Chief or IR air hammer.

[Halfsackzac]

Need an air hammer every once in a while, between the chief long barrel which is on sale right now for $120 (I don’t think it comes with bits) or the IR 119max kit for $150 ish. Any input on if one outweighs the other for some reason?

 

[woody 73]

I bought the HF Chief when it went on sale and that booger hits like a mother fxxing gun on steroids. I don't own the IR so I cannot commit on that model.

Funny but HF is upping their game, and they are selling a few air chisels/nut breaker tools that are made in the USA, by Mayhew, good for them.

 

[GeoBruin]

Need an air hammer every once in a while, between the chief long barrel which is on sale right now for $120 (I don’t think it comes with bits) or the IR 119max kit for $150 ish. Any input on if one outweighs the other for some reason?

Check out the torque test channel review on these. The Chief hits hard, but the trigger is not great. Pretty much off and not, not much in between.

The trigger on the 119max was actually really good.

Another option in that price range is the relatively new Astro Pneumatic Thor .401. Good power and good trigger.

 

[woody 73]

I hear that Thor is also a monster.

 

[woody 73]

Pin and Drift Punch Set, 5-Piece

Amazing deals on this 5Pc Pin And Drift Punch Set at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Made in the USA by Mahew

 

[woody 73]

The nut breakers also made by Mayhew.

https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools-compressors/air-tools/38-in-and-12-in-bolt-breaker-set-2-piece-59495.html

 

[dnschmidt]

I-R has a much better trigger and that matters quite a bit. Power is important, no doubt, but control is just as important. The I-R has plenty of power and much better control so that's the winner.

 

[woody 73]

It is a nice air gun for the money, I believe I used a 25% off coupon when I bought it.

https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools-compressors/air-tools/professional-long-barrel-air-hammer-56524.html

I guess if you want trigger control it sounds like the IR one is what you might be after.

 

[GeoBruin]

The nut breakers also made by Mayhew.

https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools-compressors/air-tools/38-in-and-12-in-bolt-breaker-set-2-piece-59495.html

Those and the ones above look really nice. I can't find them on the website at the moment but their regular "assorted" air hammer bit set looks pretty nice as well. I wonder if they're Mayhew made.

I know their hand held cold chisels are equivalent to the Mayhew 150 line and they're a really good deal.

 

[Mgdoug3]

I bought the Chief and and later the Astro 498K. The 498K had a better trigger than the Chief and a lot more power (which is should since it's in another class). I gave the Chief to my uncle and bought the 401K.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

What are you planning in doing with it? If you need a delicate trigger to control the work, the cheif will likely not meet that as others have mentioned. Look up the TTC video between it and the very similar Mac. Mac makes a little less power, but the trigger worked properly rather than being an on/off switch. Even just wailing on a wheel bearing with something like the older 498 shank Astro, big nasty, is somewhat challenging as the on/off nature of the trigger makes it hard to control. The astro 498k is much more controllable with a superior trigger.

My use case is all automotive, I need a good trigger to not bounce around and damage things as well as simply throttle power application.

I have not used the IR, generally I have had good luck with IR tools. Astro 401k is also in the conversation, CP makes guns in that size as well. Torque test channel videos are probably the closest example of apples to apples data for this type of tool that I have seen.

 

[ecotec]

Following this thread. Both of my air hammers are near the end of their useful life.

I want to stick with.401, since I have a drawer of them.

 

[Halfsackzac]

Heavy equipment road tech is the application but I think the trigger thing still is important. I think I’m now leaning away from the chief.

 

[Steve_P]

Here's a similar discussion with some screenshots from the TTC video

Air Hammer

There has got to be something in between. I know I can count on you guys to spend my money. Can you make a reccomendation?

www.garagejournal.com

 

[ecotec]

I am looking at the reduced vibration air hammers. I need to read some reviews.

What often happens to me, is that I find something at an estate sale that is newer and cheap. I figure any air hammer made in recent times is better than my 30 year old air hammers. My buddy got a cleanish Snap-on for $80, and it is pretty great.

 

[txvwnut]

Go with the IR you won't be disappointed.

 

[hefnerconstructionlc]

I have two of the IR air hammers in the model you're asking about. The trigger is nice. Plus you can get the attachment to add a needle scaler to it. Which is really nice.

 

[bigredcornhead]

I've been impressed with my chief, knocking out some pretty rusty hubs and u joints.

 

[Hohn]

Check out the torque test channel review on these. The Chief hits hard, but the trigger is not great. Pretty much off and not, not much in between.

