Are air tools a meme for the home mechanic?

Air tools plus
> air up tires
> blow shit out
> paint

The best is rusted or tough bolts, that hammer action. Second best is air ratchet in tight spots.

Also any decent cordless will have a battery life of at least 4 hours unless you are putting 75mm bugle screws into hardwood or something ridiculous

> not having a garage
> not plumbing garage with air lines
> not having a hundred foot spool at the door for when your buddy brings his junk to your driveway

I'm kidding. I don't have any buddies.

>meters
Found your problem right there, yuropoor.

>for diy'ers
of course for tradesmen and people who need power tools on site, cordless tools make sense. and i'm sure for these people it also makes sense to upgrade every few years and get replacement batteries regularly. but for hobbyists such as myself it doesn't make sense

Cordless impact wrench is only useful if you spend a lot of time at the junkyard. Otherwise you're better off spending that money on an air tool. Impact driver can be useful for stuff around the house, though.

Dude 25ft of hose and a mobile 30gallon air compressor will suffice.

What if I told you I was an American who refuses to use inferior units of measurement?

I'd say you're a liar.

What gave it away

No American uses meters instead of feet when talking about hose, rope, cord, etc. Literally not a single one.

And what would a home mechanic need 1000 ft lb's of torque for

Axle nuts, certain suspension components. 19mm+ Rusty bolts that absolutely refuse to come off.

It's not a matter of need, as much as a matter of want.

Obviously you don't work on cars much
If a bolt is stuck it's stuck it doesn't matter if it's stuck at a shop or at your house

Anybody who does serious wrenching on a vehicle can use 1000 ft. lbs. It's especially needed when doing rusty suspension work.

That said, last winter my son took the entire front axle out from under his 94 F150 4x4 to replace the bushings using nothing but hand tools. He was able to do it because he drenched everything in homemade penetrating fluid (50/50 Acetone and ATF), and wire brushed all of the bolts threads.

That said, had he not done the penetrating fluid or careful cleaning of the threads, it could have easily required a strong as fuck pneumatic impact gun.

I've got a ryobi one+ impact wrench and there's not a single thing it's struggled on.

I have done plenty of suspension/etc work on 2 of my cars and my motorbike.

Oh wait I forgot this is Veeky Forums where none of you cunts actually work on cars, just talk about it pretending you know what the fuck you're talking about.

That atf acetone mix is a meme it doesn't even work, the acetone and atf are immiscible, they are dissimilar and will not mix together, the atf just sinks to the bottom and acetone floats, better off with pb blaster or kroil

?
I literally work in a shop, I've been a mechanic for years

Bullshit. You're talking out of your ass. I have that exact same one, and it's not good for fuckall past 100-ish ft. lbs. So, lugnuts, and that's about it.

Great so you should know better.

Battery tools are absolutely perfect for a home mechanic. Not to mention a home mechanic doesn't NEED 1000 ft lbs often enough to justify a large compressor/etc.

Get it replaced because it's broken. Or it's you that's talking out your ass.

>And what would a home mechanic need 1000 ft lb's of torque for

Are you serious?
That's like asking why anyone would need a hot wrench at home.

What is "shake the bottle first" for $200, Alex?

Kill yourself

That's my next purchase. I've even got a notification setup on CL for one when one comes up.

You keep saying home as if it makes some difference where the stuck fastener is located, I was going a timing belt job at my house and the timing belt pulley was stuck, my harbor feight earthquake impact failed to get it off and that thing is rated for 750ftlb, I was doing the timing belt on my Honda Accord in my driveway at home and that bolt was also impossible to get off, the location of the bolt, be it at home or at a shop makes no difference on how stuck it is.
Tldr you're really stupid

If you have the money go for it
air tools are for poor folk

>forming an emulsion
Why would that even work?
They do not mix, it's not going to be effective if they don't fucking mix, the acetone is supposed to reduce the surface tension of the atf to allow it to flow more easily into cracks and such, if the atf doesn't dissolve in the acetone it's not going to be effective.

>autism detected

>You keep saying home

Read the OP fuckhead.

Same, they pop up from time to time. I bought one of those induction heaters, and while it works good, it's uses are every limited. Torch beats it nearly every time.

so you needed ~1000ftlb once when you weren't at work and that justifies a weekend warrior needing 1000ftlb on hand at all times

You ever done the "stuff 10 feet of fuel line down the #1 cylinder" trick? Do that then put a breaker bar with a long cheater on the crank bolt. Shit works.

Of course, if you don't know what you're doing, you can fuck up your valves quick, fast, and in a hurry, so that's something that you must be careful with. Make good goddamned sure you're on the compression stroke or you'll be pulling the head.

Yes, and I have example of home jobs that would require 1000ft lbs of torque, did you even read the post?
I use that electric impact to remove T25 torx screws that hold the fenders on the buggies, anything else I use the air impact, you know the impact powered by that giant air compressor in the background with that red hose laying on the floor

You can never have enough torque.

~1000ftlb isn't even that much, any semi decent 1/2" impacts are rated for that or more.

