which impact wrench? your opinions

[OveRReV]

hello i'm new to the forum & i'm looking to buy a new 1/2" drive impact wrench, i run a small motorcycle shop in our garage so the tool won't be used to remove lug nuts & other heavy duty stuff like that. i current have a ************* Central Pneumatic $20 impact wrench which couldn't even remove the 22mm axle nut off my scooter.

before i throw this thing into the garbage or sell it for pennies i'm going to buy a replacement for it & i have narrowed down my choices to these 2 candidates;

#1 Ingersoll Rand 231C
#2 Aircat 1404

from the information i gathered from searching the internet the new 231C's are now manufactured in china but i couldn't find information where the 1404's are made, if it's made in taiwan (not the same as china) i'd probably snag it over the 231C, better if it's still made in the USA.

apart from that i want to hear opinions on those who have actually owned & used the 2 impacts i listed over the years & tell me why i should get one over the other? right now i'm leaning towards the Aircat 1404, on paper it seems superior to the 231C in terms of power as i want my impact wrench to bust those nasty nuts & bolts off the scooters i work on.

i'm working on a budget here & want something that lasts so please no composite & titanium impact wrenches at the moment.

 

[blacK20]

No experience with the aircat. I do have the ir 231c which is now my backup gun. Super durable gun with decent power. Only drawbacks with this gun is that it's heavy and extremely LOUD.

 

[mikebramel]

You wasted $20 at harbor freight. Should have spent the $60 more for the Earthquake and be done with it. Hangs with the best

 

[woody 73]

I don't know anything about the aircat, but from reading all the post replies on the GJ about IR air tools I bought a used 231c and it is a very nice air gun that I would recommend for your shop. As stated above they are heavy and loud but getting parts for it is very easy.

 

[oilfieldtrash4]

You wasted $20 at harbor freight. Should have spent the $60 more for the Earthquake and be done with it. Hangs with the best

This

 

[pipsters]

HF Earthquake, cheap, quiet, strong, durable

 

[firebox40dash5]

I'd look at a 3/8" gun, IMO. I love my 2115's size and weight whenever I can get away with using it. If you're not dealing with rusty, nasty, overtightened **** all the time, that would be my preference. I have a 2135 too, and the 3/8" is still a lot nicer to use.

What about a Nitrocat 1355? There's a like-new one on Amazon for under $125 right now. I'd say 2115, but from my experience trying to find a cheap used one, those just didn't exist, used ones were as much as a good deal on a new one.

 

[Woodward_Dreams]

I have a 231C and have beat the **** out of it. I've never had a problem with it and don't even have a back up.

You can get them CHEAP used or still pretty affordable new. Great impact.

 

[OveRReV]

oh i forgot to mention that i live across the Pacific ocean, Philippine islands to be exact, the impact will be bought there in the USA & then hand carried here when a friend comes home to visit here for the holidays. i got the junky impact from a US surplus shop just outside a former US military base (Clark AFB), at $20 i thought it was a good bargain so i gave it a try, worked good at first but after a couple of years it got worse & now this ************* leaves me wanting.

i can buy a new IR 231C locally but costs 2x's as much, i also found a couple of used IR 261 3/4" impacts for a good price but that might be a little too overkill for motorcycle work, i'm hesitating to buy used as it might be in need of repair, don't want to waste my hard earned money on a potentially expensive junk.

back on topic, so i guess most of the guys here have had good experiences with the 231C, are there any Aircat 1404 users in this board who'd like to chime in? all i read here is mostly about the high end composite/titanium stuff, if i win the lottery i'd be sure to try them but my luck ***** right now. LOL

weight isn't an issue for me & so does noise, i don't care if the noise can wake up the dead as long as it can bust those nuts & bolts loose fast when i squeeze the trigger.

 

[OveRReV]

oh & another thing, this may be off topic but i also snagged a used 1/4" IR 103 air ratchet at the same place for $20, made in japan, i love it, gonna look for 3/8 air ratchet when i get back there again.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

I am very happy with my Chicago Pneumatic 1/2" gun. It's got more than enough power for a 1/2" gun and the $130 price didn't break the bank. Woth a look. Made in Taiwan these days IIRC but so is just about everything else. Better than China for sure.

GD

 

[Buckgnarly]

231 was my first impact, got it about 10 years ago. Great, reliable gun that I now use for tires after I got an IR 2135.

 

[crewchief888]

IR 231

been using them on const eq for over 20 years.

dont know if it's an option for the OP but i got my last one from summit racing,
$139.00 shipped to my front door

 

[Buckgnarly]

Also, i doubt you will need to for a long time, but rebuild kits and parts for IR231 can be found anywhere.

