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Air Compressor Opinions

John Downey said:
If money were no object, or I was running a pro shop, I'd go with a new Quincy or an old Kellogg-American, and definitely two stage.
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just one d/a sander will work a two stage compressor.....and if you run a venturi type vacuum pump at the same time you`ll work it hard.
 
I have the IR SS3L3 like you linked to in your first post. Access to the drain plug was somewhat tight so I went to the hardware store and bought $10 worth of parts and moved it out to the front. Later I added an auto-drain valve from Harbor Freight which has worked great. As a hobby user, I expect this compressor will last me a long time. I'd have a hard time spending double to get an industrial compressor that I'm only going to run a few hours per week at the most.
 
what do you guys use your air compressors on? me personally only use it with the brad nailer and blow gun. i have a 5hp 25 gallon craftsman ive been thinking about downgrading to something smaller and QUIETER as i dont use it hardly at all and it takes up a huge chunk of shop space
 
I use my big one for spraying finishes, brad nailer, blow gun, impact wrench, die grinder for metal work, inflating tires on the tractor, and running my plasma cutter.

I also have a small portable that I use for the brad nailer and tires as well as blowing up air mattresses, balls, and inflatable toys.
 
Mike Gager said:
what do you guys use your air compressors on? me personally only use it with the brad nailer and blow gun. i have a 5hp 25 gallon craftsman ive been thinking about downgrading to something smaller and QUIETER as i dont use it hardly at all and it takes up a huge chunk of shop space
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mine are used in a commercial shop. my small one is for installs.
 
Mike Gager said:
what do you guys use your air compressors on? me personally only use it with the brad nailer and blow gun. i have a 5hp 25 gallon craftsman ive been thinking about downgrading to something smaller and QUIETER as i dont use it hardly at all and it takes up a huge chunk of shop space
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For me, it's mostly blowing dust and chips out of and off of turned pieces. I also have a 2" diameter random orbital sander that I use on bowls and such. That's pretty much it for now. I don't expect to be using a bigger pneumatic sander for flatwork, since I want one that has a hookup for a shop vac, too. I might someday try a little sandblasting to texture lathe-turned work, but I wouldn't be trying to strip the paint off a car with it. Occasional pin nailer or brad nailer use, but you sure don't need a big compressor for that. Don't need it for vacuum pressing or chucking, since I already have a good vacuum pump. Impact wrench? Maybe yes, but only for something like putting a spare tire on the car. (I try to avoid mechanic work.) Spraying...maybe in the future when the cheapie $79 HVLP turbine and gun I have now quits working. I've had it for two years or so, and used it on exactly three items, and two of those were shop jigs. I don't do a lot of spraying - I don't make things that warrant it, and I don't have a place to spray (other than outside) in my current set-up anyway.

In other words, any of the ones I've been considering are gross overkill for my current hobbyist needs. My biggest air consumer is the 2" sander, which wants 8 CFM of airflow. Unfortunately, I haven't found a relatively decent small one that can supply 8 to 12 CFM. (I'm not including the little short one Harbor Freight claims can do it.) I also want one with a pulley-driven piston pump...not another buzz bomb. Like you, I want the next one to be quiet, and it seems the noise volume gets lower as the capacity gets higher, to a certain extent.

I've been waffling back and forth about whether to go high-end or something more affordable. Realistically, I might use a compressor 8 to 12 hours per week (on a busy week.) At that usage, a machine rated for 5000 hours (like a Borg compressor) would theoretically last 8 to 12 years.

If I do put a 60 gallon compressor in my shop, it looks like it'll end up somewhere in the middle of the room, since I have no other space for it. (My one wall that's not full-height cabinets is taken up with clamp and lumber racks, and the breaker box.) And based on the way LOML sounded when I brought up the idea, I don't think it'll be going into the shed out back. :rolleyes:
 
tod evans said:
here`s a portable that`ll do big air....pumps made in mexico off of the old emglo pattern....
http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=4810
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That one's definitely interesting. Have you seen anything along those lines with about a 30 to 40 gallon vertical tank?

Also, any of you know anything about BelAire compressors? They claim to use Italian pumps with American motors and tanks. Something like the 216V about halfway down this page looks kind of appealing:

http://www.asedeals.com/air_compressors_copy.html

I also got a shipping quote back from Eaton...it'd add about $285 to the cost, which puts it over the cost of comparable I-R units.
 
Mike Gager said:
what do you guys use your air compressors on? me personally only use it with the brad nailer and blow gun. i have a 5hp 25 gallon craftsman ive been thinking about downgrading to something smaller and QUIETER as i dont use it hardly at all and it takes up a huge chunk of shop space
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Like tod - mine is a commercial shop. I use air to drive machines that need it like my wide sander, onsrud router and upcut saw. I have a blow gun at most workstations, drive carton stapler with air, use it for vacuum venturi clamping, standard (push-rod type) pneumatic clamping in jigs and use it for straight line drills in assembly work.