Harbor Freight sells the earthquake xt which makes a true 1000ft lb for 150 dollars, so yeah it's easy to say that a home mechanic can and should have a tool that can do 1000ft lb

Yes I've done this many times, for the Honda I just hit the bolt head with a torch and it came right off with the impact

Yes I did. It is FAR more cost effective for a [trigger warning for you] home 'mechanic' to buy battery powered tools than it is to buy a compressor and air tools with enough flow/power to get to ~1000ftlbs which is RARELY needed.

Nobody is saying air tools aren't powerful as fuck, but your attitude is elitist and retarded.

It's like telling a home cook to buy a $20k induction hob when a consumer grade one will be absolutely perfect for 99.99999% of their cooking.

Dude I got my 30 gallon air compressor for 80 bucks off Craigslist, 70 dollars for an earthquake impact from harbor freight, 20 dollars for a set of impact sockets, that's it you're done, and you can buy more air tools in the future.
God damn how poor are you?

A decent air compressor isn't that expensive. If you want to do any painting or run a blasting cabinet you need one anyways.

A good compressor is probably one of the most important investments any semi serious weekend warrior can make.

>work on cars
>have both

Just wait, one day you'll find that fuck you bolt half way through a tear down, and can't get it off.

And then you'll curse yourself becuase now you have to waste several hours putting all that shit back together, and take it to a shop.

All because you didn't have the proper tool.

Any decent hobbyist mechanic whose done it for a while will come to that point, better to have it than not.

If you haven't then you haven't been doing it long enough.

You're smoking crack, heroin, and methamphetamine if you think that for the price of an entry level 20 gallon Craftsman compressor and Ingersoll-Rand impact gun you can buy a cordless impact that will have the same performance.

This is my 17 year old Craftsman that I paid an entire $180 for, along with my newly rebuilt Snappy IM5100 impact that I scored for $60.

You tell me a cordless impact that costs $240, including battery and charger, that will approach this setup.

I got the Kobalt corded impact from Lowe's a few years back and it's been great. This guy got over 600 ft-lb from it, perfect for working on my Subaru.

youtube.com/watch?v=u3tl2CEEUTI

I've got a high quality pnuematic impact, I quit using it since I got high quality cordless impacts.
Only time I think I used it since was when I needed the power in a smaller form.

For Under $300 you can be set with a cordless impact that will outperform that.

Name it.

>$10 cheaper
>3 times the torque
At least you tried.

cpopowertools.com/dewalt-dcf899b-20v-max-xr-cordless-lithium-ion-1-2-in--brushless-detent-pin-impact-wrench--bare-tool-/dewndcf899b,default,pd.html

>detent pin

That's bare tool, fucknuts. Add the required Two batteries and a charger, you're at $500.

Try again.

>doesn't come with battery or charger

>literally irrelevant

Good thing it shares the same battery and charger as all your other tools that you already have. Or if you have Milwaukee or Makita or Bosch tools or whatever, get their equivalent and don't bitch if you locked yourself in to a more expensive brand. You have only yourself to blame.

not the same guy, but I don't like having to take breaks to charge shit.

Also it will be totally obsolete in several years, and the batteries may or may not be compatible with new ones.

Not to mention this thread is about convenience, not poorfag cost efficacy.

That doesn't even make sense. You have to buy fucking batteries at some point, and the fuckers are $70 each. And the charger is yet another $70. You have to fucking buy them. Just like I had to fucking buy my compressor to run my tool. You saying

"DERP I ALREAYD HVE BTTERYS, LEL"

doesn't cut it. The entire cost of the rig must be accounted for.

> about convenience

>go to remove stubborn bolt
>WHOOPS LOL BATTERY IS DEAD
>wait for battery to charge

or
>plug in air hose
>remove bolt

Great point. Even the best batteries don't last more than a couple of years. At $70-100 a pop, depending on manufacturer, that fucking shit gets even more pricy. Compressors can run for literally decades with little to no maintenance other than a once a year oil change and maybe a new belt every 5.

>backyard mechanic
After working for years with just regular ol' hand tools the best purchase for my garage was a 40gal compressor to finally be able to use all the air tools I bought for work, at home. Cordless impact is nice and all, but I love being able to run my impacts, die grinders, air ratchets and air pencil grinders. Life gets a lot easier on some jobs when you're able to slip a little 2" zip disc on the end of a die grinder into a tight spot.

Adding in battery and a charger for that kit comes out to $320. And it's not a clapped out old crapon with garbage specs being run on an undersized noisey powerhog compressor.

You should already have at least 2 and probably more like 3-5 batteries between all your power tools. If you have 37 power tools, you don't need 37 batteries. But if you have a single drill, at least two batteries is nearly mandatory. If you have a drill and a impact driver and a circular saw and a grinder and whatever the fuck else, you'll already have all the batteries you need.

Two batteries will last longer than a 20 gallon air compressor, anyway.

