I searched before buying a compressor for my build. I looked at stats and VAF posts and came up with a realization: the world has changed since the VAF posters recommended an expensive giant compressor or that you have to pay $2k for a "quiet" one. Not so.
You can get a huge loud compressor and be the "best" on your block but everyone on your block will know it. "Quiet" for giant means 80 dBA. Unless you have an outbuilding to house it down the block, don't invite me into the shop with it going. I want a truly quiet, personal, aircraft construction compressor. I have some hearing loss and don't want more. And at my price point, a "scroll" type super quiet compressor isn't an option. Or an outbuilding.
All of the current "Ultra-quiet" compressors at big box stores have noise figures that, when you drill down, are about the same. Kind of annoying standing at it, but not deafening, and much much better than my older Craftsman beast. They mostly all tout 70 dBA or less. 70 dBA is about the cutoff for me. Anything more needs hearing protection. But the distance measured makes a huge difference and is hard to find. Turns out the 70 and 55 ones come out about the same, because they are measured at different distances. I think all the "ultra-quiet" ones that use similar technology are all the same. If you are comparing noise, find out the distance. dBA drops at about 6 dBA per doubling of distance without obstructions or constructive reflections. So 3 ft @70 dBA == 6 ft @64 dBA == 12 ft @58 dBA == 24 ft @52 dBA.
I'm about 15 ft from a compressor in my garage with some obstructions in between. So anything less than about 70 at the source will be less noisy than most of my air tools.
I bought the HF "Ultra Quiet" Fortress 26 gallon model for $400. If you're lucky you can get $50 off during a sale. Yes, it makes some noise. It measures about as advertised on my apple watch. About 60-65 dB at my workbench, which seems ok to me. You can have a conversation at elevated volume right at the compressor, or talk normally on the phone back at the work bench. Or walk inside the house from the garage and use the speakerphone, because the compressor in the garage becomes barely audible behind a closed door. Right outside the garage with the wooden garage doors down you can hear it, and the birds chirping, both. Not true with the old one, which may wake the dead and certainly would agitate neighbors late at night. If I want more time before it starts, I'll pipe the old 20 gallon tank into the circuit, no problem. And this is before doing things to mitigate volume, such as piping the inlet stream outside or building an insulating box, both of which lead to other problems.
If you want to spend less, and you don't mind pausing a little while grinding or drilling or using other high air volume tools, you can get a super deal. Unless I start hiring people to work along side me, or maybe until I start painting, I think I'll have enough air. All for $350 on sale! What a deal. And plenty of air for your rivets.
Now I have more money for hard-to-install but so-cool aircraft enhancements!
My 2 cents. Interested in your thoughts and experience.
You can get a huge loud compressor and be the "best" on your block but everyone on your block will know it. "Quiet" for giant means 80 dBA. Unless you have an outbuilding to house it down the block, don't invite me into the shop with it going. I want a truly quiet, personal, aircraft construction compressor. I have some hearing loss and don't want more. And at my price point, a "scroll" type super quiet compressor isn't an option. Or an outbuilding.
All of the current "Ultra-quiet" compressors at big box stores have noise figures that, when you drill down, are about the same. Kind of annoying standing at it, but not deafening, and much much better than my older Craftsman beast. They mostly all tout 70 dBA or less. 70 dBA is about the cutoff for me. Anything more needs hearing protection. But the distance measured makes a huge difference and is hard to find. Turns out the 70 and 55 ones come out about the same, because they are measured at different distances. I think all the "ultra-quiet" ones that use similar technology are all the same. If you are comparing noise, find out the distance. dBA drops at about 6 dBA per doubling of distance without obstructions or constructive reflections. So 3 ft @70 dBA == 6 ft @64 dBA == 12 ft @58 dBA == 24 ft @52 dBA.
I'm about 15 ft from a compressor in my garage with some obstructions in between. So anything less than about 70 at the source will be less noisy than most of my air tools.
I bought the HF "Ultra Quiet" Fortress 26 gallon model for $400. If you're lucky you can get $50 off during a sale. Yes, it makes some noise. It measures about as advertised on my apple watch. About 60-65 dB at my workbench, which seems ok to me. You can have a conversation at elevated volume right at the compressor, or talk normally on the phone back at the work bench. Or walk inside the house from the garage and use the speakerphone, because the compressor in the garage becomes barely audible behind a closed door. Right outside the garage with the wooden garage doors down you can hear it, and the birds chirping, both. Not true with the old one, which may wake the dead and certainly would agitate neighbors late at night. If I want more time before it starts, I'll pipe the old 20 gallon tank into the circuit, no problem. And this is before doing things to mitigate volume, such as piping the inlet stream outside or building an insulating box, both of which lead to other problems.
If you want to spend less, and you don't mind pausing a little while grinding or drilling or using other high air volume tools, you can get a super deal. Unless I start hiring people to work along side me, or maybe until I start painting, I think I'll have enough air. All for $350 on sale! What a deal. And plenty of air for your rivets.
Now I have more money for hard-to-install but so-cool aircraft enhancements!
My 2 cents. Interested in your thoughts and experience.
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