A pal and I were talking about the tool world a bit as we were 'playing' around with a couple of Milwaukee 18v battery impacts recently bought. One, I have mentioned here, is an angle 3/8" for tight quarters=good 'impacts' with light torque. The other is a 1/2" 'fuel' higher torque model. I had an old unmolested 1966 Buick 401 V8 'nailhead' hanging on a stand so we went after some fasteners. First using the 1/2" I went after the 'big ole 'crank bolt' holding the balancer/belt pullies=good grief, it came loose in a heart beat with no drama-and this is torqued at the factory to 250lbs. These weight about 3 lbs and are so easy. It made me recall working at the tire shop 45 years ago with big/heavy Ingersol guns and the hoses. Also, at the end of the day, we'd pop the hose off and pour in a dose of MMO and then give them a quick blast to 'fog' them. I'm liking these new tools.
Impact wrench world-
- Thread starter Lapham3
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The newest impact wrenches from Milwaukee have about the same torque as some high end pneumatic ones. But at a tire shop where the impact wrenches are probably dragged around by their hose and see lots of abuse, the pneumatic ones would be better.
I saw this very recently myself, when watching "Eric the Car Guy" videos.
At least NOW DIY people can work on their cars without air.
Personally, I have reasonable car repair skills, but I am very limited by living in a Condo so I literally have to load my trunk and drive to an old dead end street to work on my car.
What I love about electrical stuff is it only gets more powerful each year and each new model.
I'll be snapping off rusty bolts in no time lol!
At least NOW DIY people can work on their cars without air.
Personally, I have reasonable car repair skills, but I am very limited by living in a Condo so I literally have to load my trunk and drive to an old dead end street to work on my car.
What I love about electrical stuff is it only gets more powerful each year and each new model.
I'll be snapping off rusty bolts in no time lol!
Originally Posted By: cat843
The newest impact wrenches from Milwaukee have about the same torque as some high end pneumatic ones. But at a tire shop where the impact wrenches are probably dragged around by their hose and see lots of abuse, the pneumatic ones would be better.
Um, no. While the cordless ones have come light years and are very capable, they still aren't near as capable as a new pneumatic unit- they after all have advanced too.
we use both. We have Milwaukee, almost exclusively, including their 3/8" and 1/2" Fuel units. Beasts for sure, but in their respective sizes, the air guns are still king.
Also- we sure as heck don't drag our air tools around by their hoses!
The newest impact wrenches from Milwaukee have about the same torque as some high end pneumatic ones. But at a tire shop where the impact wrenches are probably dragged around by their hose and see lots of abuse, the pneumatic ones would be better.
Um, no. While the cordless ones have come light years and are very capable, they still aren't near as capable as a new pneumatic unit- they after all have advanced too.
we use both. We have Milwaukee, almost exclusively, including their 3/8" and 1/2" Fuel units. Beasts for sure, but in their respective sizes, the air guns are still king.
Also- we sure as heck don't drag our air tools around by their hoses!
I am pretty impressed with the new brushless (Fuel) cordless impacts. We have a handful at work, they have enough nutz that I can use them to tighten the occasional leaky 30" offgas pipe with 7/8 studs. We have a ton of stairs to climb (up to 8 decks) so carrying less is better.
I will agree with the comment that they still aren't better than a quality 1/2" air impact though. I've got an Ingersol 2135Ti that will outperform the Milwaukee. The specs are real close on paper but in real world use the IR outperforms every time. Especially when put on 160psi N2...
I will agree with the comment that they still aren't better than a quality 1/2" air impact though. I've got an Ingersol 2135Ti that will outperform the Milwaukee. The specs are real close on paper but in real world use the IR outperforms every time. Especially when put on 160psi N2...
No, electrics have cought up with pneumatic... you just have to pay. My ct8850 will rock out most everything, all day, and does it all day long+, and puts out an honest 600 ft lbs. Ingersoll makes one... a 7150 irc, that has 1200 ft lbs breakaway, and Matco has one that has 1130 breakaway.
