Just a Thought. HF Earthquake.

[shoggoth80]

So, I am getting tired of my current impact gun. However, I have serious budget limitations. I currently run a Kobalt 1/2'' drive. It is my third one. I have warrantied two others.

Thing is, I know it will eventually **** the bed. They seem to last ok for a few months, and putter out. With a "3 year hassle free warranty" (seems as in hassle free being "we don't charge you for the hassle"), and having to exchange guns every few months... I am seriously thinking that I want to get my money back when it dies, and go get an earthquake 1/2".

What I have read is that they are IR Thundergun clones. Run something like 700ft lbs of torque, and are quite the gun, if not THE gun in that price range. Sitting on a 20% coupon right now. I would like to get Nitrocats, but given the general lifespan of the Kobalt impact, and my budget...I might have to compromise.

I have read a lot of threads regarding this impact gun. Is it really all that? They feel really stout. My Kobat feels like a rattly piece of junk.

 

[monster1]

Take it back now and get the earthquake. They are great guns for the price. They are heavy is the only drawback. The oilfield guys around here beat the **** out of theirs daily and they keep going. Definitely one of hf's gems.

 

[zkling]

Are you a professional or how often are you using the impact?

The HF earthquake is very nice for the money NEW. They are about the same cost as a USED IR XXXX what have you.

Long story, but I use either the HF, an old IR 231 or a newer IR composite IDK the model, every weekend for a few hours. They all get the job done without any trouble. My personal home gun is a cheapo CH piece of junk that, as much as I hate it, it gets the job done so I can't justify replacing it.

The earthquake is heavier, louder and a bit slower than the IR's but it gets the job done no problem. The IR231 is kinda the industry standard. Although the metal body is not as comfortable as the composite. Also I prefer the direction switch on the IR composite better than the 231. Then again I did not have to pay for them so...

Basically the choice if I was in your shoes would be a new HF earthquake or a used IR USA made gun. They will probaly be about the same $ wise. Just a question of can you find a decent used gun in a short amount of time. IIRC the HF goes on sale for ~$70 pretty regularly.

Just my 2¢

Thank you for this quote, it made me spit my water out.

With a "3 year hassle free warranty" (seems as in hassle free being "we don't charge you for the hassle"), and having to exchange guns every few months...

 

[skulldrinker]

The current sale coupon on the Earthquake is $69. I bough one a couple of months ago. I swapped it out at work with my CP gun and put it through the paces for 30 days. I do tires all day on everything from little cars up to 1 ton trucks and the Earthquake never skipped a beat. It held up like any other gun in the shop. The only problem is the gun in made out of real old fashion steel and it is heavy. If you got strong forearms you shouldn't have trouble. OR if you only use it sporadically during the day it may not be to bad.

 

[malibulvr]

The gun looks decent. I was in the same boat as you and ended up picking a used IR 231 from the classified section. The gun I received is like new, they are out there.

 

[shoggoth80]

I work as a parts replacer. I don't have enough diagnostics skills to use the title "mechanic" yet. I do all sorts of work. I blast wheels off for brake jobs, front end work, suspension stuff. I've done subframes, transmissions, engines and the like. A lot of R&R work. I got laid off, then my boss realized his mistake, and brought me back "part time." Which is likely to roll right back to full time after this week. I'm still looking for other work, but I got a good mentor there.

Good old fashioned steel. I don't have a problem with that. A heavier impact doesn't really phase me. I'll get used to it, might even beef up the forearms a bit. Lol. I don't have an issue with the physical nature of the job most times.

Speed in an impact doesn't seem relevant, but rather brute force? My boss (not my mentor) has a Blue Point 1/2" and it doesn't crank fast, but seems to be pretty strong. I can live with more torque and lower RPM. For some job types, I can actually see that as a good thing. I've ripped some stuff off too fast before, and I ended up not happy for it.

