I need to buy a new 110 volt air compressor to replace my 30 year old 25 gallon Craftsman. I have put a new piston ring in it about 5 years ago and it’s on its last leg. I want something in the 30 gallon range . I would appreciate any recommendations and insight on which compressor is the best.
110 volt air compressor recommendation
- Thread starter lcfman
- Start date
You should probably give some indication on your use requirements.
Airing up tires and occasionally blowing something off is a lot different then trying to run tools or painting.
Based on your reaction would just go buy whatever is on sale at the box store.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Without more details, all I can recommend is a quiet one
Is that the red one?
Shiftless
Well-known member
This
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Looks like the OP posts a fairly vague question like this every couple years and never responds.
Maybe this one will be different!
Maybe this one will be different!
Still very little information.
Hint: your tools (food tools) should have pressure and crm requirements.
If you're not concerned with that, just go buy whatever is on sale.
Good luck
Shiftless
Well-known member
If your old compressor was adequate for those jobs just buy one with the same specs. Painting small panels like on a car?
Can you do that properly with ANY 120 volt compressor?
Air tools? Brad nailer yes
Impact gun, maybe for a few nuts
DA sander, no
(I used a 2 gallon compressor with a half inch impact gun to remove just one rusty nut. It worked.)
If you have 240 volts available, now seems like a good time to upgrade your game.
Can you do that properly with ANY 120 volt compressor?
Air tools? Brad nailer yes
Impact gun, maybe for a few nuts
DA sander, no
(I used a 2 gallon compressor with a half inch impact gun to remove just one rusty nut. It worked.)
If you have 240 volts available, now seems like a good time to upgrade your game.
Last edited:
IndyGarage
Well-known member
Save the 30 gallon tank on your Craftsman and buy a Makita MAC2400 or MAC5200. The Makitas are relatively powerful and quiet. They have small tanks though.
Shoreline_
Well-known member
With 110v it doesnt really matter his requirements lol. Hes only got 15 amps to work with.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
What about at 120v? It is an extra 150 watts
Can you imagine if he has 125v?
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Slow down, champ
Shoreline_
Well-known member
Hes outside the +/- 10% range.
Or he's really bad at math...
OP,
Here's my opinion based on many, many such conversations here on this forum, and lots of personal experience.
Your options at 120 volts are very limited, but much better than they used to be. In the 30ish gallon size, your options are either oil lubed, or oilless.
As far as oil lubed go, your options are basically big box store models (think Dewalt, Husky, Kobalt), very similar models from the likes of Tractor Supply, Northern Tool, Grainger, etc. and models which may be sold by any of the above but share brand names with historically reputable compressor makers like Quincy, Ingersoll Rand, Campbell Hausfeld, etc.
Depending on how any of the above are designed, and the combination of motors and pumps they use, they're all going to make somewhere between 5 and 7 cfm at 90 psi. The ones at the high end of that range are going to require a 20 amp circuit, and will use every bit of it. They will all be really loud. Nearly all of them are going to have a limited sized air outlet, usually combined with the pressure switch/regulator manifold rather than a dedicated bung coming from the tank. These will run you between $400 and $ 1,000 depending on where you buy it and whose name is plastered on it.
The alternative to the above is an oilless model. The highest performing models in the portable, 30ish gallon tank range are advertised as "2 hp", and they will max out around 5 CFM at 90 psi with the best of them slightly over that (we're talking a fraction of a cfm here). The biggest benefit of these is that they can be made (relatively) quiet. At or less than 70 dB in many cases. And of course you'll never have to change the oil, but there will be a relatively limited pump lifetime. All the same limitations with regard to the small outlet orifice apply to these as well. These can be had for between $400 and $750 depending on the same factors listed above.
The only real variables in all of this are max pressure (this will range between 120 psi and 200 psi), max output (between less than 5 and just over 7 cfm) orientation (horizontal vs vertical), max current draw (divided into those that will run on a 15 amp breaker and those that will require a 20 amp breaker) and... color.
