Posted: 7/19/2015 8:22:09 PM EDT
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Just wondering what you guys at home use for an air gun,ratchet,sanders,etc.. I don't need Snap On (it would be nice) or any high dollar stuff. I'm not a pro but I'm not looking for junk either I just want to be able to rotate tires, change a flat, something that will make my life a little easier in my garage. Don't worry about what compressor as I have plenty of compressor. I've been to Northern and Tractor Supply and can't believe the low prices on their stuff, it makes me wonder if the stuff they have is any good, back in my day the good stuff was Blue Point (Snap On) and Chicago Pneumatic.
Tell me what you got,Air Guns, Ratchets,Drills,Sanders, impact sockets, how you like it, any problems with them. Will |
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IR makes a lot of air tools that wind up with MAC, Cornwell or Matco stamped on them. They're still not cheap, but are sometimes a better value than the tool truck brands. Pittsburgh impact sockets from HF are super thick and have a lifetime warranty.
For rotating tires and changing flats I would strongly suggest looking at a nicer 1/2" battery powered impact. In 10 years of turning wrenches professionally that has been one of the biggest time saving tools for me. I rarely mess with air ratchets or impacts anymore, unless I'm dealing with bolts over 3/4" or doing some kind of pump/motor/engine tear down. |
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OP FWIW, as a hobbyist I've yet to run into anything that I wasn't able to handle with either a corded or cordless version of everything you described in the OP (with the exception of paint guns and air guns, clearly). Milwaukee's M12 line has the cordless ratchet IIRC, I've been seriously giving that some thought as a future purchase. Ridgid and Milwaukee both have cordless 1/2" impact guns that get pretty good reviews (I have other 18V Ridgid tools, and the lifetime battery warranty is a pretty nice bonus). I'm thinking about getting a pancake to run an air nailer as well as have for an air gun. The only painting I need to do is small scale and can be done with my airbrush (have a small compressor for that) or with aresol cans using automotive primers, paints and clear (not rustoleum crap, the real deal stuff in cans...expensive but worth it to me at this point in my life). <ETA> I do have access to the base auto shop for stupid low prices for a bay rental and free tool rentals, so that does color my perspective some. |
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Harbor Freight will work in a pinch, or if you have limited funds.
The difference between the HF and IR tools, is that the IR tools are more efficient. For the same amount of air, they'll do more work than the cheaper tools and put out the torque that they are rated at. |
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HF actually has a good line of impacts. It's the ones painted red, Earthquake pro impacts. Pretty good impacts. I have the 3/8" version. Damned powerful for a 3/8". Actually all of my HF air tools have held up pretty good except an old 1/2" impact I had that was a copy of the IR. It lasted me about 6 years and out of the blue just quit working one day. I replaced it with the high end IR impact.
While you're there, check out their latest impact sockets. They have stepped up their game on those too. There is a great thread over on Garagejournal.com on what to buy and what to avoid at HF. Their carbon fiber ratchets are a killer deal too. |
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I have a mix of stuff.
I have an old IR 1/2 inch that died and I just hang on to. Replaced it with husky brand. at the time it said in the sheet that if it died, they would send me the parts to rebuild it for free. so it seemed like a good deal at the time at 80 bucks. my ratchet is a craftsman that came with the compressor. HF for the body saw, needler, and chisel. The grinder and cutoff wheel are both craftsman as well I think. the only one that is iffy is the body saw. you have to push it to get it to start moving. The rest have worked well for nearly 10 years or more. rebuilt 3 front ends, cut out the floor of a car, 3 or 4 timing belt/chain jobs, half shaft replacement, swap motors on a car, and a crap load of house jobs. |
