Air or battery powered tools?
 

Hey Everyone,

Hope you had a great Christmas! Just wanted to see what people thought about air tools versus battery powered tools for working on our Jags. My wife bought me an air compressor and a battery-powered impact wrench for Christmas. Truly an awesome gift and I cannot wait to use them! I have been using hand tools forever which can be really difficult when working on tighter bolts and in tight spots. This is really going to help.

My question is, do you guys use battery powered impact drills and tools or do you prefer to use air tools? I am not sure if I should return the battery powered impact drill and exchange it for an air compressor drill or return the air compressor and build out more battery powered tools.

Any guidance would be great and thank you for sharing your experiences and opinions!

Thanks,

Corey

I hate battery-powered tools and no longer bother to use them. Give me good old-fashioned corded power tools any time....

But I do appreciate air tools on the rare occasions I have been privileged to use them. Nothing matches air power when you have heavy-duty suspension work you need to do....

I have both. Started with the air tools many years ago. As the batteries got better, started adding those tools, like drill, then Impact gun, then HD impact gun, reciprocal saw, etc. All of the power tools are from the same family, so batteries interchange. So much easier to use the battery power tools when you need to do something quick, but they tend to be a little larger in size compared to air tools. Air tools have the issue of dragging the hose around, plus the noise of the compressor running. Some of the air tools are harder to duplicate with battery tools, like a die grinder. And you also get the benefit of the Air for blowing stuff off your work, and for filling your tires!

For me, I like having the combination. I would keep both, and then add tools as you have a need. Keep the battery tools from the same family if possible for ease of swapping batteries around. When you need an air tool, Harbor Freight tools are OK for the homeowner. Not good for a production shop where they are used all the time, but I've got some that are now over 30 yrs old and still working. A good use of your stimulus check:icon_clapclap:

Battery all the way, and I’m using basic Craftsman 19.2V tools. My batteries are all old, the newest one was purchased in 2007, the oldest in 2001. They all hold a charge and work for a long time before needing a recharge.

the tools are heavy duty enough so that I could and did use them for 4+ years every day in a vintage restoration shop. That was 7+ years ago and the drills and impacts are still working superbly. The 1/2” impact has no trouble with lug nuts and can even loosen a crankshaft damper nut.

Truthfully, I never expected the Craftsman line to be so durable or have this kind of longevity. But I’m not complaining. It’s very nice to have one tool that works well in the garage , then you
can toss it in the trunk and know if you have a flat tire, etc, you can make
short work of it.


Z

PS. even the Craftsman battery powered 10” chainsaw and the reciprocating saw are holding up the same way.

I have air powered tools - Ingersoll Rand impact wrench (awesome!) and a ratchet that's louder than a 747 taking off. I had some somewhat difficult brake work recently on my Ford (not the Jaguar, the *other* Ford) which didn't allow enough room to fit in the impact wrench, so I ended up buying a battery powered one. It's a Rigid with (I think) a 20V battery, which has enough torque to do most anything I need, but a bit smaller than the bruiser IR. Having both is great. The air powered one will last forever if properly maintained (oil between use) whereas no battery will last forever, although these LI seem to be better than the older stuff.

I have to vote against the recommendation for Harbor Freight though. A cheap tool can kill you. Stay away from the Chinese crap if you can.

As to your question of which to keep and which to return, it would depend on what brands they are, and how you might intend to build out the collection. As noted, if you go portable, you'll want to try and stay in the same family of batteries so that you can interchange them, and in some cases, buy just the bare tool (no battery) and save a bunch of money.

Oh, part of the reason I bought the Rigid is that if you buy it through Home Depot, you get a lifetime warranty on it. Keep that in mind if you want to save a few bucks and buy it through Amazon.

I have almost all air tools when it comes to automotive related power tools. An electric portable impact would be nice for a quick job in the driveway or such. Say, propping off a wheel for a quick look. I have many, many, many hand tools/wrenches for all the under car work, but air ratchets and impacts make it go faster, if ya don't mind the noise. The neighbors will be impressed though, You'll sound very professional. :) The compressor can be used for die grinders, sanders, air files etc. and don't forget tires.

Helpful tip: If I were buying tools all over again, I would buy only impact sockets and extensions when ever possible and skip the chrome plated ones. They will hold up much better and you won't have duplicate of sizes if you don't need so many. The small 1/4'' drive probably don't come in impact so chrome will have to do. But I digress.

