1/2" Pneumatic Impact For Home Use

[DP121]

I'm in need of a 1/2 pneumatic impact gun for home use. Working on cars, boats & lawn tractors. I've read through quite a few threads here and just can't figure out what to get.....Mac, Snap On, IR, dare I say Harbor Freight.

I want something that will last and has a comfortable grip/handle. This will be my Christmas gift this year so I can't go and ask the wife & family for a super expensive gun.

Your thoughts please & thank you

 

[woody 73]

I own several different brands and I must say the IR 2135 is a nice gun:

http://www.gosale.com/5392481/ingersoll-rand-2135timax-1-2

 

[steed andersen]

I've been happy with the HF Earthquake 1/2". It gets a lot of use and at $80 I can afford to replace it. Also 700ft lbs is plenty of power.

 

[woody 73]

From all these many years the HF air tool above seems to get rave reviews on the GJ and the price is hard to beat; much cheaper for your Family then the IR2135.

 

[theoldwizard1]

If I was starting over, I would get a 3/8" Astro Nano - Amazon $108. Small, light weight and all the power you will need (450 ft lbs). You'll save money on sockets.

 

[woody 73]

I must say if starting over go with sunex or grey sockets both hard to beat in price and quality.

 

[Loscaldazar]

The harbor freight earthquake 1/2 is a great bet for $80. I own a lot of very nice tools, and the earthquake has not dissapointed me. It's not going to rip off honda crank bolts, but the 700 ft-lbs rating is definitely sufficient for all other automotive work on cars and light trucks. It is very loud, but for use at home, that's not a big deal.

The other good option is to look into mini/compact 1/2 drive impacts. M7 makes a 3 7/8" long 1/2 impact with 500 ft-lbs of torque that i love. Chicago Pneumatic, Astro Pneumatic and AirCat all make similarly sized and powerful models. They are easy to get in hard places (making them more useful) and powerful enough to do most jobs again. They are $100-$150 depending on the brand and where you buy it.

Otherwise, if you want to get a top of the line impact, the IR 2135 or 2235 would be my choices. Haven't run into anything that makes me want to switch from the HF earthquake and my M7 mini impact.

 

[liam.fenemore]

If noise isn't an issue just get the IR 231, there's a reason those guns have been around for like 30 years.
I've used a CP 7748 daily in the shop doing my apprenticeship for three and a half years with no complaints. It's kind of a cheap gun but its kind of a cheap price soo Just switched to an IR 2235QTiMAX and it's good, but I'm not as blown away like I thought I'd be.

 

[619DioFan]

I can recommend the HF earthquake gun. got it with a coupon , out the door for 70.00. has worked great for me. actually the complete line of earthquake air tools is really good. I also have the 3/8 drive impact and the impacting air ratchet.

 

[sld961]

I have the IR 2135 and it works great.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I must say if starting over go with sunex or grey sockets both hard to beat in price and quality.

Actually the HF Chrome-moly impact sockets are pretty good and you can't come close to the price.

 

[MrGiggles]

Is it only going to be used for busting lug nuts?

The HF Earthquake is a pretty quiet, civilized and hard hitting gun. It's truly hard to beat for the price. The only thing I don't like about them is the dial on the back for reversing (prefer IR thumb buttons).

 

[stikman56]

For the budget, I'd go HF Earthquake or IR 231. The Earthquake is still going to be quite a bit less expensive.

 

[jrobb316]

Use the same wrench that you'd use at a shop. Pick up an IR 2135 or 2235 and you'll be all set. IMO the snap on MG725 ***** but the 3/8 model rocks. I know guys with HF impacts, they work. My personal opinion is that I wouldn't give my dog water out of a free bowl I got from HF.

 

[slee3247]

Just got an aircat 1150 to replace my broken IR 231c. Gobs more power and much, much quieter. It doesn't break the bank, either. 2 year warranty doesn't hurt!

As far as impact sockets go for home use, sunex get the job done for me.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[PJNJ]

All good suggestions.

If you need a big gun with torque for things like front wheel drive hub nut -
HF Earthquake - remember to purchase the extended warranty as it is worth it. And the price can't be beat.
IR 231 - the original
Aircat or Nitrocat - I have the Aircat 1150 and it is very powerful. But it is heavy.

