AIR POWERED VS BATTERY POWERED TOOLS - WHICH IS BEST? 

The one factor that will keep battery tools from properly taking over, they don't have that cool ZZZZZZZIP sound that air tools have.

I’m old school I guess. Love my air tools. I have 1 battery tool. An impact driver. My long neck ratchets are even air.

I started as a mechanic buying all electric tools (Milwaukee and Ridgid). Their still great and I love them. My Milwaukee 3/8 impact and ratchet are my daily drivers. BUT, for the 1/2 stuff, ive moved over to air. Not because my electric 1/2 guns are weak or anything, Just.... the electric guns are heavy and the batteries die. Also, The astro 1/2 stubby is much smaller than any electric impact, and just as powerful. Thats the thing, Air still has more power for weight and size. Also, I've used my coworkers milwaukee die grinder... i dont recommend it. I/d go with a 1/2 hp air die grinder like chief or matco.

I own both and use both on a daily basis, I can’t see myself without my air or my electric

I love this video and the discussion it generated!! I'm an Agricultural road technician who has been doing this for about 20+ yrs. I thank God every day for the advances in battery powered tools!! I still have my faithful air tools but the air tools that are used regularly are becoming fewer and fewer. I have tried to explain to the young tech about how far the technology has come with the battery powered tools over the years!! Having 6 batteries and 4 chargers incase you needed to use a battery powered tool for an hour!! Lol. Great videos!!! Keep up the great content!! My most used tools now a days are my m12 1/4 driver, snap on 1/4 drive sockets, my Mac and snap on multimeters, and my laptop! How times change!!

Thanks for doing this video! I've been wanting to see this comparison for a while

I’m almost all battery now. The only air I use is air chisel and needle scaler. Other wise, it’s all Milwaukee 12 & 18 volt Brushless.

both air and electric have there place, however no matter what in this field of work you will always need air, many tools mechanics need to buy aren’t cheap, that being said i really feel that most mechanics can get by just fine using air tools. air is a must and electric is a luxury

Electric when you have fix something on the side of the road. Air when you have a nice shop.

As a welder I use air and corded for die grinders because we use them all day to grind and do repairs in right spots. Also we need air for carbon arc.

I've been waiting for a review like this 🤩 thanks!

One note for electric tools. They will get hot if you run hard. One more consideration the factor in. Personally, for what it’s worth, I need my air tools, that being said, I love the few battery tools I own.

As a mobile mechanic. I prefer battery I have an inverter to charge batteries on the go. And I have invested in multiple extra batteries for all my tools. I prefer battery because I don’t always have the ability to park close to where I’m working and it’s a lot easier to just grab a battery tool and go. I do have a 50’ hose reel on the truck and have an spare 100’ of hose I keep in the truck if absolute need be. But this day in age. I’m not breaking that ensemble out nearly as often as I used to. Great video. They both have their pros and cons. You alway need to have both onboard to grab the right one for the job

Both have their place. My air hammer, stubby 1/2" impact and di grinders are my only air tools left and they aren't going anywhere. I couldn't live without an air hammer and my Milwaukee stubby impact (250 ft lbs) can't compete with my 700 ft lb Matco stubby pneumatic. I work on 8-20 year old rotted out Minnesota vehicles and even that struggles often. I love my 2767 Milwaukee but you can't hardly fit it anywhere it's so big. Plus like you said batteries are not cheap. I have well over $1,200 in Milwaukee batteries alone and they won't last forever. Air is 100% needed and always will be. Even if everything was electric, how are you going to do tires? Not to mention using a blow gun or a tire inflator.

I have alot of mechanics that have had Milwaukee batteries for over 10 years and there still working great

As a shade tree mechanic I love my air tools, they can sit in the drawer for a year and when I need them I just couple on the the air hose and I’m good to go, but as an electrician and hobby woodworker I also love and have a pretty good selection of battery tools and very little money ! Lol

Battery powered tools are becoming the thing, mostly because of their portability. But let's not forget...when it comes to blowing off or airing up things, you still need air.

