We're getting a lot of new viewers with this episode, welcome! We test a lot of different power tools, not just air hammers. *But what is an air hammer?* Well, works like a hammer to bust things free. In automotive we use them to push ball-joints out, free corroded bolt-in wheel hubs or bust off rusted brake discs. Often places you don't have space to swing a sledge on anything that SHOULD have come off but isn't. Hope you guys like tools from the tool truck. Over the next several weeks we're including offerings from Mac, Snap-On, Mac, Mac, Cornwell, Snap-On, Matco, Snap-On, Matco, Snap-on & Matco! Torque of TTC is working for Astro Tools who also make air hammers (but not this .401" size). TTC is not the only testing out there, always consider multiple sources when looking at a tool!

Me, not knowing anything about air hammers, only here because of the algorithm: "Ah yes, BCS. Well done Harbor Freight."

That chief is about to be sold out everywhere.

As a mechanic myself. HOW did I never think to do look up this kind of channel?! I always just needed a tool, and bought it where ever was most convenient, cheap or quick. You are doing a service for Mechanics, Do it yourselfers, and other skilled trade workers everywhere.

"Tool Truck" CEO: Hi er... great review. I'm always happy to see our tools perform well. I was wondering if you could send us your exact residential home address... We would like to send you a... present! You know... for doing such a great job!

Back when I had more time I fixed pneumatic guns. Had 2 roofing nailers on the bench. One was a Ridgid and the other was a Porter Cable. Rebuilt the Ridgid first, and when I took apart the Porter Cable it has the exact same internals as the Ridgid even though the body was shaped differently. Ridgid rebuild kits were less expensive so every time I would get a Porter Cable in I saved the customer a little money with the Ridgid kit.

I feel like this should be on ESPN 8, the Ocho.

I used to work for a guy who was a VP of Engineering for a US Steel subsidiary, one that made semi-finished parts for other companies (he left and started his own company in a different field, which was when I worked for him). He told me a story about harrow blades, those round smooth or notched blades used by farmer, arranged in rows and pulled by tractors. They made identical, interchangeable blades for 2 companies to sell, (think John Deere and New Holland, but I don't remember the exact companies). The blades were not finalized, not smoothed and painted and the like, but could have been used 'as is'. While the blades were interchangeable, they were different in a subtle way. Company A paid for the blades by the count, so 100 blades cost say $1,000. Company B paid for the blades by weight, so say 20 blades cost $1,000. So, to maximize the profits for US Steel, they did the following: The Company A blades were made as thin as specification would allow, to use the least steel in each blade. Meanwhile, Company B blades were made as thick as possible, so that fewer blades wold be needed to be made. So, while the blades were interchangeable, the Company B blades were stronger, and would last longer, because more steel was used in each blade. So, 'made in the same factory' does not always mean identical.

The Ingersoll Rand 114GQC Air Hammer kzfaq.infoUgkxqqoaX03nrziKwF7Bjjcc71YzLEleMvOS was just the tool I needed. I Use it to remove stuck bolts. If held at the right angle you can cut slightly into the bolt. Then turn the air hammer to where it will hammer the stuck bolt to unspin the bolt. Given a little practice it works great. This air hammer gives you the control needed to get the job done right. Very powerful yet still does not seem to have as much vibration as other guns I have used. One of the best I have gotten my hands on.

I remember reading an interview with Eric Smidt. When he took over as CEO in 2001 he talked about how HF could never survive under the current model at the time. That they would have to expand and improve quality. I wish I could find the evidence, but I'm fairly certain that some of the Pittsburgh line is made in the old Taiwan Craftsman factories.

15 years ago I remember that I had my $20 dollar for the kit in a case Hft 3/8th" air ratchet on the workbench, and a coworker put their $180 bare tool tool truck version down near it. I noticed the similarities, and when I looked closer I found it came out of the same mold, you could see where the mold for the metal shell was scratched, and both had the same scratches showing. The only difference was that the tool truck one had the brand name cast into the side of the gear case, while the Hft just had a sticker in that location. Looking close you could see that there was a removable puck in the mold that could be swapped out for different brands, and Hft just got the smooth generic version off the same machine. And his broke first lol

They found the same thing with HF and Snap On floor jacks a couple of years ago but found the only difference was the paint and stickers. Oh and the 500 dollar mark up.

You are putting pressure on tool manufacturers to check their prices and ensure quality vs cost is in line with the rest of the manufactures claims. Really dig the progress so far, been here since the beginning and I can say you have cornered the market for tool tests by far! All tool companies should be taking notes!!!

