Always on the lookout to justify tools an impact for the car so my wife can loosen lug nuts to change a tire may be something to think about.
She is taking the oldest daughter on a car trip by herself next month.

I have a couple 1/2" air impacts, 3/8" air ratchet and a few other air tools and a fair sized compressor. Since getting 1/2" and 3/8" cordless impacts I don't use the air impacts much (occasional stubborn crank or hub nuts). Some of my air tools are Snap On from the 70's, so use them or not they will never go. I will always have an air compressor for other compressed air needs.

In the wood shop: I can't really throw a hammer like I used to. Bad wrists. Air nailers/staplers are an amazing substitute. I can still give the chisels what-fer with a lighter hammer, but for fasteners, 18ga crown staples plus glue are currently my go-to, 23ga pins plus glue for face boards.

For the car: I have a Craftsman electric impact that I've had for a few years. I keep it plus an inverter in my trunk in case of emergency. Saved more than one person stranded in the parking lot. Given the mobile nature of the car, I've been thinking about upgrading to a battery powered one.

I don't rebuild engines in my garage, so it's enough to suit my needs (just getting tires off, maybe the occasional feisty bolt off).

Still an air tool guy.
Why, I already have the tools. Too cheap to buy anything new since they work.

Mostly just small die grinders and right angle disc sanders. The Dremel doesn’t quite replace those.

Hauled out my 1/2 inch C-H impact just this morning. Flywheel bolt on a B&S engine.

Used my 18v Milwaukee on everything else tho.

I lucked into a 12 CFM Quincy compressor for cheap so I've got plenty of air. It gets used mostly for die grinders (right angle die grinders and 3M Roloc pads are the greatest invention since the 1911!) and my mini-blasting cabinet.

quote:

Originally posted by bigwagon:
... I still use an air impact far more often. Never needs to be charged!

This ^^^^^

I've said it here before: I've fallen out of love with battery-powered, cordless tools. Right now I have a Hitachi drill/driver set, a Milwaukee cordless screwdriver, a cordless Dremel and a Wahl cordless soldering iron. That's it, and that's all there will be.

Everything else is corded, air or gasoline-powered.

I tired of there either being little-to-no charge when I went to use a tool, or running out in the middle of a job, and batteries dying w/o reasonably-priced replacements being available.

Ok, I lied: I also have this



Makita 7.2V cordless that I've had for eons. Already replaced at least one battery, if not both, and the two current ones are showing their age. If I cannot re-battery that, I may replace it with a very small cordless drill motor, because sometimes you need a tiny, powerful little drill motor to get into tight spots.

Already lost two chuck keys for the thing . Just ordered the third replacement.

Almost all of my tool use is on aircraft, so yes, all air tools. Drills, rivet guns, die grinders, etc. A lot of use of cordless electric for screws, when not near an air source. It saves aching wrists.

Electric corded and cordless for home.

I use air and cordless. Neither to the exclusion of the other. Well, except for my welder. Can't run one of those on compressed air