Air Compressor Thoughts

[sabinoerc]

I've read a ton of threads/debates on air compressors. A common theme seems to be that the low end Quincy and IR models aren't good value. I've seen some comments that Eaton, Champion may be better value + whatever favorite someone may have in their shop.
I am garage hobby guy with a bunch of air tools I use, some small furniture spray painting + desire to learn to paint my old cars and trucks.
So I've been looking at the two stage, 17cfm 5hp sort of air compressors.
In an attempt to get a summary of what's out there - I tried to summarize those air compressors and typical prices on one sheet. I attached it in the pdf. It's hard to get all the details correct, there are different specs for same product even within the manufacturers site - so may be some mistakes.
Value is in the eye of the beholder sometimes - for me, I decided to focus on the rpm of the pump/motor (for noise and reliability), type of pump, whether it has an unloader or mag starter, and how/who to buy from ( I'd rather buy from big company or direct from mfg if I can).

It seems to me that to get to the "quality" range of air compressors in this range you need be willing to pay over $2k. That is, there is kind of a no-man's land between the very low end and the better compressors. I highlighted my favorites in that range in green. I had thought I was interested in the Quincy QT-5 but after going thru this if I was going to pay over $2k I'd look at one of the Emax models first.
For example: Emax EI05V080I1 - the prices on Emax are all over the place and Home Depot says they are all unavailable, as well as other sites. If you could really get this one for $2300 at AirCompressorDirect (whoever they are...) it seems the best value. Pressure Oiling, unloader, disc valves
Eaton is same as Emax and I was thinking about them until I called and found it would be $775 to ship one to Tucson, AZ.
Saylor-Beall nice but pricey. Champion is way too expensive in comparison.

That said, if you want to stay under $2k you are in the ~14cfm range. Based on specs alone - I'd be tempted to buy the single stage IR SS5L5. In a two car garage I don't have a long distance from compressor and it so much cheaper than the Emax I could buy two for the price of one Emax.
I've read that is on border of what's needed for spraying a car. If anyone has experience on this, I'd appreciate it.

I didn't look at many of the cheaper brands but perhaps I will go take a closer look at the lower models as a starter to see what I really need before popping for $2.5k for something. I'm coming off of a 40 year old 3hp Sears Craftsman so anything will be a step up!

If you see something I should consider or missed, comments appreciated (that is, as long as it's pleasant!).

 

[Phydeauxman]

@sabinoerc this is a very timely thread for me as I too am starting to research which compressor to buy for my new shop. My shop is 52x56x16 so I am definitely looking at a 2-stage compressor but I have always found compressor tech confusing. I have been using the same Craftsman compressor I bought new back in 1994 and while it still works fine...it is LOUD and not strong enough to drive things like air grinders or airing up tires that need 80psi. I have not interest in major painting in my shop but if I am going to invest this much in a compressor...rather buy too much than not enough. Your PDF calls out several features I have never researched: type of oiling, mag starter, valves, unloader, etc.

 

[TJMtl]

Maybe you can add factory aftercooler to your table. Also continous run if that’s something you want to consider.

 

[vwpieces]

Nice table of info. Something to consider is that Some manufacturers want you to buy a service kit at time of purchase to get the Real warranty. Might want to factor that into the table. I know Quincy thinks their oil is something special @ $70/qt. And Quincy seems to have locked down their parts supply making the parts harder to get and expensive for what it is.

 

[The Tool Tyrant]

Maybe you can add factory aftercooler to your table. Also continuous run if that’s something you want to consider.

I concur with TJMtl. Aftercooler is great and is mandatory if you want to be doing any auto painting. The higher your humidity, the more important it gets. Continuous run is a nice feature for sand / bead blasting.
A 'LOW OIL SHUTDOWN' is also a nice feature.
Is 'Manufactured in the USA' important to you? Saylor- Beall & Champion pumps are both USA built.
The Eaton pumps are Saylor- Beall offshore knock-offs.
You can't go wrong with either S-B or Champion's disc valve models.

Are you mechanical? Are you against purchasing used? There are some good deals to be had if so...like this... https://yuma.craigslist.org/pts/d/yuma-vertical-electric-compressor/7351529046.html
The belt guard gives it away that it's a Champion, would have been nice to see a photo of the opposite side to see what pump it has, but may be worth checking into...if you're so inclined.

 

[GeoBruin]

I think you've thought through just about everything so I don't have anything to add to your list. All I will say is that you don't need to worry about extra cfm capacity for things you're going to do occasionally. You just buy a small, cheap compressor for a few hundred bucks and plumb it inline with your main compressor as a "booster" and now you're 20+ cfm when you're painting etc.

Good luck.

 

[TJMtl]

I have not re plumbed my dessicant filter when I connected my new compressor and the air is drier than before thanks to my aftercooler.

 

[sabinoerc]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.

@vwpieces

Something to consider is that Some manufacturers want you to buy a service kit at time of purchase to get the Real warranty.

Good point - I believe both Quincy and IR require you buy their start up kit at about $200 to get more than a 1 year warranty. If I remember correctly Emax/Eaton are 5 year without that extra tax. I'll look at that in more detail.