I got a chief long barrel open box for $80 and I love it. More power than I’ll need, and I can break some concrete if I wanted to

I can confirm that the chief trigger is brutal; It’s all or nothing when it comes to trying to lightly start hammering anything.

From my experience in testing pneumatic and electric tools. I’ve seen that a lot of manufacturers will do what they call “branding” which is they buy from someone else test the tool and then engineering will ask for subtle changes to get the tool to run according to their standards. I think it’s great that you noticed that.

2 people in my shop have the mac air hammer $550 canadian and they are always saying it's the best air hammer out there. Im pretty happy with my IR 118max right now. 180 for the kit when it went on sale

I've been using the Chief air hammer in a professional setting for about a year and a half now. Still Performs well. This review matches what I've noticed using it. Very powerful (and much quieter than the IR 114gqc it replaced), however trigger control is terrible. More of an on/off switch than any modular control. This is typically fine for 95% of applications in automotive though.

That actually turned out to be a pretty interesting video, when you got into the subtle differences of essentially the same tools, and looking at the manuals to confirm suspicions. So I guess I have to decide if a trigger capable of slow speed is worth $145 to me...

I have tool truck air hammers and the Chief and I must say I was surprised by the power of the Chief especially for the price.

Anyone else remember when HF sold name brand tools? They used to have factory 2nd Hobart welders and New IR impact wrenches. Still have my IR impact wrench (I don't remember the number) that I got for $79 at HF many years ago, I love it.

Factory 2nds. There was a time when the name brand companies tool lines would be getting only the manufacturer’s top tier, most accurately made parts. The discount brands would get the lower tolerance/blemished stuff. In HF’s case, about 15 years ago, it seemed like they were buying the factory rejects exclusively. They’ve come a long way since then.

I remember reading that HarborFreight said their floor jacks were the same as tool truck brands. That they buy directly from the manufacturer. So they can skip the cost of the middle man. So it applies to other products also. Maybe even some rejected designs they buy for cheap and save on the R&D costs.

I saw this result coming a mile away. I will say that in the air hammer the nice trigger control in my world is who gives a crap. My world is Diesel mechanic. The nice quiet dainty air hammer usually finds itself in a shallow unmarked grave never to be heard from again. My arch enemy is nature's lock tight, RUST

In my experience there are quite a few HF tools where the primary difference between them and the expensive equivalent is the fit and finish of the construction. Sometimes this makes a difference, sometimes it doesn't. Often there will be quite a bit of quality variation within a production run. But if you're short on money and your time is cheap you can often bring them up to snuff with fairly minor modifications.

I remember my dad telling me they had a school trip to factory that made fabric softeners. They literally had one giant vat in the middle, and from that, pipes that went to filling machines with each having different brand on it. Also some "cheap" or "unreputable" tools are actually pretty decent, like Lidl in EU for example. They are really, really cheap but actually very well made, and their Black line ("professional") feels to me as good as DeWalt for example.

I am retired from the tool business but my sons run the business now. A very good friend of mine and former neighbor is an executive at snap on tool if he hasn’t retired recently. I can assure you that the tool truck sellers probably don’t even realize that the namebrand tools that they sell are made by contract companies that make tools for everyone who so desires them. I sold tools from major manufacturers and I dealt with manufactures reps and once you get to know them you find out who their company makes tools for. When my former neighbor was a sales person for them he didn’t drive a tool truck he drove a regular car and called on big industry like steel mills. The exact tools that the truck seller sold he sold at 40% less. And I can understand why he was salaried and the tool truck guys needed to make a living so that’s why the tools for more. There’s a lot more to this than most people understand.

My boy just mentioned daddy Doug. Bless. 🙏

I ended up buying my rolling tool chest at Harbor Freight, because it actually had better reviews online than the comparable one from the big brand. It was also a good deal cheaper, to the point that for the price of 1 of the big brand, I could buy 4 and still have enough to buy some matching accessories.

cant wait for the snap on test. my rep is constantly bragging about their air hammer and how good it is.

I picked up a freshly rebuilt Mac MPH1911 off the truck for $180, and have absolutely zero complaints at that price point. It's saved the day on more than enough occasions to pay for itself. If I wasn't getting a deal along with the convenience of the truck showing up every week, I was going to get the Ingersoll 119.

