What air compressor do you guys run??

Im wanting to get a new air compressor soon. Ive got a little pancake compressor that hasnt worked right since day 1. I just thought there wasnt enough juice for it but i moved twice and still have the same problem. It will fill up, shut off but wont restart untill you drain it completly or it will just sit and wine. So I was going to get a 60 gallon 2 stage but dont realy have the room and dont think i really need it. So has anyone used the little 30 or 40 gallon compressors to paint a car without problems? I'll be using it for everything but sanding. Painting, impact, cutting, etc....

 

Quincy QT-5. I've had it for about 10 years with absolutely no problems.

 

Free old 60 gallon single stage vertical Sanborn that had the original controls removed and no one can remember at what # the shutoff is set. Suggestion was to turn it on and leave the garage to find out. Haven't had the nerve to try that yet. Do they really explode and since it's a vertical tank will it go up???

 

http://www.eatoncompressor.com/catalog/item/504747/172459.htm

I bought one similar to this one, for me the price was right, (The specific one I bought was $1,800 DELIVERED to NM) and the compressor is QUIET and it kicks ass.

Eaton Compressor is largely made, and assembled in the USA. (I have gathered that about everything except for the compressor head is USA made, I made it a point to buy the MOST AMERICAN MADE unit I could find, it was this one, I could have spent the same $$ in Sears, Lowes, or Home Depot, for a lot less compressor made in China...)

I like a compressor that DOES NOT sound Like a Cessna speeding down a runway in process of take off.

THAT COMPRESSOR IS BIGGER THASN IT LOOKS IN THE PICTURE, it weighs about 900 LBS...

4-Cylinder, 2-Stage Pump – Displacement 34 CFM @ 0 PSI; 28 SCFM @ 100 PSI; 26 SCFM @ 175 PSI; 600 low RPM
· 80-gallon Vertical or Horizontal ASME Air Tank

 

A quite compressor would be a bonus since my garage is attached to the house right next to the living room.

 

CHANCES ARE, that the compressor head will reach a "point of equilibrium" prior to an explosion or tank failure, but, I said "chances are". (there comes a point where a pump will not pump anymore pressure due to volumetric and efficiency concerns.)

The amount of energy contained in a 60 gallon tank would be freaking huge, there is enough energy even in big truck tires to inflict heavy damage on trailers when they go... Imagine a 60 gallon tank.

I think I would maybe replace the valve with a known value.

 

Mine's a MAXUS 16cfm @90 psi 60 gallon vert. Very quiet other than the intake honk. 220V ,22 amp draw need plenty of juice. About the only thing it won't cycle on and off with is a big air board,no prob with my 3ft blast cabinite

 

quick builds are nice, i have a few for different uses

have a old Binks 1-1/2 hp low boy 220 V

a old 3/4 hp Sears beater type 110 V use that the most for tires etc.

1941 Westinghouse 5 hp 220 V has a 1941 80 gallon tank, that's for serious work

like buying old USA equipment

the 1941 Pearl Harbor vintage

it was built to last

 

I would say to just buy the biggest one you can afford and have the room for.

 

BEST ADVICE right there !



I bought a 60 gallon CRAFTSMAN compressor ( 6 hp I think ) about 10 years ago. Not an ounce of problems ever.

 

I have a speedaire 120 gallon and campbell hausfeld 60 gallon

 

I have a vertical Craftsman 60 gallon 6.5 horse. It's noisy as hell, but works great. I have not had any problems. My garage is attatched to my house too and you can hear it loudly running while inside the house. I have an inline canister filter from TP tools and I drain the compressor tank every so often. I would buy the biggest one you can afford. It is money well spent

 

I bought a new Sears 1 1/2HP compressor, in 1966, with a 30 gallon tank and used it for over 10 years before replacing it with a 1937 Devibiss gas station compressor with a 60 gallon tank. I replaced the pump on the Sears compressor before lending it to a friend who had it for about 5 years; when he returned it, there was a new motor on it.

Five years ago I replaced the old Devilbiss compressor with a IR type 30 compressor I bought off of Craigslist for $300, that came out of a car wash; it was 3 phase so I replaced the motor with a new Baldor 5HP motor for $250.