I vote for AIR tools mostly. Also your tires will NEVER accidentally over inflate themselves, they will only leak it out. Good Day Mates, TM

Air for any job that requires over 10 minutes, but you better keep a battery power drill for the work to be done in the house. A drill/driver (hammer) like you have is best and a huge help when taking apart things with a lot of small nuts or screws.
You didn't say the size of the compressor, if a little pancake one of 1 gallon, it will not run the power tools very well.

I have a lot of all of them Air, Battery, and Corded. Each one has a unique purpose. If you need to go to one of the kids houses I usually take the Battery tools as with an extra battery, you can get through most any weekend job they need done. And if you take a charger with you you can charge the dead one, and keep right on going. Air tools usually do the big heavy work, or sometimes if your in a hurry, as you can rip things apart much more quickly with them. The corded tools come in handy when the batteries have gone dead or forgot to put it on the charger, when you need to get work done instead of waiting for the battery to charge. So in my opinion You need a selection of all of them. I have got about 35+ power tools of all kinds accumulated over the last 40 years or so, and I use everyone of them. and have probably worn out another dozen or so. If you do all kinds of projects like I do , from woodworking, to small engines, to house repairs, and even heavy mechanical. You Gotta Have Tools Man!!!

Jack

Battery powered tools work for me
 

For home work, my battery powered drill and impact wrenches works well enough. Costs and space are primary considerations. Plus consider what work you do. If you’ve hand tools only, battery tools are a lot better tech nowadays, but if you’re spraying or inflating tyres often then you’re better off with having an air compressor.

But for work (i’m in construction) all garages on my sites operate air tools exclusively.

I have both. I find the battery powered tools much more convenient for tight spaces and for mobility in general ; but for heavier duty work where some real power is required, the air power is greatly superior.
If I had to make a choice for the average home DIY mechanic , my own personal opinion, would be high quality battery powered

I have and use both. Mainly use the air for impact wrench.

As for the ratchet, I also have an nice craftsman air ratchet, but its loud as hell and sometimes annoying to have the hose in the way in tighter areas. For ratchet work, I prefer the Milwaukee brushless, enough power, portability and battery life is great.

Whether you use air, battery, or hand tools... need to be careful not to snap our round out bolts. Took me a couple hard learned lessons to remember to be gentle :(

I have a bunch of air tools. As for using compressed air to turn nuts, bolts and screws, I rarely use them. I piped air throughout my shop because I hate hoses, yet I still have to have some length of hose and more often than not, its in my way. There will inevitably be some loop turned up just right to catch an ankle and make me do a face-plant.

I've not have very good luck with the impacts at all. I purchased a few trying to find a powerful one with unsatisfactory results. I generally grab my 24" breaker bar and try to muscle things loose first because I hate hoses. But seems if I can't muscle it loose with my breaker bar, then its not coming off with any of the impacts either no matter how much torque they claim to put out. The air ratchets tho come in handy for hard to reach nuts and bolts where there's no room to swing a regular ratchet.

Where the air tools rule is for removing paint and corrosion because air really gets things moving fast. High speed sanders and grinders are awesome. My favorite air tool by far is my blast cabinet. In restoring classic cars I do a lot of media blasting. Less frequently used, but indispensable is my air powered caulking gun as its the best way to get a consistent bead of urethane around a windshield. I've never tried an electric one, but it just about can't be done with a hand-squeezed type. There's things you can do tho just with a rubber-tipped blow gun like pushing the pistons out of a brake caliper so you can rebuild it.

If you do start building a serious collection of air tools, you need more than just a compressor tho. You need a water separator, followed by a filter, then an oiler if you're running stuff like a die grinder. The best filter is a "motor guard m60" filter, sometimes referred to as a TP filter because it resembles a roll of toilet paper. Nothing gets through that, not even the moisture that gets past the water separator. If you run air tools and also do any painting or blasting, you need to get separate hoses otherwise you'll get oil in your paint or clog up the blaster. And you have to conscious of the CFM requirements of the tool. Stuff like orbital sanders or sandblasters generally need a huge compressor to keep up with the volume. Given the requirements, some tools may be better as battery powered for the hobbyist.

But if you've ever wondered why auto body shops use almost exclusively air tools, its because they won't get shocked. Their floors are constantly wet from all the cleaning and sanding processes and the wet floors help control dust. You don't want to be using electric tools on a wet shop floor. That's a huge advantage.

I've used battery powered drills for decades, but only recently getting into other battery tools, mostly outdoor and garden stuff so far. I like my Lowes branded leaf blower and hedge trimmer. But I very recently bought a battery powered shop vac from Lowes to vacuum the cars and have been very pleased with it. The only problem with the battery tools is that I get anywhere from six to twenty minutes of continuous run time followed by two hours of charging. Thus I have several batteries and a couple of chargers going for Saturday yard work.