 

[bcradio]

hf earthquake, cheap, quiet, strong, durable

THIS!! Also it's made in Taiwan

 

[DodgeMech]

That ir is a MONSTER...i have it in Cornwell guise...really damned loud though...snappy mg 3/8 gun might be better for use on bikes than a big gun...

 

[cnbcook]

Agree!

 

[OveRReV]

thank you for the replies, i'm overwhelmed. LOL

seems everyone is recommending IR 231C, well i have news for you IR guys, last night i decided to pull the trigger on the Aircat 1404 as it looked good on paper (more power & quieter than the 231C) & it doesn't cost much more than the 231C, best of all it isn't made in china. hopefully it will be here before & i'll be sure to test it out on every nut & bolt i can find on my sportbike & scooter. LOL

reason for getting the 1/2" over the 3/8" is the availability of the impact sockets, i already have most of what i need to use & i appreciate the extra power of the 1/2" as there are nuts & bolts on the motorcycle that need a lot of power to remove plus the occasional automotive work.

i'll be sure to post pics & videos of the impact gun in use, i'll still use the junky central pneumatic gun to loosen small nuts & bolts but if i do get another back up gun i'll take that piece of **** to the range & shoot it with my USA made Colt Gold Cup National Match pistol, in .45ACP of course, i'll bet some of you will want to see that. LOL

 

[kiatech]

2135timax

 

[OveRReV]

2135timax

can't afford that yet & composite/titanium guns are out of the question, i wanted the aluminum/steel guns for durability, if the Aircat performs i might get another Aircat, probably the 1150, if not i'll consider the IR but this will be way down the road after the 1404 has seen a lot of use.

 

[TheJohn]

I had a 231c steel body and it blew after 6 months of auto tech use. Your ears WILL be blown by this gun. I was FORCED to upgrade to a 2131QT. My ears began to ring every time i used the 231c. Go for the 2131QT ($180 online at sears LINK) or even better the 2135QT (My next gun $285 online at sears LINK)

HIGHLY suggest the 2135QT, but if price is an issue the 2131QT is the way to go.

 

[OveRReV]

I had a 231c steel body and it blew after 6 months of auto tech use. Your ears WILL be blown by this gun. I was FORCED to upgrade to a 2131QT. My ears began to ring every time i used the 231c. Go for the 2131QT ($180 online at sears LINK) or even better the 2135QT (My next gun $285 online at sears LINK)

HIGHLY suggest the 2135QT, but if price is an issue the 2131QT is the way to go.

is that the china made 231C? did you inspect what failed? it'll probably more expensive to fix it than buy a new one i guess.

 

[TheJohn]

is that the china made 231C? did you inspect what failed? it'll probably more expensive to fix it than buy a new one i guess.

The gun would run on its own if plugged into an air line. Not too familiar with the insides of air tools but I'm sure it was some kind of seal. Probably didn't help that i over oiled the holy hell out of it! Thankfully i had a warranty on it through sears and got it warrantied, then gave it to my brother who's also an auto tech to use as a shop gun at the shop he works at.

Also the 231c has a front exhaust which will blow debris everywhere. The 2131 and 2135 have the exhaust through the bottom of the handle. Saves your eyes big time!

 

[thightower]

I've used the aircat 3/4 gun. I was impressed with it, good power and balanced pretty well. I've used the IR gun, and as everyone says it is loud, but it does seem to hit harder than most guns I've had in my hand.

 

[OveRReV]

The gun would run on its own if plugged into an air line. Not too familiar with the insides of air tools but I'm sure it was some kind of seal. Probably didn't help that i over oiled the holy hell out of it! Thankfully i had a warranty on it through sears and got it warrantied, then gave it to my brother who's also an auto tech to use as a shop gun at the shop he works at.

Also the 231c has a front exhaust which will blow debris everywhere. The 2131 and 2135 have the exhaust through the bottom of the handle. Saves your eyes big time!

the aircat 1404 has the exhaust under the handle which is one of the reasons i got it, quiter too it says, my current junky impact gun would spray oil & dust everywhere & my hands would get wet with oil. not really a fan of front facing exhausts.

it's probably the air valve on the trigger stuck open, maybe some debris got in between & left it stuck open, i overhauled mine numerous times trying to make it work better & it only improved marginally. i can't wait to get my new impact gun, the more i use this piece of junk the more frustrated i get.

 

[OveRReV]

updating this thread, my new aircat 1404 arrived at my friend's house in canada, i told him to test it at work (he's a diesel mech) & compare it against the MAC & IR tools, here are the pics when he received it.

COO is taiwan, would prefer that over china made junk. this is probably the first aircat impact in the Philippines, i asked him to give me some fittings & couplings for it, i'll be rid of the central pneumatic junk very soon.