Maybe you can add factory aftercooler to your table. Also continous run if that’s something you want to consider.

Thanks - good idea. For me, I'm in the Tucson,AZ desert and typically very, very dry. Given cost of after cooler and that auto painting is still an aspiration - not something I'm sure I'll do - I thought I'd put that cost off and see if I do eventually need it. I have an old Suburban with the white paint pealing off which would would be hard to make look worse. If I decide try my hand at painting, I'll use it as the learning curve and figure out what I need then.

@The Tool Tyrant
thanks - I had low oil and auto purge on list but didn't show due to space. Seems like everyone charges about $200ish for those feature in combo and I wasn't sure I wanted to pay that much for it when I'm a hobby/occasional user.

Is 'Manufactured in the USA' important to you? Saylor- Beall & Champion pumps are both USA built.

Yes, to a point. I'd prefer to buy USA to support jobs here but will not pay ~20%-30% more for something I believe is similar in perf/quality just because it's labeled made in USA. In terms of quality - I do not believe anything sourced outside of the US is **** and that USA made means it's guaranteed quality. In my view/experience quality is more of a corporate culture than location. So I try to rely on experienced users on forums like this for opinions/advice more than the label.

I really liked both Champion and Saylor-Beall but the for what I believed the comparable compressors to the low end EMax - Champion was over $3k and Saylor-Beall was almost $3k - that's too much of a premium for me.

Are you mechanical? Are you against purchasing used? There are some good deals to be had if so...like this... https://yuma.craigslist.org/pts/d/yuma-vertical-electric-compressor/7351529046.html

I would definitely consider a used, old compressor if I could find one locally. I'm a gearhead and mech engineer so would not hesitate to try to rehabilitate an older compressor if close by and I could look at it. I saw that one in Yuma but that's too far of a drive for a look-see. I'm continuing to check around here in case something pops up.

 

[b-dog]

I went through the same thing a little over a year ago. My 20 year old oil-less (read: insanely loud) Craftsman stopped pumping and I upgraded to a QT-5. I was under the impression that Quincy set the bar *shrug. Save for the QT54 which runs at high rpm. I have a sand blaster with a pressure pot and the compressor supplies enough air that the compressor is able to cycle off. Honestly, in terms of CFM, I have no idea what I'm using but I think (?) the blaster is set around 50psi with a 3/16 nozzle - give or take.

I'm in Colorado where the air is fairly dry. I do some painting and had decided it was time for dry air. I built an aftercooler with 2 parallel heat exchangers with fans and an auto drain between the compressor and the tank. Even in dry air, there's a reasonable amount of water that comes out of the separator. After the tank, I added a pass through desiccant dryer. I added an hour meter and the desiccant needs to be changed about every 5-7 hours of run time. Take this post with a grain of salt, I'm no expert, you've done more research than I did but I was set on Quincy. I only have 100-ish hours on the compressor but I couldn't be happier with my choices. I anticipate this to be the last compressor I ever buy. Made in the USA. Air compressors direct were a pleasure to work with.

FWIW, I wasn't overly concerned about the warranty and buying special maintenance kits. There's no way as a professional hobbyist (is that a thing?), I'll see a failed component before the standard OR extended warranty.

 

[sabinoerc]

I went through the same thing a little over a year ago. My 20 year old oil-less (read: insanely loud) Craftsman stopped pumping and I upgraded to a QT-5. I was under the impression that Quincy set the bar *shrug. Save for the QT54 which runs at high rpm. I have a sand blaster with a pressure pot and the compressor supplies enough air that the compressor is able to cycle off. Honestly, in terms of CFM, I have no idea what I'm using but I think (?) the blaster is set around 50psi with a 3/16 nozzle - give or take.

I'm in Colorado where the air is fairly dry. I do some painting and had decided it was time for dry air. I built an aftercooler with 2 parallel heat exchangers with fans and an auto drain between the compressor and the tank. Even in dry air, there's a reasonable amount of water that comes out of the separator. After the tank, I added a pass through desiccant dryer. I added an hour meter and the desiccant needs to be changed about every 5-7 hours of run time. Take this post with a grain of salt, I'm no expert, you've done more research than I did but I was set on Quincy. I only have 100-ish hours on the compressor but I couldn't be happier with my choices. I anticipate this to be the last compressor I ever buy. Made in the USA. Air compressors direct were a pleasure to work with.

FWIW, I wasn't overly concerned about the warranty and buying special maintenance kits. There's no way as a professional hobbyist (is that a thing?), I'll see a failed component before the standard OR extended warranty.

Thanks for info on your experience. I’m leaning towards either the QT-5 or EMax. I like the Quincy name/brand and can get it dropped @ house from Lowe’s at same price as other online stores. Emax comparable is a pressure lube pump, disc valves with an unloader for start and ~same price and now it is available @ HomeDepot. EMax doesn’t seem to have the reputation of Quincy but I haven’t found many negative comments about them. so….why I was asking around for experiences. Thanks for yours.