For comparison, my Matco 1/2 drive pneumatic has 1300 ft lbs and its the best in the industry. The snap on one matches the Ingersoll, and Mac tools weird aw50 is completely outclassed at only 900 ftlbs
The only place they are not equal is in size, and weight. They are a little longer over all so its tougher to stuff them in some wheel wells to say pull a caliper bracket.they are also heaver then their counterpart tools, but if you have to lug a compressor, or have a metal body'd impact its a wash
The next leap in batteries will get life long enough to the point where pneumatic vs electric will be a personal choice and not one driven by reservations or limitations.
What I can't wait for is an electric hammer on par with an air hammer.
For comparison, my Matco 1/2 drive pneumatic has 1300 ft lbs and its the best in the industry. The snap on one matches the Ingersoll, and Mac tools weird aw50 is completely outclassed at only 900 ftlbs
The only place they are not equal is in size, and weight. They are a little longer over all so its tougher to stuff them in some wheel wells to say pull a caliper bracket.they are also heaver then their counterpart tools, but if you have to lug a compressor, or have a metal body'd impact its a wash
The next leap in batteries will get life long enough to the point where pneumatic vs electric will be a personal choice and not one driven by reservations or limitations.
What I can't wait for is an electric hammer on par with an air hammer.
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: cat843
The newest impact wrenches from Milwaukee have about the same torque as some high end pneumatic ones. But at a tire shop where the impact wrenches are probably dragged around by their hose and see lots of abuse, the pneumatic ones would be better.
Um, no. While the cordless ones have come light years and are very capable, they still aren't near as capable as a new pneumatic unit- they after all have advanced too.
we use both. We have Milwaukee, almost exclusively, including their 3/8" and 1/2" Fuel units. Beasts for sure, but in their respective sizes, the air guns are still king.
Also- we sure as heck don't drag our air tools around by their hoses!
Interesting - we have a few W7150s in the shop as well as a 2135ti max. The W7150 runs circles around the 2135ti max easily....maybe there's something wrong with our air setup?
Originally Posted By: cat843
The newest impact wrenches from Milwaukee have about the same torque as some high end pneumatic ones. But at a tire shop where the impact wrenches are probably dragged around by their hose and see lots of abuse, the pneumatic ones would be better.
Um, no. While the cordless ones have come light years and are very capable, they still aren't near as capable as a new pneumatic unit- they after all have advanced too.
we use both. We have Milwaukee, almost exclusively, including their 3/8" and 1/2" Fuel units. Beasts for sure, but in their respective sizes, the air guns are still king.
Also- we sure as heck don't drag our air tools around by their hoses!
Interesting - we have a few W7150s in the shop as well as a 2135ti max. The W7150 runs circles around the 2135ti max easily....maybe there's something wrong with our air setup?
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: cat843
The newest impact wrenches from Milwaukee have about the same torque as some high end pneumatic ones. But at a tire shop where the impact wrenches are probably dragged around by their hose and see lots of abuse, the pneumatic ones would be better.
Um, no. While the cordless ones have come light years and are very capable, they still aren't near as capable as a new pneumatic unit- they after all have advanced too.
we use both. We have Milwaukee, almost exclusively, including their 3/8" and 1/2" Fuel units. Beasts for sure, but in their respective sizes, the air guns are still king.
Also- we sure as heck don't drag our air tools around by their hoses!
Interesting - we have a few W7150s in the shop as well as a 2135ti max. The W7150 runs circles around the 2135ti max easily....maybe there's something wrong with our air setup?
Critic, you're no fool, so I'm doubting there is an issue with your air. To be fair- and I should have disclosed this earlier, we don't have a regulator on most of our hoses, so we're getting full line pressure. I fully realize that 90 psi is the standard at which all air tools are rated, but they sure seem to like more! However even the one regulated hose we have, my Snap-On MG325 3/8" gun will destroy the Milwaukee 3/8" Fuel gun.
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: cat843
The newest impact wrenches from Milwaukee have about the same torque as some high end pneumatic ones. But at a tire shop where the impact wrenches are probably dragged around by their hose and see lots of abuse, the pneumatic ones would be better.
