Air ratchet

[Badattitude]

My pos FAR72 or whatever the # is, is on its last legs and I'm through wasting $$ on snap on air tools. Any suggestions for a replacement? It doesn't necessarily have to be pneumatic as long as it has similar nut that the FAR did when new

 

[99LeCouch]

Not sure. HF Earthquake air rat if HF is close by? Or is this for shop duty instead of weekend warrior duty?

 

[ktm722]

Aircat.


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[Badattitude]

I'll pass on HF, thanx tho and this is pro use...everyday in a shop

 

[shockwave]

I have Matco pitbull not sure part number mt2858 it is great and has balls to boot for 3/8

And 1/4 I like the Matco single body because of feel and size much better than the snap on and ease in tight spots

But you might look into snap cordless there rpms are much faster than others

Matco claims there new 3/8 cordless has 70 ft ibs of torque but I gave not heard anyone feedback yet

 

[Badattitude]

Aircat has decent reviews even though I've never heard of them. I'll scout around locally to see if I can put one in my hands. Be nice to demo one first

 

[Badattitude]

I have Matco pitbull not sure part number mt2858 it is great and has balls to boot for 3/8

And 1/4 I like the Matco single body because of feel and size much better than the snap on and ease in tight spots

But you might look into snap cordless there rpms are much faster than others

Matco claims there new 3/8 cordless has 70 ft ibs of torque but I gave not heard anyone feedback yet

Surprisingly my 1/4 snappy is still decent, but it stalls on occasion. I'll look into the Matco...thanx!

Snappy cordless? Probably more than I want to spend. I'll ask just for the heck of it. Anyone have any experience with IR air racthets?

 

[Eastsidetech]

Anyone have any experience with IR air racthets?

Ive got a couple IR air ratchets. Had to have one head rebuilt after 3-4 years. They were reliable but other than not having a battery hanging off the end and a slightly smaller body I'd highly recommend the snappy 3:8 cordless. I hardly touch air anymore after going to numerous cordless tools both snappy Mac and Matco. Snappy by far my favorite overall.

 

[zkling]

Go with one of the impacting/reaction less ones. Say what you will about the HF earthquake series, but they take a beating.

 

[Badattitude]

Go with one of the impacting/reaction less ones. Say what you will about the HF earthquake series, but they take a beating.

No actual experience, just influenced from all the web chatter. BUT...I did google it and see GJ has a number of threads about them. I'll have to find them and review. Will it stand up to everyday use?

 

[Badattitude]

Ive got a couple IR air ratchets. Had to have one head rebuilt after 3-4 years. They were reliable but other than not having a battery hanging off the end and a slightly smaller body I'd highly recommend the snappy 3:8 cordless. I hardly touch air anymore after going to numerous cordless tools both snappy Mac and Matco. Snappy by far my favorite overall.

I haven't converted to cordless yet, at least at the shop. Maybe it's time...

Downside is I just payed snappy off a few weeks ago. If I get the cordless bug...ughh!! LOL

Thanx for the comments!

 

[abvw]

Why not just send it in for rebuild?

 

[mdtaylorjr]

I have the ctr 761 cordless ratchet and use it all day everyday.great tool and all you need to buy is one kit and then you can just buy the tool body for others. The ct761 impact is also a great one. And my batteries last for a few days on a charge.

 

[Badattitude]

Why not just send it in for rebuild?

this is my 3rd one and no interest in snap on air anymore

 

[Badattitude]

I have the ctr 761 cordless ratchet and use it all day everyday.great tool and all you need to buy is one kit and then you can just buy the tool body for others. The ct761 impact is also a great one. And my batteries last for a few days on a charge.

I'll look into that...thanx!

 

[rayh91]

I have a 1/4 Aircat. It's the red and black one. Had it a few years now. Use it daily at work. It's comfortable to use and has good power, haven't noticed a dropoff in power much. There are better ratchets out there but for the money. Can't really beat it.

 

[organ]

this is my 3rd one and no interest in snap on air anymore

Sounds like the HF can't be any worse... afraid your buddies will make fun of you, or what?

 

[Badattitude]

Sounds like the HF can't be any worse... afraid your buddies will make fun of you, or what?

or what

 

[xjfish]

I was able to get a good solid 5+ years out of a Chicago Pneumatic 3/8" for daily use. (CP7830Q I think). It was a powerful ratchet. Mine is tired and beat up now (7 years old?) but still works fine. Worth checking out. IR or aircat would be my next choice. I just picked up a 3/8" Snap-on cordless and I'm not overly impressed with it compared to my much cheaper Milwaukee...