If your are mostly taking off wheel lugs with occasional use for other things such as suspension or close in engine work with limited access, then one of the new mini guns such as -
Astro Pneumatic Nano 1/2 - I have it and it is great. Got into a tight location to work on tough suspension bolts that the larger Aircat would have never fit.
M7 - may be the smallest and most powerful. They have a few different sizes and power ratings but they are all good units supposedly.
Chicago Pneumatic CP7732- good power and size.
Aircat 1055TH- new to the market but I like its big brother.

 

[ScottsGT]

IR 2135 is a great gun. So is the HF Earthquake for the driveway warrior. I've got the IR and the 3/8 Earthquake. Both are great for the home.

 

[kxlexus]

I suggest the Aircat 1150. I really like mine

 

[djdaredevil]

Get the HF and put 3/8th connectors on your hoses and tools. It transforms all air tools into more powerful versions of themselves compared to 1/4th connectors.

 

[kctyphoon]

If it were me I'd go harbor freight or the $99 husky model in HD that has 800ftlbs of torque.. If you want small - then M7

 

[mg283680]

Do you have .5" line running from the tank to the tool?
If not, the conversation is meaningless. Something people seem to forget.

 

[stikman56]

If it were me I'd go harbor freight or the $99 husky model in HD that has 800ftlbs of torque.. If you want small - then M7

The Husky H4480 slipped my mind. Hard to beat for the money I think.

 

[kctyphoon]

The Husky H4480 slipped my mind. Hard to beat for the money I think.

Yea, I think if I had an actual garage to work in i might lean towards the pneumatic tools. But getting older and lazier I don't have the ambition to run 100 feet of air hose around the house so my air tools have been replaced with Milwaukee stuff.. BUT - for the money the husky stuff is hard to beat. I'd pick up that reactionless ratchet too..

Either those or I'd go all m7. Light, small, cheap, and they have that hammerhead clone with 180ftlbs of torque.. If you work on cars a lot I can't see not owning one of those for tight spots.. I don't do nearly as much as I'd like to anymore.. Bad backs can really kill your ambition..

 

[anndel]

Aircat Killer Torque 1150

 

[Josey Wales]

The Husky H4480 slipped my mind. Hard to beat for the money I think.

I'm late to the thread, glad you posted this. WAY lighter than the EQ.

To me it's the "new" Earthquake.

 

[Marlin]

Do you have .5" line running from the tank to the tool?
If not, the conversation is meaningless. Something people seem to forget.

1/2" lines are not needed for a 1/2" impact. 3/8" hose is sufficient.

 

[greyjasper51]

1/2" lines are not needed for a 1/2" impact. 3/8" hose is sufficient.

agreed 3/8 lines are fine with a high flow milton v type connector

just a few things to add, i have the 2235timax and its awesome, but on my 12gal 3hp compressor in my van it rapes it hard, its really only a workshop tool but it does work wellish, maybe something like the IR231 that bluepoint have and mac and CP have all the same style, its not got the power of others but it depends on your compressor capacity and how fast it fills up, also you need 90psi at the tool as well, so in some cases when you pull the trigger that means having 120 at the supply... many things to add in to this equation to make the most out of it.

because its for home use and im assuming time isnt an issue you just want to take the donkey work out of it, the ir231 would be my choice, not a massive air use, good all rounder, just gets cold in winter...

also alot of things dont require 1/2 youll bust hardware on a mower using 1/2... 3/8 for mower and alot of car engine work is fine, bigger things like suspension and drivetrain is normally 1/2


hope it helps

 

[DP121]

Wow thanks for the response everyone. I have both 3/8" & 1/2" impact sockets. Got SK from the first SK day sale. Got the extensions too. A few days ago I had to borrow my father's 1/2" impact to replace the pinion seal on the Firehawk. It was handy & I'm sick of borrowing. My wife wanted a Christmas gift idea and while I was under the car I thought it's time for me to have my own. I bought the sockets last year and then never did follow up with the gun. My thought was to get both 1/2" & 3/8" guns actually. I was also thinking of going cordless for the 3/8" for tight spaces/clearance issues.

