Best air tools for your home air compressor
Peter Sitkowski | 26th April 2023 | 6 minutes to read
So, you’ve picked up an air compressor for your garage and decided to go with a smaller option because you’re not going to be doing any heavy-duty work with a spray gun or sand blaster, but you love to break down service engines and you’d still like to get the most out of the unit.
Luckily, even with a single-cylinder air compressor, there are plenty of pneumatic tools that will operate perfectly well and a ton of great options available online at Repco or in our brick and mortar stores.
This list of tools has been compiled based on working with the 240V Antlia Super Quiet Air Compressor 2.0HP but be sure to check the specifications listed in your air compressor's owner’s manual to see if they will be compatible with your machine's PSI and CFM requirements.
So, here’s a list of air tools you’ll want to get your hands on if you’re a car loving DIYer looking to get more out of your compressor than inflating tyres or pumping up inflatable bananas for the pool:
Chicago Pneumatic 3/4in Dr Impact Wrench (Extended Anvil)
- Comfortable and lightweight
- Durable
- Twin hammer clutch
- Average air consumption: 7.5 cfm
- Free Speed: 280rpm
- Maximum Torque: 1627Nm
- 6in Extended Anvil
If you’ve got a few rusted fasteners or loose lug nuts that need tightening, but your standard wrench and a bit of brute strength just can’t quite manage the job, then you’re going to want to get your hands on a Chicago Pneumatic 3/4in Dr Impact Wrench.
This is an operator-friendly, lightweight, and durable impact wrench that offers high rotational torque that’ll beat out any regular driver. This is a fantastic tool for general servicing but also for major engine breakdowns, truck tyre work, and any other tightening or loosening that your 1/4in can’t handle.
What’s great about Chicago Pneumatic tools is that they are built for convenience as well as durability. This impact wrench has a 6" extended anvil for extra reach, it has a simple regulator that makes it easy to shift from low to high power, and its pistol grip design makes it comfortable to hold for extended periods of time.
Repco 110mm Air Blow Gun
- Great for cleaning workspaces
- 110mm nozzle length
- Hand trigger for comfort
- 1-2 CFM/30-60 LPM
For those of you who are consistently finding your workspace covered in dirt and debris after a session in the garage, you might want to consider picking up a Repco Air Blow Gun to help handle the clean-up. Not only is a compressed air gun handy to have around for blasting sawdust, woodchips, or other mess off your benches and equipment, it’s an invaluable tool if you need to perform fast drying and cooling as well.
The 110mm nozzle on the Repco Air Blow Gun allows it to get into hard-to-reach places and it keeps the nozzle a safe distance from you as well. The hand trigger, coupled with the blow gun’s plastic body, provides a comfortable grip for extended use, making continuous cleaning a more enjoyable experience and a more efficient process.
If you’re after something with a slightly longer reach, then you might want to check out the Repco 300mm Air Blow Gun instead, as it comes with the same build quality with a longer nozzle.
Mechpro Air Degreaser Gun 1L
- Comes with 1-year nationwide warranty
- Uses non-corrosive, neutral detergents
- Adjustable nozzle
- Air Pressure: 2.75 Bar (40 psi)
- Air Inlet: G 1/4in
- 1 litre capacity
Car projects are messy at the best of times and if you’re dealing with oil and grease then conventional cleaning products are probably going to struggle to handle the job. With the Mechpro Air Degreaser Gun you’ll be able to cut down the time it takes for you to clean your engine bay or remove pooled oil spills in your garage or workspace with non-corrosive cleaning solutions and neutral detergents that won’t damage your equipment.
The nozzle is easy to adjust so that you can increase or decrease the output of fluid and with very few moving parts, the Mechpro Air Degreaser Gun is durable and requires little maintenance.
You don’t have to be doing work on u-joints or tie rod ends to need one of these either, as they’re also useful for lawnmowers, chainsaws, or just general work surfaces that require degreasing.
Repco 3/8in Drive Reversible Air Drill
- Moulded pistol grip provides extra comfort
- Two-speed trigger has one-handed reverse/forward lever
- Can drill through a wide variety of surfaces
- More lightweight than an electric drill
- Avg Air Consumption: 113 L/min (4 cfm)
- Max Speed @ 90psi: 1800 rpm
- Operating Pressure: 90 psi
The Repco Drive Reversible Air Drill is a fantastic addition to any automotive DIYers toolbox and a great way to enhance your drilling jobs. There are a lot of advantages to using an air drill rather than a traditional electric drill, including less vibration during use, higher durability, and less strain thanks to the air drill’s lightweight and more compact build.
The pistol-grip of this Repco Air Drill is also ergonomic and makes for a comfortable experience even for longer projects and the two-speed trigger has a one-handed forward/reverse lever that lets you easily switch between the two mid-task.
This air drill will handle boring and fastening with ease and can work on steel, wood, plastic, or other types of surfaces without issue. Whether you’re looking to tune-ups on your car or just looking for a more lightweight and efficient way to handle drilling jobs in your garage, the Repco Drive Reversible Air Drill has you covered.
Raptor Schutz Applicator Gun
- Built for use with 1L or 3.8L Raptor Protective Coating kits
- Dip tube and nozzle are easily removable and simple to clean
- Fits directly onto Raptor Protective Coating bottles
- Operating Pressure: 45-60 PSI
- Avg Air Consumption 142-170 l/min (5-6 cfm)
A great application for an air compressor is for paint spray guns, which can apply a professional finish to your car quickly and with little fuss. Maybe you want to protect your 4x4’s underbody with a urethane paint coating or put a Raptor Anti-Corrosive Epoxy Primer on your trailer, whatever the case may be, The Raptor Schutz Applicator Gun can handle the job.
This applicator gun is specifically built to get the best use out of Raptor Coat products, with a specially designed long dip tube that will get the most out of your coatings, as well as being easy to remove and clean.
Best of all, this applicator gun screws directly onto Raptor Coating bottles, meaning you can plug and play much faster and more efficiently than with other applicators that are built for regular paint. Not only does this streamline your painting process, but you can also avoid the mess of trying to pour paint into an attached reservoir, making quick paint jobs that much easier.
One thing to note is that this applicator can be a little demanding on smaller compressors though, so be sure to perform your paint job in short bursts to get the most out of your applicator.
Choosing the Right Air Tools for You
An air compressor is an invaluable piece of kit to have in your garage and having the tools to compliment your compressor will help to make your car projects and other DIY odd jobs more efficient and more enjoyable to tackle.
There are a multitude of different air tools available for hundreds of different jobs, so if you’ve read through this list and you’re still undecided on the tools you want, head over to the Repco site and check out our full range of air tools and other accessories. We’ve also got a bunch of great air compressors for sale and guides on how to operate and maintain your compressor so you can get the most out of your system.
