Anyone go straight to cordless tools vs pneumatic tools?

[youm0nt]

Anyone go straight to cordless tools like impact wrenches, die grinders, ratchets, etc? Or you're converting from pneumatic to cordless? Or use/own both? Or sticking with pneumatic only?

Are you a DIY homeowner, experienced technician, brand new technician, industrial tool user? Whats your ownership and personal experience like?

Me? I'm a younger DIYer and recent, first time homeowner that is going on a tool buying craze for use around the house.

I went straight to and committed to, cordless tools. Recently, I bought a cordless impact wrench for the occasional DIY automotive work. I have never used pneumatic tools in the past and probably one of the few on this forum. Perhaps the younger generation is going straight to cordless?

As an occasional DIYer mechanic, I don't see my self going pneumatic at this time. I went cordless because I like not having a compressor or a hose line. Obviously pneumatic and cordless have their pros and cons depending on the situation and who you are.

 

[ItsNemo]

Own both, use both...each have their uses and strengths/weaknesses.

 

[chrisnazzy]

I work in sales/management in a busy automotive tire and service facility. Obviously pneumatic tools are part of everyday life in a shop but cordless tools are owned and used by every lube tech and mechanic in our shop.

As far as at home goes, I have used cordless tools exclusively for over 15 years. I've never had anything but Milwaukee so can't offer insight into brand comparisons. I started out in 2002 with an 18V hammer drill and 2.4v cordless screwdriver. Now I own and use both 12V and 18V platforms and have nearly 20 tools ranging from drills, impacts and ratchets to lights, vacuums and a fan.

I've actually never even owned a compressor until very recently. A coworker of mine was moving out of state and offered me his nice 30 gallon Craftsman for a very fair price so I really couldn't say no. I have absolutely zero interest in owning any pneumatic impact guns or ratchets but I have been researching what tools might come in handy now that I do have air. So far I've only picked up a nice blow gun and some air chucks but I'm deciding on a couple mini die grinders, a DA sander and maybe a finish nailer.



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[plinker]

Blow guns, needle scalers, air hammers, die grinders are (currently) only practical (and/or available) with air power, so air will always have a place. Compact air tools also shine with power to size ratio.

The whole cordless vs. penumatic is nothing more then trying to figure out which is more; six of one or half a dozen of the other.

 

[crewchief888]

Blow guns, needle scalers, air hammers, die grinders are (currently) only practical (and/or available) with air power, so air will always have a place. Compact air tools also shine with power to size ratio.

The whole cordless vs. penumatic is nothing more then trying to figure out which is more; six of one or half a dozen of the other.

they all have their uses and purposes.

i have both cordless (3/8" dr impact 1/2" drill, 4 1/2" grinder) and air tools 3/8" 1/2" 3/4" impact, air hammer, air ratchet, 4 1/2" grinder, 4" sander, multiple die grinders) in my service truck.
in the garage/house i mainly use corded power tools. i have cordless drills/ drivers, and air tools (7" disk sander, multiple die grinders, air ratchet, impacts, DA sander, pad sander) as well.

small pancake compressor in the basement for air nailers

multiple corded 4 1/2" grinders, corded die grinder, and corded drills.

some corded tools tend to migrate from the garage to the basement during the winter months, we do most of our remodeling/DIY stuff once the temps start to drop. i keep my woodworking type tools in the basement seperate from mechanics type stuff in the garage.

 

[Negen]

I do not know how a persons hands have not been burned to the bone after 30-60 minutes of using a electric or battery powered die grinder.

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[f121]

Take a look at the recent thread on this subject, something like "Are air tools obsolete", lots of good arguments on both sides.

Most people I know use battery exclusively now, both in the trade and for diy, the exception is fabrication and restoration work, where stuff like needle scalers, mini belt sanders and die grinders are needed.

There is definitely a place for air, but most of the time battery works better for me.

 

[MushCreek]

With my M18 tools, I very rarely use a corded or air tool. If I don't have it in M18, then I go corded. I don't have an M18 jigsaw or router, for example. The only air tools I use are nail guns, a blow gun and a pencil grinder.

 

[gtsgarage]

Lots of discussion on this. Both have their place. I have m12 ratchets and impacts but not getting rid of my bigger air tools.

I’m just a home DIYer but I still need both. Although I don’t use the air very often anymore. I don’t worry about the air tools sitting at all. I do worry about the compressor tank rusting though.

 

[JVB]

I use air for my woodworking, not so much for automotive anymore. I do still own an air impact but it almost never gets used. Cordless has been plenty of power and convenient to get most if not all jobs done.

 

[CR888]

Hook line & sinker...

 

[Ign]

Is a cordless air hammer even possible?

I don't see why not. 15 years ago you woulda asked the same thing about impacts being as powerful or more so than air. Granted, it'll be larger.

I'm sure R&D could produce one, there just has to be enough market.

As it is my gf uses my M28 SDS hammer drill in hammer only mode to break up ice in animal water buckets

 

[dsimatt]

I don't see why not. 15 years ago you woulda asked the same thing about impacts being as powerful or more so than air. Granted, it'll be larger.

I'm sure R&D could produce one, there just has to be enough market.

As it is my gf uses my M28 SDS hammer drill in hammer only mode to break up ice in animal water buckets

Is a comparable sized and power one possible is the real question, that will be the hardest thing to accomplish IMO.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

Both but mostly cordless. Just a diy type guy. Certain tools just need a compressor. Cordless are quiet and portable and now days lots of power.

