Even if you’ve got a big-ass air compressor around the shop or house, it’s always handy to have a smaller unit around for crap like blowing up bicycle tires or pumping up a car tire when the car’s out of easy reach of your big compressor.  Enter Black & Decker’s latest version of the small, portable air pump — the Air Station.

The ‘Station’s big claim to fame is that it runs on either 12V DC or 120V AC power so you can use it in the garage or house by plugging it into the wall, then carry it out to the car and plug it in a cigarette lighter power port to air up that aforementioned flat.

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Porter-Cable’s dropping news today about this oil-free pancake-style air compressor — complete with 13-piece hose and accessory kit — that’s supposed to hit shelves in a few weeks.  Operating at 150 psi, it’ll cram a good bit of air in that small tank, and its low-amp-draw motor should go easy on your long extension cord.

The accessory kit includes a 1/4″ air hose with quick-connect coupler, a tire gauge, a tire chuck, a blow gun, and a 5-piece OSHA safety nozzle with inflator adapters.  The whole thing weighs 34 lbs., which should be pretty easy to carry.

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Phillip writes: “This is a really cool ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ tool.  It’s available from Summit Racing.  Looks like it would be useful for many applications besides racing.”

These are used most often by drag racers, who manipulate tire pressure in miniscule amounts to control traction.  Of course, since they don’t turn — at least not on purpose – they definitely want both tires with equal pressure.  These are used by road racers from time to time as well, but not by circle track guys.

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Phillip writes: “If you need an almost invisible fastener, you need a 23-gauge pinner. However, most pinners — like the Porter-Cable PIN100 or the Senco FinishPro 10 — will leave you short and disappointed if you need a pin longer than 1″.  That’s where the GREX P645 comes in: It can pin 3/8″ to 1-3/4″  23-gauge pins in thirteen different lengths, plus stainless steel pins are available, too.  The pin magazine is self-adjusting for pin length and a ‘lock-out’ version of the pinner is also available (model P645L) that prevents a dry-fire.”

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Phillip writes: “Cyclo claims to make ‘the world’s finest orbital polisher.’  They offer a full line of dual-head polishers — electric and pneumatic with pads, discs, and brushes.  The dual-head design mimics hand polishing for a great shine.”

While you could argue about the “world’s finest” claim, you can’t argue that these aren’t some sweet looking power tools.  The model 5 (pictured above in “scrub” mode with brushes attached) even comes in an optional 14-carat gold plated finish.  Wow. 

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Today Hitachi announced a “redesigned” 15-gauge angled finish nailer with the memorable NT65MA3 name.  Primary changes include a “selective actuation switch” that lets you change from sequential fire to contact fire, a tool-free depth of drive adjustment, and an integrated air duster with an adjustable exhaust deflector.

Its magazine is tilted 34-degrees to help it fit into tight spaces.

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Sizod writes: “This scraper has an extra-wide 4″ blade that makes short work of tiles and linoleum-covered floors.  It pushes 2200 blows-per-minute and separates any glued floor coverings quickly.”

Normally we use Harbor Freight for single-project use only — or special situations like tools we’re concerned might be stolen.  But there’s one significant exception: air tools.  Sure, they don’t hold up quite as well as name-brands, but if you don’t load them too heavily (or you’re not certain the other workers who’ll use them will oil them or take care of them)…  Well, you can sure buy a lot of them for the price of a name-brand.

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Hitachi released an updated and re-designed version of its 1-1/2″ narrow crown pneumatic stapler.  The biggest change: a selective actuation switch that lets you select between “bump fire” and “sequential fire” actuation.

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Brad wrote in with this deal he found: “Not sure if this is at all Home Depots, but at one of the local ones here they have the three of these as a combo for around $175.  I’ve been looking for a brad nailer to do some small woodworking projects, and I think that this may be for me.  The brad nailer normally runs around $119, the finish nailer $179, and the pivoting driver $99.  Do the math and you’re saving a little over $200.  Check your local store to see if they are running with ths combo.”

