In the market for an Air Compressor....talk to me
 

Well I was supposed to get my dads nice standup 60-gal electric compressor but unfortunately that fell through. I'm in the market for a new compressor with good size and one that will handle pretty much whatever I wish to throw at it, aside from doing entire auto painting.

I would like to be below $500 and again, would like one that is reliable, quiet (as possible) and will not have me saying to myself "Man I wish I had more power (flow)" w/e.

Choices?

I have a 26 gal standup, Kobalt, loud as hell but seems to put out a decent flow. Enough to run most tools, I mainly use the impact gun. I think the oil less ones are louder than the oiled ones

dual stage, large tank, in-line filter to remove water and oil. these are things to look for in what would be a capable system. anything else would be icing on the cake.

Greg Smith Equipment is in Newark DE and they sell some quality stuff:

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Ai...ssors-s/29.htm

May be a little more than you wanted to spend though.

Looks like quality stuff but would be a bit more than I was looking to spend.

Anything anyone could recommend from a Lowe's or a Home Depot that would work well? The brands pretty much comparable?

Quiet & cheap do not go together often. I have an 80g 2-stage Ingersol Rand that is much quieter than the POS oilless 20g craftsman it replaced. I got it at Tractor Supply ~$1000

I guess the big question is what do you want to do with it?

i got my 60 gal Kobalt at lowes. Its cheaper but it came with 1 year no interest and i got 20% off cause a friend worked there. Handles everything i do from air ratchets to painting. I have also had it for almost 2 years now with no problems. Its def loud but i think i got it for around 400. I would def get an inline filter and a nice hose reel.

thanks for reminding me that i need to buy one too. lol

if your looking at cheap compressors make sure you at least get one with a 6 cfm rating. anything below and youll be waiting for it to fill up over and over again.

I know it will be noisy for the money I'm spending but are the ones that take oil quieter? I'm looking at using the compressor for basic air tools with a capacity to paint small parts if I want. I always buy things like this a little larger just to be safe.

Oil ones are quieter than oil less.

ok, here's a perfect opportunity to relate a really bad experience... stay away from oil-less systems, and here's why: i bought one of those wagner oil-less paint systems. it supposedly used the paint stream to cool the moving parts. the only problem is that if you use any length of hose, then the system heats up just getting the paint flow to the gun itself. i fried it the second time i used it, and i was only using it to paint the stockade fence that i put up to keep the dog disinterested in what was happening on the street. it should have lasted well beyond that job and into the next job, as far as i am concerned. i can buy the replacement parts for it (now, why would they sell replacement parts for something that is supposed to be able to handle big jobs like painting the house without anything breaking?) but i have just let it sit in the box, since my numerous attempts to contact the company have gone unanswered. i will never again buy anything like that with moving parts that is oil-less. without the oil keeping things cool, you tear things up inside of the machine.

now, i am not sure how oil applies to an air compressor, since i have never owned one. but the instructor at the Vo-Tech said if he was starting out all over again, then he would get a two-stage with a large tank, and of course an oil-based system. so i was just repeating his recommendation to you, since it sounds like you want a start-up system. he did normal car-guy stuff in his garage, you know, like air tools and painting. nothing big, he said, just small parts and what not. so, there is my recommendation to you based on my own experience and the Vo-Tech instructors advice. an in-line filter and hose reel would be icing on the cake, but for some who don't like hose on the ground i guess that would be a necessity.

Don't get an oilless compressor. I wish I didn't have one. In a closed garage its difficult to hear someone yelling next to you. I wheel mine outside with an extension cord, and run the air hose under a closed door. Even then its about as loud in the garage as a oiled compressor. I wish it would die so I'd have an excuse to get another.

If you plan to do anything that drinks air - sandblasting, sanding, painting whole cars, I might suggest waiting until the funds increase and getting a better one. Blasting and die grinders really drink air. My old craftsman ran non-stop. My current one, which also sports a 100% duty cycle, lets me sand blast all day and does not need to constantly keep running even at 100psi or more at the blast cabinet. You are more than welcome to come over and look at it.

If not then the ones at Lowes look like good deals.

Some things to look for: Duty cycle/cast iron pump housing/CFM@40 PSI

There are some good compressor writeups at hotrodders.com, chevelles.net, camaros.net, Autobody101 and elsewhere. Here are some bookmarks I have.

http://www.oldsmobility.com/air-compressor-piping.htm
http://www.eatoncompressor.com/page/page/504747.htm <-- eatons have great reviews

Yea, the one we have at work is I think a big Campbell Hausfeld and its can do the 100% duty cycle and pretty much run anything for a long time. Granted that also comes with a big price tag, so like anything else you gotta figure out what you want/need from it.

We had an uber-cool radial compressor. I think my dryer makes more noise.

Thanks for the info everyone. I think I have a good deal of info to make a decent purchase. I really don't need a two-stage even though it has its obvious benefits. I am not using this for major type work so I can prob get away with a single stage with oil and good capacity. Thinking of a 60-gal unit.

This is still a bit out of your price range, but is should be good for your needs: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...Inflators#desc

- Justin

My craftsman one blew up 3 times (I mean shattered piston flying through the air, sheer awesomeness blew up) so that one is still sitting at our old house, blown up. We are now running an unknown brand compressor from 1954 that is oil cooled. It has a HUGE wheel with belts that spin from the electric motor, its not nearly as loud, and it moves ALOT of air. I will never go back to that old setup if i can help it, you really want to shoot yourself in the head if its running constantly. That old tank will soon be used to hold more air.
You should just do some research and make sure what you want to use it for, and what will keep up with the supply before you go very far. Also, pick the ones that are the quietest.

can't stress that enough

Looks nice but the ratings say otherwise. Thanks for the help though.

Did you consider buying a used one from a shop going under?

Yea, didn't read through them before linking....never had issues with Craftsman compressors before, didn't think that would be any different. Oh well :shrug:

- Justin