The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Boys, stop buying air tools

I have both. Here's the deal. Great for painting and maybe DA''s and blowing stuff off. Other than that they are a pain to the max.
WHY?
1. Need big compressor for most tools. Big psi, large storage, CFM and of course, "etc."
2. Need 50A, 220V for that.
3. They will run out of air if compressor too small.
4. Gotta oil the tools before every use.
5. Gotta buy and keep special oil around for that.
6. Gotta drain them because they accumulate water in bottom and will rust. Gotta change the oil after xx hours.
7. Gotta drag hoses around.
8. Gotta have pipes and outlets, filters, separators, regulators, dryers...... Buncha ball valves.
9. Gotta have pipe drain legs and drain them every day.
10. Gotta have a place to roll up all that hose.
11. Compressor noisy, expensive, takes up space.
12. Can't use the tools at a relative's house to fix something or their vehicle. (Parents, grand parents, daughters, sons, granddaughters, grandsons, sisters, brothers, inlaws, uncle dimwit. Aunt CooCoo........)
13. The whole deal is a veritable nightmare waiting to happen or whatever.

Electric: (corded and cordless)
1. Plug it in to 120V....or keep several batteries charged.
2. Take tools with you to relative's house, job site, salvage yard, remote tire change, out in the yard, in the driveway, in the house..........

Fagidaboudit
If you think air tools are so great, I got a green new deal for ya........ and a couple of bridges.

I do like the back rap sound of a big air impact after it busts a lug nut loose. Makes the neighbor lady think you are a handsome mechanic....but I digest, back to the point.

Agreed. Electric is my first choice if I have the same tool in both. Another advantage the electric has is RPM control.

A pneumatic die grinder is about $20 and a decent electric one is close to $100 and is 4 times the size and heavy. I have also never seen a right angle electric. JMHO.

I have no comment from experience but I appreciate your opinion with pros and cons. At this late start in the hobby some electric may be a good option.

Mostly agree, but still need a few air tools and a decent compressor for painting, blasting and blowing crud out of holes.

John

A necessary evil - the compressor that is. My tool of choice for sanding is the electric sander. I find battery tools to be a PIA because I always forget to charge them, or, I leave them on the charger and ruin the battery. But, for portability - you cant beat them.

I seem to have air tools for specialized applications - such as an inline sander, small die grinders and air guns. I don't know what other options there are for spraying a quality automotive paint job - other than a robust compressor.

But yeah - the cost? not for the faint of heart...after wiring, supplies, driers, hoses, connectors, oil, and maintenance.

All in all- a mix of both seems to be the best solution to respond to either large long term tasks, or for the short 10 minute job. I don't like firing up the Big Boy compressor just to remove one or two stubborn bolts with an air impact hammer - but its nice to have to get the job done. We have a small Dewalt pancake air compressor for filling tires, blowing off dust, fixing the mower, pumping bicycle tires and other small tasks when a large volume of air is not needed.

I use it to top up tire pressure. Don't forget the spare. Last week, I checked the pressure in the spare in my 2010 truck; only 16 psi!

I use it to blow out the pipes in the underground sprinkler system when getting it ready for winter.

Take your pick. They come in 1/2", 3/4" or 1" drive. We've field tested the gun style in 3/4" and 1", and they work great. In fact, more than once I hear my guys asking, "Where's the impact?" knowing that they have air driven ones in their tool boxes. Our Engineers, vehicle spec people got them for us to try out as they want to eliminate compressors on our mechanics trucks to lighten weight/increase load. What about airing up tires in the field you ask? Milwaukee makes an inflator. Otherwise, we've gotten out of the heavy truck tire business and let our vendor take care of those. Cost savings, I guess.


By the way, sand blast cabinet. Discuss.......