Um, no. While the cordless ones have come light years and are very capable, they still aren't near as capable as a new pneumatic unit- they after all have advanced too.
we use both. We have Milwaukee, almost exclusively, including their 3/8" and 1/2" Fuel units. Beasts for sure, but in their respective sizes, the air guns are still king.
Also- we sure as heck don't drag our air tools around by their hoses!
Interesting - we have a few W7150s in the shop as well as a 2135ti max. The W7150 runs circles around the 2135ti max easily....maybe there's something wrong with our air setup?
Critic, you're no fool, so I'm doubting there is an issue with your air. To be fair- and I should have disclosed this earlier, we don't have a regulator on most of our hoses, so we're getting full line pressure. I fully realize that 90 psi is the standard at which all air tools are rated, but they sure seem to like more! However even the one regulated hose we have, my Snap-On MG325 3/8" gun will destroy the Milwaukee 3/8" Fuel gun.
Cordless has come a long way, and Fuel 550 ft-lbs will get a lot of work done... but air has come a long way, too. The Aircat 1150 has 1,295 ft/lbs loosen and 1150 tighten, all in a 1/2" drive that runs on 3/8" hose and costs $167 on Amazon.
For compact there are the M7's and AP Nano's that develop 350 to 500 ft/lbs and have shorter heads than any cordless, getting a lot of power into really tight spots.
So you see, air is not obsolete, it will fix problems that cordless (at the moment) cannot. Also they will go all day every day while a cordless will wear out every several months.
Only one HF quick connect in the air chain will destroy air gun performance. I switched to GuardAir High Flow's and never looked back, but Milton V's are plenty good and a whole lot cheaper.
For compact there are the M7's and AP Nano's that develop 350 to 500 ft/lbs and have shorter heads than any cordless, getting a lot of power into really tight spots.
So you see, air is not obsolete, it will fix problems that cordless (at the moment) cannot. Also they will go all day every day while a cordless will wear out every several months.
Only one HF quick connect in the air chain will destroy air gun performance. I switched to GuardAir High Flow's and never looked back, but Milton V's are plenty good and a whole lot cheaper.
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Critic, you're no fool, so I'm doubting there is an issue with your air. To be fair- and I should have disclosed this earlier, we don't have a regulator on most of our hoses, so we're getting full line pressure. I fully realize that 90 psi is the standard at which all air tools are rated, but they sure seem to like more! However even the one regulated hose we have, my Snap-On MG325 3/8" gun will destroy the Milwaukee 3/8" Fuel gun.
Ahh, bingo! that would explain it. I think I have ours set to about 100psi. I'm sure that's the reason for the difference.
Critic, you're no fool, so I'm doubting there is an issue with your air. To be fair- and I should have disclosed this earlier, we don't have a regulator on most of our hoses, so we're getting full line pressure. I fully realize that 90 psi is the standard at which all air tools are rated, but they sure seem to like more! However even the one regulated hose we have, my Snap-On MG325 3/8" gun will destroy the Milwaukee 3/8" Fuel gun.
Ahh, bingo! that would explain it. I think I have ours set to about 100psi. I'm sure that's the reason for the difference.
On paper the electrics look good but keep in mind most use a pin clutch mechanism to make up for the lower power motor, not the more desirable (for automotive work) and controllable twin hammer. In the real world there is no comparison to a good air impact.
These are the different types of mechanisms use in impact guns. The least desirable for automotive work would be a high power air gun with a pin clutch eg the Aircat 1200XL but it is well suited to industrial applications that uses large multiple fasteners where speed and power are needed eg large flange bolts.
In automotive work they will quite easily break bolts to their instant high torque without really impacting them out.
http://www.pneutrend.ca/component/virtuemart/impact-mechanisms.html
These are the different types of mechanisms use in impact guns. The least desirable for automotive work would be a high power air gun with a pin clutch eg the Aircat 1200XL but it is well suited to industrial applications that uses large multiple fasteners where speed and power are needed eg large flange bolts.
In automotive work they will quite easily break bolts to their instant high torque without really impacting them out.
http://www.pneutrend.ca/component/virtuemart/impact-mechanisms.html
Milwaukee Fuel Impacts - the whole lineup has been a game changer for me. 1st one in my stash was the High Torque Fuel.