 

[thightower]

I think you will be happy with the purchase. I believe they are made by the same people that make snap on. The inner workings are the same as snap on if I remember right.

 

[junkman104]

I bought one of these a year ago and am very pleased.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200400363_200400363

 

[the1nonlyjl]

you wasted $20 at harbor freight. Should have spent the $60 more for the earthquake and be done with it. Hangs with the best

yuuuuup!

 

[OveRReV]

I think you will be happy with the purchase. I believe they are made by the same people that make snap on. The inner workings are the same as snap on if I remember right.

i thought IR makes impacts for SO, maybe they shifted to Aircat because they're cheaper so they can mark them up & make some obscene profit? LOL

those pesky kawasaki front sprocket nuts are tough to remove, i hope this gun zips them off with ease, using a 5 meter cheater bar to break the nut off just isn't right.

 

[thightower]

I know IR made the Mac impacts.

 

[OveRReV]

yuuuuup!

LOL yeah but sadly there is no HF dealer in the Philippines, would be cool to see what they have offer, wish i was there in your country to avail of the selection.

 

[the1nonlyjl]

i got two motorcycles in my garage...able to spin the sh*t out of the sprocket nuts with any impact gun...campbell hausfeld, husky, toys r us plastic impact. all impact will be able to loose up the bolts on two wheelers. So get any impact you want... use your judgement. Good idea to go with 400ft/lbs

 

[mopar01]

Pretty sure souix makes snap on's air tools and mac and matcos are made by ir.

 

[the1nonlyjl]

LOL yeah but sadly there is no HF dealer in the Philippines, would be cool to see what they have offer, wish i was there in your country to avail of the selection.

Yikes!! That explains....

 

[OveRReV]

i got two motorcycles in my garage...able to spin the sh*t out of the sprocket nuts with any impact gun...campbell hausfeld, husky, toys r us plastic impact. all impact will be able to loose up the bolts on two wheelers. So get any impact you want... use your judgement. Good idea to go with 400ft/lbs

it's the very reason i went with aircat 1404 instead of the ir 231c, on paper the 231c doesn't have the power i might need to break off the front sprocket & clutch basket nuts on the bikes i work, i'd rather have a lot of power in reserve than leave me wanting, if i'm going to spend one time on a good impact wrench might as well get something with more torque.

700lb/ft should get the job done quicker.

 

[Wrench 2201]

I imagine you'll be impressed and pretty happy with the 1404.
I haven't used any of their guns but I do own the 3/8 and 1/4 drive air ratchets from Aircat. They are pretty boss, quiet as hell for an air tool as well. As a bonus if you write a review on their webpage about your gun they will send you a free t-shirt. I tried to get a 2nd shirt with a 2nd review when I bought my 1/4 but... They didn't play along.

 

[Marlin]

it's the very reason i went with aircat 1404 instead of the ir 231c, on paper the 231c doesn't have the power i might need to break off the front sprocket & clutch basket nuts on the bikes i work, i'd rather have a lot of power in reserve than leave me wanting, if i'm going to spend one time on a good impact wrench might as well get something with more torque.

700lb/ft should get the job done quicker.

The 231Cis rated rather conservatively as compared to Aircat who tends to rate to the other extreme. The 231C is made in China at an Ingersll Rand factory using some components that come from the US. The Aircat is made in Taiwan at a factory not owned by Aircat.

 

[the1nonlyjl]

it's the very reason i went with aircat 1404 instead of the ir 231c, on paper the 231c doesn't have the power i might need to break off the front sprocket & clutch basket nuts on the bikes i work, i'd rather have a lot of power in reserve than leave me wanting, if i'm going to spend one time on a good impact wrench might as well get something with more torque.

700lb/ft should get the job done quicker.

Mmmmm well practically I don't really use air impact to run from the compressor. Its an extra work and all tangled up with hose around. Compressor is more for paintwork, grinding, anything that requires alot of air blow out to get any tool running continuously... same concept as windmill spinning from the winds. So That's why I don't bother much with pulling hose and straightening them out and rolling back. Cordless impact saves me plenty from too much of time consuming. if you say 700 ft/lbs... your best bet is IR.. I like both cordless/air. But you are in the market for the air impact... Good luck.

 

[jhurless]

I would have gone IR. Their stuff is so good. Pretty much all of the top companies rebrand their products these days... it just doesn't get much better.

It amazes me that any company can even compete anymore when they have a deal at Lowes for a IR 1/2 impact gun, 3/8 air ratchet and impact sockets for $150. That is a sick deal. I have a few friends who began their careers with this set and absolutely swear by them.

I don't know much about Aircat, but if it works well for you then go with it. If not, you know where to go next!