Electric Actuator vs Hydraulic or Pneumatic — Which One Is Better?
I’m trying to decide what to use for a small garage project — a lifting setup for my workbench. I used a cheap pneumatic cylinder before, but the constant hiss and need for an air compressor drove me nuts. A friend keeps insisting that electric actuators are the way to go, especially for small DIY builds. I’ve never tried them, though. Has anyone switched from hydro/pneumatic to electric and noticed a real difference in day-to-day use?
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I actually went through the same dilemma last year when I was automating a little trapdoor-style storage lift. I originally planned to use a small hydraulic unit, but the maintenance and the oil mess weren’t worth the trouble. I swapped to an electric actuator after browsing around places like https://www.progressiveautomations.com/collections/linear-actuators, mostly because they had a range with different force ratings that didn’t require me to redesign the whole setup. What surprised me most was how quiet the electric one ended up being — just a soft hum instead of all the compressor noise. It’s been running for months without me touching it, which is honestly the biggest win.