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What's your favourite/best brand of air tools?

eKretz

Diamond; Mod Squad
Joined
Mar 27, 2005
Location
Northwest Indiana, USA
I've been using air tools for ages, and have found the best to be Dotco air tools. I like Ingersoll-Rands stuff OK, and have a few of those also. What do you guys think of other brands? I've heard of DynaBrade, Sioux, Snap-On, etc. Which brands beside Dotco are still U.S.-made? How about which ones are most easily rebuilt? Last the longest?
 
I agree on Dotco, well made.

IR has both elcheapo & high quality tools. Stay away from the low dollar tools. Made in the USA and all over the world.

Dyna is high quality. Parts are pricey & harder to get than IR.

Snap-On has everyone make tools for them. Nice quality. Rebuildable if you can figure out where to buy the parts (or who made the tool).

Sioux tools are owned by Snap-on. Also a seller of both cheapo & quality tools.

CP is widely distributed. Like IR, good availabilty of parts & tech support.

Henry & TC Service (Top Cat) are the best in 3HP and 4HP vertical shaft grinders. Tougher than nails, easy to rebuild, good parts & tech support. 100% USA.

Jet builds good, heavy duty weld chippers, scalers & hammers.

Patco makes superb industrial tools, equal to the top IR & CP offerings. They make no impacts, but most everything else. 100% USA. Good parts & tech support. Sometimes found cheap at auctions or eBay as few people recognize the name. http://www.patcoairtools.com/index.htm

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If you go with a higher priced IR or CP, you'll start with a good tool that can easily be rebuilt to new condition.

Whenever there's a choice of a tool with a 90* head versus a straight tool, go with the straight tool if possible. The bevel gears are a PITA, really expensive to replace (just paid $360 for a matched set for an IR angle grinder!!!) and often unnecessary - many designs eliminate the the gears by using a vertical motor.

Watch some of the newer IR impacts, like the popular 2135Ti or the 2141. The cylinders are cast with the end plate integral. A hone can be run most of the way into the cylinder, but there's no way resurface the end plate as it wears - just throw away the worn cylinder & give IR $150 for a new one ......
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Barry Milton
 
I like CP DA's & Drills, IR sanders & sander polishers & Snap-On drills, impact wrenches and air hammers, older stuff seems to have been better quality than recent in most cases.
For air saws you just can't beat Cengar (Halifax, UK) contra-acting pistons give great ballance, you can cut through bodywork one handed & without having to ram the saw hard against the work to get a good cut, last forever too if oiled as recommended!
Regards,
Nick
 
I have some of everything, about 50 air tools in all, so my observations may be of interest.

Dotco makes some of the best RA grinders you can buy, but the IR Cyclone line will definitely give them a run for the money. The Cyclones are more versatile since you can configure the exhaust port for front or rear-very handy. Dotco has to be ordered one way or the other. All in all these two are a toss-up for best RA grinders. IR was first with a composite housing; Dotco had to play cath-up on that one. But they caught up ;)

On RA close-quarter 1/4-28 spindle drills, Dotco or Desoutter. Lightest, smallest, quietest, smoothest.

Best 'palm' drill goes to IR (3AL1, 3AN1), with a special mention for Sioux which is damn near as good for 1/2 the money.

Best air torque setting screwdriver goes to Cleco.

Best geared DA (epicycloid orbit) goes to Dynabrade with special mention for the Detroit 900, again nearly as good for 1/3 less money.

Best random orbit sander goes to Dynabrade. There are several 'look alke' sanders out there, but I've owned every one of them and NOT EVEN ONE is still working, while all three Dynas still work fine despite more hours at hard labor. Even the Dotco is not as good and I have the latest model too. But I always reach for a Dynabrade.

Best DA sander again goes to Dynabrade. A DA differs from a pure random orbit sander in that it can also be configured as a grinder.

Best air file goes to Hutchins for both inline (Hustler) and their unique orbital air file.

Best 'jitterbug' sander goes to Hutchins also. You'd think the Dynabrade would win out here having the motor from their excellent random orbit but no, the Hutchins is definitely better.