Cordless tools are awesome but I think for somebody starting out, or somebody buying tools on a budget, it's a lot easier to find quality air tools at more affordable prices. Tried and true air tool brands like Florida, CP, and Ingersoll have very good quality tools that can generally be had for a lot less than the tool trucks.

Milwaukee is just kicking ass and taking names.... While there are a few things that air is still used for, batteries have won the war... The only two things I can think of that batteries will never replace is sand blasting, and carbon arc gouging.

I work in a collosion shop, i do have a lot of battery powered tools for tearing down cars and putting them back together, but when it comes to grinding and sanding and cutting air is still king, i use my battery powered drill for pilot holes but for the bigger jobs i use my air powered drill, i like using both really

Great Video. I'm a home DIY to which 95% of my tools are air powered. I do mechanical work and metal fabrication for vehicle restoration. My cutoff wheel, die grinder, palm DA sander, plasma cutter, media blasting cabinet, HVLP and powder coating guns all use compressed air. I love all my air tools and air system and have no plans to change over to battery powered tools. I do own two cordless drills that I love and use more then my corded drill. Since I have a complete air system installed in our garage with a hose reel, I don't have issues with the air hose getting tangled anymore. I work only in our garage and don't need portability. I have different air outlets around the garage to connect air lines or tools as needed. Only negatives of air tools are: 1) The tools and air compressor are loud. (I use ear muffs as needed) 2) Your tethered to the air hose. 3) Not portable without some type of air source. I've heard people say how expensive it is to use air tools with having to by an air compressor, hose, fittings, receiver/dryer and air lines. The thing is, you can control how much you want spend on an air system depending on what you need and how much you want to spend. You don't have that flexibility with cordless tools. You still have to buy batteries, need a charging station and a place to store the tools and batteries. I believe in the long run, it is cheaper to use air tools and they should last longer too. When my air compressor goes, all I need to do is replace the air compressor for a few hundred dollars. With cordless tools, you most likely would have spent that up front for just the extra batteries.

I still like having both, in the heavy duty diesel market, working on semi trucks and trash trucks. Air tools are needed, especially on trash trucks because they're usually not taken care of very well and have really rusted bolts. Usually takes an air impact and heat. Cordless is also used a lot, mainly 3/8 and 1/4 impacts and ratchets, I do have a 3/8 air impact too. Cordless impacts are great for salvage yards or farms, where you need to go out into the field, or working on cars and pickup trucks. They're still good on the stuff I work on, but it is nice to have air 1/2, 3/4, and even 1" air impacts. But die grinders, air hammers, that kind of stuff I believe everyone still needs in air. So, long story short, I like both air and cordless and use both.

I have m18 batteries that are 10 years old and still working. Used daily.

did you add cost of air hose, fittings and compressors to the cost

I prefer a battery powered angle grinder for grinding large metal over a air powered die grinder with a cut off wheel for the most part unless you need room in a very tight space then air powered die grinder with a cut off wheel all day long

I have a large bottom drawer collecting the air tools that have been replaced by cordless electrics. air powered right angle drills, die grinders and air hammer are not collecting dust!

For me (a prosumer) this is what it comes down to: a complete air tool set up is a lot cheaper that a full battery set up, especially for long projects that would require multiple batteries. I can not justify having a bunch of batteries that get used one or two times a year. However, for quick jobs electric is great. I can use electric tools and have my breaks changed and be drinking a beer by the time my compressor would fill up. Both have their place and are better than doing it by hand. I started with air, built out my set up and am starting to build out my electric tools. I would 100% do it this way again. EDIT: also for air tools: there is a good assortment of air tools you cant get as electric. I have a flex head impact (air obviously) and that thing is irreplaceable.

I work in maintenance for conveyor belt material handling systems. We pretty much exclusively use battery tools. We have some air tools that rarely get used. I've had to use them to get tires off on some equipment that the battery tools we have just don't have it. Hopefully I'm able to buy a house soon in the near future and since more air tools are going the way of battery hopefully I can get some good deals on air tools. I have a few impact drills but I just really like pneumatic tools. Even though it's really not practical in my personal garage.

