Compressed Air

[e-mishka]

Im tired of buying cans of compressed air. Should I get a small compressor with air gun for home use? What do you guys use and recommend?

[Poppa Bear]

I have a 30 gal, a 12 gal, and a 6 gal pancake. You are better off getting an oiled compressor. Oil free wear out quickly. Burnt up two of them in less than 6 months. Now with the exception of the pancake they all have seperate motors from the compressor engines.

[kmca]

I would get the compressor, but try it out in the store before you buy. Depending on where you install it, the noise can be bothersome. If you've got the room and the noise won't bother anyone, I'd get a compressor large enough to run air tools. It depends on how handy you are with tools

[blind bat]

For home use an oil-less compressor will do fine but they tend to be a lot louder than the oiled ones. When the piston wears out on my compressor I'm going to rig up a oiled two piston jobbey.

[e-mishka]

whats the smallest size Oil comp out there? i doubt i will use it for anything else then cleaning

Edited March 22, 2013 by e-mishka

[StraightUp_OG]

I have the 8 Gallon Husky Oil Comp at HD. Works great for what I do with it. If I were to do it again I would get a larger Comp maybe a 20 gallon. But for the money it has been a champ. Been running great for 3 years now.

[Mark R]

20 gal compressor here from Sears over 25 years ago and still kicking...er...should I say pumpin'?

If I had or eventually have to do it again, I'd get an upright tank...allows for easier draining of condensation buildup inside the tank.

[Poppa Bear]

A cheap one will cost $200. $500 to $600 will get you a much better one. Avoid anything that gives you more than 120 psi. That extra psi comes at the expense of motor noise and shorter usable life. Drop a couple K into a commercial unit and you can go for higher pressure.

[ProGunGuy]

depends on what you want to do with it. if you just want to use it to blow off tools and clean guns, a small pancake will do. if you wish to run tools like impact gun and sanders, a big upright will be better. I have 3 that i have accumulated over the years. a pancake which runs a nail gun mostly, a 30 gallon for some tools and a 80 gallon for garage. I i have to chose just one, it would be the 30 gallon. just enough air to run an impact, but portable enough to drag around.

I would check on Craigslist for a good Speedaire. I have seen them used for less than $100

[Poppa Bear]

Before you buy one do your research on the model. Air tools have different requirements and a big part of that requirement is the sustained CFM. You can put a small motor on a large tank and get a lot of short term CFM, but that will quickly become smaller as the motor fails to keep up with the needed output.

A typical blow gun will need 3-4 CFM, Most sanders 4-6 CFM, heavier impact and cutting type tools 6-10 CFM. Even if the tank is smaller get the biggest and strongest motor/compressor engine you can. You know it is sized right if you can use an air tool, deplete the pressure to where the compressor starts up, and then it will recharge quicker than you use it so that the compressor shuts off because you reached the high pressure limit even while using the air tool.

[Ray S]

I wouldn't suggest a craftsman. I got one a couple of years ago but it won't hold air when shut off. All I have to compair to this though is my larger harbor freight one. Between the two when I go back to the HF it still pretty much has the same psi as when I shut it off. The craftsman is empty and I have to fill it up again.

[Jaxshooter]

I bought a cheap pancake compressor from Harbor Freight. it is under my bench works great.