Collection: Pneumatic Tools

Professional air tools keep two advantages that electric tools have not caught up with on the shop floor: they do not overheat in continuous use, and they offer the best power to weight ratio for a tool held in the hand all day.

The 19 references in this range

• Orbital sanders and belt sanders.
• Die grinders and angle grinders.
• Polishers, rotary, orbital and right angle.
• Reciprocating saw, drill and stripping tool.
• Air vacuums.

Size the air system before buying the tool

This is the most expensive mistake, and it does not show immediately: an underfed air tool does not break down, it simply works less well, and the operator compensates by pressing harder.

Three things to check.

Flow, not pressure. Tool consumption is given in litres per minute of free air. A compressor can show the right pressure and still fail to keep up on flow once the tool runs continuously. And the flow quoted for a compressor is often intake flow, not delivered flow.

Hose bore and length. A hose that is too narrow or too long drops the pressure at the point of use. A restricted quick coupling placed just before the tool can on its own cost a large share of the flow.

Air treatment. Compressed air carries condensate. Without a dryer or a drain, that water reaches the tool, washes out the lubricant and attacks the motor vanes. A tool that loses power over the months is usually a badly fed tool, not a worn one.

Lubrication

Most vane type air motors need a few drops of oil a day, either through an inline lubricator or manually at the air inlet. Some tools are designed to run oil free, and adding oil damages them. That information is on the machine or in its manual, and it does not carry over from one model to another.