I like both. I like using my 1/2 inch snap on electric gun daily, it just about replaced my air gun. I dont think i could go a week without using my 3/8 Milwaukee ratchet, 3/8 snap on electric impact or 1/4 matco gun. I do however have a few air tools that i use often and some of them are probably 20 years old or more. Will the electric powered tools last that long? I dont know, but whenever the battery dies on the snap on, i grab my 25 year old ingersoll air gun because it just always works. Love where we are going as far as tech, i just hope the reliability is there.

Ive got both. They both have their place. Electric stuff is my preferred most of the time because i move all over the shop and do a lot of side jobs.

i run air power because i have a compressor and i was given the air tools for free they also are a hell of a lot cheaper to buy for what they do. i also dont go to the junk yard to pull parts but if i did well i have a HPA tanks and a reg i keep in the jeep for off road use to fill tires and stuff but works good to run an impact

Convenience I'd say battery. But sheer power.. Assuming you've got a ballsy air compressor, then air wins out. I do love my battery guns though.

I love my battery stuff especially my 767 long neck but I’ll never ever get rid of my MG325 air impact. That thing is an absolute beast of a impact and I’ve never not had it break a bolt loose.

I use my cordless tools all day everyday. The only time I get the pneumatic tools out is if I need more power and/or smaller size. I love my air tools but cordless is just so convenient!

as a mercedes dealership tech, I have more cordless tools than pneumatic, the only pneumatic ones I have are die grinders and a big 1/2 impact wrench, IR 2235TiMax for hiogh torque and I have dewalt 20V max platform at milwaukee m12 platform.

Just in my own experience as an aircraft mechanic if you are working around a lot of fuel and solvents you should be using airtools for safetys sake. Otherwise, cordless are easier on the user when you can use them in a safe enviroment.

Don't need a complaint from a customer finding grease marks in the interior of their vehicle too from the air hose.I use my Milwaukee M18 fuel 3/8 impact and both M12 1/4 drive fuel ratchets a lot.Still use my 1/2 air impacts.

I would love to see a battery powered impact hammer but still go to air hammers for that work all day

I'm just working on cars twice a month with standard tool . I think I'm gonna go with electric some jobs outside in the drive way which impact do you recommend in the 3/8 and the 1/2 inch electric for this light duty

Electric all day. Except for a handful of tools. So far the die grinder has some competition. But until then Ill keep using air for my air hammers and grinders.

Thanks for your video

air if you have air on site... if not then battery is the next best thing. not always the case, like for drills and wood saws, but for impacts, nailers, grinders, sanders, jackhammers, painting, etc, pneumatic makes it so much nicer and usually a lot lighter weight for the same tool... carrying around batteries is like carrying around lead weights... i have both varieties of most tools... they both get used, a lot...

If you are starting up from scratch the price of electric tools isnt to bad. For airtools you need a good compressor, aircleaner/dehumidifier (condensation is a killer of airtools), you need hoses, fittings etc. I am all electric, can even grap the tools with me home if I have a project at home and dont have the tool needed at home, cant with the air tools, since I havent invested in a good compressor at home

you seem to really enjoy buying batteries and switching them out all the time.

I hardly ever dig out my air tools or start my compressor or trip over air hoses anymore and it is great

I still prefer 1/2” stubby (700 ft lbs torque versus 250 for M12 stubby), air hammer (duh), and die grinders (Milwaukee nice but runs through batteries, less powered than some, a bit bigger, kinda pricey for what it is; I’ll wait for Gen 2) in air tools. Everything else battery (including the 3/8” M12 stubby, probably my fave).

Have you heard anything much about the Matco long neck Ratchet yet? I am a air tool guy for the most part and I've seen that Snap-On now has long neck air tools. I would however like to get a battery long neck due to the uses that i would be using it for (Alternators, water pumps, radiators, and such parts where i could use the reach). Reason i ask about Matco is because I've read very mixed reviews about Snap-On's battery tool line ups.

