Air Compressors

[Bit_Fiddler]

I read the most recent (last month) reviews on the 21 gallon one on the HF website, and I think they've got a quality problem.

A little sad to hear that... Been awhile since I looked at them closely.  Used to be a good unit...    I grit my teeth every time that Sears oil-less compressor fires up - but not annoyed enough to spend money on a new one yet.

[Ray Newman]

My standard advice: Look in the local Yellow Pages for a nearby air compressor repair shop(s). Stop in and ask for recommendations or what compressor to avoid.

[museumguy]

Ok. At work, I do nothing but installs. The company provides all tools, which is why I use most of my own, lol. My truck has a twin stack Hitachi compressor, excellent compressor but weighs a ton. They provide a Paslode 18g finish nailer. The only reason for a compressor is when using a 23g pinner. I bought this one, https://www.harborfreight.com/1-3-hp-3-g...97080.html . So far, it's served the job well. I actually bought it on sale, delivered for less than $50. Now, I haven't tried an 18g brad nailer yet but for a 23g only, it's awesome.

[Arlin Eastman]

A few years ago someone here told us about California air compressors and I would LOVE to have one, however they are way over my budget.

[Robert Adams]

A few years ago someone here told us about California air compressors and I would LOVE to have one, however they are way over my budget.

Same here but when I saw that husky branded one for $99 it had to come home with me. Keep an eye on the CAT, Rolair and other brands because I have seen them as low as $130 is for the twin tank I have.

[Pondracer]

now looking on Amazon, California Air Tools (first pic) has a unit similar in weight and tank size to my current compressor but w/ a decibel rating of only 60 (see 2nd pic - and remember this scale is logarithmic) - looks like a great replacement for me relative to SOUND, but bothered by the many 1* comments on Amazon (link above) - does anyone own this compressor?  Dave

This was my choice too for a while and the reviews are what made me hold off.  I am still looking.

[Willyou]

- now looking on Amazon, California Air Tools (first pic) has a unit similar in weight and tank size to my current compressor but w/ a decibel rating of only 60 (see 2nd pic - and remember this scale is logarithmic) - looks like a great replacement for me relative to SOUND, but bothered by the many 1* comments on Amazon (link above) - does anyone own this compressor?  Dave

I don't have that particular one, but I just purchased the 10 gal model and after doing a little spraying and tire filling, I am very impressed. It is not quite as quiet as the 1 hp model, but is close. I decided on this one after my very very loud Ridgid oilless model died. I was going to take the advice of others that recommended getting a oil lube model and came very close to buying an HF model. I just could not bring myself to pull the trigger; for better or worse. Time will tell if I made the right decision.

I don't usually pay close attention to the 1* reviews unless they are numerous and consistent. I think they are mostly from those are inept at following directions who unfortunately received the one bad apple. Not based on any kind of science, but I usually look for combined reviews in the 75% range for 5*, 4*, and maybe 3*. I usually find comments in the 4* and 3* categories the most revealing; particularly if the comments are consistent. The 1* comments for the 10 gal model mentioned plastic parts (like the manifold) rupturing. The unit I got has no such plastic parts. They are all brass or some other cast metal.

[Mike in kc]

Compressors last a very long time, so if you do your homework and size it properly, you'll probably will only purchase one. I bought this 10 SCFM, 60 Gallon compressor about 25 years ago and its been "on" ever since.  I paid about $325 for it in '92 or '93.

Of course the secret to long life is new oil every year, I do it on New Years day, an air tight piping system, and drain the water every week during the busy time of the year, but at least once a month. 

[packerguy®]

Fast forward two months.

Its still leaking. I cant find it. Its not leaking where I did the JB weld fix. I replumbed the connector. No change. Its so old....it could be leaking anywhere.

So I started the search again....I went and looked at the 21 gallon HF unit....I see why its $150 with coupon and why people complain about it crapping out within a year. You get what you pay for. 

I started reading about belt driven units and took some advice here and decided that to get something that was going to be reliable for years to come, the wallet had to be opened. I narrowed it down to a few and what I decided one was this:



Seems to get fairly good reviews online. 

Specs were good for $500....like that I can run it on 220V, 5.0 CFM at 90 PSI is likely more than I will ever need. 4 year warranty seemed almost the best I found at that price point. 20,000 hour bearing life, 100% duty cycle, solid rubber wheels...yadda yadda.

I went and put eyes and hands on one this morning and was impressed so much one followed me home. Fit and finish is good, its not even in the same ballpark of the HF I looked at. It was next to the comparable IR unit and I really think it was nicer looking and as good or better built.

Gotta do the wiring switch monday and then break it in, but everything so far I am very pleased.

[Cian]

My old PC pancake can do that.  I put it in a cabinet with a filter/regulator on the outside, and it's nice and quiet.  It doesn't run enough to heat up the interior of the cabinet normally, but when I've sprayed with it, which surprisingly hasn't killed it yet, I open the door and pull the drawer out so it can stay cool(ish).  Spraying will work it hard enough to cycle the overheat protection and shut it down, even with out in the open, so I mostly use other methods than spraying with that little unit.  But you didn't say you wanted to spray, so it's a moot point.

I similarly built an enclosure for my oilless compressor years ago.  There is a PC fan wired to the cabinet's interior duplex outlet which draws air from the outside.  The duplex is plugged via a short extension cord into a dedicated outlet with a HD switch, and I only turn the cabinet on when I need to use the compressor.  I fabbed input and output padded zigzag airways so there is always free-flowing inbound makeup/cooling air, but this also minimizes the amount of noise exiting through said airways.  The compressor is majorly SIGNIFICANTLY quieter than when it was just out in the open especially in my basement.  I figure the 65cfm fan fully exchanges the air within the 2'x2'x4' container ~4 times every minute.  The compressor has always stayed cool to the touch when in use inside the cabinet.

 

Once a year or so I play with the idea of upsizing my compressor with the stipulation the new one has to fit inside this box.  LOL.  Admittedly, I havent done much woodworking in the last handful of years to justify it though.

More here.