BryanS

Has anyone tried the Coleman Air Tools? I know they are cheap but for someone who only does light duty work and takes good care of their tools would they be ok?

PSU_Engineer

In my opinion any tool made by a company known mainly for making camping products can't be any good.
I was taught long ago that you buy a tool once, it should be good enough to last for life. This may not work for all tools, especially air tools. But as a weekend mechanic, my 17 year old Chicago Pneumatic impact gun has lasted this long. Yeah, it has a little less power compared to what they make today, but it has always performed when it needed to.
Some of the tools that my dad gave me, (old Craftsman and Snap-on) are older than I am. Same principal, bought once and they've lasted this long.
Look through the Sears catalog, Ingersoll Rand, Chicago Pneumatic and even the Craftsman air tools are reasonably priced and should outlast those Coleman tools. There is a reason good tools are priced higher. They're made to last. What are you gonna do at 3AM in the middle of a cam or header change and that Coleman craps out?
Tony
my $.02

BryanS

Thanks for the reply and I can definately see your point.

Are Central Pneumatic tools any good? They are sold by Harbor Freight and I have heard quite a few people mention getting tools from them.

VoodooWS6

Central Pneumatic tools are good. I personally like Craftsman, becuase of the lifetime warranrty they uphold. It depends how much you use the tool and if you keep them oiled and the seals wet with oil. Kinda like a car!

PSU_Engineer

Funny you mentioned Central Pneumatic. They're not bad, but I found them to be a little underpowered. I have a air chisel and a air drill by them. They work alright, nothing stellar. Don't buy Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh brand junk. Trust me, you don't want to be around an exploding impact socket!!! If the funds are available, check out Sears, Chicago, or IR. But unlike what Voodoo said, the Craftsman power tools are only warranted for 1 year.
Tony

BADz2ATE

i run only snap on - or IR ingersoll rand. chicago pneumatic and central pneumatic are crap in my opinion. check ebay you can find snap on IM6100 and 6500HP guns pretty cheap along with any IR gun........if you go IR and can afford about 200 bux get the Thunder Gun, i used it and it is awesome but i am a professional mechanic who uses this stuff everyday. if it is just for weekend work IR is good, but stay away from anything off brand. If you can buy a 1/2" impact a set of socket and a air ratchet in a blow molded case for 50-60 bux it isnt worth it.

Mike

Tom@SpeedInc

iTrader: (5)

Snap on air tools suck, for one. Worst over priced investments ever. I bought a IM31 3/8s impact and the "kunckle buster" 3/8 air rachet and both underpowered tools have been taken home to make way for cheaper powerfull IR air tools.
Look at www.sjdiscounttools.com their is a IR 231 style 1/2" impact for $99 bucks that still puts out 400ft/lbs in reverse.

Don't get me wrong Snap on makes the best hand tools and the snap on vantage is a great diagnostic tool.

BADz2ATE

i didnt believe in snap on air tools either but i have a IM6500HP and i have checked it at 729 ftlbs in reverse and 698 in forward, quite a good gun for what i do. and i also have a IR thunder gun like i said. IR's are really and and a lot better deal than the snap on guns. but i was just saying that the harbor freight special is not the way to go. lol

Mike

Pas in Canada

Well I tell you what, one guy at the dealership where I work bought one last year, I tought thats cheap, no good ect.. but I recently bought a blue-point from the snap-on guy and golly there the same! The BP has ruber on the outside but other than that its twins and they are both made in Tiwan. But the BP was 55$ more, So for weekend work I sugest you buy the power mate one.


And by the way powermate dosent make em , its Original Equipment Manifacture, meaning that powermate's tool division called the factory in tiwan and said they wanted xxx air grinders with their sticker on it , and that factory makes grinders for several companies with different sickers.

Porter- cable tools are all OEM's

Edit* porter-cable's air tools

robertbartsch

I bought a Central Nuematic air compressor - it worked great for three days... I have a unch of their air tools, however, and everything else is OK, so far...

BADSZ28

iTrader: (39)

First of all, the Coleman tools are probably made by some one else. I have one of there impacts, and its been great. There has yet to be a bolt or nut it could not handle. I've had it for 5 years trouble free. I worked at a shop for 3 of those, using it daily on all sorts of jobs. It is rated at 425 forward and 450 reverse at 90psi. I run it between 120-150psi. The best part is all the guys at the shop had IRs and MACs and paid $400-500 while my $70 gun was doing the same thing.

BADSZ28

iTrader: (39)

RobertBartsch
Whats wrong with Robert Bosch?

Pete2k_Z28

IR tools cannot be beaten for durability, value, and power.

Also, many Craftsman air tools are made by Ingersoll. I'm sure there are a few cost-cutting measures in the Craftsman versions compared to the Ingersolls, but they're not bad tools. I will agree, Snap On does make a lot of nice tools, but their air tools just aren't worth it. After breaking my Snap On FAR25 1/4" air ratchet 3 times ($300 tool with a $90 rebuild charge, 90 day warranty on rebuild) I went and got a Craftsman 1/4" air ratchet. $49.99 on sale for $39.99, 2 year warranty, and only about 2 less ft/lbs. I don't miss the power loss one bit either.

I figure, I could break the air ratchet, send it out for repair, buy another (and not be without a tool), keep them in a rotation for 2 years and only spend $80. Compared to spending $180 a year getting my Snap On sent out and rebuilt and being tool less for 3 weeks at a time, it's a GREAT deal.

The Coleman's may not be bad for light use, but for literally a few dollars more, I'd buy Craftsman or Ingersoll. At least both of those companies have a great reputation for service.

Compstall

iTrader: (5)

The original poster appears to be a backyard mechanic like most of us. For that reason, IMO, he shouldn't have to buy the best thing out there.

I own MOSTLY Craftsman tools. I also have a Coleman Powermate air compressor (11 gallon, 4.5 hp). I've had it for over 4 years now and it still works like a champ.

I have Chicago Pneumatic air ratchets and an impact gun, but other than that, every other air tool I own is a Central Pneumatic. I use most of them all the time, and have owned all of them for over 3 years and nothing's broke.

I looked into all the different brands of air tools out there when I first got into the air compressor thing, and if you look, even the Blue Point only has a year warranty on it, the SAME warranty that my Central Pneumatic is. Now if I was working on cars professionally, then I'd probably get a brand name air tool, like Snap-on or whatever, because they probably ARE built better. On that same note, I figure once my $10-on-sale Central Pneumatic air cutter dies, well I probably got my $10 worth of use out of it and I'll throw it away and run down to Harbor Freight and buy another $10 one. I'm not doing too bad, considering I've had it for over 3 years and it still works just fine. Just think how many of these cheapies I could buy for the price of ONE Snap-on air cutter. At the rate I'm going I'll probably NEVER spend that much on it.

robertbartsch

I have a ton of Central Nuematic air tools from Harbor Freight; so far, they work great. They cost about 1/3rd as much as a name-brand tool and do the same job...

Hey for $59 bucks I got a 1/2 inch impact gun, 3/8 inch and 1/4 inch air rachets, a 12 impact sockets and a plastic carrying case.... I can't wait to show them to my neighbor - a Snap-On tools salesman....