Angle Head 3/8" Air Impact Wrenches

[goodfellow]

Since there was some interest in these older air impacts, I thought it interesting to start a new thread rather than hijack the e-Bay purchase discussion.

I've included some pics of my current angle head collection and will try to address the question "why these tools are not popular anymore ?" -- even though they are really super efficient and have excellent ergonomics.

As to their demise, I'm just speculating here, but they were originally made in the US and Great Britain and sold anywhere from $130.00 to $250.00. I have a unique Brit made $250.00 CP (actually a Black and Decker design) model that I bought off the MAC truck back in the early 70's (pretty expensive). Then in the mid-70s all production moved to Japan and the prices dropped to around $100.00.

I'm guessing that since it's a fairly complicated design, once air tool mass production moved to Taiwan and eventually China, it was no longer possible to make a good profit. A few models were manufactured in Taiwan, but the tools were not suited for cheap mass production; consequently they fell out of favor.

Also, many of the companies or divisions that sold/marketed these tools are now history. Rockwell, Sun, Rockford, and US Rodac either went out of the air tool business or went out of business altogether.


Here are a few pics

The first is actually a Taiwan sourced ACME brand purchased from Michigan Pneumatic several years ago. It has higher torque and speed than the traditional designs (~ 100+ ft/lbs). Notice the larger head design on the tool

The Rockford was an SK tool truck brand during the mid 80's

The CP is an old B&D design that was manufactured in Great Britain and cost quite a few $$$ off the MAC truck. I had to replace the end cap with a plain B&D item, but kept the original broken CP cap for model identification purposes

 

[goodfellow]

A few more ---

The traditional SUN brand -- was quite common among all the tool truck offerings

and the Rockwell model (identical to the SUN model)


If you have info or pics on these tools I'd appreciate your input.

 

[vssjim]

The Cp 723 tool is far far ahead of the others you show, and the design of that tool was Skill not Black and Decker. It also was sold by Skill first. It was a very strong tool and the other tools you show are copy cats in shape only the air motor and impact mechanism is much weaker than that Cp tool but it was demed to be too costly to continue production but I think they were wrong. At that time Cp was bought and sold many times and dirrections the company went in changed alot all the time until Atlas Copco bought them an everything has been much more stable.

 

[eschoendorff]

Man I'd like to have any one of them....

 

[goodfellow]

The Cp 723 tool is far far ahead of the others you show, and the design of that tool was Skill not Black and Decker. It also was sold by Skill first. It was a very strong tool and the other tools you show are copy cats in shape only the air motor and impact mechanism is much weaker than that Cp tool but it was demed to be too costly to continue production but I think they were wrong. At that time Cp was bought and sold many times and dirrections the company went in changed alot all the time until Atlas Copco bought them an everything has been much more stable.

vssjim -- thanks for the info on the CP723 -- and the clarification on the Skill design. Although I'm a still bit confused on the B&D involvement since the replacement backplate I received was indeed a B&D part, albeit without any serial numbers on it.

It is a much heavier wrench than the Asian versions and although the ergonomics are not quite as good, it does produce a lot more torque than any of the others.

 

[Petesmowers]

Yeah, I know it's an old thread, but I just resurrected my Skil mod 1123 3/8 impact that I bought in 1973 off an independent truck. The thing still works great. ( Looks like the CP 723) It was made in USA. Interesting thread!

 

[4946]

Glad to find this thread still going too....... I have a SKILL 1123 from the early 80's that I need to find repair kit for. Petesmowers, did you find a repair kit, or were you able to use all the old seals and vanes? Anyone have an idea where parts might still be stocked for something like this? Found repair parts for my CP734 1/2" impact bought in the late 70's at this location, but nothing for cp723:
http://oemproamtools.com/CP_Parts.htm

 

[franzdom]

Is SKILL counterfeit for SKIL?

 

[4x4gearhead]

How much torque were these capable of?

 

[4946]

Is SKILL counterfeit for SKIL?

Nah... It's me at 1:00am. Miss a few details at times.

 

[foxthehunter]

I m looking to buy a Skil 1123 3/8 impact - had one in the 70's - burgler took all my tools - would like to pick one up now - any ideas - I looked on ebay.....

 

[jvitez]

Very cool thread. I'm glad it was resurrected as I never knew these type of tools existed. Now I want one too. I can see the angled body being very useful depending on the circumstance.