Basically there are tools driven by air that are just not available with an electron motor or which are 8-10 times the price if they are. Once you have good, plumbed air it gets used in lots of ways that you didn't think you needed.
 
I won't try to advise on the compressor, but I will tell you that once you go with air sanders you won't be happy with the old electric types. And, Dynabrade is now showing them with dust collection ports....personally, I opted for a down draft table rather than have another hose hanging around.

If you decide to sandblast, suggest you consider a pressure pot system...you can then blast with much less air needed from the compressor.

Doug
 
I think you need to ask yourself do you NEED to run an air sander all day every day. If you are going to use that air sander for only a few minutes at a time, its not as big of an issues.

For example, my dad bought a 20 gallon Craftsman compressor when I was born. No idea on the CFM but the pump was physically quite a bit smaller than the pump on my IR. He probably painted 20 cars with that compressor before my mom got him a "new" one for their 23 years later. That included running a 6" DA, sandblasting, running a straight line sander, and the actualy painting. So for a few weekend days at a time he worked it really hard. Then it got a few days rest. When a car was done it would be months before another. Towards the end as each of us started driving it started getting worked a lot harder. When he got his "new" one, he set the old one aside. I replaced the pressure switch and a couple other minor repairs and used it a few more years until it started pumping oil, which is when I got my current compressor.

My point is that if you go with a good quality compressor that is slightly small for your biggest tool, you might occasionally overwork it, but IMHO you will be fine. That said, the vertical 60gal compressors don't take much room. But if you want something smaller, the IR Garage Mate compressors look nicely made.

BTW, my dad's "new" compressor was built from an ancient air brake tank and an overhaulded, equally old pump. It did have a new motor. There was a guy locally who built compressors from surplus parts. He would have the tanks inspected, clean and repaint everything, go through the pumps and basically build a compressor to your specs. He couldn't compete with Campbell Hausfeld on price though and gave up. When the time comes, if no one else in my family wants it I'll sell my IR and take his. But I don't NEED it.
 
I've got a husky. Got it cheap, mismarked at the despot. But...

The thing is so noisy I hate it. It's in a big old cabinet. I keep thinking of putting a door on the cabinet, just to keep the noise down, and snaking the hose out the side. Anybody know how big an air intake I'd have to leave? I'd hate to burn it up, but if I make too big a hole I'd lose the noise abatement... ;)

It's so loud I have to leave the shop when it's on, and it leaks very slowly, so every time I want to use it, I have to turn it on again... :(

Thanks,

Bill
 
Mine lives under the miter saw - an older Hitachi that I got used on eBay a few years back. I lined the cabinet with acoustic ceiling tile. That was super cheap as I bought ones with broken corners at the Borg. Still noisy, but a heck of a lot quieter than being out in the open shop.
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Matt Meiser said:
I think you need to ask yourself do you NEED to run an air sander all day every day. If you are going to use that air sander for only a few minutes at a time, its not as big of an issues...
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I hear ya on that one, Matt. I'm somewhere in between the "all day" and the "few minutes at a time" scenarios. For example, last night my compressor was running essentially non-stop for over three hours, and it was off and on for another two or so. That's the first it has run this week, but it's likely to run another 5 to 8 more hours this weekend. If for no other reason, I want to upgrade so I don't have to wait for it to catch up to my sander, and because I want something quieter.

LOML has shown a bit of resistance to the idea (although she won't mind me getting rid of the noisy one), so I'm trying to find the right balance between price, performance, and longevity. I'm pretty certain that any of the non-Borg or Harbor Freight models mentioned (from the lower-end I-Rs to a new Quincy) will last longer than I will be able to use them. Right now I'm leaning towards a 5hp 2-stage from Bel Aire, but I've only found a few opinions of that brand (all were favorable).

Bart, those two I-R units are what started my search. The 5hp one (your second link) is also a contender on my list, although I've seen a few complaints about that series of I-R compressors. Even so, I suspect one of those would last for my lifetime. (And the only people inheriting it after I'm gone will be the dogs, and they won't be using it much. It's that ol' 'opposable thumb' issue again.) :p
 
Tidy installation, Renny. And thanks for ceiling tile insulation tip. When I put mine under my new shed, I'd like to isolate the noise as much as possible.

In my old shop in California, I had to install a light in the shop to remind me the air compressor was "on" when I shut down at night. Funny, I could hear it from the house... :huh:
 
heat!!

hey rennie how about the heat build up in the storage area? those hitachi's get warm, that was what i was using for back up till i got the bigger unit and it got warm just from running..i would think that in that close in area it would get hot unless you had air intake somewhere.????
 
larry merlau said:
hey rennie how about the heat build up in the storage area? those hitachi's get warm, that was what i was using for back up till i got the bigger unit and it got warm just from running..i would think that in that close in area it would get hot unless you had air intake somewhere.????
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My compressor really doesn't work that hard - blowing off a bit of dust, powering brad nailers, pinners, and pumping up the occasional bike tire. When I do expect it to run for a long time (like when I get the urge to blow out the shop or clean my DC filter) I simply open the door on the cabinet.:)
 
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