Air vs Battery Automotive Tools??

A

AdmiralYoda

Joined
Jan 23, 2013
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195
Location
MA
Looking for some advice from people who've used both. My small garage is finally getting electricity so I'll be spending a lot more time working on my own project cars. I'll be upgrading from wrenches and hand tools to 3/8" and 1/2" impact guns and ratchets. I'm stuck between going with battery powered vs pneumatic.

If I go battery powered it will probably be the Milwaukee M18 series. If I go with air I'll shoot for a compressor with a minimum of 6CFM @90psi.

I've used air tools my whole life. My old man owned an auto repair shop and recently retired. I was always able to use his lifts and tools...now I'm on my own.

My garage is in MA and sees single digit temps in the winter and 100F in the summer. I plan to keep the tools in the garage year round and don't plan to bring the batteries or tools inside when not in use. They have to be able to be ready to go regardless of the temperature.

Anyone have any good advice? Thanks!
 
Oh no not again!

My vote is battery for 98% of stuff. Mine stay in my CO shop year round, only heated by a wood stove when I'm in there.

I still need air for blowing chips, inflating tires, the plasma and extended die grinding (the M12 die grinders are great for quick tasks).

So, really you need both. But I REALLY don't miss having hoses chase impacts, ratchets etc.

edit: air is also good for leakdowns and vacuum filling among other things.
 
I have both. I use the cordless/battery more often. Milwaukee makes quality battery powered tools along with DeWalt. Others like Makita etc....Hauling an air hose around isn't exactly convenient and battery tools cover most tasks. My lift requires air and other of my shop tolls require air also. If I need to snap off a rusty wheel lug I use the air along with my Earthquake impact. The 1/2" Milwaukee battery powered impact doesn't have the power to snap a wheel stud. My advice....get both.
 
Battery impact tools and such 100%. No need for air ratchets or tools anymore.

But, as mentioned you will still need air for other tasks but you can get buy with an inexpensive 150psi/30gal sized unit for those tasks. I have not touched my air tools in years since going battery powered.
 
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air hammer, needle scaler, blow gun are about the only air tools that are still useful imo. I downgraded the 20 gallon air compressor to a 6 gallon pancake last year. All my automotive battery stuff is Milwaukee M18, and a few M12s. Its pricey but has been totally worth it.
 
cptbarkey said:
air hammer, needle scaler, blow gun are about the only air tools that are still useful imo. I downgraded the 20 gallon air compressor to a 6 gallon pancake last year. All my automotive battery stuff is Milwaukee M18, and a few M12s. Its pricey but has been totally worth it.
Click to expand...
HVLP paint sprayer, oil drain drum transfer pump, D/A sander, sand blaster, cut off wheels, air assisted jacks....the list goes on. You will get my 5HP, 60 gallon Quincy compressor when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers! Hand tools with battery power, Yes! Much of everything else? No. I also think that if you want a useful air compressor in a shop that does automotive repair, do yourself a favor and buy the largest American made compressor that you can finagle.
20240213_133418.jpg
 
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Haven't used my 1/4" and 3/8" air ratchets in years. Now the 1/2" air impact gun gets more use since it's quite a bit lighter than the battery version. You still need an air compressor anyway for inflating tires, blowing stuff clean, fluid extractors for oil and transmission fluid, brake fluid flush, etc.
 
Wow thanks for the quick replies everyone! I have a 5 gallon air compressor that can handle the low CFM tasks like blowing dust, filling tires, using nail guns, etc.

The buy-in cost of a good air compressor is steep...yet so are the first couple battery powered tools since the batteries are a lot of the cost. Once I have a few batteries it is just the tool purchase only, which is comparable to the air tool.

I'm leaning towards battery now. Especially since Milwaukee also has miter and table saws that run off of batteries also.
 
I mostly use battery operated tools. Most of mine are Dewalt with one Milwaukee M12 ratchet. We have a 60 gallon air compressor in the shop for when we need it.
 
I use air at home, battery powered at the "recycle" yard. It's a matter of convenience and cost.

If you already have air tools, why spend more money on batteries and chargers? Spend the money on your projects and enjoy!
 
Also consider the neighbors if you live in an urban area. The noise of air tools can be pretty annoying. In the PRM, you don't want someone calling zoning accusing you of running a repair business at home.
 
I have both. I use battery tools probably 90% of the time. Air tools have the hassle of the hose, but generally get the job done where battery tools can’t. There are some things, especially when corrosion is at play, where even the more powerful battery tools just won’t do it. Yet a hand tool or air tool will.

Maybe all earrings are inflated, but I’m pretty confident that my 250ft-lb Milwaukee stubby won’t do that. Queue smaller and more powerful air tool to get the job done in an instant…
 
When I put the clutch, pressure plate, flywheel, etc. in my van I tried my battery powered tools because I had the van in the driveway and didn't want the hassle of the air hose. Lets just say the battery tools got put away in short order in favor of the smaller, and more powerful for their size, air tools. With the hose whip I found the hose not to be a problem at all. The air tools were lighter and just better imo for that job.
 
As far as a 1/2 impact…… I don’t care for the battery powered. My IR 231 is 30 years old, has more power, is lighter and doesn’t tweak my wrist every time I tighten something.
I use battery powered ratchets and I love them.
 
CarDoc66 said:
As far as a 1/2 impact…… I don’t care for the battery powered. My IR 231 is 30 years old, has more power, is lighter and doesn’t tweak my wrist every time I tighten something.
I use battery powered ratchets and I love them.
Click to expand...

If I could have both that would great! But for now my budget is leaning to one or the other. Milwaukee's latest 1/2" high torque impact has 1,600lbs of nut-busting torque with their new fancy battery. IR and others don't quite get close to that claim.

Of course this may be all marketing stuff too. No idea how Milwaukee's best vs IR's best would do head to head in a controlled test but either way...if the bolt doesn't snap at those torque levels it is time for the torch anyways.
 
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