It all went downhill from there......replaced 90% of my corded with Fuel equivalents...everything from drill/drivers/impacts, portaband, recrip, SDS, Circular, Chaulk/Adhesive/Greans Guns, Grinders, and it keeps growing
It all went downhill from there......replaced 90% of my corded with Fuel equivalents...everything from drill/drivers/impacts, portaband, recrip, SDS, Circular, Chaulk/Adhesive/Greans Guns, Grinders, and it keeps growing
No doubt about it the cordless tools today are fantastic. I have had my Makita stuff for years and never had a problem, i have some Milwaukee cordless stuff also like the pipe cutter that has been a god send.
The cordless can be an alternative to big electric or air tools in some cases but many times not, they are a good add on to any tool set, they all have their place.
The cordless can be an alternative to big electric or air tools in some cases but many times not, they are a good add on to any tool set, they all have their place.
Originally Posted By: Trav
No doubt about it the cordless tools today are fantastic. I have had my Makita stuff for years and never had a problem, i have some Milwaukee cordless stuff also like the pipe cutter that has been a god send.
The cordless can be an alternative to big electric or air tools in some cases but many times not, they are a good add on to any tool set, they all have their place.
Though battery power will never replace air as a whole I've found that Milwaukee cordless equipment is the best cordless tools going.
I like them.
Air will always be superior but when on the side of the road changing a tire the cordless 1/2 drive 18v is truly sent from heaven.
No doubt about it the cordless tools today are fantastic. I have had my Makita stuff for years and never had a problem, i have some Milwaukee cordless stuff also like the pipe cutter that has been a god send.
The cordless can be an alternative to big electric or air tools in some cases but many times not, they are a good add on to any tool set, they all have their place.
Though battery power will never replace air as a whole I've found that Milwaukee cordless equipment is the best cordless tools going.
I like them.
Air will always be superior but when on the side of the road changing a tire the cordless 1/2 drive 18v is truly sent from heaven.
Quote:
Air will always be superior but when on the side of the road changing a tire the cordless 1/2 drive 18v is truly sent from heaven.
Can you explain how you do that? We are talking here about random and unplanned event. Do you keep the cordless impact in your trunk 365 days? Now if you use it for the job every day, then yes, it would make sense. But for rest of us keeping the cordless impact in the trunk means when we need it, it will most likely not work. Besides, the battery is not going to be happy going through that many temperature changes for months and years. The life would be drastically cut down.
Air will always be superior but when on the side of the road changing a tire the cordless 1/2 drive 18v is truly sent from heaven.
Can you explain how you do that? We are talking here about random and unplanned event. Do you keep the cordless impact in your trunk 365 days? Now if you use it for the job every day, then yes, it would make sense. But for rest of us keeping the cordless impact in the trunk means when we need it, it will most likely not work. Besides, the battery is not going to be happy going through that many temperature changes for months and years. The life would be drastically cut down.
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Quote:
Air will always be superior but when on the side of the road changing a tire the cordless 1/2 drive 18v is truly sent from heaven.
Can you explain how you do that? We are talking here about random and unplanned event. Do you keep the cordless impact in your trunk 365 days? Now if you use it for the job every day, then yes, it would make sense. But for rest of us keeping the cordless impact in the trunk means when we need it, it will most likely not work. Besides, the battery is not going to be happy going through that many temperature changes for months and years. The life would be drastically cut down.
Probably he already has the impact for another job, and happened to buy one powerful enough to do truck lugs.
Quote:
Air will always be superior but when on the side of the road changing a tire the cordless 1/2 drive 18v is truly sent from heaven.
Can you explain how you do that? We are talking here about random and unplanned event. Do you keep the cordless impact in your trunk 365 days? Now if you use it for the job every day, then yes, it would make sense. But for rest of us keeping the cordless impact in the trunk means when we need it, it will most likely not work. Besides, the battery is not going to be happy going through that many temperature changes for months and years. The life would be drastically cut down.
Probably he already has the impact for another job, and happened to buy one powerful enough to do truck lugs.
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