Air Ratchets air or electric

[mountain_man]

I am in the market for a air or battery ratchet and don't know which way to go. It is going to be used in a pro setting and I am specifically looking at the the Milwaukee m12 ratchets vs air. I am thinking about leaning towards a 1/4 inch model and would use them mostly for timing cover bolts and other small limited access fasteners. I haven't gotten a chance to see the milwaukee in person, so how does it compare to an air IR ratchet?

 

[Ditch]

I have both and use them equally.

 

[racintj]

Milwaukee is releasing brand new M12 ratchets in September, in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2". Had a chance to use them yesterday at their event. Very impressive.
It's hard to go wrong with IR air tools as well.
If you like air tools, go with IR. If you want to lose the cords and hoses, go Milwaukee.

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[redwrench60]

Milwaukee is releasing brand new M12 ratchets in September, in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2". Had a chance to use them yesterday at their event. Very impressive.


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Tell us more about these new Milwaukee cordless ratchets. Did they finally come out with fuel ratchets?

 

[JuliusPepperwood]

You can't just talk about the new Milwaukee ratchets and not tell us the details dude.

 

[jfranci3]

I just did the water pump on my car with the Milwaukee 1/4. 5 hours worth of work and it was fantastic. Just bought my brother and dad one for fathers day.

I would wait for the Fuel branded 3/8 unit, though the normal one should be good. If the unit doesn't have enough tq, you can just use it like a normal rachet. I think I did this once to start a 16mm bolt. I wouldn't go air, as there's no need to mess with the hose now.

 

[crf450x]

Cordless is a lot less frustrating to use

 

[racintj]

New ratchets are FUEL Brushless. 60 ft lbs on the 1/2", I think 45 on the 3/8", and like 20 on the 1/4".
New heads, new and improved anvils.

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[theoldwizard1]

New ratchets are FUEL Brushless. 60 ft lbs on the 1/2", I think 45 on the 3/8", and like 20 on the 1/4".
New heads, new and improved anvils.

Current M12 3/8" ratchet is rated at 35 ft lbs.

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you are considering pneumatic, take a close look at the Astro 1124/1128 (1/4", 3/8") Mini Impact. 50 ft lbs and very VERY small.

 

[pbon]

As a hobbyist not a pro, I like the Milwaukee 1/4. The fuel should be even better. But don't know how these stand up to professtional use over time.

 

[shockwave]

I have both air and cordless I personally hardly ever use air anymore

For what you will be using it for m12 would be my recommend because dealing with air hose on timing belts it very difficult at times

I use mostly my 3/8 air ratchets for brake jobs

On pro level I would seriously look into snap on 14.4 line impacts and ratchets are my favorite I also have m12 but always go for snap on over m12 for ratchets and mini impacts

One great thing about Milwaukee though is across the board they are best all around imo with all new m18 chargers work with m12 too and there m18 impact is great for Honda crankshaft bolts on tbelt jobs

Ir looks very nice but ratchets are too bulky with battery's

 

[Finky198]

I have the IR 1105max mini ratchets in 1/4 and 3/8. They are excellent, very small put out 30ft/lb. It's more then enough for most under hood work. They are my goto. I recently set up a second air reel with 3/8 line instead of our reg 1/2" reel it's made using them even nicer...

While I like cordless and for some guys it has a big place. In my op if you work in a commercial setting with a large air system, pneumatic tools are the way to go. I might be old school in my thinking but they tend to be lighter, smaller, more powerful, don't get hot, and never lose power....

 

[mbshop]

Never had the choice in my day. But if working constantly then I would still use air. I had whip hoses which made the air line less intrusive. If working now I would most likely have both.

 

[CR888]

I agree with this, the new impact air ratchets are very small, light, fast & powerfully. Cordless is good too but there are pro's & cons for both. If you go air get an impact.

 

[67King]

As a non-pro, I don't think I've used my pneumatic ratchet since I bought my first cordless impact, but after I got my cordless ratchet, I pulled it out of my toolbox and just got it out of the way. Still keep the pneumatic 1/2" impact around, but don't use it much anymore, either.

I always broke out the impact or breaker bar or conventional tool to break loose the tougher fasteners. I know some people want to use a pneumatic ratchet for that purpose, but given the length, I just don't have any desire to regularly put 100 pounds of effort into breaking loose every 50 ft-lb fastener. Given that, I don't see the point in owning a pneumatic ratchet any more.

As for timing cover bolts, specifically, I would think that the tight space may make it hard for either to fit, but the hose would make it even worse, in my opinion. Note, however, that the body size of the 1/4" M12 is the same as the body size for the 3/8" M12. So for a small drive, it is a bit on the big side (I've never messed wiht a 1/4" pneumatic....not even sure I've seen one).

 

[Jason280]

Cordless is a lot less frustrating to use

This.

 

[DerekV]

The new Fuel ratchets are 40, 55, and either 60 or 70 lb/ft, respectively, for the 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" variants. I've seen two different videos where the rep gives different figures for the 1/2". Either way, it's pretty mean...can't wait for them.

 

[jfranci3]

The nice thing about cordless is that you don't have to worry about cord routing. If you're above the hood, you don't have to worry about scratching the car. Below the car, you can get the cordless unit unside down and in tight areas. You can leave it on your dolly and not worried about it getting dragged off.

