Should be an interesting test... (HF Impact)

[SpawnedX]

I am a technician at a very busy Subaru dealership. Yesterday I discovered the hammer in my Snap-On MG725 had completely cracked. It's completely junk now. Need to save up some money to buy a new one, I don't believe in owing my entire paychecks to tool trucks anymore, so I only buy when I have the full amount on hand.

I went home and grabbed the 95.00 Central Pneumatic Earthquake 1/2" I grabbed from HF to use at home. Going to have to subject it to industrial use for the next 3-4 weeks. Any predictions?

 

[powertrip]

There are coupons out there for this impact for around $75

 

[SpawnedX]

I bought this thing 3 or so months ago. I am sure deals come up from time to time on them, but 95.00 is the asking price for it.

 

[Matt018]

I have the 3/8 one use it constantly everynight for my small engine side biz.. It should hold up fine But my hog ring bent and fell off after 3/4 of a year, I did force some chrom extensions that didnt fit well before but you may run into a similar problem. I got another one from the extended warranty and have been using only impact rated tools on them and its working fine.

 

[warmpancakes]

send the mg725 out for rebuild IIRC flat rate is 125.00

 

[Matt018]

send the mg725 out for rebuild IIRC flat rate is 125.00

That rebuild is more than the harborfreight impact! even with the extended warranty its still cheaper! plus the 500 bucks or whatever the things costs.

 

[SpawnedX]

That rebuild is more than the harborfreight impact! even with the extended warranty its still cheaper! plus the 500 bucks or whatever the things costs.

He's just referring to me having mine rebuilt versus buying another. I doubt that I am going to be able to get this rebuilt. The hammer cage is shattered and the hammer is cracked. It's basically like trying to backdoor a new gun, going to talk to the SO guy on Friday when he comes in.

 

[Matt018]

He's just referring to me having mine rebuilt versus buying another. I doubt that I am going to be able to get this rebuilt. The hammer cage is shattered and the hammer is cracked. It's basically like trying to backdoor a new gun, going to talk to the SO guy on Friday when he comes in.

Yeah i realize it, And 125 for a rebuild is more than a brand new harborfreight impact.

 

[6-Speed]

I have the 3/8 one use it constantly everynight for my small engine side biz.. It should hold up fine But my hog ring bent and fell off after 3/4 of a year, I did force some chrom extensions that didnt fit well before but you may run into a similar problem. I got another one from the extended warranty and have been using only impact rated tools on them and its working fine.

Don't install standard non-impact sockets on a hog ring, but if you do and tear it up, you can fix them with the just clip kit.

http://justclipkits-srp100.com/

 

[SpawnedX]

Yeah i realize it, And 125 for a rebuild is more than a brand new harborfreight impact.

Yes, but by the numbers the MG725 smokes the HF, plus the SO lasted me a good long time, been a tech for 7 years now and got this during my first week or so. Will the HF hold up for 7 years under industrial use? Only time can tell. Unfortunately, my paycheck is made by my tools and I don't have the room to be the 7 year long guinea pig.

 

[warmpancakes]

I doubt that I am going to be able to get this rebuilt. The hammer cage is shattered and the hammer is cracked. It's basically like trying to backdoor a new gun, going to talk to the SO guy on Friday when he comes in.

you would be amazed what they will fix, I dropped a cordless drill off a man lift 40 feet later it bounced they fixed it for 99.00

 

[6-Speed]

I went home and grabbed the 95.00 Central Pneumatic Earthquake 1/2" I grabbed from HF to use at home. Going to have to subject it to industrial use for the next 3-4 weeks. Any predictions?

Let us know how it performs ... I've read nothing but good things about that impact gun.

 

[KinzeMech]

That rebuild is more than the harborfreight impact! even with the extended warranty its still cheaper! plus the 500 bucks or whatever the things costs.

rebuilt mg725@$125 > HF impact @$75

edit:this was an unclear way to state that. The meaning I intended to convey is that the rebuilt mg725 is a greater deal at it's price than the earthquake gun is at $75.

 

[KinzeMech]

I have not run an earthquake, but from what I've read, it should be a satisfactory back up gun. I'd get your main one fixed pretty soon, though...

