My little 12V inflator broke again. I'm thinking of not getting another and upgrading to a small air compressor...I know nothing about them. It would only be me using it, this is only for my occasional home owner use, mostly for tire inflation. I don't currently have any air tools, but I could envision getting some if I had a compressor . How much supply (SCFM), capacity (gallons) and pressure do you realistically need to run most homeowner type equipment? HP of motor? Oil lubricated vs. oil less motor. Steel tank vs. aluminum tank? Here are some that interest me on the lower end of the scale. This Craftsman I can get for $109 and it come with a hose and some other accessories. Sears.com A couple from HD, these are compressor only. Husky 8 Gal. Portable Electric Air Compressor-TA-2530B - The Home Depot Porter-Cable 3.5 Gal. 135 PSI Pancake Compressor-PCFP02003 - The Home Depot Porter-Cable 6 Gal. 150 PSI Portable Air Compressor-C2002 - The Home Depot The 6G Porter Cable you can also get as a combo with an air hose and nailer for $50 more. Am I being too cheap or will these do the job?
If you're married to the idea of getting a *new* machine, then so be it. IME, my money goes farther and buys a better unit if I go the *used* route. The first one was a 5 gallon pancake that was weak. Sold at a slight profit. The 2nd one was a 'Sears Best' 12 gallon model from like 1975. Two cylinder, 110v 1HP .... did the job, but didn't have enough 'oomph', ya know? Current one was in a bunch of stuff I got from a storage unit. Two cylinder, 16 gallon, 220v 2HP ... has enough power for all my air tools I use. Puts out about 100 PSI and I've adjusted it down a bit. There are some really good compressor threads over on the Garage Journal Board (Google it) Good luck! EDIT: OMT ... don't get an oil-free unit. They're crap.
What kind of air tools are you planning on getting in the future? The ones you are looking at are great for nailors but that's about it. You could always plumb in a large portable air tank to one of those to gain more volume I guess. I have a Porter Cable pancake and it is a good little unit. My shop compressor is a 23 year old Craftsman 3 and a half HP oil less with a 25 gallon tank. Still works great and has all the power I need. I don't know about the newer craftsmans but my old one is actually made by DeVillbiss. I preferred an oil less unit because I have an unheated shop. JMHO.
I bought my husband a huge upright one for putting our wood floors in. Bigger=better? Not really, its heavy and hard to move around despite being having wheels. I should have found one with a few less psi, that is more manageable size wise.
I still haven't bought one, hoping to find a deal on a used one... Air compressors | Firewood Hoarders Club
Get at least 20 gallons. For light use, oil free is fine. I've got an old oil free 25gal 5hp 110 volt craftsman I got used for $100 that runs impacts, air ratchets, any nailer out there etc. The more volume, the less you will have to listen to it run. Get a hose reel too. They aren't cheap, but beats the tar outta constantly messing with the hose imo.
Porter-Cable 6 Gal. 150 PSI Portable Air Compressor-C2002 - The Home Depot That's actually a pretty decent little unit. I have one in my shop trailer and it runs an impact plus inflates tires and operates a blow gun. It would do everything on your wish list easily. You don't need a 5hp, 80 gallon, 20scfm+ compressor unless you have multiple users or want to do a lot of paint spray work. My 26 gallon Craftsman Pro (roughly about $400 new) runs basic air tools and even does a little HVLP spraying from time to time. More than 98% of home gamers would ever ask of it, that's for sure. Oil-free units are fine for intermittent use. If you get to the point of needing a compressor to run for more than 10-15 minutes at a clip, then it's time to upgrade.
First compressor... just go with an oil free pancake compressor. Check ebay out plenty of good deals on Bostich/hitachi/porter cable with hoses and nailers/staplers if you may ever need one - sweet for any trim work. Mine's ~7yo and still works fine. The hoses that come with them are crap, Hitachi sells a swivel hose that is super handy .
If you're mostly using it for tire inflation and maybe running a nailer, then I think a cheap pancake compressor would be fine. Pneumatic tools are cool, but if you already have a set of electric ones, are you really going to duplicate them? Obviously more tools are better, but what would pneumatics get you? Obviously, if you want to go into sandblasting or something like that you should get an enormous one, but that's hardly a normal homeowner tool.
Oil sump compressors tend to last longer and are somewhat quieter. Run a good synthetic compressor oil and cold temps are no problem.
Dan is right that oiled compressors are quieter but not every oil-less unit sounds like a circ saw ripping through a 55 gallon drum. My Craftsman is actually very low-tone compared to other units. Here's a hint, the cheaper it is, the noisier it usually is.
I've been using a 3 gal 1 hp Craftsman compressor for several years, and I love it for airing up tires. I recently picked up a larger compressor that'll run air tools, but I still see the smaller Craftman still getting much more use. It takes much less time to fill up that 3 gallon compressor, plus it's light enough that it's easy to carry to the shed to fill up mower and tractor tires.
Yep, that's the route I went, I got that Craftsman, until CAD (compressor acquisition disorder) sets in
Have the older version of this, for over 25 years. Big enough to drive 80-90 lbs to run a framing airnailer. Great for tires. http://www.amazon.com/Bostitch-BTFP02012-Gallon-Pancake-Compressor/dp/B00UHNM1R0/ref=dp_ob_title_hi
Correct me if I'm wrong as I have interest,,,,,,slight interest. Last thing I need is a set of air tools Almost any compressor will run an air tool. It's the volumne of the tank that determines how long you can run that tool. Correct? For instance, you could operate a 1 inch air wrench with a 3 gallon pancake. Just not very long until you need to allow the pressure to come back up. I'm sure there's a point it becomes ridiculous but it can be done. Correct?
Thanks, don't get me wrong, I love toys,,,,errr tools. But I'm of the age where I have discovered the more you own the more your expected to use.