I love my electric tools. They are such time savers. Had a CF6 fan cowl we were swapping out and when we pulled the ring off it was me and another mechanic working on it. He was using a regular ratchet and I was using my 1/4" snap on electric ratchet. While he was cranking away I was buzzing bolts out exponentially faster. Highly noticeable just how much they increase your productivity when you compare powered tools to hand tools. You really can't go wrong. I always recommend to new mechanics to consider getting power tools if they have the money to do so. There is a time for air tools but most of the time like you my electric tools dominate. For all the other times I can't get an electric tool in I have a great stock of hand tools to choose from. :)

For me, I absolutely love my milwaukee tools. I have almost 9k invested in their tools and packouts. However, i go through batteries quick. Anything that has to be constantly ran I.E drill, grinder, die grinder. I want to use pneumatic. And anything over 1/2 I prefer pneumatic. I work on large equipment and trucks and for me the 3/4 and 1 inch guns just are not there yet. I love my milwaukee ratchets, right angle, and stubbys for quick work and small..er bolts. I definitely test their capacity heavily. I hate snap on electric tools. Maybe I have had bad luck but for my use I have yet to have one last more then 3 months.

To me .. it all depends on whether of not an air compressor is handy. In my case almost never. I've relied on Craftsman rechargeable tools for as long as I can remember... Even with a 7 gal compressor in the back seat of my Vic, battery (lack if tether) works best for me.

Truck mechanic 50 years. The trigger control on electric drills is like coming out of the dark ages from air especially when drilling broken bolts. I have burnt a lot of bits from air drill over speed. Electric long neck ratchets great on 2/0 starter cables at starter solenoids and air fans. 1/2 " fasteners and up its air.

I have noticed that my air impact wrench has more RPM's, which means more IPM's, but beyond that everything else is negligible

One thing that wasnt mentioned that's not a huge deal but still worth mentioning is the sound I love the electric tools just due to lack of noise

I personally like a 1/2 air gun and a 3/8 battery impact

I have a small work space so I use battery tools now as a compressor big enough to run air takes up too much space. when I was in a shop environment I used air and a 1/4 bosch impact driver. but now that Milwaukee has the nice small battery ratchets that would have been really nice 😊. and now the tech and tool options are better. use what you like I guess.

Electric is good for most work that needs to be done even suspension stuff and you can’t beat the mobility especially for service calls, but when things really are stuck you just can’t beat air it hits hard and I’ve used m18 fuel Milwaukee half inch impact which is great but I’ve had bolts it wouldn’t remove that the air did.

I thank you for this video sir

The reality is air will never go away. If you are doing constant work and have a need for max power, air is the way to go. But if you need mobility, electric is the way to go. I have both. But 1/2 in and up is pneumatic

I really think battery operated tools have come so far as to be fair replacements for just about every tool with the exception of pretty much all grinders. I love the idea its just not there for me.

I switched over to mostly all battery as far as die Grinders and cut off tools go it's air all the way for me most of the time the battery die Grinders and cut off tools are just too big and bulky and I can never seem to fit them in anywhere

Electric for me is the way to go. I do a large amount of dashboard work & heavy engine repair & the portability is key to my productivity. Plus, I have 3 vehicles at home to maintain & repair without a compressor that will operate air tools. I still reach for the air die grinder & air hammer, but mostly Milwaukee is the route I go. Great video Rustbelt!

I still prefer air for the most part with a couple exceptions. I like my 3/8s cordless impact and 3/8s cordless ratchet. Otherwise i prefer air. Cheaper to buy initially, generally last longer and better power to weight/size ratio.

Id choose air tools over electric because the tools are cheaper and you can get smaller tool to get better reach into hard to reach area the only thing is the noise from the air compressor portability

Nice video

Just ordered the milwaukee right angle impact ratchet rated 220 ftlbs... maybe snapon will eventually offer one other than the bluepoint air.

