Air compressors?? Which to buy?

[SoguRacing]

So i've bought some matco air tools..impact guns/wrenches/air tools and now i'm in the market for an air compressor. I've got a few hundred dollars to spend on one. maybe somebody on here has one for sale at a reasonable price. I think atleast a 25 gallon minimum vertical standing unit is what I'm in the market for. my biggest impact gun requires 5.2cfm at 90psi minimum. Help with brand and budget/quality air compressors. share what you've got and pics and model numbers please!!!

[HyperTek]

i bought this one back in 06..
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93271)
than it died a few months later..
*must have overheated because it blew one of the on/off capacitors.. *, so i advise keep em in a place that gets good ventilation

then last year i decided to go to harbor freight, told em it died on me but i said it was only a few months old and i didnt have a warranty.. so they let me purchase the warrenty and swapped it out for me. Now i have this one + a few years warranty on it.
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94667)

For home use and not on it all the time, its good imo. Just used it to swap my diff this weekend.

Harborfreight is the Ebay of tools lmao
For air tools tho, all my guns and sockets are craftsman.

[SoguRacing]

there's one thing that bothers me.. harbor freight...and the CFM air flow is not the minimum 5.4 required by the matco tools impact gun. would it be sufficient though?

[mkomar24]

Well I have owned a craftsman 33 gallon for about 5 years now and it runs great. It was a budget buy for my home garage and it sees use about twice weekly. Get the biggest you have room for. That 33 gal will not run paint guns, air over hydro jacks, or plasma cutters. Some things need a big supply and the craftsman cannot keep up. For impact guns, ratchets, blow guns, air hammers, and die grinders it is awesome. Takes up no space and runs strong. Just note that you need a good 20 AMP outlet for most compressors and get a 1/2 inch diameter air hose instead of 1/4 inch or whatever it comes with. Get the bigger fittings and hose and you will squeeze a bit more torque out of impact guns and such. Aldo I am fairly sure you can run most impact guns higher than 90psi. At the shop I work at we run snap on guns up to 150psi and I run my guns at home to 120psi and they have never had an issue. Hope this helps!

[SoguRacing]

Well I have owned a craftsman 33 gallon for about 5 years now and it runs great. It was a budget buy for my home garage and it sees use about twice weekly. Get the biggest you have room for. That 33 gal will not run paint guns, air over hydro jacks, or plasma cutters. Some things need a big supply and the craftsman cannot keep up. For impact guns, ratchets, blow guns, air hammers, and die grinders it is awesome. Takes up no space and runs strong. Just note that you need a good 20 AMP outlet for most compressors and get a 1/2 inch diameter air hose instead of 1/4 inch or whatever it comes with. Get the bigger fittings and hose and you will squeeze a bit more torque out of impact guns and such. Aldo I am fairly sure you can run most impact guns higher than 90psi. At the shop I work at we run snap on guns up to 150psi and I run my guns at home to 120psi and they have never had an issue. Hope this helps!

thanks for the input. I know they can be ran at higher psi's. I'm just looking at what the minimum requirements are and what other people have ran in comparison.

[r6_240sx]

Buy the most expensive one you can afford. Yes, I know that most expensive doesn't always mean better but you get what I mean. You'll regret buying a small one in the long run.

If you get one of those Harbor Freight ones, make sure you get insurance on it. It helps a lot cuz they're prone to breaking...

5.2CFM @ 90PSI is gonna be a pretty expensive unit (for a nice 2 stage). Plus you have to buy a Oil/Water filter, hose, quick releases and all that junk so don't forget about that. If you use a compressor that can't fulfill the CFM rating for the pneumatic tool for short bursts you'll be fine. The compressor is just gonna kick in often, which isn't too healthy for the compressor. If you're running something like an air sander which has to have air running constantly, it's gonna run like shit.

One thing to note also, is with a nice quality OILED compressor they are VERY quiet. I've ran a Snap-On compressor and I can barely even hear it. Compared to one of the OILED Harbor Freight ones they are just about as loud as the OILESS compressors. I feel like an asshole using it in the middle of the night. But yeah, buy oiled compressor, they last longer.

As mkomar24 said, buy the 1/2" or most of the time 3/8" lines/connections instead of those 1/4" because the small connections cause a lot of bottle necking and the pressure drops a good amount when you have a long hose.