Been buying alot of mayhew and lisle tools that matco and other tool trucks sell marked up. Same quality tools at a fraction the price, but the warranty isn't always as easy. HF is the easiest of box stores warranties so their products similar to tool truck quality would be great buys! Good find.

I have the Chief air hammer. It's a beast. I've had decent luck with HF air tools. If they work out of the box, they will keep working for a very long time. The little air die grinders are a bargain...haven't worn one out yet.

Congrats on winning the algorithm lottery! Good video, I figured there would be only be a couple factories that make some of these specialty tools. Special tools as in not used by most households - usually mechanics or shops only.

I just picked up the chief at my local HFT, I had to after watching this. If I don’t like it I have 90 days which they graciously give. Thank TTC for your hard work.

One of my sons worked in a well-known tool manufacturing house in Montana. He said it was one of his favorite jobs. They made tools for a large number of tool companies, usually completing runs for more than one tool company (all of which I recognized when he mentioned them) in a single night. That is not to say they are identical. They each had their own specifications, including the steel they use.

this is why I love makita, because they make their own tools and they care

You know what would be another cool subject to test would be pry bars. Who makes the best pry bars that can hold up to the most pressure before being bent permanently or breaking.

"Little Bantam" and it's bigger air tool brothers have been made here in the Cleveland area for a very long time by Superior Tool Company. I love their stuff since discovering them in the late 70's. Great service as well.

never looked for this but glad is showed up. thank you and keep up the great work!

When I worked in a shop my chief air hammer was my favorite tool. You feel like a viking using it on wheel bearings lmao

This is the video I have been waiting for ! Been dying to see how the Chief measured up. Full disclosure: I already own it. Got it a about a year or two ago under $100. Are you applying for the witness protection program now ? Maybe a body guard ?

This channel has made us guys and gals that use and buy these tools so happy..and also not wondering about who's who..can't deny real results!! Thaks ttc

I have a (now older but still fully functional) Matco long barreled air hammer. It gets with it. Paid a lot less than the current Mac ("the times, they are a changin' "). The Harbor Freight tool will get most things done. Obviously, being the same basic tool. There have to be some design changes to avoid legal issues and saving costs as well. Unless you are constantly doing very controlled work, I'd be happy with it and there are constantly coupons and inside track club sales (Worth the cost if you buy many items there at all) of up to 35%, usually 20% off. It's where the rubber beats the toad, engineering a better trigger costs money. Ergonomics and pretty costs money for things like subtle improvements to the body/grip, etc. of tools and, of course, visual appeal. If you can live with the rougher trigger then, absolutely, the Harbor Freight is just fine. You need to be working with the tool and making money with it, in a way that requires the better trigger, to make spending that much more (plus another 20% for a coupon) really worth while and I can't see what that would be. It's an air hammer and you're buying one like that "for the beans." Use a smaller hammer if you need to have less power applied.

Have you ever thought of comparing SDS Drills in chisel/hammer mode vs Air Hammers? I find it odd that the general belief is that a SDS plus drill in chisel/hammer mode can drive a ground rod, but a air hammer cannot. Really curious about the Ridgid Octane Rotary Hammer R86711B, actually these rotary hammers are something you could test with rotational torque as well , might be a new category for you!!

The weirdest thing about the modern era is "no name" products being good, and the people who make them caring ZERO about having a brand. I think a lot of us would be fine buying some rando Chinese company product by a Chinese company name, but I think the actual issue is they want the brands to be disposable. Maybe they've learn all it takes is one bad product to kill your brand on Amazon and Ali baba, etc, so they made disposable brands. I have bought so many things, things like pet feeders, that have been fantastic, then you go to get a replacement and the brand is no longer around but you can clearly find the product under another company name with some searching.

That chief tool is great. I’ve used it to blast out ball joints and free up stuck intermediate shaft cv axles.

I have both a Matco and a Snapon. The Matco only comes out when something makes me mad because it destroys everything I put it near. I daily drive the older version Matco which does a really good job 98% of the time.

Ive looked pretty deep into tools before, I found that anything from Mac that’s not a hand tool can be found for less under a different brand. All their electric tools are just dewalt

I have noticed the exact same thing between the die grinders between chief and Mac. They are the exact same. At close to a 1/3rd of the price!