Very thorough video Kyle great work very nice and informative very nice comparisons between both there goods and there bads👍 👏 👌 @RustbeltMechanic

There is no debate,they all have there place

I wish I would have grown up in a house that didn’t buy a different brand power tool for every tool. Never know what battery goes where, what charger to use, running out of plugs in the garage, etc. then when I got older and bought my own tools I was dumb and got the cheapest things available at harbor freight. I was shocked when the rotary tool broke in one use. Then I found you can spend just a fraction more on a dremel. The only reason my dremel gave out is because I was trying to cut uhmwpe with it. Even their plastic blade buckled under that stuff. Funny that a rotary tool can cut through hardened steel with the right blade, but it treats uhmwpe plastic like it’s wakandan vibranium.

I am a young lube tech trying to reach 20% efficiency in my shop in order to move up to tech so electric is the way I go for setup and tear down speed.

I went to battery because if you buy a air compressor that can truly keep up with a 1/2 air impact you can easily be up to 1000 bucks or more & those compressors might last 5 years

I would say 80% battery but that 20% air tools i still use cant live without

Battery tools for me

you're not exactly going to hang up your air compressor just because you get electric tools, but I can imagine if you're running a gas compressor out of your truck and do most of your work on the move, electrics getting this good would be a godsend. But if you're a diesel or ag mechanic who travels a lot, the electrics are gonna weigh an absolute ton.

My air ratchet from Marco is 135 ftlbs and bout 100 ft lbs working

Neumatic for static station and cordless for mobile thats it

I like the benefits of both Air is still king but cordless is nice Snap-on air & cordless lines are my go to nothing else compares!

I have an air angle die grinder rest are milwaukee fuel 18v.

Can’t talk about air tools and not have a Snap ON MG325. It’s the baddest air tool of all time

I have all the snap on 14.4 tools, I don't can leave my batteries in them all week without them dying. So I don't understand where you are coming from saying they only last 8 - 10 minutes. That Milwaukee stubby 3/8s looks bad ass.

Where is the sp tool cordless 3/8 you love 😏😏😏

Capri new 3/4 air impact wrenches are amazing well over 1000 foot pound rang kyle @rustbeltmechanic

Trust me go with Milwaukee if you’re going electric

Air drills, because they have a lower rpm the twist drills don't get as hot

This is not a review is purely his opinion about what he usually use on his day to day activities. On a heavy good industry an electric equipment is a no go zone

Mechanic hear my cordless tools are going home same thing goes for air tools vs cordless The big advantage to air nobody in the shop wants to Barrow your air tools Air drill suck for drilling holes good way to ruin a set of drill bits

Problem is air tools have not been getting as much R&D as electric so they are going to be getting surpassed in terms of specs making them less desirable

$1000 for 1300 ft lbs of torque busting? That's super pricey compared to 1400 ft lbs for Milwaukee at around 400 dollars or 1200 ft-lbs for Kobalt xtr for $269

I can’t speak for Milwaukee or snapon batteries because I’ve only had those tools for a year, but I’ve had Dewalt 20v Drill and 1/4 impact driver for over 6 years and never had to replace the batteries. As for air powered drills from my experience they are junk... i used to have a air powered drill I got in a set when I first started and it couldn’t drill thru anything, maybe it was just cheap crap but my dewalt drill will twist my wrist off if the bit gets stuck

Interesting

I feel they both still have a place..

Show me a 1" battery operated nutcracker. i put cranes and loaders on chassies, and hell yes i use pneumatic.'

A battery will never outlast a heavy duty compressor with 240volts hooked to it. Yet the interface is the hose you trip over all day…. Everything is a trade off

It's simple. If a tool makes me more efficient I buy it

I do my job in my house drive way so, air tools are the best, but I can see your point. I can do everything with 50' hose. If I had to walk 300' each way to a job, my prospect would probably be different. I did hear that the battery grinder is very short battery life. Like 3 to 5 minutes.

air tools are just cooler man...

Guess I have to get a stubby electric now..... I have to stop watching your videos! Awesome content as always. I take it you don't have a Cornwell dealer there?

Air.

Air!!!! 💨💨💨💨💨👍

Air is supplied by the shop, batteries are usually not

Only reason electric are catching up is because of the companies ability to make a shit ton more cash every 2 or 3 years instead of every 15 years. The companies now refuse to innovate pneumatic tools