Originally Posted by Wolf359
You guys don't mention torque. I think the Milwaukee 2767-20 does 1400 foot pounds of torque in reverse. The one mentioned earlier that was an electric cord was 400 foot pounds. I think most air tools are in the 300-600 range depending on what you buy. T
You missed the mark with this info, the Milwaukee 2767-20 does not have 1400 ft.lb of torque in any direction, that is "nut busting torque" a conjured up number used for advertising purposes and totally meaningless in real use.
Many air guns are far more powerful than any cordless and are lighter but there is another point being missed here and that is how they make the power to remove fasteners.
Most air guns used in the automotive field are twin hammer (some smaller format guns may use a large single hammer), this is effectively the mechanism that loosens the fastener not so much the actual torque, this is much safer than high torque as it "rattles the fastener loose not just tries to twist it out with brute force.
Most electric impact guns be it cord or cordless use a pin clutch type impact mechanism, this delivers maximum torque right from the start, this is how they make their power.
Large cordless impacts are much more likely to tear the threads out of alloys or shear the bolt off where the hammer mechanism will have a much better chance of actually loosening it. For this reason mid size cordless impacts are more desirable for most light automotive work. Personally I don't own any large electric impacts and probably never will, I have tried them and found them almost useless, heavy, bulky and not as reliable at rusted fastener removal as an air impact.
Air impacts are very controllable and easy to work with for extended periods. but they are not the only tool.
I love the mid size cordless impact gun, I actually use it more than the air impact for most jobs but when you need the power the big air gun is always there.
There are tools that are either exclusive to air or run best with air, cutoff wheels, high speed angle grinders, needle scalers, air riveters, panel flangers, air sanders and DA, etc, etc.
Don't look at one type of tool be it cordless, corded or air powered as being better than the other, all have their place. I look at my cordless tools as a great addition to my tools.