4 Reasons to Switch from Electric Screwdrivers to Air Tools
It’s time to leave that electric screw system in the truck; there’s a new, more powerful tool on the market.
Electric screwdrivers continue to be widely used by commercial and residential builders. Although electric screwdrivers are familiar and easy-to-use, pneumatic pin guns surpass these tools in productivity, speed, cost efficiency, and practicality. Here are four major reasons why your team should switch from electric screwdrivers to air tools.
1. Air tools dramatically increase production
The process of using electric screw systems can be tedious: insert the drill bit, take the screw, line it up, hold it, and then finally start screwing. This has been common practice for years, although many don’t realize that there’s a simpler, less laborious way to complete a job.
Pneumatic pin guns don’t require this lengthy procedure; they’re instantaneous. One simply adjusts the depth set, pushes the nose piece against the application, pulls the trigger, and voila— the pin is attached in a flash. The days of tirelessly extending your arm to position hundreds of screws are finally over. Air guns can quickly complete an application in about half the bid time it takes to finish the same job using hand-drive screws.
When dealing with heavy gauge steel, electric screwdrivers become even more undesirable compared to their air-powered counterparts. Drilling into anything higher than 16 gauge steel using an electric screwdriver can be an incredibly slow and burdensome task. On the contrary, firing a pin into 12 gauge steel using a pneumatic gun is quick and effortless. Despite steel being a more difficult application, air tools are still able to outperform electric screw systems when it comes to speed and labor.
By switching to pneumatic tools, your company can expect to see huge labor savings. Jobs can be completed much faster and easier without the aggravating process of individually hand-driving screws. Your team may even thank you for giving their arms and patience a rest!
2. Pneumatic tools are much faster
Eliminating the process of hand-driving screws already saves time, but how fast do air tools actually perform? Pneumatic tools can usually complete a job in half the bid time of any electric screw system. Considering the rapidity of shooting pins compared to the process of drilling screws in one at a time, this should come as no surprise. However, there are other reasons why pneumatic guns always triumph electric screwdrivers in terms of speed.
Load size is a key factor for speeding up the building process. Unfortunately, most electric screwdrivers have about a 50 load capacity, requiring many change-outs throughout the day. Pneumatic tools, on the other hand, provide a much higher load size. Many air guns have a capacity of 200 pins, allowing you to spend more time shooting than reloading. Consider this: You can change-out four times with an electric screwdriver with a load capacity of 50 or you can only change-out once with a pneumatic tool with a load capacity of 200. A larger load size results in a faster job.
3. Air guns reduce costs
Although spending is already reduced with higher and faster production, pneumatic tools can save even more money when considering their durability. Repair costs with these tools are relatively low due to the absence of electric components (i.e. motors, wires, cords). Air tools contain O-rings, bumpers, and an occasional driver that may go out with long-term use, but the repair costs are reasonable.
It’s important to note that in the long run, the saved expenses from reduced labor costs will offset any repair costs necessary for pneumatic tools. Furthermore, air tools don’t require batteries or drill bits. This cuts out expenses on components that are required to operate electric screw systems.
4. Pneumatic tools are more practical
Finally, air guns include more beneficial features than most electric screwdrivers. They utilize a Dial-a-depth adjustment and perform more applications than electric screw systems.
One feature that makes pneumatic guns more favorable than most electric screwdrivers is the inclusion of a Dial-a-depth adjustment. It’s not simple to achieve a consistent flush set with an electric screwdriver. It requires eyeing and constantly adjusting the screw to maintain a preferred flush or slight set. Fortunately, a Dial-a-depth adjustment eliminates this hassle. A Dial-a-depth adjustment guarantees a consistent flush or slight set, allowing the job to be completed more efficiently and accurately in terms of pin alignment.
Another key factor to consider when switching to air tools is the ability to perform certain applications. Electric screw systems are ineffective when it comes to materials like concrete, block, and heavy gauge steel. However, pneumatic tools have the power to handle these applications easily. Depending on the type of air gun, they can also perform siding, framing, roofing, and concrete forming jobs. Moreover, they can attach widely-used materials such as HardiePlank®, DensGlass®, Aztek® trim, etc. By switching to pneumatic guns, your company can find the perfect tool for any application.