And seriously, it seems every time I have warrantied a Kobalt something, I've gotten progressively more hassle in the process. I don't like that. Last time I warrantied my 3/8" gun, I had to quote the warranty off the ****** packaging. They are just what I could buy at the time, but when the warranty claims to be essentially "any reason, no ********" on the box, I really shouldn't have to quote it to the returns and exchanges counter person.

For a 3 year warranty, the Kobalt air tools sure blow out a lot. I take care of them too. They get scuffed and what not, but I oil them every damn time I use them, aren't over-aired, and they still fail. On my 3rd 1/2" and my 2nd 3/8".

 

[619DioFan]

I have been using the earthquake gun for about 2 years now ( 70.00 out the door ) has not let me down .

 

[Strouty]

I have the 3/4" one and it works well.

 

[bcradio]

I have the 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 earthquake guns and I absolutely love them all. They are heavier than the composite guns, but by no means are they heavy. Not too long ago, all guns were steel and people got by just fine.

I actually use my 3/8 gun for almost everything. Only on a rare occasion do I need to pull out the 1/2 or other.

 

[madison069]

I bought mine at the $99 price cause I needed it for a brake job that was coming up and i didn't want to deal with the 4 way. I had no problem with it when I removed the tire/rims off the ford ranger when I did the brake job.

I think it's worth $99 and if it can be gotten cheaper then get it. It reminds me of my IR I have back in Texas so it's got to be a copy but for the price i couldn't pass it up.

 

[MG44]

The Earthquake has a lot more power then the IR231s. While the 231 was a dependable design for years, it lacks power. Its a good impact for a tire shop, but in a everyday repair shop they can struggle with crank bolts, axle bolts, suspension etc...

 

[toofart]

The Earthquake guns are strong for their price. Give them air, they seem to like it.

 

[GSteg]

Which Kobalt gun do you have? I have one from 5 years ago and it just won't die. It's taken off crank pulley bolts, suspension bits, and anything else I ask for. It's one powerful gun, and it only cost me $20 at the time.

 

[allinon72]

It's one of the top 5 products HF sells and seems to be universally liked. I don't think you are risking much at $70. Should be a big improvement over the Kobalt.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

With a "3 year hassle free warranty" (seems as in hassle free being "we don't charge you for the hassle")

Reminds me of the time, I'll never forget, I paid $10.00 X-tra for a "No questions asked" warranty on an impact at sears.
When it did come time to warranty it, "What happened to the no questions part".
That Sears was a PITA ,there was this one woman salesperson that would always bust your **** about buying something.
One time she actually asked me if I was going to buy something today, or just look around. LOL
She used to make me nervous though.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

I have one, but it is the 1st generation EQ.
But it seems to be a good strong gun.
Most report liking the 2nd. generation better.

 

[shoggoth80]

So yeah... about that free hassle return....

Apparently, since I bought the original gun with a bank card that is no longer valid (old account), and the other guns were done as exchanges via store credit, the only options I have are A. use a card that does not exist, or B. Get store credit, for a store that I now DO NOT want to shop at, to replace a product I DO NOT want another of.

I haggled with 2 managers for like 40 minutes this morning, but would not budge. I asked what the difference was, when I had to PAY something in order to have received store credit in the first place? I even mentioned that I would be happy to buy a prepaid visa or something from them if they sold one (as a way to get my money out of their store). Nope. I can't "just" get money back.

So, because I lost a bank account due to hard times (and opened up a new account with a different bank when I got my first check from my first tech position), my funds are being held hostage by a bad product. The only thing that I could possibly do with a store merch card for the value of the impact gun, is to BUY ANOTHER Kobalt impact gun. I don't want that when I can't get them to last more than a few months. Because I cannot stop in every few months to warranty swap a ****** gun, and get the 3rd degree every time I do it, receipt or no (the last few didn't matter, I got hassled for it regardless).

I DO NOT want to shop at LOWES anymore. I am done spending my money there. The two clerks, and the two managers made sure of that. Hassle free my ***.

