Let's talk compressors (for the shop)

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'74 Sport

'74 Sport

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I've had it with being hamstrung by not having a decent air compressor for the shop. The longer I go without one, the more I realize I need one. I need to begin researching what type compressor I should consider. What better place is there to start than with you guys? I'm sure plenty of you have compressors that you are either happy or disgusted with. Let's discuss your pros and cons.

I want one that can handle air tools that require a fairly constant flow and pressure, like a dual orbiting sander, in-line file, die grinder, cut-off wheel, and paint gun. I can go either 110 or 220 volt, it will be located close to my breaker box in the garage. Nearby, I have Tractor Supply Corp., The Home Depot, LOWE'S, Harbor Freight Tools, and Sears. I also get catalogs from Northern Tools and Enco.

Give me your two cents worth,
Jerry
 
Get a minimum of a Craftsman 5hp.....60 gallon.
My crappy 1.1hp - 17 gallon pisses me off.....everytime I want to do something...15 minutes to build up 150 psi....3 minutes to drain it back to 20 psi.

So there is my .02

Power/Volume cost a bit of money, but the capability to actually do some work would've been worth it had I done the research and been able to foresee the problems associated with getting TOO LITTLE of a Compressor.
 
First thing don't get an oil-free one. they are loud and don't last. get one that is oil lubed and as prine said at least 60 gallons or more and look for the highest cfm rating. the hp rating doesn't really matter. a friend of mine who is a painter has the black craftsman professional 60 gallon and it works fine for his needs when he works at home. also look into the ingersol rand ones, not very expensive and are good compressors.
 
Also when you buy be sure to get a compressor that is made of cast iron and rebuildable and not an aluminum or oilless type -- they have short life and are light duty. My compressor is a Quincy and I haven't had to do a thing to it in 15 years except change the tank from a 20 gal horizontal to a 80 gal vertical
 
Don't pay attention to HP ratings. For the most part they are bogus, the only thing that matters is the CFM rating at the pressure you intend to use.

On the HP ratings for example: I have a small compressor on wheels that they advertise as a 5HP motor but it has a 120 volt 15 amp plug (standard plug). 5HP equals 3728 Watts. 3728 Watts at 120 volts is 31 Amps. The unit runs fine on a 15 amp circuit so the absolute most it could be is 2.5 HP and more likely closer to 2 HP.
 
Stay away from the electric motor ones, they suck, take forever to fill and can't run power tools at a decent CFM for any more than ten seconds.

Get a compressor with pistons and a belt for some serious power tool action.

I bought a sears 35 gallon compressor with the electric oil free motor.
It's okay for airing up tires and using air tools to an extent but I can't do any serious cut off wheel work or grinding as it fades off quickly and takes too long to fill up which gets very frustrating.
Don't get me wrong, it is okay and it's better than nothing but it does not compare to the larger models with the two or four stroke big *** pistons on top.
 
Ingersall rand.....They are the best bang for the buck....be prepared to spend over a grand..well worth the investment...and if you can put the damn thing out of shop area...trust me you will thank me later.....:blob6::blob6::blob6::blob6:....this is what you will feel like at the end of the day with it next to your head
 
- Dont settle
- Soon as you find the one you think "should work"...get the next size bigger


I have a Porter-Cable 17gal/ 135psi. It's got a good scfm rating for a small compressor and it runs on my 110v garage power. It's way too small though.
 
I was able to scrounge up two 25 gallon oil less compressors for free. I hooked the air lines up in parallel and they will do anything I want them to do including my little sandblaster. They are noisy though.

Jack
 
Jerry
BEWARE of the compressors that dont have a 220 motor. The newest rage of rip offs is to give you an @5 HP compressors numbers but put a 2 HP motor on it. It cant run the numbers cause the motor isnt big enough. Quincy is one of the best your money can buy. You wont be disappointed.
My02.
Frank
 
I have my eye on one at Home Depot. It's a Campbell Hausfield with a Husky logo on it. It's 220V, stand up 60 gal tank and provides 10.2 scfm @ 90 psi. It's oil lubed. Should be sufficient for a home shop. $439!

Link here.
 
I am space limited so I can't fit any large volume compressors. I bought a Campbell Hausfeld from a friend that didn't need it in his race trailer any more. It's a 20 gallon, 110V, oil lube and belt drive. It's at least 10 years old and it works great. It feeds my impact and rachets great, and I have no complaints with my die and cutoff tools. My friend has the same compressor with a 26 gallon tank and it works really well.

To me the big 60 and 80 gallon uprights are cool, but I have no room at all for uprights in my garage. The horizontal fits great up under my workbench.

I have a very old version of this compressor, available at Lowes, HD and Harbor Freight:

VT6290_large.jpg
 
I had a Sears oil less 60 gal, 11.4 cfm @ 90psi, noisy as all get out, couldn't really keep up with high spinning tools but it lasted quite a while. It finally died and I bought a monster oil lube 80 gal, 30cfm @ 100psi, this one is amazing, fills up in a hearbeat, not nearly as noisy either. It's a Canadian brand (Eagle), no idea if they sell them where you are. I bought it used (barely used) for $1000.
 
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