Tools are for pussies lmao. You can use your bare hands for most jobs if you know what you're doing

>t. Never worked on anything

>6.2 SCFM at 90
>undersized
Pick one

>one battery
Awesome working for 10 minutes, then waiting 30 to go again.

this made me laff

Same thing goes for a compressor. But unlike batteries, you only need *one*. Ever.

Three batteries cost what a decent entry level compressor costs. And that compressor will work for 20-30 years. How long will you get out of your three batteries?

>battery powered angle grinders
Absolutely disgusting

>t. pussy

Nice b8 m8, I'm sure you turn stuck bolts with your fingers and grind steel with your ass cheeks.

Another thing to think about is a decent compressor doesn't lose it's value. I paid $250 for this good old US made 220v, 30 gal, 3 lung dayton years ago, and it's still worth the same now. I plan on upgrading to a 80gal, 2 stage vertical this year, and I'll easily get the money I spent on the dayton back, if not turn a bit of profit too.

Those 60v Dewalts are pretty tempting (obviously too niche for a home wrencher and not a replacement for a corded 5 inch though)

You can turn bolts if you heat them up first

Good used compressors are always getting snatched up around here the same day they're posted. Bit of a piss off when you call buddy and its already gone hah.

1100 lbs. What next?

So do you or do you not already have a cordless drill with a pair of batteries? And if not, what do you do if you find yourself in one of the countless situations which require drilling or screwing things around the house? Do you wheel your air compressor into the kitchen?

I've used that grinder, a co-worker bought one. It heats up really fast if you're putting pressure on it and the battery doesn't last long. In my line of work (powerplant inspector) everything is a consumable, even the 14 amp dewalts burn out in 3-6 months (I play the musical chair warranty game like a pro)

I have that. Shit's cash, strongest gun in the shop besides an $900 SO and a 3/4" IR. Even better than the guy next to me's $750 SO pneumatic or his SO cordless.

I meant 13 amp

I've got an electric impact and it has come in handy quite a few times, but don't get one thinking it'll be an end all tool.
A couple examples I can think of:
Good - spindle nut when I was changing front wheel bearings. I tried some creative bracing techniques to try to loosen the nut with a breaker bar instead of just turn the hub, but couldn't get anything to work. My impact zipped it right off when I got smart enough to try it.
Bad - Tried to use it to break loose some severely rusted nuts on both sway bar end links and rear shock mounts. Both times it just made noise and didn't do shit, had to break the bolts with a big ass breaker bar.

I love mine and its nice to not have to hook up a whole air compressor and hose every time to use it, but go air if you want real power

>Two batteries
>One is always charging
>Swapping batteries takes two seconds

Vs.

>Lol hoses
>BRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPP

I did a honda timing belt job with my cordless tools. I reversed it a time or two and the crank bolt came right off.

No, if you do your own handiwork getting a compressor is a must. The tools are just better, you'd get used to dealing with hoses and the noise.

Been doing it my whole life. Have air tools now. Don't like dealing with hoses.

Have a 20v DeWalt drill. It rules. Sided my entire house with it.

Just wondering if a cordless impact can break bolts I guess.

A cordless impact will snap heads clean off 8mm screws into heavy steel
I'd say that's enough to break a bolt

We're still talking about home mechanic right?
Because I run my batteries for days on end without a charge. Not sure where you think all this power is going in 10 minutes.
You must still think it's 2004 with clapped out dewilt nicads.
The cordless tool game has picked up exceptionally in the last 5 years.

Is DeWalt still top shit or should I look at Milwaukee or Makita or Ryobi?

>tfw you could have had a made in USA or Japan tool for $100 less than your chinkshit Milwaukees

ohiopowertool.com/p-15481-makita-lithium-ion-brushless-high-torque-12-impact-wrench-bare-tool-xwt08z.aspx?gclid=CL_i2d_1wNICFUtNfgodC9AE9w

Also, this one comes with a battery so you air tool dinosaurs can suck it.

For home use cordless will be cheaper than setting up a good air system. A decent system will easily cost over $500 just for the ability to run air tools. You'll need a compressor, a 220 volt circuit to run the compressor, regulator, dryer, air hose, air hose couplings, and of course you'll have the joy of servicing it every year with belts and oil.

To give you an idea of how good modern cordless tools are I don't even use an air impact when I work on semi trucks because my cordless is just so much more convenient. In fact virtually all the techs at work use almost exclusively cordless tools. We only use air for specialty tools or to clean the shop.

Go with whatever you have batteries for. If you're just starting out, buy Makita (manufactured in Japan & USA) or Metabo (manufactured in Germany). DeWalt and their SB&D cousins claim to be made in the US, but they're made in Mexico with Chinese parts and then get "final assembly" in the US. Basically just torque down one bolt and throw it in the box.

Check out this guys videos, he takes them apart and looks at everything, the molds, the motor, looks at the draw on an oscilloscope, etc.
youtube.com/user/arduinoversusevil
For me it just depends on what other tools I might use that use the same battery, so I use Milwaukee who make a cordless ratchet which is something I use all the time. Snap On and Matco have the best cordless impacts but they cost more than 2x the price of Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt, etc.

A cordless grinder will last about 5 minutes if you give it a hot supper