This isn’t a buyer’s guide. This is a hands-on overview of some of the air-up systems the staffers of Jp magazine have used in the real world. We selected them, we installed them, and we used them.

I first started using air-powered pneumatic tools nearly 40 years ago while working as a custom cabinetmaker and remodeling contractor. At that time, air compressors were behemoths: large, loud, and ...

Years ago, it was common for shops to have a central power source that drove all the tools through a system of belts, wheels and driveshafts. The power was routed around the work space by mechanical ...