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Looking for an air compressor

A

Aggie98

Member
Does anyone know anything about the following models wrt to noise, performance and reliability? Or does someone have a recommendation for best value?

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_207226_207226

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200311703_200311703

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200311705_200311705

I also saw a recommendation for a craftsman compressor in another thread somewhere, how would that would compare to these?

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=6453

I do not have 220 in the garage, but with a dad who is a cert. electrician, it wouldn't be a problem. I like to have one of the 60 gal tanks, but space and money are at a premium.
 
compressor

i bought mine at cragen for 150$ its 20 gal tank and 6 hp engine its quiet and good you can look first there then spend 500 $ for something you can buy cheaper
 
I bought mine at Home Depot. It's a HuskyPro 5HP 26 Gallon Oil-lubricated and made of cast-iron. I have wasted many compressors before but this one has held up for a couple of years now. It's a little bit quieter than the oil-free ones and it runs on 110. It cost about $369 when I bought it. I would go to HD or Sears and get one that has a three year warranty, that way you know you will have a compressor to finish building the plane.
Aggie86
 
I wouldn't worry about a huge tank. I used a 5HP 26 gal oiled compressor with no problem. Sure it will kick on more often, but 90% of the time you are drilling or rivetting - neither of which use much air. Sure the die grinder or cut off wheel would burn through air, but I rarely needed to pause work because of the compressor.
 
Depends own you particular situation

Compressor size matters.... :cool:

I have a 6hp with a 60 gallon tank. 220V

If you frequently have 2 airtools running at the same time, (or just one dual action sander or sandblaster for other hobbies) you will need a bigger tank and more HP.

If only one rivet gun is being used, I can sometimes get through a work session with one pump-up.

I think the nuisance value goes up as the compressor size goes down. I HATE being stopped from working to wait for a compressor to pump up.

And don't we all prefer the lilting tone of a constantly running airless over the raucious noise coming out of the shop stereo speakers? NOT :rolleyes:
 
I have to agree that size matters, for one thing, and the other thing is to NEVER consider one of the "oilless" compressors. Whatever size you get, you want to look for it being a cast iron, oil lubricated type, and it's best if it's a two-stage compressor.

Good compressors have gotten a whole lot less expensive than they used to be, and here's one for just $500 that will keep up and last a lifetime if you take care of it. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=134819-48540-K7060HFV&lpage=none

While not shown on their website, I ended up biting the bullet and buying the next larger Kobalt model that cost $800 and comes with a larger capacity compressor plus an 80 gallon tank.
The compressor itself is made by Coleman (that's a good thing), and the whole thing is made in the US if that means anything to anybody (it sort of does to me :) )

Yes, you really can get by with a 3hp size compressor, but for only a few dollars more, you can spend $500 and get something that you'll never have to wonder if it will keep up.
 
First of all, don't even consider buying a compressor by hp! The hp ratings are an enormous bogus selling act. A good example of this is the 5 hp compressors that will run on 110V. If you will look at "real" hp specs, you'll find that you can only run about 1 hp max on 110V. You want CFM, that's what matters. I have a 5hp, 2-stage, 80 gallon vertical tank, 18CFM@175# that I have been running for about 15 years. And I use it every day in my shop. The only maintenance is to keep the filter clean, drain the water daily and change the oil yearly.
Yes, you can get by with less, but a 2-stage compressor runs slower and quieter, and a larger tank runs less. Once you have owned a 2-stage, you will never go back to a single stage.
 
I also have the 60gal Lowes compressor (they have 2 models...I have the higher CFM model). I couldn't be happier. The thing's build like a tank, is quiet and can keep up with whatever tool I throw at it no sweat.
 
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Big displacement, low RPM

It has been my experience that getting a bigger displacement compressor that operates at lower RPM will last longer than most of the smaller high rpm compressors. This is not always true, but it seems as if I see alot of the little oilless compressor fail long before the big oil filled slow running compressors. If you really want a compressor that will last the duration, look into a Quincy brand compressor. They are more expensive, but like anything else in life, you get what you pay for. Guess ultimately it depends on what you are looking for. If you are going to use it to build the airplane, then it won't get used much once the plane is complete, then a smaller less expensive model would do the job. If you want to have a compressor that will still be running strong when your son decideds to build, get a Quincy or something of that caliber.

Any advice contained in the above post, worth exactly what you paid for it.
 
Home Depot HuskyPro 26 gallon portable

I think that I bought the same model as tswezey (above) a month ago.
Mine says (since the HP class action suit, perhaps, or because I bought in Canada? I don't know) 5HP PEAK, 2HP continuous. I think that the 2HP is stretching max branch circuit current at 115V, but I haven't metered it.

It runs on 115VAC, but barely. It is labelled Home Depot HuskyPro, but it is actually made by Campbell-Hausfeld (nameplate on the tank, painted out, and declared in the documentation).

It is reasonably quiet, but I was shopping for "100% duty cycle". My previous compressor was very old, aluminum one-lung, which quit after being used at 100% duty for a couple days. Subjectively the noise seems similar to my old aluminum head Webster.

I had immediate trouble with the pressure switch/auto/off (PS worked, auto/off didn't) and the regulator didn't work. Local service depot fixed in a week......ouch, but no charge.

I didn't like the drain being inaccessible on the bottom, so I ran poly tube from the drain to a ball valve, to a plastic peanut butter jar lined with cheesecloth and holes in the lid. No more mess on the floor.

The compressor has a 26 gallon tank, and I have three other tanks around the single garage: two 11 gal and one 20 gal. Total storage 68 gallons at max 125 psig. It was easier for me to distribute smaller tanks around the garage and tube them, than it was to buy a single larger tank and give up the building volume.

Advice: distributed tanks can fit into smaller spaces, but provide a drain for each.
 
220V considerations

Aggie98 said:
I do not have 220 in the garage, but with a dad who is a cert. electrician, it wouldn't be a problem. I like to have one of the 60 gal tanks, but space and money are at a premium.
Click to expand...
I have said this before, but that isn't going to stop me from bringing it up again. While I agree that bigger (220V) is better, many airport hangars do not support 220V... the city-owned hangars at my airport don't. If you plan on moving the project (and compressor) to the airport, you may find that you need to purchase another (110V) compressor. That may be fine with you, but just something to consider. The 5HP 26Gal Home Depot compressor I have is convertable from 110V to 220V. I run it at 220V now, and will convert it back to 110 when I move to the hangar.
 
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My CH 60 gallon 10.5CFM monster runs great on 110..it's a convertable model..when it was at home I had it on 220, at the airport it's 110. Other than running longer than it used to, it keeps up with any air tool on 110.
 
Husky compressor question

Yukon said:
Love my 110 volt Husky compressor!

John
Click to expand...

Do you have the 26 gal portable Husky?

If you have this model, would you be willing to look into the (deenergized) motor connection compartment?

Mine appears to be lacking stabs for the 230V option described on the wiring diagram on the motor.

I'd like to know if they are all like mine, or if I got a dud.
Home depot has been no support, and CH didn't seem to know about the motor.

Model Number is VT631503AJ

UPDATE: CH tech support was merely very very slow. I got this response:

The motor is equipped with spade terminals for the motor connections. The one that is marked for the brown wire is not actually a spade terminal. It is an insulated pocket. If you don't see it, you can insulate the brown terminal with electrical tape, as this wire does not actually connect to anything when you are running it on 230 volts.
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Howard
RV-8A, Empennage
 
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IR SS3L3 from Northern

I bought the IR SS3L3 from Northern Tools and I am very happy with it.
 
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