Greetings Folks,

I'm preparing to buy myself an Early Christmas present and I'm thinking of getting an Air Compressor. I'm definitely not looking for an 80 Gallon upright, but more of a smaller size, such as a 25 gallon upright. I was looking at the 2 Stage Maintenance Free, but I hear they are noisy and they go bad quickly... Anyone have any knowledge or experience with this?

I'm leaning towards an Oiled Air Compressor and have looked at a few brands, Craftsman, Ingersoll Rand, etc......

Anyone have any recommendations on a compressor and a basic list of air tools I should get?

I'm sure a few of you have them in your shop and I'd love to hear your feedback.

IR makes some really good stuff, but you may be paying for the name. A lot of these manufacturers make stuff for other no name companies and it may pay to look around. Try Harbor Freight or Northern Tool, they usually have a nice selection.. :)

I have a craftsman oilless 5hp. This thing makes more noise than my 327 with 2 burned out glass packs.The rule of thumb when buying a compressor is buy the most you can afford !

I bought a Home Depot (Husky Brand) upright 35 Gallon Oiled unit about three years ago. I'm very happy with it. It runs all day long without any problems. Its not super quiet, but it makes less noise than the oil-less units and the noise is not as high pitched as the oil-less units. The noise difference between oiled and oil less is sort of like comparing 2-strokes and 4-stroke dirt bikes, neither are quiet but the 4-strokes don't grind your nerves like the 2-strokers.

What are you planning to us it for? 25 gal is not a lot. If you're planning on using it for body work or spraying, you want at least a 60 gal with 10CFM at 90PSI. Oil-less compressors suck. Any brand name (not chinese) compressor with an oil bath pump is fine.

I agree with Gofast. First of all, what are you planning to do with it? If you plan on doing any sanding, or spraying with it, pay attention to the CFM's. I wish I had known better when I bought my compressor. The one I got only puts out 4.7 CFM's and is no way near enough for a das, or worse,....sandblasting. I wish I had my 2fiddy back and could put it towards something mo'bigger!

Rut

Go with the Craftsman 60g, 7hp compressor. I did a ton of research comparing prices, SCFM, HP, tank size, etc. Best bang for the buck was the CM. On sale now for $479.00 till tomorrow. I compared all the major and minor brands.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00918419000

I have a Craftsman vertical one that looks like the one pictured except it is oil-less. It handles all my air tools fine but it is loud as hell. I wish I would have bought the one pictured instead. I think they are the same price.

Go with the Craftsman 60g, 7hp compressor. I did a ton of research comparing prices, SCFM, HP, tank size, etc. Best bang for the buck was the CM. On sale now for $479.00 till tomorrow. I compared all the major and minor brands.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00918419000

I have the Campbell Hausfeld version of this one 10.1 cfm flow at 90psi will do most anything you want. The next step down drops to 5 or 6 cfm and that's just not enough for sustained use of cutting tools, grinders and sanding. All major brands are are just about exatly alike, Husky is usually the least expensive, and Ingersol Rand is about the most expensive. Don't go oil-less and don't get too caught up in HP ratings. The Sears is 7HP but they don't tell you it's peak not running HP another brand might advertise 3 running HP and not mention the peak.

If you are not in a hurry watch Craigslist or ebay. I got mine used and local for $250 and that included 4 - 25' hoses and a regulator and oiler... It's effectively brand new too...

The Craftsman one I mentioned above does tell you it's running HP somewhere on the tag when I went to the store to look at em. Still was the best buy. SCFM is the first thing you should look at.

I have the Campbell Hausfeild <sp> Like Dennis does and it's about 7 years old maybe more. It is more than I need and will keep up with any air tool I own, including a blowgun.

