Are you Still using Pneumatic or have bought lithium-ion battery 3/8" , 1/2" impact tools and 3/8" ratchet etc What Brand lithium-ion battery tools do you have Milwalkee, Dewalt, Harbor Freight etc? I guess I should stick with one brand so I can use the same batteries and charger
Still using my pneumatic I-R 1/2 inch gun that I have had for 20+ years. I also have a battery Craftsman 20V small impact driver that is made to use driver bits for screws but have a 1/4 and 3/8 drive socket adapters as well. It will drive smaller bolts and is handy for removing an oil pan or a valve cover but not for doing wheels or larger bolts. I have thrown away many battery tools over the last 20 years because the battery replacement costs more than buying a new tool, the old air wrench works like new. Also have a 1/2 inch Craftsman 110 volt plug in impact that I take when going to my kids house as he doesn't have a compressor. Had that one for 35+ years, I hate throwing tools away so not totally sold on battery tools except drills. As a side note, the hand chucks (tighten without a key) on my last three drills are totally worthless! One each DeWalt, Milwaukie, and Craftsman and all are slipping and won't grip within 3 months. The new Craftsman didn't last two weeks!
I use Milwaukee 18 volt cordless drills. I have their 1/2” impact. Which is nice to use when busting off tires or a bolt and I don’t have to drag out a hose and fire off my loud compressor. My dad has their 3/8” 18 volt ratchet. It works pretty well, especially when there isn’t really any room to move the ratchet.
I've got the 12v 3/8 Milwaukee impact drivers. One the handiest tools I have. Have 3 of them. Got a 1/2 DeWalt for the big jobs.
Yep , that is why I havent bought any of the new fangled lithium-ion stuff...... I only have cord drills But I might get a Dewalt 15ft pole chain saw for my property trees , so....
I have Milwaukee 12 volt tools; my kid, who said he would never use battery tools has gone thru the 12 bolts and moved on to 18 volt now.
Ive been switching over to Dewalt lithium ion tools the past few years. Impacts & drills, grinder, sawzall in the shop & weedeaters, leaf blower & pole saw for the yard. I like them really well. Ive got the 3/4 drive impact for lugnuts and its got plenty torque.
I bought a pneumatic impact for $40.00 could have bought a battery powered impact for $140.00, but needed beer that week.
I gave up on Craftsman battery tools long ago. Batteries are too expensive and they have a two year guarantee. They alays lasted 2 years and 1 day and expired. Went to Dewalt and batteries did the same thing ......2years and 1 day...phutttt I'm not knocking the tools, but I took good care of my batteries ........and I had a lot that I bought. Gave what was still working away. Now everyone is going to tell me that they had the same batteries and they lasted forever, but that was not what happened for me. Then I tried a Kobalt drill that was on sale for $89 with a battery and a charger. Fell in love with it. Great little drill and it will twist your arm if you aren't careful. The tools come with a 5 Year guarantee......and the BATTERIES are 3 years. I have not had one battery fail and I probably have about 10 of them between me and the holiday gifts for my son. I suggest waiting till the next national holiday when they always have sales and go buy one of their drills and battery combos. Try just one of their tools and I bet you will like it. Then the next holiday, watch for a sale on a combo group to add to your tool collection. If you buy one and decide you don't like it, you can simply return it a month later.............but I bet you will keep it. Edit: While you are at Lowes, compare battery prices between Craftsman, DeWalt, and Kobalt. Price the 4ah size. Lowes runs them on sale several times a year for about $50 (maybe $60 now with Bidenflation) but the others are more like $100 ........
I use a mix of manual tools and pneumatic. I bought 2 new air tools last weekend. I have a 55 gallon compressor and enough air hose on the reel to reach across the shop and then some, I'm not messing with battery tools in the shop. My battery powered work lights keep dying, I don't need my tools to do the same.
I used cordless tools daily when I was still working, so I picked up some for home use when I retired. At work they were reliable, but proved much less so with the intermittent use they got at home. Within two years, every one of the tools failed. And these weren't cheapies, these were big-name brands; Makita, DeWalt and Milwaukee. I repaired a couple of them, but they just failed again. I was told it was failure on my part to 'exercise' them enough. I'm done with cordless... My air and corded tools never let me down.
I have a mixture of Dewalt and Snap On cordless tools. I was apprehensive of a cordless angle grinder but it's legit for short jobs. Cordless drills are also a no brainer. We have a Milwaukee cordless 1" impact at work. It will break the lug nuts free on our big tractors that get torqued to 433 FT/LBS during every tire inspection and replacement. A very impressive tool.
I resisted cordless tools for a long time, then got a couple free Dewalt 18 volt Nicad so use that system. I like not having three extension cords tangling each other up. I like the fact that the battery impact is weaker and slower than the air tool, so can remove some bolts with a little time that would just break off with the air. You can get an adapter to convert the old tools to use the newer Lithium batteries.
I have the Ryobi brand stuff my brick layer buddy hands down to me. They get used some but my air tools are my go to. They never need recharging.