 

[TNToy]

I agree with you on not being a fan of snap on pneumatic tools. However, and of their cordless tools that I've had? Quite excellent.

For a pneumatic 3/8" ratchet? I'd be looking at IR or Aircat as well.

 

[Badattitude]

Appreciate the comments on snappy cordless. Might as well give it a shot. Just got off the phone with him and he has one on the truck, so just gotta wait. Probably choke on the price...but it's only money

 

[greyjasper51]

love my cordless but it is bulkier than an air one, i have a blue point 3/8 stubby if the electric is abit bulky, find that on cambelt jobs that i just wish it was a little more slim line, but then again i think my electric one has more torque...

 

[Badattitude]

Well...not sure how great of a deal he gave me but I bought it and sent my FAR72 out for repair. Total bill for both was $389

Had a brief chance to use it on a Acadia timing chain job and seems pretty good so far. Kinda noisy compared to my cordless drill/driver at home, but my FAR is even louder. Time will tell as to whether I'll expand the cordless tools for work.

Was a bit surprised that its only 14.4V and not 18 like the other snappy cordless I saw...maybe due to size limitations?

 

[ricky836]

In my new snap on flyer from truck driver they have a new air ratchet coming out. Not sure if it's better then the FAR72 or what, didn't really look to it. I do have an IR hammerhead and I love it. Also have snappy 1/4 cordless. Love that too.

 

[Mastermind]

The 14.4 cordless stuff is awesome. Get the flood light too. Lasts 4 hrs on one battery. Love the 3/8 impact too. My 1/4 cordless is Matco 12v, that thing has been abused for 2 yrs. Of you still want another air I too vote air cat.

 

[Murphy4570]

For air tools Matco is hard to beat. Bad *** composite air tools. I've used the hell out of mine, and they haven't skipped a beat.

My 3/8 air ratchet is an older model. Bought it brand new, never had a problem with it. It replaced a junky Craftsman one that was loud as hell and lasted only a year or two before the planetary sun gear sheared itself off of the drive shaft.

 

[unashamedlaborer]

I used to run snap on FAR ratchets. Not any more. Take a look at offerings from MAC snap on hasn't changed their air tool technology much in many years. Mac always has something new and hot. I run their flathead ratchets in 1/4" and 3/8" and they are awesome. I have gone through a lot of air ratchets before finding these and I am looking no more.

 

[Tiny Jackson]

Ive had no problems with my 3/8 Porter Cable. Mind you it was built before 2003.

 

[ktm722]

Have the 1/4 and 3/8 air cat ratchets. No complaints at all. Haven't noticed much of a drop off yet in power. Prolly around close to 8 months everyday use. I can buy 3-4 aircats per one matco/rebranded IR or snappy. I also now have the 1375 3/8 gun and the 1150 1/2 also. Love all my aircat stuff. Best thing of all? QUIET


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[wafrederick]

No actual experience, just influenced from all the web chatter. BUT...I did google it and see GJ has a number of threads about them. I'll have to find them and review. Will it stand up to everyday use?

I have the SP Air impacting ratchets in 3/8 and 1/4 drive.They have held up very well so far.I had a little problem with one of them out of the box,the head was a little sticky.It has been fine ever since.

 

[ClineWrench]

I'm supposed your FAR72 has been problematic. I've had mine for literally decades, and only this year sent it in for a rebuild. Same story on my FAR25.

Do you oil it daily? Not trying to be a smart *** - just trying to see if the fact that I oil mine any day I use it is q big contributor to its long lasting life.

Sure hope your latest rebuild fares better than the prior ones.

 

[md21722]

Some shops have tons of water in the lines, no water separators or regulators, and the mechanics don't oil anything. Not sure of the case here. But I rarely hear about issues with Snap On air ratchets.

 

[Mugen112]

I work professionally with the hf earthquake and it's awesome. It's one of the only reactionless air I could find. It's basically an impact air ratchet so you don't get your knuckles smashed by it. It's been holding strong for the last few months since I bought it, and for the price I'll just buy another when it poops out. It is kind of embarassing when I reach for it (because everyone knows it's from harbor freight), but I would buy it again.