I have the IR 5hp 2stage 80 gal upright, neighbor has the craftman's version in 60gal (like discussed above). Big differences are recovery rate (how quick does it rebuild pressure), noise, and longevity/durability. Does his craftman do the job? Yes. Would I buy one? No. My IR is coming up on 15yrs old & works perfect, it will rebuild pressure and shut off while using my media blast cabinet (his craftsman won't - it stays at about 75ish PSI unless he waits for it to catch up on a near identical blast cabinet), I can have a normal conversation while standing close to mine - his Craftsman - we almost have to leave his garage - there really is that much difference in noise. The other funny thing is the motor - mine is 5hp - his is 6hp (in theory). However, the physical motor size of the IR is over twice the size of his Craftsman. I have no idea how they rate HP on electric motors, but something seems out-of-whack. Also, my motor, cylinders, etc are all rebuildable. Not true on Craftman - throw it way.

I know budgets always rule - and the price is 3X more than the craftman - but I 've never regreted buying the unit I did.

the craftsman sucks...I wore out my old oiled 60 gal upright, bought a like new craftsman oilless 60 gal off of Craigs list and brought it home...MF would run ya out of the shop!!!..it was really bad it has just the right noise level to get on your nerves fast, plus it was slow to pump up...put it back on craigs told the guy to mount it outside in a box!! bought another good used Hausfield and all is good now...hard to beat the deal on the one at Home Depot for the 60 gal oiled upright @ 4 bills.

Sears also sells an Ingersol Rand unit, 5HP two stage 175psi 60 gallon. It's a bit lighter and smaller than an 80 gallon unit. The warranty is two years even commerical use. Because it's available at Sears, you can avoid truck freight costs.

New HVLP paint guns all require more than 10CFM with only a few exceptions. The ND orbital sander needs 16CFM.

Once you have a compressor, you will find all the things it's useful for. You will quickly outgrow a unit smaller than the 5HP. Two stage is the way to go. There are other great units such as BelAir or Quincy. Just don't short change yourself on capacity.

Used one of the little Craftsman oil-less units as a fill-in for a short time. Pretty much worthless, at least it was for me. Couldnt use any tool for but a minute or two without the compressor falling behind, psi falling, and having to wait for it to catch up. And crazy loud.

Bought a 5hp 2 stage 80 gal upright a couple months ago. Around 16-18 cfm. Great recovery rate, relatively quiet, and the 80gal tank just helps more for the recovery. I do a lot of continuous use with it (sanders, blasting, etc.), and still have yet to challenge it. From what I know, you want to go with a 2 stage (more $$$) and a good cfm rating.

www.tptools.com has pretty good prices on their Champion units, which is one of the best brands out there. Add in the shipping cost (which theirs seems pretty reasonable, depending on how far away you are), and you may be able to find a better deal locally.

dave

Also keep in mind that some compressors require 240 volts instead of the standard 120 volts. Make sure you have the proper outlet in the garage to feed the compressor.

One of the best things you can do for your nerves for any air compressor is to move it outside. Mine is in a water heater cabinet from Home Depot.

If you do continuous work remove the door on the cabinet for better airflow. When I'm using a port grinder I'll use a box fan for better cooling since it will be running non-stop, even for a 5-HP continious rated motor with a 2-stage pump. Heat is the killer for most pumps.

As usual, you all provide great information and I guess I did need to provide a little more information. I'd love to have the 60gal air compressor, but I was looking for something more compact since the garage space that I have to work on things, is somewhat limited. I've got a 2 car garage, with a side storage area and I've already got a riding lawnmower, push mower, edgers, tool boxes, etc. swarming the place. I've got a severe complex of "Tim the Toolman Taylor" going. Ugh Ugh Ugh. Hahahaha

Anyway, I was kinda eyeing this model from Northern Tool and Equipment...

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=200311705&R=200311705

What do you guys think?

I know it's got 5.7 CFM @ 90 PSI. Will I be hating myself by not going bigger?

I won't be doing a tremendous amount of anything. If I need to grind something, it may be to grind off a rivet or two or sand down a sheet metal edge or minor body work. Anyone use an Air Compressor of this size and type? Thoughts and opinions?

Also, I noticed that some manufacturers will extend the warranty if you use a Regulator Filter/Gauge unit. Can anyone explain what these are used for?

I really do appreciate everyone's input. I'm definitely learning alot.

That size of a compressor will be fine for most normal power tools under non-continuous use. I think you should shop around a bit more though for pricing. That price seems a little steep to me for a brand that I'm not familiar with.

