Tool Talk: Pneumatic vs. Electric

[AchingBack]

If you have a lot of lubrication needs, and don't want to mess with a hose, I recommend a battery powered grease gun. This is especially necessary if you are working away from your shop compressor; i.e. in the field, or on a job site.

 

[schmism]

its been my experience that air tools are lighter in weight, but are not as powerful as an electric. my 14v cordless drill will outpower an air drill not to mention my Milwaukee hole shooter.

air sanders are nice but wont out power my porta cable 6" RO sander. My die grinder is handy in tight spots, but my small dewalt 4.5" angle grinder with cutting disc will out cut it 2:1

I dont own an electric or cordless impact but used a 18v cordless snap-on impact that made a 3/4" air impact look like a toy. that thing was NICE!

when it comes to body work i love my Air Angle Die Grinder (like a die grinder but with the 90deg head) its lightweight and makes quick work of surface prep for welding and or rough bondo feathering.

 

[Cami]

Pound-for-pound, air motors blow electrics out of the water; there, I said it.

@schmism: When you compare a 4.5" electric grinder to a die grinder, yes of course the grinder will cut more quickly. The grinder has a nice, big universal motor, known for their torque, of maybe 3/4 horsepower. A little die grinder's air motor is probably in the range of 1/4 to 1/2 horsepower and simply lose the cutting contest on that basis. Take a look at how large an electric die grinder is compared to the comparable pneumatic model.

A lot of issues with air tool performance come down to supply. Not having enough compressor is common, but often adequate supply lines are a problem. In my experience, a 1" impact gun run on a 3/8 hose usually feels "tired" but runs much better if you can get a fatter hose.

The merits and disadvantages of pneumatic tools are commonly known but something to consider, that is often overlooked, is how much your compressed air supply really costs. It's an expensive way to transmit power, really, but you don't really notice until you do it on a larger scale. It seems to me that you need about 5 hp of compressor capacity to run 1 hp worth of air motor continuously.

 

[Gary Fowler]

YEP, kinda like your hydrastatic drive tractors. Using a motor to turn a hydraulic pump that is used to turn a transmission to turn wheels waste a lot of energy. Air tools aren't quite that bad, but still waste a lot of energy and if you drain your air tank daily, you loose all that stored energy also. I cant say that air lasts longer than electric either, both need proper maintenance to work properly and last.
The advantage is weight to power ratio. If you are using a big 7-9" electric grinder all day compared to an air powered grinder of the same size, you will not exert nearly the energy with the air grinder. I kind of like the sounds they make too.

 

[banjodunn]

G'day as mentioned earlier it depends alot on your compressor size air drills, grinders, etc are usually used for an longer period of time and therefor suck your comp dry i find elec better in those situations however i still own most of the tools mentioned in both air and elec. Cami i was always taught that the size of the impact drive should be the size of the delivery hose


Jon

 

[Kubota 2350]

I have both, the air is the best, but if you need to work away from your air source then battery or the electric win hands down.

 

[JoelD]

Thinking a little more on this, I use my compressor mostly for air, blowing stuff clean, filling stuff up (mini-bosses Dora bouncy ball last night) and my 1/2 inch impact wrench and 3/8's ratchet.

All other opperations, drilling, cutting, grinding etc are performed with cordless or electric.

With the way cordless is developing and electric are already there, tough to justify a big compressor set up for tools for the average guy / gal.

Good electric / cordless tools are tough to beat.

Not to mention the time it takes for my compressor to fill up as I only use on the weekends.

Again, I've not found a more powerful impact wrench yet though.

Joel

 

[SpringHollow]

I dont own an electric or cordless impact but used a 18v cordless snap-on impact that made a 3/4" air impact look like a toy. that thing was NICE!
.

Either your 3/4" air impact was a poor design or was air starved. The Snap-on battery one is powerful but has half the breakaway power of their 3/4 air one as a comparison.

Ken

 

[Iplayfarmer]

With the way cordless is developing and electric are already there, tough to justify a big compressor set up for tools for the average guy / gal.

I already have some compressor capacity. I just recently upgraded for sandblasting by adding an old Craftsman 6 CFM compressor to my previous Eaton 4 CFM compressor. Both are 100% duty cycle. I have them both feed to a central auxiliary tank. 10 CFM isn't a ton, but it runs my little sandblaster. Between the two compressors and the extra tank, I have about 40 gallons of storage. I leave the Craftsman on all the time so the tanks stay full. I only drain them about once a month (if I remember). I plug the Eaton in when I need some extra capacity.

I was looking at air tools; and most drills, ratchets, etc. list 4 CFM as the requirement. I ought to have plenty for that. Even a 7" Air Angle Grinder is listed with a 7 CFM requirement.

It sounds like I may want to get serious about upgrading my hoses, though. I have some 3/8" hose and some 1/4" hose, but I use 1/4" I/M fittings throughout the system. Between my blow guns, air chucks, nailers, staplers, impact, ratchet, paint sprayers, etc. It will be quite an expense to change it all out. I guess I could do it gradually by building a pigtail with a 3/8" male QC and a 1/4" female QC to adapt down to my old stuff until I get around to changing the old stuff out.

 

[bota7800]

I leave the Craftsman on all the time so the tanks stay full. I only drain them about once a month (if I remember).

Slightly OT: I am not usually a Harbor Freight fan but they have a $10 automatic compressor drain. - Harbor Freight Tools - Compressor Drain It replaces the tank drain with a tee, hose and (probably) a valve. I just glanced at it, didn't look at it in detail, but it is interesting. Has anyone used anything like that? Are they worth it?

If it works I might start leaving my compressor on for ready air. As it is, I sometimes neglect to drain the compressor after a quick job.