Shoutout to that old timer at the tire shop in Bakersfield

I was dead set on using air tools for everything until I watched this guy torque a lug nut by hand with a simple breaker bar and a torque wrench. He told me he hasn't stripped a stud in 40 years doing it that way. Now I only use impact guns for removing stuff and I feel like a dummy for ignoring hand tools so long. Anyone else ditch air tools after a similar encounter?

3 comments

3 Comments

fisher.jessica13d agoMost Upvoted

Nah, air tools just let you work faster and that matters when you're on the clock.

sam_cooper12d ago

Read somewhere that on average you're getting about 90% efficiency from air tools compared to electric, but the speed comes from not having to swap batteries every 20 minutes. I remember a dealership mechanic saying he could tear down an engine bay twice as fast with pneumatic impacts just because he never had to stop for a recharge. The constant torque on air tools is nice too, they don't slow down as you lean into them like cordless sometimes do.

oliviabutler12d ago

Used to be all about cordless for everything, but you and sam_cooper make a solid point. The constant torque and no swapping batteries really does add up when you're trying to beat a clock.