air tools and compressor

hey everybody, what are your thoughts about these tools? quality, power, price. the air compressor is a 220v, it puts out 10.9 CFM @ 40 PSI, 9.1 CFM @ 90 PSI, 3HP motor, and 115 max psi.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=H4519

the ratchet is a 3/8 inch drive, 50 ft-lbs. of torque, with 160 RPM.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=G5349

thanks, Etan Miller

I don't have much to say about the compressor other than it will work for you if you're just playing on the weekends. As far as airtools, I make my money with IR (Ingersol Rand). You can get 'em at HF for cheap, or pay an arm and a leg for them from Snap-On (no difference in the tool, just the distributor, and price).

I second the IR air tools. The only way to go. I have used the cheap stuff and it is just that.

AS far as the compressor. it will work for weekend use but i would check your local Wal Mart as you can get the a similar size and save your self the freight cost.

The compressor says it puts out enough CFM's, but the 11 gallon is on the low side. With wrenches it will be fine, just be warned with air cutting tools that thing will be running non-stop.

As far as tools, if your just getting started, just go to HF. I still have my Impact/3/8" drive combo. They still work great, the only complaint is the impact is only rated to 230 ft/lbs. Oh, and I have used and abused my tools many times over.

Edit- The Earthquake model they sell for about $80(it's on sale for $69) it is really good. I think it's rated at 625, plenty for the weekend warior.

http://www.harborfreight.com/

Be wary of cheap, off brand, air tools. There are huge price differences between quality and junk with very good reason. I have destroyed cheap air tools, literally, within days of purchase.

ok, your spending $257 plus $58 shipping. so this little compressor is $315. I would run down to Home Depot or Lowes and see the difference as to what you can buy there for $300. I am going for the extra $100 and getting a stand-up 60 gal compressor at Lowes. Shop around, get quality so you wont have to upgrade later. Tools, cheap is cheap, so its a gamble.

First you should inquire about the amps required for that particular motor.

And since you're going 220v (30amp?) you may as well get a verticle stand-up with 5-6 hp motor ... it's not like you can tote that thing around and plug it in anywhere in the house or garage.

Or you can spend a little more money and get the IR 30 gallon "verticle" portable that's similar ... they sell it at Home Depot and it's 120v and compatible with a normal 20amp breaker---and you can tote it around the house.

That's what I have in my garage after wasting money on two compressors.

Keep in mind, the "Grizzly" may be the only thing you can run unless you pull a 50amp dedicated circuit.

here's the link to IR:
http://www.irgaragesolutions.com/garage_mate.asp

First you need to decide how much you will be using the air tools and compressed air..... While the compressor you are looking at will run air tools.... certain air tools require more CFM than what that compressor supplies.
IF you have 220V available in your garage... that is the way to go.... (220V is more efficient use of power than 120V) 120V compressors have less air capacity and will draw a lot of amps when starting which may trip the supplying circuit breaker. Most wall outlets are supplied off a 15A breaker....
Knowing that I was going to make part of my garage into a work shop I installed a 60A 220V subpanel to run all of my tools.
Before I purchased my air compressor I researched the CFM that the air tools I would be using then compared that to what the air compressor puts out....
Die grinders, air cutoff wheels and body saws will draw in excess of 10 cfm at 90 psi. This will have your compressor (9.1 cfm at 90 psi w/115 psi max)running ALL OF THE TIME and with the 10 gallon tank you will be stopping frequently to wait for the tank to pump up....
My suggestion is to save your money and buy a 220V stand up compressor that puts out a minimum of 135 psi (preferably more) and 9.1 cfm at 90 psi with a 40 gallon tank (preferably more) for system capacity.
I waited for a GOOD sale ($425) and purchased this compressor:
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...vertical=TOOL&pid=00916561000&tab=spe#tablink
Granted this compressor is more than what you might want to spend... but figuring in the amount of amps and the run duration of the compressor you are looking at.... The $$$ will equal out within a short time....

Charles

mcetlinski said:

I don't have much to say about the compressor other than it will work for you if you're just playing on the weekends. As far as airtools, I make my money with IR (Ingersol Rand). You can get 'em at HF for cheap, or pay an arm and a leg for them from Snap-On (no difference in the tool, just the distributor, and price).

