After garage organization was tackled via repurposed Craigslist office storage cabinets the next thing on the list is a decent compressor. My needs are fairly basic, light auto work (mostly on my 85 Porsche 928) including some paint and associated sanding/wire wheel stuff. I have been using an old 3/4 HP Speedaire unit inherited from my father in law but it's pretty anemic for anything beyond a short impact or ratchet burst and while prepping the office cabinets for paint really found myself wishing for at least a few minutes worth of air for sanding and the like. I just had a 220v/40 amp breaker and outlet wired into the garage and have about $500 left in the budget for this purchase. I could just go buy a 3HP chinese pump unit from one of the big box stores and probably be decently happy, but if I could get a quality built unit at the same price or cheaper it would certainly go together with the repurposing theme of the rest of the garage. The garage is 21x21 with a 9x6 alcove on one end, I only park one car in the garage so while space is at a premium I can make a 60 gallon tank work and possibly even an 80 gallon would work as well.
Anyway, after a few weeks of research and scouring of the net, I have a few candidates and wondering what folks think of each of these units.
Candidate #1 Speedaire 53z98A 60 Gallon 2 Stage 5HP 1700 RPM Single Phase Dayton Motor - Asking $500 but can be had for $300
I believe this unit is using a CH 2 Stage pump that makes 17 SCFM at 175PSI and the top end rebuild kits are available for $180 or so. Unit belonged to sellers dad who had a hobby shop and supposedly used it for sandblasting. This unit can't be tested prior to purchase and is quite a ways away from me but the idea of purchasing it cheaply and if it works ok to use the rest of my budget for piping and the like is appealing. I can make the horizontal tank work but it's not ideal.
Candidate #2 Devilbiss Charge Air Pro 2 Stage - $500 but can be had closer to $400
From research it looks like this is another CH pump with ratings and parts availability similar to the Speedaire unit above. It was purchased second hand by a guy who didn't realize that he couldn't plug it into his 110 outlet and that he needed to pull 80 feet of 220v wire to make it work. He claims that previous owner used it very sparingly but I won't be able to test prior to purchasing, this one is about half as far away as the Speedaire unit. Vertical tank is appealing so that's a plus, but has the feel of big box unit (although a step up in quality from the 499 specials obviously.)
Candidate #3 Curtis Air 2 Stage with 30 Gallon Vertical Tank and Single Phase Motor. Asking $550 but can be had for $500 I think.
This is an interesting one because I don't have a big garage and the combination of a rock solid pump and a small footprint is appealing. Curtis pump is obviously a huge plus though with the smaller tank maybe it will be running more often then I would like when I'm doing heavy use tasks. It's not found in any of the Curtis catalogs and was evidently a special order with that tank size. It shares shop duties with an 80 gallon Curtis unit and owner claims not much use at all.
I know that if I raise my budget by a few hundred bucks then some interesting Champion and Quincy units might be in play, but honestly I don't think I can sell the Finance Chair on that at the moment. Any feedback on these choices?
Anyway, after a few weeks of research and scouring of the net, I have a few candidates and wondering what folks think of each of these units.
Candidate #1 Speedaire 53z98A 60 Gallon 2 Stage 5HP 1700 RPM Single Phase Dayton Motor - Asking $500 but can be had for $300
I believe this unit is using a CH 2 Stage pump that makes 17 SCFM at 175PSI and the top end rebuild kits are available for $180 or so. Unit belonged to sellers dad who had a hobby shop and supposedly used it for sandblasting. This unit can't be tested prior to purchase and is quite a ways away from me but the idea of purchasing it cheaply and if it works ok to use the rest of my budget for piping and the like is appealing. I can make the horizontal tank work but it's not ideal.
Candidate #2 Devilbiss Charge Air Pro 2 Stage - $500 but can be had closer to $400
From research it looks like this is another CH pump with ratings and parts availability similar to the Speedaire unit above. It was purchased second hand by a guy who didn't realize that he couldn't plug it into his 110 outlet and that he needed to pull 80 feet of 220v wire to make it work. He claims that previous owner used it very sparingly but I won't be able to test prior to purchasing, this one is about half as far away as the Speedaire unit. Vertical tank is appealing so that's a plus, but has the feel of big box unit (although a step up in quality from the 499 specials obviously.)
Candidate #3 Curtis Air 2 Stage with 30 Gallon Vertical Tank and Single Phase Motor. Asking $550 but can be had for $500 I think.
This is an interesting one because I don't have a big garage and the combination of a rock solid pump and a small footprint is appealing. Curtis pump is obviously a huge plus though with the smaller tank maybe it will be running more often then I would like when I'm doing heavy use tasks. It's not found in any of the Curtis catalogs and was evidently a special order with that tank size. It shares shop duties with an 80 gallon Curtis unit and owner claims not much use at all.
I know that if I raise my budget by a few hundred bucks then some interesting Champion and Quincy units might be in play, but honestly I don't think I can sell the Finance Chair on that at the moment. Any feedback on these choices?
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