I do have a air die grinder and really really use my blast cabinet. It's why I got a compressor. I don't paint. Just warning new guys of the pitfalls and other opportunities. Those who have been around for awhile have figured out all if this already. Just want beginners to not forget electric. Just a greasy spoon type post. It boils down to the number of trucks/cars you are going to do. Some will just do one and others will do 20 or have a business. I've done over 20.
All the comments and opinions are good food for thought. Keep them coming.

Have air tools that sit in my toolbox, been using De Walt 20v stuff for years. Use them to make a living, or what passes for a living as fixing rig for the General.

What it takes to make the air die grinder rotate is the point. That cost is added to the $20.

Sand blast cabinet? If you’re serious about doing a restoration/hot rodding I think the blaster is invaluable. I use mine all the time. If I can get it in the cabinet, I blast, clean, prime, paint and on the shelf it goes, ready to be installed. No wire wheeling, no rust, great surface preparation for primer/paint to adhere.

Cons- kind of pricey, need a big compressor to run it, a dust collector/shop vac really helps.

I have a nice electric impact wrench (Craftsman Industrial) that I got for $40 at a garage sale along with a batch of sockets. I use it a lot more than the air impact wrench I have, even dragging an extension cord out is easier than firing up the compressor and running an air hose.

Any recommendations for a blaster cabinet? I have an 80 gal ... 7.5 hp. Don’t remember CFM’s. Or shall I see to start a new thread?

My Skat Blast and the media-mix indicated, has served me well.
I have blasted/prepped many paint-stripped parts and then epoxy-primered them.

Some of those parts were blasted/primered over 10 years ago.
No rust, and, they are ready to be scuffed and painted.

Start a new thread.

My vote is electric over air as well. Usually if I’m grabbing an air tool the power is out! Also, as stated above, I use the blaster a lot. It stays hooked up all the time!

After the last of my DeWalt 14 volt batteries died, I recently bit the bullet and upgraded to the 20 volt system. We have a set on the service truck at work and they usually find their way into the shop, too. I was hooked when I discovered that we were using the 20 volt electric tools (impact, driver, sawzall, drill, etc) far more than the air tools. In fact, they have truly become the tools of choice in *most* situations. We hardly ever fire up the compressor on the service truck and when we do, I have to stop for a moment and remember the procedure ... It's fussy in its old age (This isn't its first service truck ) A couple of tools I have that don't seem to have a cordless or electric analog (yet) are the blast cabinet, air inflator and the 1-inch drive impact.

I think that for a lot of us who have been in the hobby a while, the compressor and associated tools, are a sunk cost we don't even think about anymore. 20 years ago (and more), if you were halfway serious about this hobby, and were going to do more to your truck than just tune it once a year and change the oil, you just simply needed as big of a compressor as your budget would allow. I am truly impressed with how far the cordless tool technology and capability has improved over the past decade, so I don't think that thinking is completely valid anymore, as Bartamos posits.

My air-driven drill and air-driven ratchet are the two most useless tools in my shop. I gave up on the ratchet after the first attempt. And I don't use the drill as a drill. I mostly use it with a seaweed wheel.

We'll grab the Milwaukee 3/4" for busting lugs off truck rims. Only because the Engineer let us test the 1" for a month before he moved it to another shop. It was the first thing that went on the tool request list. They do make the 1" in a pistol grip. That 3/4" gets them every time, though!

I just literally set the Milwaukee 4" grinder on fire. Nice blue and yellow flames. Long story. I'm seriously thinking of replacing it with the cordless version.

Mark, Are you saying there's a 1" cordless impact out there? Concur on the 3/4 ... *most* of the time. In our shop, we only need the 1" to remove nuts that were put *on* with the 1"

WHoa ....! I wonder how much that thing retails for ... I especially like the "Track your tool's location from anywhere" part. We need that on most tools in our shop...

Looks like anywhere from $650 to $850. Yikes! $1000 for the kit.

$699 tool-only at Home Depot - supposedly in stock (two week wait for delivery to my local store).