 

[jv124]

i have a skil model # 1120, 5/8th. inch internal drive and I am searching for the tool number of the skil 1120 attachment,it makes the impact wrench a ratchet. thanks john

 

[TheGrooveking]

I have and love that Rockford! It's my goto for small impact, it only has 45ft.lb. of torque so it has limiter applications, bit I love the feel and its access due to its shape.

TheGrooveking

 

[Greatbear]

I have a Florida Pneumatic version. Still going strong after probably 25-30 years. Loud as hell though.

 

[mysteryman]

I have all the parts new to repair the CP 723 and the Skil 1123 . The triangle cap in the picture is off of a CP 723 made in Great Britan . They were made under license from Skil.. Skill stopped making it in 1974. They were very expensive to build.
They could not make any money on them due to the poor quality and low priced imports that were being dumped into the country. The Skil was better than the CP . But either one was a top shelf tool. They were the best 3/8 impacts ever built ! I bought everything that was left for the tools when Skil shut down the pneumatic division. I even have a few brand new in the box. If anyone out the needs parts , tune up kits or a brand new tool . I can be reached at 301-219-7399 anytime . I am home most of the time.

A few more ---

The traditional SUN brand -- was quite common among all the tool truck offerings

and the Rockwell model (identical to the SUN model)


If you have info or pics on these tools I'd appreciate your input.

 

[mysteryman]

I knew the man that designed the Skil 1120/1123 .. It was one of the best impact wrenches ever produced... I bought all of the Skil inventory when the company was sold in 1979... I HAVE ALL THE REPAIR PARTS TO FIX THESE TOOLS ! I am the only one in the world hat does. I have remade some of the parts that have I ran out of. I also have several NEW complete tools in the original boxes I would consider selling. I can be reached at 301-933-52seven seven or 301-219-7399 anytime or email [email protected]. I also rebuild the tools as well via the mail...

Glad to find this thread still going too....... I have a SKILL 1123 from the early 80's that I need to find repair kit for. Petesmowers, did you find a repair kit, or were you able to use all the old seals and vanes? Anyone have an idea where parts might still be stocked for something like this? Found repair parts for my CP734 1/2" impact bought in the late 70's at this location, but nothing for cp723:
http://oemproamtools.com/CP_Parts.htm

 

[mysteryman]

Skil sold the 1120 and 1123's private labeled to B&D as well as many other companies. I recall how JC Penny tried to break into the tool market in the 70's.. They wanted to be the next Sears Craftsman. Penny's bought a small amount of 1123's from Skil with the JC Penny badge on them. I have one in my collection. Matco tool Sold quite a few with their name on them as well. Many of the vary early Snap On early tools were made by Skil also. The Snap on large pistol grip 1/2" drive model AW500 was one of my favorites. I still have several of them in my stash.
The CP723 was made under license from Skil in Great Britain. The CP 723 was ok but the Brits cheapened the tool by cutting corners on the design and materials.. Too much un regulated air pressure blew them up... Most shops back then had 175 psi shop air. The CP was made to run on 90 psi.. The square drive anvil was too short on the CP723 and had that dam ring to hold the socket on. Needless to say. The anvils all wore out prematurely ! The skil had a pin type anvil and was much longer. They lasted for years. The CP723 had an all cast aluminum housing. The Skil had a steel nose with aluminum cast around it. The CP nose would stretch out and the busing would start spinning in the housing ruining the housing. The Skil never had these problems... The Skil housing also had stainless helicoil's in all the threaded holes to prevent wear. The CP was tapped right into the aluminum. The bolts in the CP were always stripping out on the back cap from the impact mechanism's vibration.. Excessive air pressure just made this problem worse ! See my other post in this thread for more on this and my contact info. Yes I have plenty of parts for these tools!

vssjim -- thanks for the info on the CP723 -- and the clarification on the Skill design. Although I'm a still bit confused on the B&D involvement since the replacement backplate I received was indeed a B&D part, albeit without any serial numbers on it.

It is a much heavier wrench than the Asian versions and although the ergonomics are not quite as good, it does produce a lot more torque than any of the others.

 

[mysteryman]

Yes @!

Is SKILL counterfeit for SKIL?