 

[monster1]

I predict that the HF earthquake impact is going to do its job and make you money while your coworkers, who laugh at you for using an earthquake impact, are busy dumping their wallets on the truck.

 

[SpawnedX]

I predict that the HF earthquake impact is going to do its job and make you money while your coworkers, who laugh at you for using an earthquake impact, are busy dumping their wallets on the truck.

Definitely possible. I have a couple of HF things that work great and cost a fraction of the price that they have quickly adopted.

Like:

http://www.harborfreight.com/digital-automotive-battery-analyzer-66892.html

Versus the Blue Point one for almost 100.00 more (truck price).

 

[woody 73]

Funny story but something that I can pass along:

I don't own the HF 1/2" earthquake tool that you are thinking about (but I hear a lot of good things about them); some time back I needed a small HF pencil die grinder and as I started to pay for it, the nice women from India shot me a big smile and said why not buy some cheap HF insurance on that tool.

Well for a few extra doillars I said why not and out the door I went, after reading all the instructions I set the proper air pressure and it worked ok. Some time had passed maybe six months and late one night that air tool just went boom, the air line was in pieces, I never did figure out what happened but true to her word they gave me a brand new tool no questions asked.

So the moral of the story: if some nice lady with a big smile offers you some kind of extended warranty jump on it and save the paperwork, best money ever spent!

 

[monster1]

Definitely possible. I have a couple of HF things that work great and cost a fraction of the price that they have quickly adopted.

Like:

http://www.harborfreight.com/digital-automotive-battery-analyzer-66892.html

Versus the Blue Point one for almost 100.00 more (truck price).

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't stack HF anything against truck brand quality wise. But I know of a lot of local oilfield roughnecks who use the 1/2" and 3/4" earthquake guns everday and these guys beat the **** out of their tools everyday. I've been impressed with mine.

 

[Hiball]

If its Rebuildable for $125 its a No brainer... That 90 day warranty doesnt instill alot of confidence.

 

[SpawnedX]

If its Rebuildable for $125 its a No brainer... That 90 day warranty doesnt instill alot of confidence.

Regardless of it's rebuild-able or not, I am going to repair or buy another SO gun. The HF I already had for home use, it is just now being put through an industrial test at work.

 

[chris142]

I use the 1/2 earthquake gun daily. it lives on my ac line crimper table. it has more power than my mac gun and is quieter too.

 

[joedodge]

guy at our shop has used one every day for the 5 years ive been there.....hangs right there with my ir231.....and yes our guns take the same shiz off that the other guys snappys do

 

[Tarheelgarage]

You will do fine with the HF impact. A couple of guys in the shop use them daily with no complaints.

OTOH, the snappy MG725 is the biggest pile of **** that SO has dump on techs. They can't handle daily use in a busy shop. Two guys in the shop have sent theirs out for repairs twice in less than a year.

 

[SpawnedX]

You will do fine with the HF impact. A couple of guys in the shop use them daily with no complaints.

OTOH, the snappy MG725 is the biggest pile of **** that SO has dump on techs. They can't handle daily use in a busy shop. Two guys in the shop have sent theirs out for repairs twice in less than a year.

That's disheartening to hear. Any of them have any experience with the MG325? By any chance did their hammer cages and hammers crack as well?

 

[joedodge]

snappys air tools are crazy over priced and junk i had a far25 rebuilt twice took a **** again i got another ir all my tools are ir now theres a reason theyve made air tools for years and other companys have rebranded there tools befor

 

[greasemonkey44]

i used the twenty dollar one for a year; sold it to another tech for 10$ he used it for a year
til it puked its guts and died( cracked the washers and bushings inside
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-to...alf-inch-compact-air-impact-wrench-94802.html

 

[Farmrod]

Send it in the will fix it for the 125 mine had a cracked case they will check the internals and either put your internals in a new case or you well get a new gun which is what I got

 

[monster1]

Send it in the will fix it for the 125 mine had a cracked case they will check the internals and either put your internals in a new case or you well get a new gun which is what I got

Even knowing that the earthquake is a good gun at a great price, that is what i'd do too.