This has been a video I’ve been waiting for for a long time. Can’t wait for the next air hammer video hopefully it’ll come sooner than last time

I bought that exact Mac Tools air hammer for $100 on eBay. It was listed as “broken” so I figured since air hammers are kind of “simple” I could fix it. I got it, threw some air on it and… I can’t find a damn thing wrong with it, lol. It works great and it was just a little dirty (grease) and looks almost brand new after I cleaned it up. No idea why the pawn shop listed it as “broken” but whatever. For $100 I got a sweeeeeet deal! 😎

Great work as always

So really between these two, you're paying for better trigger control

I have a Snap-on long barrel with a rotating thing at the bottom to limit power. I love that gun!

Many years ago I wanted to get a fancy and expensive Skill worm drive. When it wasn't available the Sears manager showed me the Craftsman's saw was actually the same tool, simply branded differently. Replacement internal parts were the same, and could be ordered as such. Yowza!

Would love to see AVE do a teardown of both, looking at the fit and finish to see if maybe one might wear out faster than the other.

Couldn’t you just add a flow control to the inlet on the chief to lower the output?

I used to work for a parts house that sold and serviced these kinds of tools. We used to get exact copies of the name brand stuff from India. Mostly IR and CP. We got them for a dime a dozen basically but would have to wait months for them to be shipped by sea. The company is called Edicon and is in Mumbai India. They literally buy the name brand tool, take it apart, learn how to copy it and then sell it to the US market. We would get a bag of 100 o-rings for these tools for $5 and sell each individual o-ring for sometimes $10 or more. Same kind of mark up on other parts as well, and you really can’t tell a difference just by looking at these parts. We would get identical copies of CP rivet busters, impact guns and CP 1240 breakers also and sell them for half the cost of an actual CP. It was all hush hush and you have to have an account with them to see the prices.

I love that “the beans” is catching on

Snap-Chief. Nice work by Harbor Freight!

This is common with many things. Back when VCRs were in fashion the inner workings were all made by one company. The icemaker in my freezer works in about two hundred makes and models. Thanks.

Glorious. I have a Chief and always thought it was stupid powerful. Great to hear I'm not crazy. Also kinda want an IR now...

Big brand name companies sometimes market "special edition" tools for a particular vendor (like Home Depot, etc.) that look the same but may have some metal parts replaced by plastic or have some other cost-cutting difference. But as pointed out here, the cheaper items may also come from the same factory or even the same assembly line as the brand-name ones, which tells me that there can be a huge markup based solely on the branding. It's like art: a framed scribble might sell for two bucks, but if signed by Picasso it's worth a million.

This is sure to open a rabbit hole but I would love to see some aircraft rivet guns in these tests.

11:54: “Subscribe to come along for the journey, that is if we haven’t been thrown into a van with a bag over our heads for even publishing this information…and check out our Amazon and T-Store links so that we can afford bail.” TTC: Come for the tool tests; stay for the subtly subversive sense of humor.

Always great to uncover best value deals and huge rebrand rip offs. Thanks!

I bought the Mac when it was a new product. At the time, the Matco "Silver Eagle" was still the creme de la creme, and this Mac crushed it. (TTC reviewed it with Sunex badges on it previously.) It hurts a little to see the Chief be basically the same thing with a tinier price tag, but actually I appreciate the tactile features of the Mac (the better trigger and grip design especially). As fun as these .401s are to compare, I hope you can get the CP717 in soon.

How well does the HF stack up against Big Nasty?

It should be no surprise at this point that tool trucks rebrand mass produced tools. That said as they continue to have the same manufacturing as lower priced options they will continue to loose business. The aura of the tool truck being superior isn’t there anymore because they are in many cases selling the same stuff as places with lower priced options. Channels like this have proven this time and time again.

I remember years ago a discussion (never proven that I am aware of) about two different, but very similar binoculars. At the time, the story was that where they were made had two different addresses. But those addresses were just different sides of the same large building in Asia somewhere... Might have been an urban legend, but it also might have just be smart marketing. ;-)

As an ASE and A&P mechanic, I will say that I agree. The Harbor Freight tools are 200% better for weekend warriors. As far as longevity and controllability, I would choose the style that brings the best control in MY hand weather it would be a tool truck, home depot, lowes, harbor freight, amazon, exc. At the end of the day, I can buy 1 tool truck tool or 3 harbor freight tools for the same price. I can only do as well as the tool allows while in my hands specifically. I do not misuse the tool and use as intended (i.e. a flat head screwdriver is NOT a chisel or pry bar) and I expect a warranty to come with a long waiting time if replacement is required.

