New Air Tools

[Miguel Constancio]

I am looking to get some compressor tools, but I don’t know about any of the specifics. I need to know what kind of setup would work for a home garage. What size compressor, how powerful does the impact wrench need to be? Thank you in advance. 🙂

Topic

[Mike]

A 30 gallon tank and rated for 6 CFM is the least you should bother with. You’ll want a air line drier and a pressure regulator with 1/4″ NPT threading, which is what the 3/8″ air hose you’ll be needing will have on it. 3/8″ is the hose diameter, not the fitting size. The best brand of air hose is Flexzilla, made by Legacy. It is durable, doesn’t get as gross and rubber or PVC and doesn’t kink easily or stay coiled. You’ll also need some small 1/4″ NPT pipes (lowes/home depot) and fittings to connect the drier/regulator assembly together and to the compressor. You may also want to run a small whip hose to the drier/regulator and mount that assembly on a wall or something next to the machine instead of mounting directly to the compressor (In which the piping supports the weight of the assembly and eventually break). Then you will want to have a female quick connect coupler of some kind on the end of your air hose and make nipples for all your air tools.

Snap-On makes the best couplers and it’s worth mail-ordering them from the website, but you don’t need them. I posted about them before right here: http://www.ericthecarguy.com/kunena/11-Tool-Talk/55641-air-hose-diameter-questions

As far as 1/2″ impacts go, which is a staple reason to have air, The IR 2135QTIMAX is the ideal one and can be ordered off Amazon in a snap. Aside from impeccable, industry-standard performance, it’s very quiet and civilized for your neighbors.

[Andrew Button]

Don’t waste you money on any air tools but Snap-on or Ingersol Rand. Mac sells rebadged IR tools. Matco does too These are the only airtools that actually work and last. Lots of pretend impact guns out there don’t waste your money on them.

[James O’Hara]

For impacts and ratchets Snap-On and Ingersoll Rand are king. For die angle grinders almost everyone i ever see with one uses Chicago Pneumatic and that is not the Harbor Freight name brand.

I have heard good things about both Air Cat and Astro Pneumatic but, the ones listed above are time tested and proven brands. Air Cats tend to die quickly if not properly taken care of and the muffler removed. Astro Pneumatic is newer and still has yet to be time tested and proven.

For your tire inflator or blow nozzles the cheap and decent brand is amflo.

For Air Hammers Matco MT1724K Long Barrel is by far the best but, I believe that is also a rebranded IR.

I agree with everything Fopeano said. 6cfm is a bare minimum i would suggest 8-12 cfm if you plan to do something like restoring multiple cars or making your own little side business. Also the Flexzilla hoses while awesome are softer so just be mindful of it getting wedged in between steel places or brushing up against sharp edges. It doesn’t happen often but, if you just tug without looking it is likely to cut or tear but, they are easily the best of the cheaper solutions and are what most mechanics use.

Most important thing is maintenance you need to drain your air tank after each use and then close the valve. If it is ann oil based compressor keep on top of the maintenance. Another thing you might want to add is an oil mister for your system that would go in after the regulator. But, before the long length air hose so you do not need to oil your tools before each use unless it has been a while. If you are only going to use them periodically you are going to want to cover the air inlets and exhaust with a plastic bag and a rubber band or saran wrap in an attempt to keep moisture out and prevent rust.

[Matthew Ross]

If you’re a DIYer like me, you probably don’t have a 240 Volt outlet in your garage. If that’s the case, then I highly recommend the Chicago Pneumatic RCP-226VP. You can check it out here: http://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/Chicago-Pneumatic-RCP-226VP-Air-Compressor/p2041.html

It is dual voltage (120 or 240), and it has a pretty good CFM rating (7.10 at 90 psi). I own it and it’s by far my favorite tool.

I agree that your impact wrench should be of high quality. I’m a DIYer and I own an Ingersoll Rand 231C. It was worth every penny and has paid for itself many times over.

My tire inflator and blow gun are made by Milton, which is an awesome brand.

Now as for the rest of your air tools, I have a slightly different viewpoint than the rest of the responders. I own a Harbor Freight angle die grinder and a Harbor Freight cut-off tool and they both work well. I have a Tekton air hammer which has served me really well. Are they as good as IR, Snap-on, or Matco? Hell no. But, for my purposes, they are just fine. I wish I could afford the nice stuff, but I’m just a weekender. Just my two cents.

[Author]

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