 

[mysteryman]

If you had a Skil you would chuck the Rockford in the trash....The air valve is so controllable on the Skil you can run drywall screws with out breaking the paper. I also often run down Auto trans valve body bolts without over tightening them.. The bolts are #10 x 24 thread. Torque spec is 100 inch pounds.
The Rockford you have is a vary old design. It was originally designed by a company called Rodac. In the the early 1970's Rodac had this wrench made in Japan.. It was horrible quality. The motor end plates were made out of pot metal. They had a vary short life span. But they were cheap ! they sold for 1/3 the cost of a SKIL... That was the beginning of the end of the pneumatic tool manufacturing in the USA.. In 1974 Mrs Schultz shut down the Skil pneumatic tool division. The division never really made much money and with the Rodac import junk being dumped on the market she felt it just was not worth it.. Skil was a top notch product in those days. They were not willing to manufacture cheap junk to compete in the new market... Or take the risk of bastardizing their brand name...Skill was best known for their wood cutting circular saw. In their day they were considered the finest in the world. Today things have changed. It seems like nothing you buy is much good. It seems like no one takes any pride in anything they build... 50 years ago no body would buy junk that didn't last....

As for the Rockford.... This design is still made by dozens of manufacturers around the world.. They work but are considerably longer in length than the Skil and have a lot less power. The head on the Skil is only 3" long and makes 100 to 112 lbs of torque. see my other posts in this thread for more on this.

I have and love that Rockford! It's my go to for small impact, it only has 45ft.lb. of torque so it has limiter applications, bit I love the feel and its access due to its shape.

TheGrooveking

 

[theoldwizard1]

I just came across this thread and it got me thinking. I never really like my 3/8" air ratchet. Not enough torque to run nuts off of rusted threads.

Both the current CP721 and CP724 look a bit large, or at least larger than that old CP723. (Anyone have an old CP723 for sale at a reasonable price, PM me.)

Anything else currently on the market that has about 100 ft-lbs of torque and is very compact ?

 

[mysteryman]

100 to 120 ft lbs

How much torque were these capable of?

 

[mysteryman]

Here are some pictures ov an NOS Skil 1120/1123

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Hey guys,

I read this thread a while back and then wanted a Skil. I found one last week. Only thing is the damn thing doesn't work. It hisses like a serpent and does not spin. But it does have a killer COORS CAN OPENER TRIGGER!

I pulled the air fitting and the little 3/8 plug drive out of it to keep.

If any of you want it how's 13 bucks total sound. I'll put it in a flat rate envelope with cardboard/padding. Here's some pics....remember, I stole the 3/8 plug and air fitting.

 

[jbltwin1]

I have a few of the CP 723 version. Bought the first one in 80 or so. $450.00 from the Matco guy. Bought another after they discontinued them at $375.00. What a deal! Mike.

 

[jbltwin1]

Have several of the CP 723's but always wanted an original Skil and finally found one in good enough shape that I could justify and rebuild. Had to put a CP back cap on because this one was busted and used a CP trigger lever but the insides and housing and anvil are all Skil. Had to make a new retainer pin on the lathe but it turned out pretty good. Works like a charm. Not bad for 40 some years old! Mike.

 

[jbltwin1]

Thought you gear heads (like me!) would enjoy a pic of what I have in these. All are great shape, functioning and rock solid. The one to the far left is the original Skil

 

[mysteryman]

Hey goodfellow, You stole/ plagiarized my pictures and my write up of the tools. You did NOT give me credit for my work ! Kindly give me the credit for my work ! My fingers are in many of the pictures ! That will be proof enough ! I don't mind people using my work but give credit where it is due ! Besides that, I am also the ONLY source of the parts for the Skil/CP723 tools in the world !

Since there was some interest in these older air impacts, I thought it interesting to start a new thread rather than hijack the e-Bay purchase discussion.

I've included some pics of my current angle head collection and will try to address the question "why these tools are not popular anymore ?" -- even though they are really super efficient and have excellent ergonomics.

As to their demise, I'm just speculating here, but they were originally made in the US and Great Britain and sold anywhere from $130.00 to $250.00. I have a unique Brit made $250.00 CP (actually a Black and Decker design) model that I bought off the MAC truck back in the early 70's (pretty expensive). Then in the mid-70s all production moved to Japan and the prices dropped to around $100.00.

I'm guessing that since it's a fairly complicated design, once air tool mass production moved to Taiwan and eventually China, it was no longer possible to make a good profit. A few models were manufactured in Taiwan, but the tools were not suited for cheap mass production; consequently they fell out of favor.

Also, many of the companies or divisions that sold/marketed these tools are now history. Rockwell, Sun, Rockford, and US Rodac either went out of the air tool business or went out of business altogether.