 

[KinzeMech]

i used the twenty dollar one for a year; sold it to another tech for 10$ he used it for a year
til it puked its guts and died( cracked the washers and bushings inside
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-to...alf-inch-compact-air-impact-wrench-94802.html

That's not a great gun, but for $20 it's a great deal. I had a few that I ruined within 90 days, and they exchanged them in store. Another lasted almost two years, and the hammer case shattered into a dozen pieces. It looked like a grenade went off in that thing.
I still have two. One for my @home gun, and one as a spare for light duty work, but I have since moved on. I bought enough of those $20 guns that I could have gotten one earthquake...

 

[greasemonkey44]

That's not a great gun, but for $20 it's a great deal.

which is how i ended up with it; it paid for itself quickly tho
i had an ir 231 but it ended up on permanent loan to a friend

like you said though they blow out the guts

 

[pipsters]

You can use any of the HF 20% coupons to get the Earthquake down to $76 + tax

This is the new version correct? Not the old one?

 

[bcradio]

The earthquake is a great gun that is built well. I have 3 and love them. I do only wrench at home though.

However, if I worked in a professional environment using these many many times everyday, I would get something better suited for that like an IR.

Snappy is too expensive IMO, but if you're gun is still in ok condition then I'd rebuild it. If its totally worn then get something else.

 

[RCStocker]

rebuilt mg725@$125 > HF impact @$75

The difference betwee the two is huge. One is pickeled pigs feet and the other is silk. You can't compair the price. How many HF will you go through while the Snap-on keeps ticking. It is not a matter of saving $35.

$35 is lunch money.

 

[KinzeMech]

That's what I said. That's a "greater than" symbol. It does not equate the two.

A rebuilt mg725 for $125 is a great deal. Greater than a new HF gun at $75.

 

[KU_MechE]

The difference betwee the two is huge. One is pickeled pigs feet and the other is silk. You can't compair the price. How many HF will you go through while the Snap-on keeps ticking. It is not a matter of saving $35.

$35 is lunch money.

Arithmetic

 

[SMKS]

i used the twenty dollar one for a year; sold it to another tech for 10$ he used it for a year
til it puked its guts and died( cracked the washers and bushings inside
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-to...alf-inch-compact-air-impact-wrench-94802.html

That's not a great gun, but for $20 it's a great deal. I had a few that I ruined within 90 days, and they exchanged them in store. Another lasted almost two years, and the hammer case shattered into a dozen pieces. It looked like a grenade went off in that thing.
I still have two. One for my @home gun, and one as a spare for light duty work, but I have since moved on. I bought enough of those $20 guns that I could have gotten one earthquake...

which is how i ended up with it; it paid for itself quickly tho
i had an ir 231 but it ended up on permanent loan to a friend

like you said though they blow out the guts

There seems to be a significant difference between the Earthquake HF impacts and the cheap HF impacts. The Earthquakes are made in Taiwan while all the cheap ones seem to be made in China, for example.

I'm pretty interested in seeing how it holds up under the OP's use.

 

[bcradio]

That's what I said. That's a "greater than" symbol. It does not equate the two.

A rebuilt mg725 for $125 is a great deal. Greater than a new HF gun at $75.

I assumed greater dollar amount

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Yeah i realize it, And 125 for a rebuild is more than a brand new harborfreight impact.

I have had SnapOn impacts rebuilt under their flat rate program... One air ratchet was broke in half; a 1/2" impact had shattered and broke the case.... Both were returned to me in new condition!!

 

[O_M_Jeep]

How the HF holds up doesnt matter even a little bit, what this thread has taught me is that the tool truck guys KNOW its **** and its already dead in their mind, the non-tool truck guys KNOW it'll last a few years and keep banging away day and night. No one here is interested in what actualy will happen, they just need to get their .02 in before it happens just in case they are wrong.

 

[Fishey]

I have the old earthquake and used it for a long time at the shop without a problem. It was heavy compared to my other guns (nitrocat and IR quiet composite) but it was on par with the nitro cat for power and more power then the IR quiet for sure. I keep it at my parents place now where it still gets a good amount of use. I would say it has held up better then the IR as well as I have had to replace the direction buttons already after only a year of use.