$999 with full kit : tool, bag, 2 batteries and charger

I'd bet they are not readily available for shipping to the local store?

$999 ??? Cool! I should get two, then...

I still have a tool box full of snap on air ratchets, IR impact, mac die grinders and air drills. They do have their place BUT I RARELY use them now that Milwaukee m12 and m18 tools are available. Its just so convenient especially if I need to run out across the driveway to do something or if im on a road trip i toss the 1/2 impact in the back and i can swap a spare on like a nascar pit crew no sweat. The right angle grinder and the sawzall also make junkyard trips a lot more successful. My rear bumper on my truck came off a truck that had 2 other trucks and a boat stacked on top. I reached in with the impact and either unbolted or snapped the carriage bolts through the bumper right off. Even the guy that owned the yard was impressed.

I have a 5 hp 2 stage 80 gallon compressor that never runs out of air. 20+ CFM @ 90 PSI. I am sure that battery tools have many advantages, but I hate running out of power. It seems like I get 90% of the job done, then nothing. I use my air every day. I know I am old school, but perhaps that is why I like old things....

Steve

You can run my Milwaukee 18v impact on the medium battery and probably dismount and mount 50 wheels on my truck without running out. So they really dont run out too bad. Pop on charger at night and your good to go. I understand using what your used to in a shop. I use both but now my battery stuff is my go-to and the air is the backup.

We are using a lot more electric both corded and cordless than we did 25 years ago. We drill a lot of small holes with cordless, but our magnetic drill presses like Jancy/Fein slugger are all corded. We grind welds with corded Fein and Metabo grinders that were still made in Germany. The new ones made in China are junk. But we still use air for impacts. I have a 10HP compressor with a 7 1/2HP compressor that kicks in when the pressure falls below 160. But we still need air. We set buck rivets with air and pull Huck bolts with air and use air needle scalers. And airing up a 445/50/22.5 takes a lot of air. Maintaining compressors and a refrigerated air dryer is not cheap, but it will be with us as long as I have the shop. It is getting difficult to find even names like Ingersol Rand that are not made in China.

Move over air tools... I want this!!!

That thing is freaking amazing. But I don't think I'm running out and buying one. Maybe if we all pooled our resources......

You gentlemen may reach an age where the battery on the cordless is heavier than the air hose is inconvenient!

I have air, electric, and cordless for most tools. Bought over lots of years.

I realize this thread is primarily about shop mechanics tools, but I have used the same philosophy on yard and garden tools.

For outdoor tools, I have been electric for years (rather than gasoline). Bought a 6 KW generator, and mounted it permanently in a two-wheel trailer that I can pull behind the Gator. Always something that needs doing on the property. Even have electric chain saw.

As far as an air compressor, to save on costs, I bought two 8 HP each, and run them in parallel. Both are at least 20 years old, but perform like new.

Still have gas-powered weed-eaters, but a few more having to rebuild the carburetor every spring regardless of what miracle drug is put in the gas tank, and I am going to replace them with some form of electric.

Jon.

What's the price on one of those laser thingy's?

And sorry, Jon. I am liking some of these cordless tools a lot but I draw the line at a chain saw.

I would have thought so too, not long ago - but we just moved to electric (battery operated) Milwaukee chainsaws on the fire trucks. Work like a champ it's amazing. Long battery life too. Volunteer department so the 2 strokes don't get used enough and we have a lot of young/new folks that struggle to start them especially in the cold - the electric ones just work.

bartamos your right,My wife said if I croak...she is keeping Quincy !! Likes to dust off her mower !!

Carbking Try airplane gasoline in your 2 cycle stuff no ethanol run it out when the season ends costs double but it works !!!

Jon
I have been getting non ethanol at Casey’s here in mid Mo. They have a separate nossle for it.
Use it in all my gas powered tools and vehicles that don’t get run very much
I would think Casey’s in Eldon may have it. If not places at the lake will.

Don