The gun rattle trap that drags when I toss a socket on there (but still handles lugs and smaller bolts). The reason I started this thread is because I KNOW it's on it's way out again. If I I had known that I was gonna be throwing money away, I would have just saved the cash, and bought a better name branded product. I didn't know Kobalt couldn't make air tools to save their life back when I got it. I just needed one for work, badly, and was able to buy one. After all, I had ok experiences with the hand tools.

I am digging out the original receipt, not just the one showing prior swaps, and going to speak with a store manager. Thinking about getting all my Kobalt receipts and bringing them all back because of this. Hell, I couldn't get a deformed torx driver swapped out once. Done. JUST DONE.

Maybe I should mention that I participate on an internet forum dedicated to tools, and that I am more than happy to share my bad experiences with the group at large?

Edit, after finding the original receipt, I paid CASH for the original gun.

 

[pipsters]

Forget the "Kobalt" the Earthquake is 3x the gun it is. I put my 2135timax head to head with the EQ, both were brand new in packaging, and the Earthquake smoked the $300 2135. Crank up the PSI and the Earthquake gets scary fast. Good gun just a little heavy.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

IMO, you aren't helping the situation...they offered you store credit...saying your funds are hostage? Come On...Be a little reasonable with em. Take the store credit and forget about it...there are enough everyday "Consumables" at Lowes even if you rented a small 1 bedroom Appt. you could easily burn it on... Who here doesn't use Glass Cleaner, box of garbage bags, Christmas lights, etc...

 

[mrjaw14]

I really want the 3/8" earthquake model. It's showing $85 on the website. Has anyone seen it go down to 60-70ish? I have a 25% off cupon, and don't need it right this second. Trying to get it cheap. Might look at a used IR 2115TiMax since they're rebuildable. The IR212 isn't as powerful and twice the price of the 3/8" HF Earthquake so I'm not even looking at that one.

My 1/2" gun is a IR 231C and I like it

 

[shoggoth80]

In my defense, I popped in after all of like 4 hours of sleep, and was not in the best of moods.

 

[scaron]

yeah, a lot of stores don't like to give cash back because there are a lot of people that go steal stuff, then try to return it to the store for money up front. it ***** but what can ya do. i'm with dave, just pay out of pocket for the new gun at HF or whatever, and get store credit at lowe's. i know their hand tool selection isn't much to write home about but surely you'll need light bulbs, drill bits, extension cords, lumber, etc... someday?

 

[wjamyers]

Maybe I should mention that I participate on an internet forum dedicated to tools, and that I am more than happy to share my bad experiences with the group at large?

Edit, after finding the original receipt, I paid CASH for the original gun.

not just "an internet forum"... THE garage journal. just name drop that puppy like it's brad pitt. I'm only half kidding, too.

 

[shoggoth80]

And I can get all that from other hardware stores. Lol. There is a Home Depot, and a McLendon's not far from me. Hell, I work near a lumber yard. I probably over reacted, but I also think the staff under-reacted. It isn't like I went in there with NO receipts at all. And I found the original receipt, the one from the first gun purchase, which shows I paid cash for it.

 

[shoggoth80]

Update, different location, approaching with all my receipts, and telling what my situation was got me a refund on my original purchase price. This is all I was after in the first place. The tool department guy wants me to submit some serious feedback regarding the impact guns. The boxes don't say anything like "not for professional use" or "use in professional environment limits warranty to 90 days" like the craftsman stuff does. He seemed disappointed that the product wasn't holding up to normal, but constant use. Different location, different people, different overall neighborhood. The Lowes near me is in a rougher neighborhood, and some of the staff there, well, **** in my opinion. Maybe I need to just avoid shopping at the location down the street from me, and go out of my way to go to locations with the better service? The location nearest me is the only one where I have run across issues warrantying out failed tools.

 

[outdoorsman310]

It is a good gun for the price. in the summer mine started having some fits just blowing out air and not turning until you changed direction then it would work. I punched out the muffler after that always oiled it from day 1 and it has worked well. those "fits" went away after a few weeks. I just bought a mg725 and it is much better to work with on a daily basis. The earthquake is definitely a good gun and I would not hesitate to buy one to replace your kobalt one.