I use all three...Hand Tools, Pneumatic and Lithium Batteries. And the grand Kids, I use them for all kinds of stuff..
I've had Ryobi..all sorts..hex impact drill is the best thing I ever got.. plus chain saw tree cutter with extension handle, vacuum, regular chainsaw, and many other accessories. Batteries were crap until they came out with the lithium 18v... It's a whole new world with the lithiums.. pneumatics are too much trouble with the air line, and nearly as much trouble dragging a power card around... A few things like my angle grinder and 1/2 in drill just about have to use a corded version. Not only did I use the Ryobi hex drill for nearly everything on the car over 11 years to build but a couple of years ago I just finished building my entire new garage with screws... There's not a single nail in it.. all with my little Ryobi 18 volt hex Drive.. instant tool change out, hex drive guarantees no Chuck slippage, etc... One charger in the house and one charger in the garage and four batteries I never have to worry about not having power
Chicago Pneumatic 734, serial # 593 - First one sold in Idaho Falls ... paid $110 & a Black & Decker rocker trigger for it in 1968. I gutted the regulator & ported it .... I change oil every year or so. It will break 9/16'' bolts with 180 lbs air.
I have two corded drills (which I seldom use) two 19.2 volt Craftsman (and the batteries have been going for several years) a 14.4 Volt DeWalt that I got on a garage sale ten? years ago...the battery doesn't hold a charge as well as it used to Several air tools, rattle guns, sanders, saws etc. I really like the convenience of not fighting a cord and air lines aren't a lot better but.....they have their place too. One of my corded drills is late 40's and was dads, it will twist your arm off!
All three. Believe it or not, but my Black and Decker 1/2 inch air impact is stronger than my equivalent SnapOn. I rarely use either anymore, since I have picked up several Milwaukee and Dewalt impacts. The Dewalts outperform the Milwaukees. I have three Milwaukees, all18v, and two 20v Dewalt Atomics. The High Torque M12 - 2767 is powerful, but heavy compared to the air tools. The Dewalt 20v Atomic is a compact, but does most of what my latest generation Milwaukee M18 mid torque does, in a smaller, lighter package. Never really got behind air ratchets much. I have two, one is a Craftsman and the other I don’t recall, but it may be a CP. I find them slow and underpowered, plus the hose is cumbersome. Last year I picked up a Milwaukee M12 high speed ratchet and don’t like it much. Picked up a Dewalt 12v extreme extended reach, but haven’t used it yet.
I was gifted a Ryobi 18V set. Only the impact screw gun still has the magic blue smoke in it. All of the chargers failed, too. Pure garbage.
Y'all do know that Black and Decker, DeWalt and Porter Cable are all made by the same company? Quality goes up the line, B&D being homeowners stuff, DeWalt in the middle and P-C being their top of the line. I have Porter Cable 20 volt stuff, 1/2" drill. 1/4" impact, and a sawzall. I did burn up one P-C 3/8" drill when I hung it and couldn't get it to shut off, so I replaced it with a B&D. That pos only lasted two years! I went back with P-C, am still using the same two batteries from the original drill and impact 5 years later, the B&D battery died in two years. I have twisted 1/4" bolts in two with the little impact! My Stanley 1/2" air impact gets drug out for the big jobs like lug nuts. It's the same as the good Craftsman gun from several years ago, just branded different. I also use an air 4" grinder, don't even know what brand it is, but it was cheap, as well as an off brand die grinder. I have a 3/8" air ratchet in the drawer, I never use it, too bundlesome with the hose draped over the fenders.
The Lithium Ion is a LOT better than the old battery powered tools of just a few years ago. During a recent power outage that lasted from Friday until Monday (for us) and even longer for others, we got out the Kobalt worklights (2) from my shop. I have at least 6 batteries. The LED uses such a small amount of power that we only used a couple batteries to light the rooms. They never went dead........and when power comes back on they simply get recharged instead of replaced like conventional flashlights and emergency power lights. I try to always keep my batteries charged, and they never let me down. Cheper in the long run too as some replacement batteries never seem to have much life left when you need them. Go get a Kobalt drill and charger next holiday sale at Lowes. If you can find a combo with a flashlight, get it. You will not regret it...........but you can return it if you just can't stand battery power. No harm /no foul. Give it a try..........
A couple friends bought Rigid cordless tools. Apparently the batteries are warrantied forever - and one fellow has used this replacement warranty a couple times already. The catch is that you have to fill out a warranty card etc. and of course most people don't get around to it.
After many years of using air drills and impact wrenches, I finally broke down and bought some Porter Cable cordless stuff. It works well for most drilling and quick assembly, but I still use the air drill for tight places, and the air rattle guns to get things tight. lately, I have been running all new air plumbing throughout the shop, with 3 hose reels, in different locations. I do have a 3/4" air impact that made a few trips to Indy, when my old buddy Rolla Vollstedt was running. I think Ingersoll Rand gave them to all the teams. If you notice the bolt screwed into the button that changes directions, that is so, when the operator lays it down on that side, it automatically changes directions.
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