Hi All
Doing some metal body repair lately and getting frustrated with my 1955 ingorsol rand compressor. Recovery is slow . Rather than replace it , as it’s fine for most of my uses , I’m wondering if electric tools might be an easier answer and does anyone have experience or recommendations. Corded tool such as a small 90degree grinder for using rolocs and a straight die Grindr for 3” cutoff wheels come to mind .
Thanks

My . I prefer pneumatic tools simply because they are more controllable and run cooler. I'd just rebuild your compressor or get a new pump.

i like the cordless ratchets. no air hose to worry about.
i am a autobody tech and use these almost daily. i prefer my cut off wheels and grinders to be air powered.

Electric tools are handy, but the batteries do wear out and every so often they rerelease the tools with updated battery packs that are not backwards compatible. It's a big buy in to a tool series and when OEM batteries can't be bought anymore the aftermarkets are always crap. My air tools still work the same the day I purchased them 25 years ago. My opinion is size the compressor for the work you're doing.

Cordless tools are nice but I don't use them often enough and always end up needing to swap and charge batteries. I prefer air tools. Even budget priced ones work decently and don't have to worry about batteries going weak whole you're using them.
Then there's the whole thing about if you go cordless sticking with one brand to avoid multiple batteries and you're stuck when better tools come out or decent batteries are no longer available.

I too will keep my air powered tools. And compressor.

I believe they both have their place. Bot for longevity and power, pneumatics are hard to beat

While I HATE everything E….. I’m into Milwaukee pretty deep. Started with a 1/2” impact, then a drill, then a 3/8s impact with another charger for home, sick of dragging 50’ of cord around for the leaf blower….. twin battery Milwaukee leaf blower solved that.

I would fix your air compressor or upgrade, pneumatic tools are so much lighter to use. My Dynabrade air tools come with a lifetime warranty.

Thanks for all the replies
G

Plus...you still need to haul out the torque wrench.

Joe

Then there is this. I have never heard of an air compressor burning down your garage, but cordless tools can...

New air compressors are less expensive now then they were in 1995. Id consider a new compressor. I bought this unit. Its actually more than I need but this is a great deal.
https://www.familyfarmandhome.com/industrial-air-air-compressor-607645.html

I have so many air tools now that it is hard to make the switch. The few cordless electric tools that I do have almost always seem to run out of charge before I finish whatever job I am working on. I never leave anything charging when I am not out in the garage, and always warn my buddies as well due to other incidents that I have read about such as Rhinodart's misfortune.

I have a corded DA sander, and it's been handy - I can run the thing until my hands are numb.
My air tools were fine at the "real" shop, but at home I pretty much never use them.

On that note, and nothing to do with RD's fire, in my shop all my outlets are on a switch at the door to the shop. When I leave the shop they get turned off along with the lights. Reason for that? Didn't want my kids/grandkids fooling around with the machinery. and hurting themselves. Coincidentally, it also turns off any battery chargers. It is also lockable, if the need arises.

I use a lot of corded and battery tools to augment my pneumatic tools.

I needed a new impact and the Milwaukee electric had better specs than the pneumatic and corded ones I could buy.

For much of what I do the corded ones will work any temp and without any recycle time for the air or battery but I also have to work remotely so the battery drill, sawzall, and stuff let me get the job done on a roof or in a field.

It's kinda nice to have all 3 as needed because air is necessary for a lot of tools.

What sucks is a lot of tools are specialty and use specific batteries so I have 5 different battery systems.

Same, I have a pile of M18 Milwaukee stuff, including a vacuum, leaf blower, weedwhacker and edge trimmer. Their mini air compressor for tires is great as well. If the tool I need isn’t available in M18, I don’t buy it, because I only want to manage charging one set of batteries.

Depends on where and how often you use the tools. If you do a lot of work in the shop, pneumatic has advantages in cost and running cool. I've come to value the portability of electric tools, no need to have the work within reach of the air hose or run a loud compressor late at night.

I have made a point to standardize on one battery "form factor". I use Makita but my neighbor the HVAC maven uses Milwaukee.

Same here 6PK, and good Idea Sniper, I may implement that one