TAMPAGT07
Well-known member
I love my Snappy MG31..It's small, comfortable, and light...Great gun for a small shop or weekend warrior...
which impact wrench? your opinions
- Thread starter OveRReV
- Start date
it's going to be tested at work against the other impacts, the guy who bought it for me works as a diesel truck mechanic & he has some MAC & SO impacts himself, this is the first time he has encountered an Aircat, his co-workers have IR impacts so we'll see how mine stacks up against their impact guns, this'll be interesting.
zakmartin
Well-known member
Among my other impacts, I have an Aircat 1150 and an Aircat 1300-TH. What I like about them:
1. They're assembled in Spokane, WA (using imported and domestic parts, but at least they provide some jobs)
2. They're ridiculously powerful. The 1/2" 1150 pumps out an INSANE 1295 ft-lbs of loosening torque and 200-900 ft-lbs (selectable) in tightening torque. The 3/8" 1300-TH has 500 loosening and 50-350 tightening. That covers most of my bases.
3. They're super quiet.
4. They last forever and are very forgiving to abuse. Compared to my Craftsman Professional, it's like Ironman vs. Barbie.
5. I like the way they route the exhaust. You don't get crud blown all over you.
6. They're reasonably sized as well.
7. The grip is SUPER comfortable. The most comfortable impact wrench I've ever used, actually.
8. A lot of bang for the buck.
Seriously, you can't go wrong with Aircat Impacts. Just be sure to buy the ones that are built in the USA. Some of their lower models are built overseas. It's pretty easy to get the COO info online.
1. They're assembled in Spokane, WA (using imported and domestic parts, but at least they provide some jobs)
2. They're ridiculously powerful. The 1/2" 1150 pumps out an INSANE 1295 ft-lbs of loosening torque and 200-900 ft-lbs (selectable) in tightening torque. The 3/8" 1300-TH has 500 loosening and 50-350 tightening. That covers most of my bases.
3. They're super quiet.
4. They last forever and are very forgiving to abuse. Compared to my Craftsman Professional, it's like Ironman vs. Barbie.
5. I like the way they route the exhaust. You don't get crud blown all over you.
6. They're reasonably sized as well.
7. The grip is SUPER comfortable. The most comfortable impact wrench I've ever used, actually.
8. A lot of bang for the buck.
Seriously, you can't go wrong with Aircat Impacts. Just be sure to buy the ones that are built in the USA. Some of their lower models are built overseas. It's pretty easy to get the COO info online.
aluminum impacts are more durable compared to composite impacts, i don't have a lot of money to spend on impacts so i chose the 1404 over the others (it's cheaper), if i like how the 1404 performs i'll get the 1150 in the future when i save enough cash for a back up.
besides i believe the 1404 is more than enough to cover for the shortcomings of my junky $20 central pneumatic impact wrench.
who wants to see a video of an impact gun being shot with a 1911 .45ACP pistol? i know you want to.
the 1404 is made in taiwan, i'd rather support a neighbor & an ally than buy products made in commie chink land, those chicoms are grabbing our islands off our west coast so there is an economic & political reason for us to boycott chicom products.
the more we buy from them the stronger their military gets.
Rentawrench
Well-known member
Your a Tech REPAIR the first gun, once you have the new one in service.Air tool oil first see if it works better High humity in your part of the world
Take it apart clean the air inlet screen, then check the vanes air guns are simple.
I have the 231 an a few Highly modified ones( Sprint Cup Tire changing ) Easy fix,But the trick is to keep them oiled inside
Take it apart clean the air inlet screen, then check the vanes air guns are simple.
I have the 231 an a few Highly modified ones( Sprint Cup Tire changing ) Easy fix,But the trick is to keep them oiled inside
because most of my sockets are 1/2" & an 1/2" impact would last longer & make work easier than a 3/8" impact.
i'm probably one of the few bike techs that want a 1/2" though but today i have had the displeasure of removing the nuts off the shock linkage from an 04 GSXR 600, i was going to change the stock links with a lowering link & the nuts are frozen, my gad damned impact didn't even budge the nut, i was so frustrated i could just shoot my impact gun, even with a breaker bar & propane gun the nut was very hard to remove. if i had that aircat now it would have zipped off those nuts in seconds & the work would have been finished much earlier.
i also need it for removing the big 46mm ducati rear axle nuts, those things are a PITA to remove even with a breaker bar.