Here are a few pics

The first is actually a Taiwan sourced ACME brand purchased from Michigan Pneumatic several years ago. It has higher torque and speed than the traditional designs (~ 100+ ft/lbs). Notice the larger head design on the tool

The Rockford was an SK tool truck brand during the mid 80's

The CP is an old B&D design that was manufactured in Great Britain and cost quite a few $$$ off the MAC truck. I had to replace the end cap with a plain B&D item, but kept the original broken CP cap for model identification purposes

 

[goodfellow]

Hey goodfellow, You stole/ plagiarized my pictures and my write up of the tools. You did NOT give me credit for my work ! Kindly give me the credit for my work ! My fingers are in many of the pictures ! That will be proof enough ! I don't mind people using my work but give credit where it is due ! Besides that, I am also the ONLY source of the parts for the Skil/CP723 tools in the world !

Just to set the record straight. Those are my tools, my pics, and my write-up. Why you decided to start this BS is beyond me, since you had commented on this thread back in 2013 without voicing a complaint at that time.

Here are the tools in question as they sit on my workbench today

 

[twisted99]

I'm pretty sure I just bought one of these with some other tools. Other than visual physical similarities, is there a way to positively identify the model? There is no plate, or label on it.

 

[Skip2u]

A few more ---

The traditional SUN brand -- was quite common among all the tool truck offerings

and the Rockwell model (identical to the SUN model)


If you have info or pics on these tools I'd appreciate your input.

Since there was some interest in these older air impacts, I thought it interesting to start a new thread rather than hijack the e-Bay purchase discussion.

I've included some pics of my current angle head collection and will try to address the question "why these tools are not popular anymore ?" -- even though they are really super efficient and have excellent ergonomics.

As to their demise, I'm just speculating here, but they were originally made in the US and Great Britain and sold anywhere from $130.00 to $250.00. I have a unique Brit made $250.00 CP (actually a Black and Decker design) model that I bought off the MAC truck back in the early 70's (pretty expensive). Then in the mid-70s all production moved to Japan and the prices dropped to around $100.00.

I'm guessing that since it's a fairly complicated design, once air tool mass production moved to Taiwan and eventually China, it was no longer possible to make a good profit. A few models were manufactured in Taiwan, but the tools were not suited for cheap mass production; consequently they fell out of favor.

Also, many of the companies or divisions that sold/marketed these tools are now history. Rockwell, Sun, Rockford, and US Rodac either went out of the air tool business or went out of business altogether.


Here are a few pics

The first is actually a Taiwan sourced ACME brand purchased from Michigan Pneumatic several years ago. It has higher torque and speed than the traditional designs (~ 100+ ft/lbs). Notice the larger head design on the tool

The Rockford was an SK tool truck brand during the mid 80's

The CP is an old B&D design that was manufactured in Great Britain and cost quite a few $$$ off the MAC truck. I had to replace the end cap with a plain B&D item, but kept the original broken CP cap for model identification purposes

 

[Skip2u]

I loved skill 3/8 impact. That's what I grew up on. My dad got me started on them back in the '80s. me and my dad used to buy everyone we came across, but they never wear out they last forever! They also made a awesome drill this one has lasted me since the '80s

 

[jbltwin1]

I've got two 1123's two 1120's, one with the full kit of THEIR sockets and five or six of the CP versions. Two of the CP's are basically new. Yeah, couldn't help myself. If you ever use one, you'd never go back to anything else if you had a choice.

 

[jbltwin1]

Just ordered another CP 723. Can't seem to stop!

 

[Skip2u]

I believe it's the exact same as a skill just says CP on it. My understanding is the skill air tool engineers? Died in a plane crash and so skill air tools ceased to exist. It's too bad they made some great stuff.

 

[jbltwin1]

There are only SLIGHT differences. The nose is cast steel and the CP has a pressing in bushing. SUPPOSEDLY, the skil has stainless helicoil type inserts for the little screws-haven't confirmed that-don't care! I have interchanged almost every internal part with no differences. Same design, just the cp guys changed a few things to make them a little easier/cheaper to build. I've used the first of my cp's for over 30 years and the only time it ever broke was when I lent it to a buddy who was using it to tighten strut mounting bolts (15/16!) on cars because he could get it in there. Broke one of the little ramp sliders. Great tools. Just HAVE to stop buying them!

 

[NHtoolguy]

For those interested in trying one, Landmesser Tool Company still has old inventory for that style of impact wrench. They have the Black and Decker Model 6539 and a Universal Power Model 5121 in their catalog. The prices are very reasonable.

 

[jbltwin1]

NOT the same as CP and Skil. Not even close. 6539 looks almost like the old rodac.