It still would bother me to buy a 30g/1.8HP/5.7scfm air comp. for $399 when I knew I could get a 60g/7hp/~13scfm air comp. for <$500. I installed mine today and got all of the wiring done. It's not that loud at all and honestly it's only a few inches bigger in diameter than one half it's capacity.

Good luck with your choice. If you're still set on a ~30gal unit, I still recommend shopping around a bit more.

I lived with a 30gal 2HP 6.3@90 Craftsman for years. It served me well and handled most things OK, though I had to wait for it to catch-up if using a DA or other high volume tools. I think $399 for a Chinese 1.8HP is too much though and I think a 60gal vertical would take up about the same amount of space (but will need 22V).

Correct go2fast, the 60Gal compressors do require 240V. Took me about 1.5 hours to run the wire and hardwire my new compressor.

I don't know if I have my compressor setup properly but I have a regulator and set it to 80 psi when the air is flowing (a tool running) and 90 psi without the air flowing. My compressor kicks on at 90 psi and I have never had it drop below 80psi at the hose so far.

Take a look at a sample of air tools and note the psi and cfm requirments for the various tools to get an idea of what you may require from a compressor... I'm sure not all brands of tools are the same but this will give you an idea. http://www.colemanpowermate.com/compressors/grinders.shtml Expect the ratings to be the min needed to run the tool...

Looks like die grinders, sand blasters and some impact tools use the most cfm. Had I bought new I don't think I would have bought a 60 gal compressor but since I got mine dirt cheap I'm glad I got the bigger unit. It doesn't run nearly as much and it takes up less floor space than the old horizontal tank although it's about 6' tall. Loss of space depends on where you put it, shelving etc.

Most compressors are made by one of 3 companys, Campbell Hausfeld, DeVilbiss and Coleman Powermate... Here's the breakdown...

Campbell makes;
Campbell Hausfeld
CH Extreme
Farmhand
Husky (models beginning with FP, WL, HS, VS, VT)
Husky Pro (models beginning with HS, VS, VT)
IronForce
Maxus
Power Pro

DeVilbiss makes;
2X4
Accuspray
Air America
American IMC
Blue Point
Charge Air Pro
Companion
Craftsman
DAPC
Delta
Delta Shopmaster
Delta Workshop
DeVilbiss
Ex-Cell
Force International
Husky
Impact
Ingersoll-Rand
Matco
Porter-Cable
Power Tools
Pro 4000
Pro Air
Pro Air II
Rand 4000
Senco
Snap-On
Speedaire
Steel Driver Series
Superior Fastener
Tradesman
W R Brown
Westward

Coleman Powermate;
Coleman Powermate
Black Max
Magna Force
Pro Force
Contractor
Sanborn
Industrial Air Machine
Marshalltown Trowel
Makita

Here's a bit on what went on with the advertised HP law suits...
www.aircompressorsettlement.com (http://www.aircompressorsettlement.com/)

Very nice post Dennis.

I'm looking at an Eagle P3124V1 ($500 Canadian) US made. http://www.eaglecompressor.com/_egl08whl13dl04ctnt61/products/compressors/eagle/portable_electric/P3124V1.html
It's pretty much the highest output for a 120 V unit that I can find. Puts out 6.0 CFM @ 100 psi (why it's not rated at 90 like most others I don't know). 24 gallon upright. Anyone have any experience with this make and/or model?

Very nice post Dennis.

Thanks...

Puts out 6.0 CFM @ 100 psi (why it's not rated at 90 like most others I don't know) It's advertising Pete... It might be only 5 cfm at 90 psi...

Wouldn't it be higher at 90 psi?

Wouldn't it be higher at 90 psi?

Yep :)

Wouldn't it be higher at 90 psi?

My bad, I'm fighting a chest cold and wasn't thinking too clear...

Hey I hear you on the cold, does funny things to the thinking process. Take care of yourself buddy and get the rest you need. Just for the record I picked it up today as they had a 15% off entire store sale today and tomorrow. I hope it will work out for me, it should as I'm just a hobbiest kind of user. Thanks and cheers !!!!