I used to do a lot of body work and paint in my garage.

 

Ditto, you can never have too much air available, I have a 16cfm 150 ltr tank but with an extra 200ltr tank plumbed in.

 

Got a used compressor. Gilbarco vertical 80 gallon, 2 stage 220 1ph. $350.00.

Guy owned a small sandblast shop, and when he passed away his daughter got rid of it.

Keep your eyes peeled. Deals are out there.

 

Yea, that`s what mine is.



Absolutely noisy as hell. But does a good job.

 

Get the BIGGEST one you can squeeze in your garage. Big is good.

 

curtis 5 hp 60 gallon 21 cfm built on air cooler 150 psi, run a die grinder or sander all day

 

My Dad built this about 1955 - one lung compressor, electric motor and some used welding tanks. Dad passed away in '72 and this got well used by myself and the neighborhood kids filling basketballs and bike & car tires.
When I moved it to my garage in 2000 I drained the tanks for the first time in 28+ years. Still works great!

 

Bigger ain't always better. I have a friend who bought a big upright from Harbor Frieght. My old 3 horse 8 gallon Sanborn actually works better. Check out the scfms and compare before you buy. A big tank doesn't always make it a good compressor.

My Sanborn won't run air tools that great, but I've painted many cars with it.

 

Really cool! I have been using a Chink 60 gal. for several years, noisy! I also have a Quincy I paid $100(including the cool Montgomery Wards 7 1/2 h.p. gas engine, and owners manuals for both), a five horse 220v electric motor($50 from the same old man, who happens to have a 1925 Chevrolet speedster), and a hand-me-down 60 gal horizontal tank Xtralow60 here on the HAMB gave me. I am having fellow HAMBer Konacruiser come over today and help get it going and mounted outside.

 

minimum 6hp, thats enuff power to run syphon sandblasters, some cabinets, impacts, drills, grinders,etc.. (at least 10cfm @90psi, thats a 5-6hp ) size of tank if personal preference, jsut depends if you want it to run and catch up to air demand.

 

I built a room beside the shop put the compressor and phase converter in it best thing I ever did. Buy the biggest thing you can afford.

 

Before I would buy a new one, I'd look around for an old industrial quality compressor US made compressor; then the remark bigger is better would be true.

Depending on what you are going to use it for, this will determine your needs. Like was mentioned buy the biggest air compressor that you can afford. You'll find almost whatever you buy, might not be big enough for what you could end up doing; at least that is what I've found. There is nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of a project (like sanding your car) and you have to wait for the compressor to catch up and cool down so you finish what you are doing.

 

there should be a safety blow off valve on it, if not then put one on, i think a pressure switch is only like $20 anyway.

 

My little 5-hp portable Craftsman 110V compressor has worked great for nearly 20 years now. Works great! Looking for a larger permanent-mount 6 to 10 hp 220V single-phase compressor for the shop now, and keep the Craftsman in the garage.

 

like everyone said, buy the biggest you can afford, don't buy any chinese bullshit, what I do is find a broke compressor and fix them, big companies usually don't mess with repairs and replace it, if you get ahold of one they are pretty easy to get goin

 

yes if the popoff valve doesn't release it can blow with enough energy to remove the roof of the building. even if you can't figure out the controls replace the popoff def. cheap insurance

 

your lucky I was going to say stay away from oilless compressors I have what might be the same unit you do and once we started using it with impact guns and other air tools I've had to rebuild the compressor head twice and now needs a 3rd!it has broken connecting rods twice in the past year it's a 6 hp 60 gallon vertical and it's made by devilbliss even though it says Craftsman it also was loud as hell even when new.

 

one thing for sure, ignore the horsepower ratings on craftsman compressors... probably others too.

had a 60 gallon "6.5 HP" craftsman. then I got a free giant Quincy pump and put it on that tank. the craftsman motor would click the internal breaker before the tank even got up to pressure. got me a 3 HP Baldor that will run that sucker wide open all day.

I say get an industrial compressor from Craigs list or the local paper.

stay away from aluminum pumps if noise is a concern. the guy in the shop behind me knew I got a new compressor before I even showed it to him. cast iron pumps are that much more quiet.