Click to expand...

Snap-On does not sell Ingersol Rand!
IR is sold under the MAC tool distributor.

The Snap-On are a much better product and not avialable under any other name.

Michael

so i will look into a compressor with a bigger tank, but the 11 cfm is very tempting. out of all the compressors i looked at, this one has the most cfm. what about the grizzly ratchet, is 50 ft lbs. a standard on these tools? is it enough? thanks

2xtreme,
Maybe it was just my snappy distributor, but that's where I got my first IR tools. He is a bit of an inventory hog, and has actually gotten into a bit of trouble with Snap-On for his inventory (some of it may be due to carrying some IR stuff?) I don't know, and really could care less as I've never had an issue with IR, and always had a hard time forking out the cash for a lot of snap-on stuff. Have I? Yes plenty, but at the same time my boxes have a good mix of everyone's tools.

But hey to each his own. We all have to make a decision on how much we want to invest to make our money, and how often we are willing to accept breakage.

:cheers:

Forgot to say one other thing. I appreciate the correction on what Snap-On actually supplies. I'd rather people didn't take what I stated earlier and expect to see their Snap-On distributor to show up with IR stuff.

hey everybody, thanks for the replys, i found another deal, seems pretty good. wanted to know what you guys thought about the compressor. what makes it such a nice deal is all the tools that come with it. thanks.

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDU...unning_HP,_32_Gallon_Husky_Air_Compressor_Kit

let me know your thoughts about this deal. thanks.

Etan

that compressor sucks (my buddies got it) it puts out something like 5 cfm @ 90

-Red

red, is there anything else wrong with it beside the lack of cfm, i would assume thats what the 31 gallon tank is for. is it able to run the air tools without constantly stopping to let it refill. what is everybody else's opion on this deal. thanks

Due to the 5 cfm output it will be continuously running since most air tools use 5-10 cfm @ 90 psi.
The lock rotor amps that compressor draws upon startup may trip your 15A garage breaker if other items are plugged into the same circuit.
If 220V is available.... go with a 220V compressor.
For the price I would look into buying a Craftsman compressor....

charlesS thanks for the reply. as of now, my garage is not equipped with 220v. im not sure if you saw the grizzly compressor, which is a 220v compressor. what are your thoughts about that one? and what exactly does it take to convert the outlet to a 220V? thanks for all the help.

Etan

2xtreme said:

Snap-On does not sell Ingersol Rand!
IR is sold under the MAC tool distributor.

The Snap-On are a much better product and not avialable under any other name.

Michael

Click to expand...

I disagree, my Snap-on dealer sells ingersol rand, so does my Mac, Cornwell and Matco dealer... they like to copy ingersol too check out the composite 3/8 impact from matco and ingersol...

I have had very good luck with IR products... have abused my composite 3/8 impact constantly and it is still doing great.
Only thing i don't like from them is air ratchets.... ended up with a Snap-on FAR 3/8
Snap-on tools are great also but one word of caution..... most of their impacts like the shockwave and the above mentioned air ratchet need a very high volume of air to operate well But an ingersol rand 231 works great on pressures and volumes found on most home garage compressors.

Chris

etaniyani said:

red, is there anything else wrong with it beside the lack of cfm, i would assume thats what the 31 gallon tank is for. is it able to run the air tools without constantly stopping to let it refill. what is everybody else's opion on this deal. thanks

Click to expand...

The only negative about the direct-drive, dry-pump design is they're noisy---as compared to a belt-drive oil-sump design. I have both, and will tell you my carry-around Makita compressor will run you out of the garage. But I mostly use it inside the house using Senco air tools.

Go for it if your neighbors don't mind and your circuit will handle the load... just make sure that circuit in the garage is 20A... and not shared with other household appliances.

My garage was shared with the 15A light circuit ... and I had to rewire.

Good luck.

hey everybody, i really appreciate all the help. i found one more deal which seems even better then the last. its a craftsman. let me know your thoughts. and out of the 3 i have listed which ones you guys would choose. grizzly, the husky from home depot, or this craftsman. thanks.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...ertical=SEARS&pid=00916871000&tab=spe#tablink

Etan Miller