Wrapping up building the garage and will be installing a 2 stage compressor.
I need to pick up an air ratchet or 2, and possibly impact gun.
20 years ago I wrenched everything by hand,, I'm old and lazy now
What is a "decent" hobbyist brand air ratchet? Isee IR, Aircat, DeWalt, CP, Astro, Husky, etc


Any insight would be appreciated.


Slack

 

IR and AirCat are awesome, the rest I can't vouch for...I do have a Lowes air impact, and it's fine for stuff around the house, but I use my Milwaukee cordless most of the time anymore...I also have some HF stuff and it's hit or miss depending on the tool. HF air ratchets are okay. Die grinders and cutoff wheels have been hit or miss, and the air nibblers for sheet metal are junk. My .02

 

Air nibblers,, forgot about them. Their a "must have"

 

Spend the money and get a good one then, LOL

 

most of my air tools are IR (ingersol rand). they're not bad for cheapies.
sure, you can get matco or the like, but in all reality, i haven't really pulled out any air impacts or ratchets in years now, i use all cordless tools for that.
other than air nibblers, air hammers/chisels, die grinders, that's about all i use the compressor for. oh, that and airing up tires, a lot. haha.

 

My 1/2" air impact is a Mac that I bought long time ago but have used on everything from race cars to AG Tractors using 3/4" drive sockets. It has been in constant use since 1984 when I bought it from a friend who had a Mac tool route. It has been rebuilt once by another dealer in his truck for $28 in parts no labor about 6 yrs ago. Air ratchets are Mac also bought at same time but use electric for a lot of the work any more all of those being Milwaukee's.


Buy the best you can afford at the time it pays in the long run to do so with tools that you will use the most.

 

IR stuff isn't bad and that's the way I'd go. Tooltopia.com is pretty awesome for picking that stuff up fairly cheap. I'd avoid any of their "quiet" model stuff. They have no power at all.

 

You can find good used stuff from retiring mechanics alot on craigslist, etc. I've seen a lot of well used snap on / mac air tools on there. If I had a real garage & compressor I'd definitely pick one up.

 

I just purchased one of the Earthquake LX impacts from Harbor Freight. Had done some research and they were performance wise about the same at a Snap-On... So for about 1/4th of the price I have a impact that has worked really well so far. Of course I can't speak yet to the overall life of the impact. Time will only tell

 

lasted a few months in our shop

 

This is an excellent idea as the route drivers will help if you need repairs or parts most all areas have both.

 

As much as I like really good tools, for the hobbyist, professional grade is probably a waste of money. The El Cheapos are usually also a waste of money. The sweet spot for a serious hobbyist is in the middle.

Just stay away from Campbell Hausfield. I bought a set, then found out they cannot be used with normal air tool oil. They MUST have their own special oil. That means I cannot use other brands if I have a an oiler on my lines. I have literally thrown them away. I now have Kobalt (Lowe's) and so far, so good. I would not expect them to stand up to professional use, but I don't give them professional use.

I did go high grade on my 1/2" impact because when I need a big gun, I want a big gun. I got the AirCat, and that thing is a beast.

BTW, after reading a lot of threads on machinist & auto mechanic forums, I now use ordinary transmission fluid in my oiler. A lot of the old-timers recommend it.