 

[ChrisLS8]

Never ever seen a thread like this.......this week

 

[ItsNemo]

The big cordless impacts are still too heavy/bulky as well...yes the torque has reached the same levels but ergonomics just can't be matched yet. An IR2135TiMax is just so much lighter and compact and better balanced and so I still prefer it over anything cordless that I have if I'm working at home. If I'm not at home though, cordless for sure because getting a decent air supply out in the wild is impossible (e.g. most of my friends have little 120v compressors).

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Sold off most of my remaining air tools this year (IR 1/2 impact, IR 3/4 impact, Matco air hammer, mini air ratchet, 1/2 air drill) since I've been living out of service trucks (no compressor) for years, moved twice last year (with another on the way), and just got tired of dragging them around "just in case".

I've been running almost all Milwaukee professionally, even the little M12 sander and cutoff have been lifesavers on some jobs. Little air compressor at home, mostly just for blowgun and filling tires, but for some reason wrestling and rolling up air hose has always driven me crazy.

Fast forward a few months, and I got a job offer to be back in a shop. Looks like I'll be replacing some air tools coming up...

 

[CJM8515]

battery, even on the job. I only use pneumatic if there is a tool they dont have cordless for, IE die grinders (cordless ones ****)

 

[xin]

Never ever seen a thread like this.......this week

Because someone watched a video (like the torque wrench for $9.99) it is the bible of all.


Bobby Joe said all air tools would be obsolete and they are waste of money. Why because someone said it and electricity rates are high, shop can't afford to run the compressor.


Very interesting to say the least...

 

[anndel]

I have both cordless and air tools and prefer air tools and their lighter and less bulky. I use both though.

 

[Citation]

If I lost all my tools I would still go with pneumatic for my current pneumatic tools. The way I see it, you must have an air compressor for things like the blow gun and inflating tires. Even a $100 pancake compressor can run a good 1/2 impact. That impact costs less than a cordless model. I don't use the impact that much so I would rather go with the air tools. It saves me money and will last many years.

 

[Leveleer]

If I were going to replace any of my air tools with electric I would use 115V corded units. Why lug batteries around when AC is available near by?

 

[f121]

Is a cordless air hammer even possible?

Isn't it just a cordless sds on roto-stop?

What do people use air hammers for anyway? I've not touched mine in at least a decade.

 

[Professional Tool User]

As someone who uses air tools to make a living, both have their strengths and weaknesses. My impact guns, air hammer, die grinders, and other odds and ends like my air nozzle, air chuck, and vacuum coolant filler are all air. On the other hand for electric, I've got my cordless drill, impact driver, and electric ratchet. The high power electric tools can compete in terms of power but not in size and weight. The compact tools are small enough but are still less powerful. Mobility and run time are two other considerations depending on what your work environment is like.

 

[Mr_B]

For a home guy doing car and house diy then battery platform makes sense and crosses both types of work better .
If dedicated to shop use and mechanical/auto type work you going be pretty handicapped/less productive without air .
When at the shop I on air 95% of the time daily, at home it bit of everything including wheel brace as just stupid starting up a compressor or faffing about getting cordless for couple of wheels and one small job .

 

[ItsNemo]

Isn't it just a cordless sds on roto-stop?

What do people use air hammers for anyway? I've not touched mine in at least a decade.

Separating things...driving things apart or shearing things or with pickle forks or similar.

I probably use mine once or twice a year at home.

 

[Mr_B]

Isn't it just a cordless sds on roto-stop?

What do people use air hammers for anyway? I've not touched mine in at least a decade.

I use mine daily in auto repair shop, work would almost come to a halt and not be very cost efficient without one .

 

[Handyandy23]

As a DIYer I tend to favor pneumatic over cordless for most of those "on the fence" applications, like nail guns or impacts. For me, buying a quality tool is investing in something I hope to have for a lot of years. I can see as a contractor or tradesperson you have to expect you're going to go through tools more quickly due to repeated use, but if I'm buying a framing nailer that I'll use once a year or a handful of times, I want it to be something that can sit for years and still be viable and easy to use.

Maybe I'm behind the times or jaded by earlier cordless tools, but it doesn't seem logical to me to jump fully into thousands of dollars worth of tools that are reliant on current battery technology. I'm sure everyone remembers when drills were 6V, and then 12V, and then 18V, and now 20V is most common. As battery technology advances, your current collection of tools will be relics in 10+ years. And if you spent a lot of money on an older 12V family of tools, you're likely going to find it harder and harder to find replacement batteries, and watch with envy as your neighbor's 20V stuff blows yours away. Current 20V tools are very good and powerful, but what happens when they come out with the next gen of more powerful and longer lasting tools?

To me that is where traditional air tools have an advantage - compressed air is always going to be the same, and as long as I keep oiling my tools they should last me for a very long time with top notch performance.

Cost also seems prohibitive to me on cordless. When I was recently shopping for a new framing nailer, the cordless versions were double the price of comparable pneumatic guns, and in back to back testing didn't work as well as their pneumatic counterparts. If you start replacing nail guns, impacts, cut off tools, etc with cordless, the extra money you're paying in tools you could have gotten a really nice compressor, and then some. And again, more for a tool that might not have the same longevity.

I think how you use tools is a big factor too. I work on my own cars in my own garage, so I don't have a lot of need for supreme portability with an impact gun, and it's no bother to me to fire up my air compressor and wait a couple minutes for it to fill. Same with nail guns - if I'm doing a DIY job I'll bring my portable compressor and the little 1/4" air hose is of very little bother to me, since I'm a lot slower than a 'pro' regardless. If I'm a mobile mechanic, carpenter, or some type of trade, then paying more for speed and convenience starts to make more sense.