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The hydraulic excavator mount: for when you absolutely, positively have to break big s%$# into little s%$#.  Sometimes we run across a tool and just have to write about it, regardless of practicality, and this one hits all the high points:  Noise — check.  Big — check.  Earth-shattering (literally) power — check.  This is a 12” auger that mounts to an excavator and drills into solid rock.  Sweet! 

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Olderty submitted this as the top of his Christmas wish list: “I’m currently looking to get an air compressor, and I think I just found it.  3 running HP, quiet (so they say), and a 10.2 SCFM average @ 90 PSI.  Sounds perfect for running a DA sander, die grinder, paint gun, etc. for hours — or until the job is done.  All for $419.99?  Sounds reasonable to me.”

He also asked if any of you Toolmongers might have better suggestions ‘compressor-wise.  Ideas?

PS: We’ve got a Husky unit on the test schedule soon, but it might come after Christmas.

Cast Iron Compressor, 3 Running HP, 60 Gal [Campbell Hausfeld]

We wrote about DeWalt’s other new portable compressor last week, and this one seems to be equally well designed, though larger — and more targeted more towards higher-CFM applications like auto body work as opposed to driving nailers and such.

It’s quick specs: 15 gallon capacity, 200 PSI max pressure, and a 78 dBA operational noise level.

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If you’ve ever carried an air compressor around a job site, you know how much of a beast they can be; They’re heavy, and often they’re shaped such that you can’t fit them easily on a dolly.  DeWalt’s not only made an air compressor that fits well on a dolly — they made it the dolly, too.

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We keep a small-box media blast unit in the shop to clean up small parts and such, and we’ve found it extremely useful — so useful, in fact, that we’ve considered picking up a larger open-air unit to use outside.  It’s a pretty big investment, though, and the large ones take quite a bit of time to set up (and clean up).

Something like this might be a good interim fix: It’s a small hand-held unit that gravity feeds from a top reservoir and plugs right into your standard air compressor line.

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If you’ve got a job coming up and need to buy a full set of pneumatics, Porter Cable wants to make it as easy as possible for you by offering a kit loaded with an 18 gauge brad nailer, a 16 gauge finish nailer, an 18 gauge stapler, and a .8 HP 6-gallon pancake compressor.

The compressor runs on 120 VAC, so you’ll need on-site power and an extension cord.  The kit also comes with a canvas bag and weighs a grand total of just 34 lbs.  Other accessories include a 40′ air hose with coupler and plug and 3,000 fasteners. 

This is essentially a one-stop-shop option for the serious weekend warrior or small-job contractor, and it’s priced very reasonably at just $360 or so street.  That price places this kit squarely in the DIYer’s court and pretty much eliminates any excuses for starting another job with just an old hammer and spring-stapler.

Finish Nailer/Brad Nailer/Stapler/Compressor Combo Kit [Porter Cable]
Street Pricing [Froogle]

One of our best friends likes to tell the story about how he borrowed money to buy his first set of professional hand tools — the ones he used to make his living for a number of years after that.  Those tools were from S-K, and he still owns them today.  Needless to say, we’ve always respected S-K’s hand tool line.  Now, S-K’s expanding into the pneumatic industry with a new set of “Pro-Gun” impact guns and wrenches.

S-K’s press release indicates that the new line will include 3/8″, 1/2″, 3/4″ and 1″ heavy-duty “professional” impact guns as well as 1/4″ and 3/8″ air ratchets.  They say the guns include a “twin-hammer motor” whcih increases torque and delivers it more quickly than competing guns. 

Of course, we look forward to seeing the Pro-Gun line perform in person, but if past experience with S-K is any indicator, it’ll be quality gear.

(We’d love to link you to the product line, but it appears that S-K hasn’t added it to their site yet so you’ll have to live with a press-release link.  Rest assured we’ll pass along more information as we receive it.)

Press Release: S-K Introduces the Pro-Gun Line [S-K Professional Tools]