Check our Sears (Craftsman), Home Depot (Husky), Lowes (Kobalt), or Harbor Freight (Central Pneumatic) and see what you can afford. Look at the pneumatic tools also, see which ones you might be needing/wanting in the future to help your decision. For the average joe 5.2CFM @ 90psi is probably going to be the max rating you'll be at, give or take.

[duffman1278]

I would just stay away from the harbor freight ones. Like R6 said, it's loud as a mother. And at nights it even pisses me off with the stupid noise, luckily though my neighbors are cool about it and don't say anything.

And it's just garbage, I mean it'll get the job done for most tools like cut off wheels, air ractchets and stuff.

I don't like mine though when it comes time to use the impact gun for parts that have alot of torque set on them already.

I've used an Ingersol Rand <---(spelling lol) and that thing was spectacular, charges up the tank in no time and just gives better performance than the harbor freight.

My suggestion would be to save up and get a decent one. I havn't heard bad about the craftsment and they seem reliable and reputable.

[SoguRacing]

thanks for the input. i'm looking around. new and used. it would just make life much easier having one around for my new gun.

[cdlong]

i have a craftsman (i'm a bit of a craftsman whore) that i like well enough. i think it this 1hp 12 gal model (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00916640000P?vName=Tools&cName=Compressors+%26+Air+Tools&sName=Air+Compressors+%26+Inflators). i thought it was bigger but i'm no where near my garage so i can't check. i haven't used it for more than filling tires yet, but i plan on getting some air tools in the future.

the main reason i like craftsman is their service. the first one i got had a tiny pinhole leak in one of the welds. i didn't think that was terribly safe and i had to run it every time i used it. i took just the compressor back to exchange it, they gave me a complete new kit so i have two coil hoses, air chucks, etc. and gave me $20 back since it was on sale when i made the return. it's a bit loud, but overall, good quality.

i like it because it fits perfectly in my garage. i also added some air lines to the middle of the garage so i can more easily reach the cars with the coiled hose. i'm not sure what good pics will do, but you asked and i'm bored so here you go. i haven't take any more pics of the garage since i moved in.
http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n325/cdlong28/random/P9050448.jpg

[Killa_D]

http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n325/cdlong28/random/P9050448.jpg
your photoshopping skills are bad ass lol

[S14DB]

Make sure you DO NOT get an oil-less compressor. They are loud as fuck and run hot too. Also make sure you get a screw on air filter. A lot come with some foam fluff for an intake. Also loud and you can't bolt on a silencer.

[strongbads240]

i have a craftsman (i'm a bit of a craftsman whore) that i like well enough. i think it this 1hp 12 gal model (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00916640000P?vName=Tools&cName=Compressors+%26+Air+Tools&sName=Air+Compressors+%26+Inflators). i thought it was bigger but i'm no where near my garage so i can't check. i haven't used it for more than filling tires yet, but i plan on getting some air tools in the future.

the main reason i like craftsman is their service. the first one i got had a tiny pinhole leak in one of the welds. i didn't think that was terribly safe and i had to run it every time i used it. i took just the compressor back to exchange it, they gave me a complete new kit so i have two coil hoses, air chucks, etc. and gave me $20 back since it was on sale when i made the return. it's a bit loud, but overall, good quality.

i like it because it fits perfectly in my garage. i also added some air lines to the middle of the garage so i can more easily reach the cars with the coiled hose. i'm not sure what good pics will do, but you asked and i'm bored so here you go. i haven't take any more pics of the garage since i moved in.
http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n325/cdlong28/random/P9050448.jpg


:faint: that is bad ass hahah

[r6_240sx]

http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n325/cdlong28/random/P9050448.jpg

:bowrofl:

messagelength

[r6_240sx]

Random first post. :goyou:

[JDMSTYLE]

devilbiss and craftsman compressor. havent had any problems with the compressors.dont buy harbor freight stuff. bought a 50' air hose and it only lasted like 2 month before it busted open. the rubber was really low quality.

[S14DB]

Random first post. :goyou:

Especially when it tracks back to a Interactive Marketing and Web Design Agency...

[FRpilot]

ingersoll rand or eaton compressors. proven and reliable.

[LOUD240]

I have a new Ciasons 5 hp 60 gal compressor , its a 3 piston very quiet
and its for sale!! Pm me