AIRCAT Pneumatic Tools 1059-VXL: 3/8-Inch Vibrotherm Drive Composite Compact Impact Wrench 750 ft-lbs of Torque

I am a huge Mac Tools fan. My dad was a Mac Tools dealer and I own a lot of Mac Tools. I was basically looking for a compact 3/8" drive gun with lots of power - or at least enough power to remove lug nuts on a regular passenger car. I was looking to replace an old IR-212 that was way down on power. Mac doesn't make any of their own pneumatic tools; they rebrand other manufacturer's tools with their own name. The most comparable Mac gun is the Mac Tools AWP038M, which is also sold as the Proto as part number J138WP-M. Mac and Proto are both owned by Stanley tools and share a lot of the tools that they sell. Note that the Mac / Proto gun is actually manufactured by Basso tools of Taiwan (I called Mac tech support to ask about it).I initially bought the Proto version of the Mac gun as I found it on clearance and got a fantastic deal. When it arrived, I tried taking off a Subaru Legacy lug nut that I recently torqued to 88 ft-lbs. This was a lug nut that I had torqued a few days prior from doing a brake job on my daughter's car. Since I only installed and torqued the lug nut a few days prior, it was definitely not anything that was rusted in place or frozen on the stud. The Mac / Proto gun wouldn't budge it - not even a little. This is in spite of the fact that the Mac / Proto gun is rated for 445 ft-lbs break away torque. Seems like it should have made quick work of a lug nut recently torqued to 88 ft-lbs.Given the very poor performance of the Mac / Proto gun, I decided to look at other options. Mac also sells some rebranded Aircat impact guns (like the Mac AWP612Q) but not this particular model. My thinking was that if it's good enough for Mac to rebrand as their own then they must be a good company. While researching Aircat, I watched a youtube video of a Chevrolet mechanic using the 1/2" version of this gun on lug nuts and the Aircat made quick work of it. It turns out that the specs on the 1/2 and 3/8 drive versions of this little Aircat gun are pretty much the same across the board so I thought I would buy the 3/8 version and give it a try.The Aircat made very quick work of the lug nuts torqued to 88 ft-lbs. Actually the lug nuts didn't even slow the gun down. It removed lug nuts just as fast a heavy duty 1/2" drive Mac Tools impact gun that I normally use on lug nuts. The little Aircat is ergonomic, compact, light weight, quiet, and has has low vibration. Don't discount things like the noise and vibration. This gun is way quieter than my other air tools and it's a joy to use a gun that doesn't hurt my ears when I pull the trigger. It really is noticeably quieter - it's not just a marketing gimmick.Another really nice feature of this gun is the fine trigger control. It is very easy to feather the trigger to change the gun speed. There are 2 forward speed positions. On the lower setting, the gun seems to run around half speed. You can feather the trigger equally as good in the forward low, forward high, and reverse settings. Note that there is only 1 reverse speed setting. Forward low, high, and reverse is controlled by the little lever on the trigger. On the Mac / Proto gun I initially bought (and am in the process of returning), it was very hard or nearly impossible to feather the trigger and the speed settings didn't seem to do anything. Actually, the click speed settings and the trigger speed control work better on the little Aircat than any other gun I own or have used in the past. In addition, the low power forward setting is great for re-assembly as it does not over torque fasteners. For example, when using the low power forward setting for lug nuts, you can let the gun hammer for a few seconds after the nuts seat on the rim but the nuts are not even close to the final torque spec of 88 ft-lbs on my cars. On the full power setting it is very easy to over torque the lug nuts even if you are tryin to feather the trigger. It's another nice touch on a very well thought out design.Given the high performance of this gun, I'm thinking that I won't be using my big Mac Tools 1/2" drive gun much anymore. I'm thinking this will be my main go to gun from now on.On the minus side, some people complain that the trigger is a little fragile on this gun. Some people report that the little plastic nub on top of the trigger that rides in the aluminum groove on the bottom of the housing breaks or bends over time. Since I'm not using this professionally in a shop it probably won't be a problem for me. Hopefully Aircat fixes that problem because this gun is otherwise a real winner. I couldn't be happier with the little Aircat.

Excellent air impact tool, works great I used it to loosen bolts and lug nuts while doing my front brake rotors and new pads! Great product, I highly recommend this company! Thanks Aircat!

I love how light and compact this impact is. Fits everywhere and packs quite a punch!I just removed and tore down a caterpillar c12 diesel engine and this pulled the 24 mm head bolts, main caps and the 30mm front engine mounts.Impressive for a 3/8, especially considering its size.

Love this gun on of my most used! Love the durability and the quality of the product.

Bought this to have a 3/8 impact and works well

Bad ass impact!!

Used daily at shop for Deere dealership.

This 3/8 drive impact is well worth the money. Has great power and is quite. I am a front end tech, work on car for a living. Like the tool as much as my Matco at better then 1/2 the price.