Quality Air Tools

[tubeman]

Is there any point in paying high prices for air tools? Do the more expensive ones use less air, etc.? I know that a good impact will have more torque, but what about sanders, etc. It seems as though even though you pay more they all come from the same factory in China.

 

[kartracer55]

Efficiency... Take IR for example. They have a 50$ die grinder and a 70-80$ one. The more expensive one has a higher Hp rating and uses a few CFM less than the cheaper one.

 

[Katbird]

I always say that you get what you pay for. when I paid cheap I always got cheap like some air ratchets that I bought from a flea market, was not worth taking home after I used them a couple of times. all of my ratchets are I.R. and are worth the extra money to me. 90% of mine are from mac tools and if I do have a problem with any of them he will have it fixed.

 

[kartracer55]

You have a problem

 

[l_bilyk]

I always say that you get what you pay for. when I paid cheap I always got cheap like some air ratchets that I bought from a flea market, was not worth taking home after I used them a couple of times. all of my ratchets are I.R. and are worth the extra money to me. 90% of mine are from mac tools and if I do have a problem with any of them he will have it fixed.

why do you have so many air ratchets?

 

[oldgoat]

I've seen it both ways. At work we have a composite IR impact that everybody wants to use and does a good job, but on the other hand I have a HF straight air cut off grinder that everybody wants to use over the expensive Dotco brand grinder. Guess it depends on how much you use it, your air supply and the wallet. Also though remember that it is also going to depend on how you take care of the tools and how much water you get in your air.

 

[Pantera]

I always say that you get what you pay for. when I paid cheap I always got cheap like some air ratchets that I bought from a flea market, was not worth taking home after I used them a couple of times. all of my ratchets are I.R. and are worth the extra money to me. 90% of mine are from mac tools and if I do have a problem with any of them he will have it fixed.

That a great pic..!

 

[comp]

man that looks like a Gun stash ,,,,i own both kinds of air tools ,,,,cheap one's let me have more ,,only use ,,well i have some i have only tested

 

[hemi]

tubeman,

try hutchins brand DA sander and you will be more than impressed with their design and execution. The definition of a quality air tool! hemi......

 

[Fast Orange]

Katbird-
Impressive flock o' ratchets-just one question-are you a member of ratchet-holics anonymous?
You've got more air ratchets in that drawer than I've ever seen in most shops.

George

 

[sberry]

depends on the tool, there are some that the cheaper ones work very well on and some they dont. Air ratchets no, impacts no, some of the rotary tools are very good when you compare 60$ to 300.

 

[Fast Orange]

I'm a big fan of the Harbor Freight $15-20 die grinders.They may use more air and not have as much power as a name brand,but with 5 or 6 of 'em-no tool changes in the middle of a job and still much faster than a file.I couldn't buy 1 top name for what all of mine cost. Give 'em a shot of oil every now and then and make chips.

George

 

[milly]

I have air tools from Blue Point, Campbell-Hausfeld, and Husky. I've never had trouble with any of them during normal use. The 2 air ratchets that stopped working, fell off the lift at work about 8 feet onto the concrete floor several times.

Remember, it's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop.

 

[sberry]

The red die grinder in the pic, and the Farmhand from TSC is twice the tool the 15$ ones are from HF, these are a really good tool for the price, very good power and last. I have several of the 4 inch right angle ones in the pic, use cut off wheels and wire wheels, I like air for wire better than electric, you can throttle it. That is the second 7 inch sander in 15 yrs and I run boxes of disks with it, more than any part timer would in a lifetime. I just put a bearing in this one, took about 10 mins and 5$

 

[evildky]

from my experience the more expensive name brand tools are more powerful, the cheapies do the job but when some of my cheapie tools like my old Ch stuff wears out I'll be looking to better quality like I/R or aircat, I've been very pleased with everything I've gotten from both companies and the cost difference seems to be smaller all the time

 

[Katbird]

I use a lot of air ratchets when working on my old truck. I like to put different size sockets on different ratchets and roll them around in my cart. saves me a lot of time.

 

[motorheadjohn]

Dude, you've got as many air ratchets as I have regular ratchets. What does your hand tool drawer look like???

 

[tubeman]

Thanks for the responses! I am building my inventory after my compressor purchase. I will stick with quality ratchets and impacts for now (since I have one of each) and maybe pick up some cheapy die grinders but middle quality sander. What about paint guns? I'm not painting antique cars, just tractors and stuff. There is such a huge range there. From $20 -$300 or more.

 

[Uncle Buck]

If you are not looking for show car type finish, I suggest getting one of the better quality guns offered by HF, Northern Hyd or the like. You can get a Binks, DeVillbiss,Sharp knockoff for prolly no more than 50-60 $ If you want to go high tech, you could start with an HVLP. the benefits would be, less overspray due to better transfer of paint from the gun tip to whatever you are spraying, and it takes less material (paint) to get full color on whatever you are spraying. I do not recall a significant difference in the learning curve (between HVLP and a conventional cup gun) for using the gun. Whatever you do, do not buy a used gun. Reading is helpfull, but nothing can be substituted for experience. Make sure you use a dryer to address moisture from the compressor and drain the tank. The most important tip I can give is this, You cannot clean a gun too thoroughly after use, nothing is more frustrating than starting to spray a color and having chunks of a previously sprayed color come shooting out to mess you up! Additionally, make sure you have enough compressor to keep up with the gun, add a pressure gage at the gun to account for pressure drop from the compressor, use 3/8 hose at a minimum, and last but not least, never ever loan your paint gun to anyone. Loaned guns usually come back trashed, or at best primer guns. That's my 2 bits!

 

[kartracer55]

I FINALLY got to run the new grinders and drill a bit today. Its insane how quiet these things are! (ok, the drill is loud) but the grinder, especially the straight one, are pretty damn quiet, and They didnt seem to be a pig at all. I always drain the lines, so I ran the one grinder to see how quickly it would drain the tank, And I gave up before it hit 100psi! They appear to be very efficient. No comment on power, havent gotten to really use them yet, but I have been very impressed. Two die grinders and a drill for 125 (150 now) and while its more than HF, Im getting a quality american made tool (all ball bearing as well) Ill deal with tool changes, Im not running a buisness


Jim

 

[Elroy]

tubeman,

try hutchins brand DA sander and you will be more than impressed with their design and execution. The definition of a quality air tool! hemi......

How very true!

Another top quality line is National Detroit:

http://www.nationaldetroit.com/global/


Elroy is having trouble recalling a phrase..........

Oh Ya that's it: you get what you pay for.