Just my opinions based on daily use.

I have many other tools like impact drivers and the like but I dont use them enough to find their limits and bugs, so I won't comment on them.

Jimbo
 
Cleco has power at lower rpms and Dotco has smooth running at high rpms.
This may not be an 'apples to apples' comparison since both brands can be configured for either 12,00 or 20,00 RPM. You might have one of each type in different brands. I mostly prefer the 12,000 RPM RA grinders. My Dotco is a 12,000 RPM.

Jimbo
 
One brand you don't hear about too much is the Husky at Home Depot. They good ones are made by Fuji in Japan, who also makes many of IR's nice models. Lifetime warranty from HD. Granted they don't have any specialty models like chippers, scalers, big impacts, etc. But for the small stuff they're great.
 
what exactly is an air tool
A more correct name would be air powered tool, but no one uses that, too wordy.

Includes impact wrenches, ratchets, grinders, sanders, chippers & scalers, die grinders, drills, polishers, hammers (pavement breakers), and more.

Some good sites are:

http://www.irtools.com/productsandsolutions/index.asp

http://www.chicagopneumatic.com/

http://www.henrytools.com/

http://www.tcservice.com/

http://www.dynabrade.com/

http://www.coopertools.com/brands/dotco/index.cfm

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Barry Milton
 
So, if I understand this, the difference is not the tool per se, but that it is powered by compressed air...the advantage over gasoline-powered is obviously no fumes (assuming the compressor is outdoors). What is the advantage of air/pneumatic-powered over electric-powered tools?

By the way, if this is just too basic, ignore me. However, I found a site that said Pneumatics are everywhere in important inventions, however, they are relatively unknown to the general public, so now I don't feel so bad


Clueless in Virginia
 
To add to that Stephanie...air tools are tools that are powered by compressed air. So you need to run a hose from an air compressor to the air tool to use it. Thus, instead of an electric cord to power the tools, you have a hose that transmits the compressed air to the tool. Guys, great responses so far, I'm busily checking out all the links of the companies that I hadn't already heard of. Thanks! And if you've got any more, keep 'em coming!

Also, stuff like Jimbo offerd up is useful to me, I like to hear about practical long-term experience of what is good, better, and best from people that are using the tools more than I am!
 
Apologies to wyzkydd, I think my question would be considered "thread highjack"
What I'm really grappling with is whether many of the tools you are discussing on PM are just too far from my "consumer product" mandate and maybe I should just steer clear.

So, I'll just read and be quiet.
 
Steph -

IMO, you'll find some air powered tools in many noncommercial shops. Air die grinders are really common, impacts too if automotive work is done.

What is the advantage of air/pneumatic-powered over electric-powered tools?
Smaller, lighter, greater power-to-weight, cool running, no electric shock potential, no sparks to ignite flammable vapors, etc.
 
For Impact guns IR stuff is awesome, I have used a bunch and they run circles around snap on performance wise, especially for the price.
I have recently found a brand of USA made rortary air tools, Viking. The same people who makes the sanders. I have a straight, and angle grinders, as well as a drill. They cost less than IR (on sale) and they are very well built. Highly recommended if you can find them!

Jim
 
For aircraft/missile assembly/repair only air powered or pneumatic (if you want to pick nits)are allowed on most aerospace production floors.

The tools run cooler and are usually more powerfull than a comparable electric tool and can be used in a unsafe enviroment(explosive gasses or fumes)without the danger of sparks from the electric motors brushes.
 
Hi Guys,

Not to sound like a shameless plug, but I've been manufacturing pneumatic tools for 30 years now. The last 11 years I've been Vice President of product development for ATSCO mentioned above. ATSCO doesn't have a consumer line of tools so isn't nearly as well known as IR, CP, etc. Most of our products go to the heavy industries, ie; foundries, shipyards, railroad, etc. It's all very high quality, all US made. A large percentage of our sales are not catalogued items, but specialty, niche type tools for industrial users. My shop in Tennessee makes a lot of the special stuff.
Guess you never know who you'll run into on this board!

Greg
 








 
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