I'd be curious tho if anyone has comparisons between their battery powered impact gun vs. air powered. I've been thinking about buying an electric impact, but haven't pulled the trigger for fear it'd be just another boat anchor in the tool box.

Phil seems to have a little experience in this field, LOL. Thanks for your input, good points all. Here in the Mid-West of the US, we have a lot of local grass roots racing. I have noticed a few years ago when battery impacts gained improvement that they started showing up there in the pits. Small tracks don't always have great facilities for the racers and hand wrenching wheels on and off got tiring. Hence the battery tools. Not every team has a F1 or NASCAR type rig and tools (compressor) and the battery tools make it possible.
So everything has it use in the right situation. my other .02, TM

[QUOTE=pdupler;2335393
I'd be curious tho if anyone has comparisons between their battery powered impact gun vs. air powered. I've been thinking about buying an electric impact, but haven't pulled the trigger for fear it'd be just another boat anchor in the tool box.[/QUOTE]

I have two battery powered impacts. One is a 1/4" shank, good for low torque nuts and bolts, and for general speed work tightening things up. Last year, I bought a larger, 1/2" drive Makita. There are many different models, but the one I chose has 720 Ft Lbs of torque. Ft Lb is the indicator you want to compare when you go shopping for the big guy. So far, I have not found anything it cannot loosen. I have two air impact guns, and haven't used them once since I got the Makita. I used it to remove my front ABS rings when I changed the wheel bearing. Piece of cake. Just have to be careful with it- it can break a wrist if you are not careful. It is slightly larger than the air impact- might be an issue in really tight spaces.

I use very few power tools on the Jaguar, mostly an impact gun to remove lug nuts, sometimes. I install them by hand. That's about all for power tools around the Jag. I want to feel what I'm doing.
I have air tools and battery powered tools and I would never give up either. The air chisel and die grinder were lifesavers then working on exhaust system of my other cars. Haven't had to touch the exhaust on the Jag yet. Some tools come in only one form so I have no choice. For air tools you need to have a compressor with the capacity that can support them. I have a 60 gallon tank with a 220v compressor, I love it. Having air is great since I have over 40 pneumatic tires to maintain. I blow the lawn tractor off after using it. I have a smaller compressor on wheels so I give up capacity when I use it. But it is portable.
Battery powered tools are good for portability but when the batteries are dead you're done and some battery powered tools lack the power of air or corded tools.
I'm building a stock of Makita 18 volt cordless tools. I got two more batteries for Christmas.
My most used power tool is my Makita cordless drill.
I am looking to purchase a Makita chain saw. I expect it not to be as powerful as my gas chain saw but it uses two batteries so we'll see.

Reminds me another great air compressor accessory is my portable aluminum air tank. Did I mention I hate hoses? If you get a large compressor that has to be bolted to the floor, this is great for inflating tires out in the driveway as opposed to rolling out 50 feet of hose from the back of the shop. The little short lead that comes with the HF unit is garbage, but add a decent 3-foot hose with a quick connect for a regular air chuck and its a beautiful thing. Used to carry one when I did autocross racing. I'd add five or so PSI to my tires for the event, then let the air back out to normal pressure for the drive home. Don't cheap out and buy the steel tank instead. The weight difference is well worth the extra cost.

I have a portable tank too, it's steel. LOL :icon_eek: I know what you mean, I fill that in the garage then go around topping off tires all over the place. My neighbor used to borrow it all the time because his wife was always driving over nails, screws, anything sharp. I moved and he died so he doesn't borrow it anymore.

Air/Battery tool
 

Air tools torque can be adjusted. Battery powered tools that I have purchased DeWalt can't.

I have a combination of all three. I use air tools mostly for high torque and bigger not/bolt jobs. Also use air for die grinder, air hammer, cookie wheels, and any body shop stuff. When it comes to smaller nuts and bolts, nothing beats a cordless drill and ratchet. I am all in on Milwaukee cordless. I use them for cordless at house and at the shop i work in. The cordless impact is my go-to for anything small. No air lines = no dirty interior when working on customer cars. Corded is used when i am cutting and grinding metal for welding and bigger jobs. I haven't put down big money on cordless 1/2" impacts just because i don't use it enough plus having access to air tools. A good air impact should always work. None of that cheap shit. Never had a problem loosening anything. Doesn't hurt i work on cars for a living, so the invested money and quickness of parts removal is high on my list when it comes to tool purchases.