LS26 Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Hi, I'm looking to buy an air impact wrench (a cheap one) and am looking for advice... There is plenty on here about which brands are best and which are worst, but my question is what is the best torque to go for as a hobby-rebuilding-RRC sort of a bloke? Most of those on eBay seem to quote 230ft/lbs and go for around £20 inc post, but one says 350ft/lbs (windy rattler) and is £27 inc post. As I will only be working on the RRC, will the 230 ones do or should I go for the 350 - or do I need to look for even more? Rog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I'd get the biggest, more use for undoing stubborn nuts/bolts etc both figures are tighter than any L/R bolt, undoing rusty A frame bolts will use all the torque available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS26 Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 I'd get the biggest, more use for undoing stubborn nuts/bolts etcboth figures are tighter than any L/R bolt, undoing rusty A frame bolts will use all the torque available. Thanks - I suspected as much... Additional question: When they quote 350ft/lbs, with 500ft/lbs max - what does that mean, stalled or something? Rog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Go for the max you can pssibly buy! I had one of the 250ftlbs clarke ones from machine mart. it wouldnt even undo the wheelnuts on my car that i'd just torqued up with a torque wrench to 80ftlbs! Useless! I've got a CP one that goes up to 450ftlbs, and an ingersoll rand one that goes up to 1000 ftlbs. I've found plenty of things that the big ingersoll one struggles to undo! I wouldnt go for anything that is any less than 400 ftlbs, and I would always buy a recognised brand. A decent one will last a lifetime and spare parts are available. Look for CP (Chicago pneumatic), Ingersol rand, dessouter, atlas copco, snap-on, bluepoint etc etc. If you keep your eyes open on ebay they can be picked up cheaply. i paid £16 off ebay for my CP one 2nd hand. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Additional question: When they quote 350ft/lbs, with 500ft/lbs max - what does that mean, stalled or something?Rog It usually means 350 in forwards, 500 reverse, the motors are always biased toward undoing stuff. For example the Ingersol Rand that I have (IIRC Jon White has the same one) has four torque settings, however when in reverse it is always on full power regardless of which setting you have chosen. As said above, buy the best you can, CP and Ingersol Rand are the tools I would choose, IMO Snap-on and blue-point are a waste of money for various reasons, I have owned both and now use Ingersol Rand Lewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I've got the 2135 ti. I've been very pleased with the ingersoll and CP tools. I've got some sealey stuff as well. Its ok, but not as good! I've heard mixed reports about the snapon air tools. Apparently the snapon man now sells the ingersoll rand ones aswell. I've nothing bad to say about snap-on hand tools however. If you keep looking the 2135 guns regularly turn up on ebay for around the £100 mark brand new! If you're buying brand new I'd strongly recommend you also buy the protective boot at the same time and use it from the outset as it keeps the tools looking so much nicer for longer! Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS26 Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 Thanks for the help, people Unfortunately I can't afford a good make so I'll just go for the biggest torque figures I can find at bargain basement prices. I'll report back on how it goes... Cheers Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Just bear in mind you're better off with a second hand decent make one than a new el cheapo one! As I said earlier my CP one was £16 2nd hand off ebay! Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 I've gat a CP one, its amazing... I think i paid £60 for it secondhand... with a 3/8 drive CP air ratchet... Dont buy a carp one for £27, spend a little more and buy a secondhand pro tool... as the others have said, my money would be on Ingersoll rand or CP....... If you buy a good one and it goes wrong, spare parts are eay to get from and dealer, if a cheap one fails, its hello Mr Dustbin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 I paid £3 for a 2nd hand 3/8" CP air ratchet off ebay! Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.