Cordless you can also use remotely. You can work in the shed, on the road, in your basement, etc.

Like I said, the 1/4 non-fuel ratchet is good to about 15-16mm bolts in most installations. The new ones will probably be good up to 21mm+ and might be difficult to hold.

 

[Jamie V]

 

[Skin]

Had both, sold the cordless (tried MAC, Snap-On, and Milwaukee). Too big, too weak, too slow. Biggest benefit is no hose required but if you have one at your bay then that's not really relevant. I also found myself trying to use it in many areas where my cordless impact would work just fine (for example sump pans/valve covers).

SP Air and Kuani both make ~500RPM impacting air ratchets that are just as small if not smaller (with the fitting) than any cordless. Speed and real world torque is about double. Really no comparison in performance.

 

[dnschmidt]

The current M12 ratchets will never approach 35 ft-lb on the best day of their lives with your arm helping. Hopefully, the ratings on the new FUEL models will be more realistic than the bogus ratings of the present models.

 

[mountain_man]

My biggest concern with the battery power is the size. How do the astros hold up? I have read good things about the nano and some of their other products but have been haven't tried them.


Edit: Are the battery powered ones reactionless?

 

[mountain_man]

I have both air and cordless I personally hardly ever use air anymore

For what you will be using it for m12 would be my recommend because dealing with air hose on timing belts it very difficult at times

I use mostly my 3/8 air ratchets for brake jobs

On pro level I would seriously look into snap on 14.4 line impacts and ratchets are my favorite I also have m12 but always go for snap on over m12 for ratchets and mini impacts

One great thing about Milwaukee though is across the board they are best all around imo with all new m18 chargers work with m12 too and there m18 impact is great for Honda crankshaft bolts on tbelt jobs

Ir looks very nice but ratchets are too bulky with battery's

Yeah I used my m18 fuel 1/2 inch impact for a honda crank pulley recently and it didn't even grunt. I love it.

 

[Matt M PA]

Interesting topic. I have IR impact gun and ratchets....and I seem to hardly every use the ratchets.

I was messing with the brakes on the Lincoln over the weekend, and never even though of using the air ratchet.

I use a small Milwaukee drill-driver all the time...

 

[shockwave]

Those do look nice and a 1/2 drive size too the new snap on is very resembling to these

I will say that the snap on heads are a lot better and under rated power wise
Where Milwaukee is electronically torque controlled and does not like much manual torque if anything more than water pump bolts (even 3/8) grab a air ratchet or regular ratchet the cordless don't like heavy loads of manual torque like air ratchets can take

 

[Mikeske]

I have 2 air operated ratchets and I rarely if ever use them. I am a old school type as I spent years doing everything by hand and I reach into my toolbox and grab the socket and ratchet and never even think about using the air ratchets until I am almost finished with the project I am doing. I just never even think about and since I am retired I have plenty of time to do any project, I just do what ever I am without even thinking about using them.

 

[mrborohachi]

I am thinking about leaning towards a 1/4 inch model and would use them mostly for timing cover bolts and other small limited access fasteners. I haven't gotten a chance to see the milwaukee in person, so how does it compare to an air IR ratchet?

I have a 1/4hex M12 impact and used that for nearly 2 years before buying the m12 3/8 cordless ratchet. Man was I missing out by not buying a cordless ratchet sooner. I work on Japanese cars 90% of the time so i'm dealing with your situation all of the time.

If your going to strictly regulate the M12 ratchet to timing bolt covers go with the 1/4dr. I personally had just bought a set of Snap-On mid length 3/8dr sockets so that made up my decision.

There's a thread here on GJ where someone found a off the shelf Snap-On "boot" that fits the M12 ratchet perfectly. I used a 1/4 IR air ratchet boot that I had to cut/modify

 

[kctyphoon]

Milwaukee shoulda taken the opportunity to make impacting cordless ratchets if that's even possible.. that woulda been a great idea.

If nothing else, I'd have to assume they made the heads stronger than the original since many people said they'd break sometimes with hard use.. time will tell.

 

[aussiek2000]

I have both. My IR air ar much more powerful than the Milwaukee electric. I mainly bought the electric for doing interior work, but find myself using them a lot more frequently than I thought i would.

 

[Sugarfryz]

I had the 1/4 Milwaukee cordless ratchet, very slow, not very powerful. My snap on driver let me try their new 1/4 ratchet, ctr714 and I was sold. Better in every way, power and is much much faster

 

[racintj]

I had the 1/4 Milwaukee cordless ratchet, very slow, not very powerful. My snap on driver let me try their new 1/4 ratchet, ctr714 and I was sold. Better in every way, power and is much much faster

I would venture to say that the new Milwaukee FUEL ratchet will out-perform the snap-on.

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[Skin]

I would venture to say that the new Milwaukee FUEL ratchet will out-perform the snap-on.

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Well they already lose points for sticking with that cheap paddle flap switch.

The heads also look enormous but maybe its just the angle.

 

[Sugarfryz]

I would venture to say that the new Milwaukee FUEL ratchet will out-perform the snap-on.

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We'll see. The snap ons pretty good at 350 rpm and 30 ft lbs in the quarter inch.

 

[racintj]

We'll see. The snap ons pretty good at 350 rpm and 30 ft lbs in the quarter inch.

No doubt, that is pretty good. The Milwaukee FUEL will be cheaper and carry a 5 year warranty.

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