Watch for Sears to put this one on sale and go buy it (I think it's a rebranded Ingersol-Rand). It will serve 95% or more of your needs and it's pretty quiet. I even painted my plane with it using a Devilbiss GFG-670 gun. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00919541000P?keyword=craftsman+professional+air+compressor
You can get by with less, but oil-less are noisy, smaller tanks cycle more often, and my previous direct-drive CH was noisy, power switch broke twice, and it overheated and thermal tripped if run continuously (which of course was first discovered with $100 of paint mixed up).
I bought a Brute by Briggs & Stratton for about $100 CAD at Princess Auto (Lifetime Warranty at Princess Auto...can't go wrong)
Vertical 10 Gal
2.5HP
Single Stage
Oil (Quieter)
5.1CFM @ 40PSI
4.2CFM @ 90PSI
It keeps up to my drilling. I don't intend on painting or priming with it. I think all this hype about big compressors is only for painting. When hunting, look at the CFM as opposed to HP. Also pay attention to the break-in instructions when buying new.
