Air tools ( your opinion)

i'm finally going to get air tools ( i'm 23, and just closed on my first house 6 months ago, so cash has been tight the last year, but i have been looking at a good air compressor for about 2 years. i got enough saved i can spend about $500 - $600 on the whole set up)

just interested in some onions
this is what i'm looking at:
makita mac5200:
3.0 hp electric 120 volt 6.3 cfm @90
$350 (4.2 stars out of 5. 117 reviews

ingersoll rand combo pack impactool and impact ratchet, and 5 impact sockets.
Driver:
adjustable power regulator, 500ft-.lbs max, reversible, 1,300 impacts per minute

ratchet:
specs don't really matter here to me, just want to have something to reach where the driver is too big, but
55 ft-.lbs
170 RPM

$148.99 for both. (4.6 stars out of 5. 15 reviews on the combo pack. 4.7 and 4.5 out of 5 stars on individual product reviews

Sockets:
i'm having trouble finding sockets that are impact rated, that i am willing to pay for.
i am strongly leaning towards tekon, i have bought a lot of tool from them, and never had any remorse:
TEKTON 4888 3/8-Inch and 1/2-Inch Drive Impact Socket Set,
3/8 inch to 1.25 inch, and 8 to 32MM sae and metric set.
$62.55 (4.6 out of 5 stars. 38 reviews)




i trust amazon alot, they are very hassle free, free shipping (2-day) with my prime membership, solid prices with reviews, and you can return anything for any reason with in 30 days.

air line, quick connect coupler kit, tool oil:
$40

let me know what you think, or if there is an obviously better replacement, or a solid reason to upgrade, but i don't think i can afford a big step up, if there is a reason to wait another couple months to save up more, to get alot more out of it, then i'm willing to wait, but i feel like i should be able to get a set up with the amount i have that is more then sufficient.

 

as a added note, one of the reasons im fed up with not having air tools, is that on my crotch rocket, i was replacing the sprockets about a year ago. front and back, and i couldn't unbolt the front sprocket nut from the crank, even with a 6 foot cheater. my local motorcycle shop did the front sprocket for $175( for what ever reason it was hard to find any shop to do the front sprocket from less the $220) mind you guys, that just labor, not parts. anyway, i think that job alone justified a compressor.

 

There is nothing that a little Kroil can not get loose. Between that and my corded impact drive

http://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-PCE2 ... act+driver

I paid $40 on sale at Lowes I have not found a nut or bolt that will stay on. Air tools are cool but once you have to bolt things in and have to be torqued they become pointless.

 

man did you find a deal, i do need an air compressor though. not only do i want air tools, but i also need one to fill car tires ( ya i know you can get one for this for about $20), but i also started changing tire on cars ( bike tires soon, got 2 sitting in my basement). i can't set the beads of the tires with out a compressor.

 

Air tools are great, as soon as you have a good range of reasonable tools it will make your life alot easier. They are excellent for taking things apart, but be carefull puting anything back together with them, they have a nasty habit of striping threads and rounding bolts. 3/8 air rachet and a 1/2 inch rattle gun will be the most usefull tools in your tool box, and can speed up jobs ten fold.

Cheers

Gauge

 

I often us an air impact in the shop to remove fasteners. I have a cheap Chinese impact wrench I bought more than 20 years ago.

The down side to this wrench is it will not break loose anything that has more than 100 ft-lbs torque on it. I end up having to use a breaker bar on stuff like your front sprocket. I don't know how they're rated, but ideally you'd have one that will really knock the tight or seized stuff loose.

To me the only value of an air ratchet is in places where you can't swing a wrench. Mine sits on a shelf in the garage and has only been used a few times in 20 years. I've never missed it at the shop.

 

Air tools are for disassembly ONLY and you'll find very little true need for them when working on motorcycles.

If you do a lot of automotive work, then sure. I've had a compressor and various air tools for over 40 years and they come in very handy--- when I'm doing automotive stuff. About the only time I use compressed air on the bike is to put air in the tires.

 

There is nothing that a little Kroil can not get loose. Between that and my corded impact drive

http://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-PCE2 ... act+driver

I paid $40 on sale at Lowes I have not found a nut or bolt that will stay on. Air tools are cool but once you have to bolt things in and have to be torqued they become pointless.

 

check out harbor freight tools, I have a large amount of tools from them. All ranging from framing nailers, finish brad guns to impact guns. keep them oiled, and as all tools, take care of them and they will take care of you.

 

As everyone has indicated, you will not get much use out of the impact tools for a motorcycle as far as bolts and nuts. However, I have found many other uses for my compressor for a motorcycle. First, it came in very handy when rebuilding my carburetors. In my case, on one of my bikes they were so bad that they had wasp's nests in them. I boiled them in a solution of water and lemon juice and followed that by using carburetor cleaner in all the passages. But followed that up with compressed air in the passages which shot out some bug embryo from one of the carburetor passages. Then of course if you want to try your hand at painting, the compressor starts being very useful. I also made a home made soda blaster which worked well on some things. A blasting cabinet would be cool. If you restore bikes, you would probably get use out of a compressor / blasting cabinet more than you would ever get out of a impact. Yeah, kroil with a little heat and a cheater bar would have probably done the job. That is probably what the shop did anyhow.

 

The air tool i use most often on bikes is a little 1/4 inch impact i got cheap at harbor freight. It works fantastic for getting exhaust nuts of studs without braking them. A few of my bikes are over 40 years old. I also use it a lot for pulling allen bolts out of cases never use it on re assembly. It is not real strong and very small and light. I am not crazy about a air ratchet to big and bulky. Only thing a half inch impact is good for is swing arm bolts and stuck axle nuts. For screws i use a battery powered drill set the clutch on very light. I use my air hi speed angle grinder and straight grinder all the time great for buffing getting rid of rust and if you use a scotch bright pad removes gaskets well. Air drills are ok but i like battery or electric better if you have to drill for any time at all the tool gets very cold especially in the winter. All i have is an old style craftsman compressor about 25 years old 5 hp 220 volt 30 gal tank not one of these oil less new fangled things that they sell now a days they are ok for light use but i give my compressor a work out almost everyday. Some of the bigger air tools i have like straight line files ect keeps it running a lot but handles it ok. If you do any metal fab get yourself a cut off wheel air grinder use mine all the time. I also have a sheet metal cutter i use it in tight spots for cutting bolts ect. Not necessary but nice on occasions. Also you do not need impact sockets on a motorcycle just get you a good set of regular 8 point sockets.

 

thanks for the input. i do need an air compressor for house work too(nail gun , stapler, and a wet polisher for quartz counter), and some auto work but it sounds like for the bike i should use a electric impact.

thanks