air shear vs elect shear

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im in the market for a shear i seen an elect at pawn shop, and menards i seen an air shear. my guess is elect has more torque  any one have a prefernce which is better and what brand to buy?miller maxstar 150   hobart handler 210 w mig conversion hobart 250 arc force plasma cutter    boston ind cutting torch miller performance auto darkening helmet milwalkee 14in chop saw 10,000 watt generator huge drill press and industrial band saw
Reply:I've got a Bosch 1500C.  Absolutely awesome shear.  But, I have a friend who has a 1500B, and it's nowhere near as good.  There's a lot of variation even with this good brand.The HF one's I've seen "look" good, but I have no idea how well they work or hold up.What are you planning on cutting and doing with this?  That can make a bit of a difference in what you need.
Reply:Originally Posted by rlitmanI've got a Bosch 1500C.  Absolutely awesome shear.  But, I have a friend who has a 1500B, and it's nowhere near as good.  There's a lot of variation even with this good brand.The HF one's I've seen "look" good, but I have no idea how well they work or hold up.
Reply:The Bosch I have is rated for 16 gauge, has a hand guard, and four sided blades that can be rotated to keep you on a sharp edge, BUT you could buy ten of those HF electric shears for the price of one Bosch.  That HF throatless shear is the one I saw and handled in the store this weekend.  Looks like it is well thought out.  I probably would have owned that, if it was available ten years ago, but I have no regrets with the Bosch.I will say that there is a big difference between a 16 gauge and an 18 gauge shear, and the one I have easily cruises through metal that would destroy even the best of tin-snips.  I have seen handheld throatless shears rated up to 8gauge, but you wouldn't believe the price even old ones go for, and since I own a plasma cutter, I don't have much use for these larger shears.The big questions are what types of cuts are you doing, and in what sort of metal.Three blade shears remove a strip of metal, but give the straightest of edges on both sides of the cut, although their turning ability is limited, but the ability to start from a small hole in the middle can be nice.Nibblers can turn on a dot, but are slow going, and give a rougher edge, and also remove metal while cutting.My throatless shear can cut out a nickel shaped piece in one direction, and a silver dollar in the other (I forget whether it's easier to turn left or right, offhand right now), but unlike the three blade variety, there is a little more "curl" to the edge on one side, kind of like what you get from tin-snips, with no loss of metal on the cut lines.  Still, you must start at the edge of a panel, and blade adjustment is critical (the gap needs to be set with feeler gauges for best results).Pneumatic vs electric is an age old question.  Do you have the air supply to run one of these tools?  Think 12CFM or so.  Welding and grinding creates an environment that's tough on electric tools, so if you prefer pneumatic tools in the shop, then maybe that's the way to go . . .