If you have specific requirements/constraints based on the above options, I'm happy to provide some more specific examples. Knowing only what you have stated so far in this thread, and assuming you want the highest output possible (but not knowing your popet options), I would recommend the following:
If you want to goi oilless, I would get the 26 gallon fortress oilless from Harbor Freight and call it a day. If you have more cash and want slightly higher output with a lower max pressure, look at the "2 HP" California Air Tools models (there are lots of variations based on tank size and material)
If you want the absolute highest flow you can get from 120 volts (assuming a 20 amp outlet) and you don't care about noise, my answer is this Quincy or it's horizontal equivalent, or if you're lucky and can get a good deal or free shipping, any of the other compressors identical to the Quincy such as this Chicago Pneumatic or this BelAire or this Atlas Copco or this ABAC or the older version of the same model such as this Carlyle or this Napa.
Good luck.
Here's my opinion based on many, many such conversations here on this forum, and lots of personal experience.
Your options at 120 volts are very limited, but much better than they used to be. In the 30ish gallon size, your options are either oil lubed, or oilless.
As far as oil lubed go, your options are basically big box store models (think Dewalt, Husky, Kobalt), very similar models from the likes of Tractor Supply, Northern Tool, Grainger, etc. and models which may be sold by any of the above but share brand names with historically reputable compressor makers like Quincy, Ingersoll Rand, Campbell Hausfeld, etc.
Depending on how any of the above are designed, and the combination of motors and pumps they use, they're all going to make somewhere between 5 and 7 cfm at 90 psi. The ones at the high end of that range are going to require a 20 amp circuit, and will use every bit of it. They will all be really loud. Nearly all of them are going to have a limited sized air outlet, usually combined with the pressure switch/regulator manifold rather than a dedicated bung coming from the tank. These will run you between $400 and $ 1,000 depending on where you buy it and whose name is plastered on it.
The alternative to the above is an oilless model. The highest performing models in the portable, 30ish gallon tank range are advertised as "2 hp", and they will max out around 5 CFM at 90 psi with the best of them slightly over that (we're talking a fraction of a cfm here). The biggest benefit of these is that they can be made (relatively) quiet. At or less than 70 dB in many cases. And of course you'll never have to change the oil, but there will be a relatively limited pump lifetime. All the same limitations with regard to the small outlet orifice apply to these as well. These can be had for between $400 and $750 depending on the same factors listed above.
The only real variables in all of this are max pressure (this will range between 120 psi and 200 psi), max output (between less than 5 and just over 7 cfm) orientation (horizontal vs vertical), max current draw (divided into those that will run on a 15 amp breaker and those that will require a 20 amp breaker) and... color.
If you have specific requirements/constraints based on the above options, I'm happy to provide some more specific examples. Knowing only what you have stated so far in this thread, and assuming you want the highest output possible (but not knowing your popet options), I would recommend the following:
If you want to goi oilless, I would get the 26 gallon fortress oilless from Harbor Freight and call it a day. If you have more cash and want slightly higher output with a lower max pressure, look at the "2 HP" California Air Tools models (there are lots of variations based on tank size and material)
If you want the absolute highest flow you can get from 120 volts (assuming a 20 amp outlet) and you don't care about noise, my answer is this Quincy or it's horizontal equivalent, or if you're lucky and can get a good deal or free shipping, any of the other compressors identical to the Quincy such as this Chicago Pneumatic or this BelAire or this Atlas Copco or this ABAC or the older version of the same model such as this Carlyle or this Napa.
Good luck.
Shoreline_
Well-known member
Unless I'm mistaken, the standard on the supply side is 120 +/- 5%, or 114-126V
Shoreline_
Well-known member
He said 110v which was the initial standard nomenclature. Plus 10% - which is the accepted Nema variation - is 121v. In case you're extremely bad at math.
I made a joke in response to another post....
NEMA wasn't what I was referring to either. I believe there is an ANSI standard that our power grid is held to in the US
Maybe I'm bad at reading too.
Enjoy your evening, I'm out.