Burl
Well-known member
Ever think of an electric impact? I've got an older Snappy and love it, I hardly ever use the air 231.
i'm having trouble with software to download the videos from facebook, microsoft simply wont cooperate with google chrome, i'm getting frustrated here.
anyway this is slightly related to the topic, just got a new & bigger hose for the impact gun, it's an Acme 3/8" coiled nylon air hose with swiveled end fittings, it's made in the USA, hopefully.
installed the hose & the quick release couplings (showa, made in japan) to my air compressor & tested it on my crappy $20 CP (central pneumatic) impact gun & it transformed my turd of an impact gun to a maggot of an impact gun, now it's easy to remove 32mm axle nuts from motorcycles. tomorrow i'll test it on some lug nuts & some scooter rear axle nuts that are a PITA to remove.
reading all that stuff about the correct air hose size sure did made a lot of difference & i'm glad i found an air hose that meets the criteria, also saw a goodyear 3/8" yellow rubber air hose at the local classifieds but it was 25' & i figured i don't need something that long at my garage.
anyway this is slightly related to the topic, just got a new & bigger hose for the impact gun, it's an Acme 3/8" coiled nylon air hose with swiveled end fittings, it's made in the USA, hopefully.
installed the hose & the quick release couplings (showa, made in japan) to my air compressor & tested it on my crappy $20 CP (central pneumatic) impact gun & it transformed my turd of an impact gun to a maggot of an impact gun, now it's easy to remove 32mm axle nuts from motorcycles. tomorrow i'll test it on some lug nuts & some scooter rear axle nuts that are a PITA to remove.
reading all that stuff about the correct air hose size sure did made a lot of difference & i'm glad i found an air hose that meets the criteria, also saw a goodyear 3/8" yellow rubber air hose at the local classifieds but it was 25' & i figured i don't need something that long at my garage.
Yeap. That's correct for SO. I've toured the plant.
Monkey Milk
Well-known member
IR no longer makes Mac's impacts
morregerbert
Well-known member
i have had 1404 for about 6 years now and still use it daily, i got it in a first place coz it was quiet and very low price from ebay, somewhere about 100$ brand new, and i was sold to that brand after that, few 2 years ago i got 3/4 IR2141 brand new, that was a big mistake, i should have gone for another 3/4 aircat. much cheaper and much stronger.
only problem i had with 1404 rubber grip part of handle fell apart. so now its just bare aluminum handle. now im in market for 1375xl, more power than 1404, much smaller and lighter and cost about the same, and of course its quite.
only problem i had with 1404 rubber grip part of handle fell apart. so now its just bare aluminum handle. now im in market for 1375xl, more power than 1404, much smaller and lighter and cost about the same, and of course its quite.
thanks for the input, finally the Aircat 1404 arrived, picked it up from a friends house who carried it from Canada, tested it against the central pneumatic impact gun & the results were more than i expected. here's the video i have promised, sorry it took so long.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c0It039_gu0?list=UUTpJiGzxxCFjtraYT7BrCiA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c0It039_gu0?list=UUTpJiGzxxCFjtraYT7BrCiA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Farmall450
Well-known member
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.
I've heard good things about the IR231C, and love all the IR's that I have used, so I'd say go with that.
Farmall450
Well-known member
I'd add in that my 2100G is composite, light, noise is OK, powerful, and is around $160. Here's Northern Tools Link
one of the very reasons i wanted a more powerful impact, the ZX10R has front sprocket nuts that seem to be welded to the countershaft & it took a lot of coaxing with a very very long cheater bar to break the damn nut off. even with the upgraded hose & couplings i don't think my cheap impact gun would have budged the nut.
they tested the 1404 on a truck lug nut torqued to 500 ft/lb & it loosened it right off.