I think the push for all-electric tools underwater is overblown

I've been diving commercially for about 8 years now, mostly pipeline work in the Gulf. I keep hearing everyone talk about how electric tools are the future and pneumatics are dead. But in my experience, that electric thruster I tried on a job in 2021 was a nightmare. It kept shorting out in the salt water after maybe 5 or 6 dives, and we lost a whole shift waiting on a replacement. Meanwhile, my old pneumatic impact gun from 2017 still fires up without a hitch every time. Has anyone else had better luck with a specific electric brand for heavy mud work?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_fiona1mo ago

Wait, it shorted out after only 5 dives?

shane_hayes1mo ago

@the_fiona yeah, 5 dives was it. Same thing happens with my buddy's fancy electric grill. Shiny and new but craps out the second real weather hits. Give me stuff that's built for abuse any day.

mianelson1mo ago

Ngl, you're mixing up two different things here. A grill and a dive watch are totally different animals - one's dealing with heat and grease, the other's handling salt water and pressure. Five dives sounds like a manufacturing defect or a bad seal, not some universal "new stuff sucks" issue.