Loscaldazar
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2013
- Messages
- 2,385
Yup, joules are the best comparison. Not all manufacturers list them though (SNAP-ON.....), probably because it could be detrimental to sales. Although, always remember joules are rated at the end of the hammer, NOT at the end of the bit. This means between similar powered (joules) .401 and .498 shank hammers, the .498 will hit harder- even though they have the same joules rating.
As has been mentioned multiple times, rivet guns are essentially air hammers with better trigger control and usually a slower BPM. Often more durable and expensive since they are bought and used by industrial business most often.
The 1x, 2x, 3x, etc ratings are based on the size of rivet they can drive, which is another useful comparison note. They are based on sixteenths of an inch. That is, a 1x can do a 1/16" cold rivet (do 1x even exist??), 2x is 2/16" (1/8"), 3x is 3/16", 4x is 4/16 (1/4"), 5x is 5/16", etc.
1-4x is .401 Shank, and at 5x they switch to .498. If you go up large enough you even get larger shanks like 3/4" and larger. Those are completely useless for auto repair though. .498 hammers can get too big on the more powerful end and bits are way more expensive. A 5x or 6x usually is a good size at the very very very very most!
So if you want the strongest air hammer, that depends on the shank you want too. If you're doing auto repair, any .498 air hammer will be more than strong enough for you. However, the cheap .498 air hammers are $300 for the gun, then about $20-$40 a piece for each quality bits. Cheap bits are useless and you'll run through them quickly. A strong .401 shank will be more than almost everyone needs, so that's usually a better direction for auto repair.
If you want a .401, the strongest one I can find by the specs (Joules) is the CP7150. It is 9.5 joules on a .401 shank. That's a higher joule rating than any other one published for a .401 air hammer, and stronger than some 5x air hammers! It also is rated for 5/16" cold rivets, which technically makes it a 5x air hammer despite only being a .401 shank (all other 5x air hammers are .498). The CP7150 is rated at more joules than the larger .498 CP717 (7.2 joules), but as mentioned above, the .498 shank may help the CP717 hit harder (I was not given any "formula" to try to relate power between the two shanks).
There are, however, some other air hammers do not have published specs in Joules that are known to be pretty powerful in their class. The Snap On PH3050B does not have any published specs and I have contacted Snap On about it, and they said they had no rating they could give out (I bet the engineers know, they just don't want to publish it....).
As far as the CP7150 vs the PH3050B, both have the same bore (3/4") and overall length (9").
The PH3050B is heavier by a pound (lb). This could indicate a heavier piston or it just may be a heavier design (or even the quick change chuck vs spring adds most of the weight on the PH3050B).
The CP has a longer stroke (3.5" vs snap on's 3.0") which is an indication that it may have more power. The CP also has a lower BPM (also an indication of greater power- slower but harder hits) by 200 BPM (2,300 for CP, 2,500 for SO). The CP is also rated at a massively higher average CFM (6.25 CFM) vs the much lower PH3050B (2.1 CFM). Actual air consumption for both also show that the CP uses way more (25CFM for the CP, 16 CFM for the SO). Another indication that the CP may be more powerful, or the Snap On may just be that much more efficient for the same or more power.
The piston for the CP7150 is 4.8 ounces. Heavier pistons can help increase power (usually don't accelerate as fast, which results in a lower BPM, which is why I said above, low BPM can indicate higher power). I cannot find a spec for the Snap On PH3050B, so if someone could get just the weight of the piston, that would be hugely beneficial for this comparison.
The PH3050B could still be more powerful than the CP7150, but we'll never know unless someone tests both or Snap On finally publishes a power spec for it.
Also, included is a short discussion from a CP rep about the CP7150, CP717, and the Snap On PH3050B.
Are you sure about that? I can't find anything saying the CP717 and CP714 are now made in Taiwan. The rest of the air hammers like the CP7150, 7110, 7111, 716, etc are Taiwan. A review from December on amazon also confirms that they received a Japanese made CP717.
Grainger also lists the CP717 and CP714 as Japan still, and while Grainger is not always 100% correct, they usually aren't several years behind the curve.
AP also stocks parts for a lot of competitor's products. They make many aftermarket (not parts contracted out to them by competitors, just aftermarket parts) for many air tools made by competitors. I wouldn't be surprised if the AP .498 air hammer is the same design or a copy of the CP717, but I'm still pretty sure the CP717 is not made by Astro. I'd have to look it up, but I'm pretty the most the AP rep on this board has said is that the Astro .498 and the CP717 are equivalent products (not identical or the same).
For the win 