A comedy channel, that does real deal tool reviews. I likey. Plus the witness protection comment seems eerily necessary........ Also, a big hammer with no finesse might sound cool, sometimes, amazing control, is better than absolute size.

I can't wait to see the Snap-on and matco going head to head

I knew a man that worked for a large tool manufacturer. A popular one. He told me that the only difference between the top dollar tools and the lower cost tool is the finish.

I have that same mac air hammer. Love it. Plenty of power and easy control. I get the off brand is a better deal, but, the tool truck finances stuff. That makes it an easier purchase. 15 or 20 a week over time is especially easier on some guys than dropping 150 all at once. For example, the 20 year old that has been busting tires for a couple years and now they move up to brakes, alignment, whatever at a chain tire shop. He isn't making enough money to go out and drop a bunch of cash all at once for all the stuff he needs. And yes, the mac with the same hammer attachment works great for knocking rotors off that are rusted onto the hub. He moves up to brake jobs, he needs a socket set, brake spring pliers, caliper tool set, breaker bar, maybe a stubby impact, swivel impact sockets, and so on. Financing that stuff is alot easier on the up and coming kinda guy.

I’m gonna show this video to my Mac tools truck guy 🤣

I swear my old short barrel snapon was stronger than my new IR long barrel.

Matco, Cornwell and Snap-on tire inflators are made by Astro Pneumatics. The only difference is label and plastic color. The three branded inflators are $129-$199 each. A no label Astro inflator is $29 on Ali-Express, $15ea if you by five. Aside from the actual hand tools, any power tool the big three tool makers make is made by other brands.

I personally tested the HF Chief long barrel air hammer and SnapOn long barrel air hammer. Both were used to drive out inner and outer wheel bearing races on 40’ city transit bus…one per side and honestly the HF air hammer blasted the races out with alot let effort. Let it be noted though that the trigger control on the SnapOn was alot better than the HF but not enough to justify the price and especially in the Heavy Diesel Maintenance industry…BUT time will tell about durability.

Looks like a lot of overhead costs for that tool truck ripoff. Brand name must be raking in piles of cash off that nonsense.

I love the donut media "give it the beans" reference 😂😂

Great video proving that the money is the biggest difference.... I love my chief! Have you tested the Baxter air file from HFT?

When i was a kid i worked in a garage/bodyshop saturdays n hols. The cheap air chisel i was using stopped working, stripped it, i went under the bench hunting for spares and found a dead snap on, both identical. The boss looked in at what i was upto, was not amused at the £200 difference and gave the snapon van his “thoughts” that week. I was 14 at the time, I never got a competative price off the snapon van in that town for 20yrs.

2 bad HF didn't copy the SO one. That one does make a difference when it counts and I sure ain't no SO fan due to their insane markups.

Show me the beans!

Took me until now to realize your logo says TTC. Nice. Love it.

Same is true of many products. I 've worked in food retail. Example: Ice Cream in the UK is made mainly by a couple of companies, they also make the own brand stuff, although the recipes are slightly different, in one case many years ago I was working for Walls and we made ice cream for Lyons when they ran out of capacity.

TTC No one does it better

HF has been on the rise over the last 5 years. I have one major complaint, bait and switch. You’ll see stellar reviews and months later the product changes for the worse keeping the same name, sku and price.

me and a buddy at work discovered this a few weeks when i bought a chief. cool video!

Happens a lot with larger tools. General international tools like a bandsaw or table saw for example are made in Taiwan and the casted parts are picked by general first and a few other brands pick. (Story from a tool store) parts are interchangeable and completely identical between 2 to 4 brands I've seen in store.

Most of these high-dollar brands are pretty shit at this point. The only decent things they make is hand tools.

Couple things to note, although designs are similar component quality can vary… longevity between the two tools could be much different. Second, patents on design can run their course. After that… it’s free game. That may not mean they’re not made in the same factory. Not saying they aren’t.

Awesome, I just bought a chief today thank you very much ❤️

It reminds me of a nice low profile floor jack that was available years ago at Costco for a little over $100. The exact identical model we had rolling on our shop floor, only rebranded as Matco was about $375 iirc.

From your table, I would choose the IR. Price to performance is just outstanding so far. And IR usually makes no junk.

Due to an emergency work that needed to be done I bought the snap on air hammer at the last minute and it's strong BUT it feels like you get more impact on your hand that wears you down quicker vs other brands... now this could've been the job I was doing that was tiring but it's something I always thought about

I can’t wait to see how the snap on does!

Great Review! Thanks!