I have an 18v Dewalt impact driver and a drill. So I thought I would go with this:

http://www.factoryauthorizedoutlet....re-tool-only?gclid=CJL01K6Ew8kCFQyFaQodBzgC1Q

since I have the batteries & charger already. Then for the big stuff get the 1/2" pneumatic impact. I also have a 3/8" air ratchet, but I really don't use it much.
Maybe my idea is backward.

 

[djdaredevil]

Wow thanks for the response everyone. I have both 3/8" & 1/2" impact sockets. Got SK from the first SK day sale. Got the extensions too. A few days ago I had to borrow my father's 1/2" impact to replace the pinion seal on the Firehawk. It was handy & I'm sick of borrowing. My wife wanted a Christmas gift idea and while I was under the car I thought it's time for me to have my own. I bought the sockets last year and then never did follow up with the gun. My thought was to get both 1/2" & 3/8" guns actually. I was also thinking of going cordless for the 3/8" for tight spaces/clearance issues.

I have an 18v Dewalt impact driver and a drill. So I thought I would go with this:

http://www.factoryauthorizedoutlet....re-tool-only?gclid=CJL01K6Ew8kCFQyFaQodBzgC1Q

since I have the batteries & charger already. Then for the big stuff get the 1/2" pneumatic impact. I also have a 3/8" air ratchet, but I really don't use it much.
Maybe my idea is backward.

If youre thinking of going cordless get the new 20v dewalt 3/8in impact and the battery adapter when in comes out so you can use the new batteries in the old drill and impact driver. You can also just get a hex to square adapter for your impact driver. If you want air and have only the occasional uses I would get the wife a coupon for the one at HF and have her pick up 3/8 fittings while shes there. If you want a coupon check out hfqpdb.com a member here runs the site.

 

[fj5gtx]

Hmm, that Dewalt is only 125 ft/lbs.

I had a gift voucher from work. I was struggling using my IR the previous week due to limited access. So when I saw the stubby CPs in the gift magazine it was an easy decision how to spend that voucher. I bought the 1/2" model.

http://www.cp.com/usen/whatsnew/searchnews/cp7731-impact-wrench.aspx

 

[lightning02]

For home use you can't go wrong with the HF Earthquake. That's what I use at home. Just make sure you have a compressor that can feed it what it needs. I also run high flow fitting on mine which made a huge difference.

 

[zkling]

Unless you are planning some real tough stuff such as a steady diet of large truck wheels, suspension parts, crank bolts and the like. I'd go with one of the powerful, compact 1/2" guns. Although since you have a 3/8 and 1/2" socket set already, maybe a nice 1/2" full size gun and a impacting 3/8" air ratchet. Ever since I got an impacting air ratchet the 3/8" impact doesn't see all that much use.

 

[Richard Cranium]

one more vote for H.F. earthquake. I have the 1/2 inch gun, But will most likely get the 3/8 inch next year...

 

[theoldwizard1]

If it is in your budget get a 1/2" impact gun and a 3/8" impact "reactionless" ratchet or at least a 3/8" "stubby" impact gun. If you want to save a couple of bucks just get the 3/8" "stubby" impact. It will handle 90%+ of the jobs most 1/2" impacts will do.

 

[dodge610]

I have the biggest HF before the earthquake edition. and the biggest old school craftsman. But will probably get the earthquake when one of those gives up. The big husky isnt bad either make sure on the husky you get the 800ft.lb one they have 2 one is not worth the money.

 

[94EG8]

I was also thinking of going cordless for the 3/8" for tight spaces/clearance issues.

It depends what you get, usually you'll get more clearance with an air impact.

What sort of budget are you looking at? I'm a huge fan of the IR 2135TiMAX, I've had mine for a good 5 years and used it heavily. It's removed a lot of Honda crank bolts, rarely with any sort of a struggle. It is however an expensive gun, although at the same time as a homeowner it should last you indefinitely. The IR 231 isn't a bad gun either, but it's heavy, it's cold in the winter and hot in the summer, and it's not as powerful.

 

[DP121]

I decided to go with the HF Earthquake. Many of you like it and recommend it plus the price can't be beat. Thanks for all your responses and input. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

 

[PJNJ]

I decided to go with the HF Earthquake. Many of you like it and recommend it plus the price can't be beat. Thanks for all your responses and input. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Remember to tell the present givers to get the extended warranty. Adds two years to the standard 90 day warranty.

Merry Christmas