Air Tools

[1970 CST Short Wide]

How many still use air tools?? Most everything now is battery powered. Was in the bottom box the other day looking down on a draw full of air tools that I probably haven’t used in a couple of years. About the only thing I use the compressor for is blowing things off and tires

[Ironhorse]

Depending on what I am doing I still use them. Have two with a 90 degree shaft, two with straight shaft and a 1/4'' air drill. Each time I use one I drop 2-3 drops of air tool lube in the air inlet. Never have had a bit of problem with any of them. I do drilling, cutting, sanding, buffing and polishing, scuffing with quick removal twist lock pads. Really like them and as long as the 60 gal tank and compressor keep running I never run out of battery power, LOL.

Also have an air impact altho I don't use it real often along with an air chisel and rivet sets.

[franken]

Interesting question. How much do battery powered tools cost and how long do the batteries last?
I have air (and gasp, corded electrical) tools I generally paid $10 each for that will last as long as I take care of them. I promise batteries don't last forever.
Yes, an air system costs and requires some knowledge to put together properly, but again, it lasts a long time.

[57taskforce]

I use a a lot of each. My go to is a Milwaukee 3/8 18volt cordless impact for most of the stuff I do at work and on my own at the house. That said my compressor at work and on my service truck runs daily for my 1/2” impact, grinders, air hammer, etc.

[kwmech]

Use it all, depending on the job. My electrics will not remove the larger lug nuts or u-bolt nuts. Smaller jobs like a transmission pan will get my 3/8 cordless. Heavy drilling will get my corded Makita. Just depends

[Palf70Step]

Still use them a good bit. Mostly my impact wrench, air sanders (DA and board) and die grinder.

[Grumpy old man]

First thing I do when I walk in the shop is turn on a compressor . I have a 80 gal Black max , 60 gal Ingersoll rand and a 20 gal Chicago pneumatic oiled with 10 inch air tires that still runs great after 15 years . So yeah I use a lot of air tools. I probably have a dozen or more battery powered screw guns and drills that I can't bring myself to toss but new batteries are some times almost the cost of a new gun so they take up space . My biggest pet peeve is watching someone using a battery powered screw gun to install trim screws / visors / sill plates / etc when putting their project back together , It just ends up with over torqued / stripped / twisted off screws , Scratched paint and damaged trim . Sometimes the right tool is just old school hand tools . Air tools over battery ? air tools just fit where battery powered tools don't . I see some of these new 1/4 drive and 3/8 battery powered impacts and just wonder how long do they last ? A lot of my air tools are over 20 years old

[72c20customcamper]

I still use some air tools and corded drills and Sanders. But there are times when a cord is a pita. I have mostly 20v dewalt tools the 1/2 impact will twist your wrist if your not careful with it .

I agree with Grumpy sometimes a manual hand tool is the best tool .

[weq92f]

.

Long time user/fan of pneumatic tools. Several years ago my FIL bought me a dewault kit w/ electric drill and mini-impact.

Gotta say I've found myself using that mini-impact tool more and more for the small/short jobs as it's simple, light and powerful. Still whip out the air tools for grinding, cutting, heavy impact, chisel and the like.

As mentioned, these tools last a long time, especially when oiled each use.

-klb

[GOPAPA]

Hardly ever use my pneumatic tools. Taking off and putting back on lug nuts is mostly what I use any of mine for ..
(I Agree with your Grumpy)
with people I have seen too ,,some my friends,, using their battery powered screw gun to install trim screws / visors / sill plates / etc when putting their project back together , It just ends up with over torqued / stripped / twisted off screws , Scratched paint and damaged trim .
They seem to be showing off a bit me thinks

[cwcarpenter98]

I started working on my truck with just a socket set, screw driver set, and some wrenches and pliers. Since then though, I've gotten several electric power tools. I love them when I need them, but don't always use them. I have a corded grinder, but that's about it. The electric tools are great if you don't have access to a quality air setup. I don't have that access yet, but some day I will

[SCOTI]

I use the best tool for the job. Air, corded, cordless, & hand. They all have the ability to get things done so I use whichever is best suited for the particular task.

[Steeveedee]

My only old vehicle now (once I sell my '05 Corolla) is my truck. I so seldom work on it that don't generally pull out air tools. I have a 1/2" pistol that I bought refurbished off the Snap-On truck in '76. I also have a 3/8" butterfly gun and a 3/8" ratchet. Last time I used the 1/2" pistol was when I upgraded to disc brakes, and that was a few years ago. I'll probably dig them out and oil them up when I go to replace the engine. The wife wants to go camping in the Sequoias and is afraid that the truck won't pull the trailer into the mountains. Now that engines are even more money, she's still balking!

[61_FL_Apache]

I still use a lot of air tools. The only thing I have battery power is a smaller impact and drill.

[truckin 79]

Rechargeable cordless tools are a huge time saver, I have a AC Delco 3/8 and 1/4 ratchets. I also have a Ryobi 1/2 impact with 300 ft/lbs but they just came out with a new 600 ft/lbs version, time to upgrade. I cant stand when you have long bolts that no longer have tension on them and so you either have to tighten with your fingers or use two hands one to ratchet with and the other to hold tension on bolt or socket. The cordless all you have to due is push a button and you are done. I go to the junkyard every other week or so and they save me so much time hunting for treasures.

[dmjlambert]

I use air tools such as my impact wrench. And I just bought an air drill to supplement my plug in electric one. Both of those air tools are old Ingersoll Rand with metal bodies. I remembered using them back when I was working on B-52's in the Air Force, and I like the substantial feel and the fact they just work, so I bought some old ones off of ebay and clean them up and oil them and start using them. I avoid buying battery operated tools. I just don't like the way they lose power and become useless over time and the batteries cost as much as the tool. I like stuff that I can get out after a few months sitting and know it's going to work and has serious power.

[Sheepdip]

Originally Posted by scoti

i use the best tool for the job. Air, corded, cordless, & hand. They all have the ability to get things done so i use whichever is best suited for the particular task.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Killer Bee]

I'm a big fan of air tools but I also have a few larger cordless tools, mostly for carpentry work tho..

the few cordless mechanics tools I have would take a heap of batteries to keep up with my compressor for production work but come in handy for quick petty jobs, like rotating a set of tires..

high performance cordless tools aren't cheap and batteries are consumable costs.. they have a life span and wear out.. and just about every brand decides to change battery designs every so often that aren't compatible with previous models

not always a direct replacement for some air tools, and vice versa.. hp:weight ratios, run time, speed, etc. factors often favor one over the other..

I do have a couple of small cordless tools that don't really have pneumatic equivalents.. snap-on screwdriver I use for trim screws, hose clamps, etc. is a big time saver even where reassembly is finished by hand

either way, cordless tools haven't convinced me to abandon my air tools.. in fact, most jobs under the hood or under the chassis I fire up the compressor and toss a hose out of habit.. I generally get more work done faster with air.. if I'm studying something new or delicate I'll use hand tools alone.. I have several quality torque wrenches to use where needed