You're being a bit too kind to the Chief's trigger.
I'd characterize it more as "so bad the tool is next to useless."
For me, the true characterization was "so bad I bought an expensive Aircat 5250 to get a proper trigger with high output."

The more powerful the tool, the more important control is. That's why I'd recommend only hammers known to have good triggers-- the 119 Max, the Thor, the Aircat, the Sunex, etc.

More power is really nice. But if you can't control it, there's no point.

 

[Mr_B]

Check out the torque test channel review on these. The Chief hits hard, but the trigger is not great. Pretty much off and not, not much in between.

The trigger on the 119max was actually really good.

Another option in that price range is the relatively new Astro Pneumatic Thor .401. Good power and good trigger.

+1 on the astro thor .401 . well designed all round usability at sensible coin .
No trigger control = no buy as all you can do is beat **** up with no finesse & that leads to stuff damaged or worse .

 

[Hohn]

As you shop for hammers, just realize there are practical limits to what a .401 can accomplish real world because the interface is limiting the tool. The top end .401 hammers are already powerful enough that they just prove they can chew through bits in a hurry.

If like me you aren't a frequent air hammer user, then by all means get the big boy bruiser of a 0.401 hammer. You won't be replacing tooling often enough to care.

But if you will use it regularly, expect to burn through chisels and bits pretty quickly with an uber-class .401 hammer. My Aircat will mushroom even good brand (Mayhew) chisels and punches quite readily.

Most professional users would be best served dropping down a bit in power class within the .401 range to respect the limits of the tooling and then add a .498 class hammer for the bigger jobs. The Astro and 119Max are near the upper bound of the .401 interface (if not slightly past). The Sunex I've recommended elsewhere is sort of a sweet spot for cheap/good trigger/enough power without burning through bits.

Remember, these standardized interfaces came into being when tools were much, much less powerful than they are now. Yet the metallurgy of the tooling they use hasn't had much in the way of similar advancements. As a result, the interface is a real limitation now.

It's sort of like how the 1/4" hex bit is the primary thing limiting impact driver output. There's only so much torque you can put through a spindly little hexagon before it becomes a deadangon.

 

[danielbuck]

Heavy equipment road tech is the application but I think the trigger thing still is important. I think I’m now leaning away from the chief.

Having a few air hammers myself, I really don't like using ones that don't have much trigger feathering. Once you use one that has a nice trigger, it makes others feel like a machine gun. Full blast or nothing.

 

[leadfoot415]

I've been happy with my IR 135max air hammer in daily use as an automobile mechanic. It replaced a really crappy snap on ph-3050 (newer, with the vibration reducing handle, lasted 4 years) and an older ph-3050 with the bare metal handle (this one lasted 13-14 years).

I have a long barrel 119max at home. The power difference between the two IR models is noticeable. Trigger on 135 is a bit better than it's older brother.

 

[Pontiac787]

I have the 119 and like it. Good control and good power. I haven’t used the chief so I can’t compare. Make sure you get some Ajax bits and don’t be afraid to go long.

 

[Shoreline_]

Ive had the Napa brand IR119 since 2007. Great hammer.

 

[kctgb]

IR all day long. There’s no comparison in my opinion.

 

[Halfsackzac]

I know this is quite a bit later after I originally posted this but I pulled the trigger on the IR 119 max today. Will arrive on Wednesday.

 

[bornbadbob]

I had an IR all it did was make noise. Bought a snap on one , works like a hot damn

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Years ago a wise man pointed me in the direction of aircraft rivet guns. .401 shank or .498 shank for the really powerful ones. No comparison to an air hammer if having control is important. All rivet guns have a feathering throttle/trigger and are very controllable but still hit hard. 3X, 4X or 5X would all work well. 5X hits HARD. Once I switched I never looked back.

 

[Dakotadadv8]

Also looking to add an air hammer, IR 119Max or IR 135Max. Adding more air tools.

 

[ecotec]

I know that it is decades old technology, but I still use a very very old CP714. The trigger control is the best that I have used. It, definitely, doesn’t hit as hard as the newer air hammers. I would bet that even the Chief hits harder.

I have been considering the Aircat 3250.

I want something with really good trigger control, and it has to be .401… I have a whole drawer of .401.

 

[WhataTool]

The new sunex air hammer is basically the Matco air hammer for 1/3 the price

 

[nicks78camaro]

As stated previously the trigger is the big difference. In my application (automotive) you need to be able to feather it. Buddy of mine had a Chief and it was very much 0 or 100% no in between.