Another (different) which air compressor

[zdech123]

I have search and gotten a lot of answers and learned a lot. However, nothing has pointed me in the direction I want to go.

Like most people I use cordless for the majority of work I do (99% automotive). But when I need my 1/2 impact or air hammer I need air. And so far I haven’t seen a good cordless that is as compact and powerful as a good air impact nor have I seen any cordless equivalent to a good air hammer.

So, to run those two tools, and when I need them, I need them at full force, and to blow up the occasional tire, what would you guys recommend? Most of the posts say to buy as big as you can but clearly cordless tools are getting better and I have a limited use for air, so I’m guessing I don’t need the biggest/best- which is a bummer because I love buying tools.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.




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[cvairwerks]

Look at the requirements for your biggest air use and multiply by 1.25 and then look at compressors that will cover that usage rate. It’s a balancing act between tank size, pump ratings and power requirements.

 

[Bondo]

Look at the requirements for your biggest air use and multiply by 1.25 and then look at compressors that will cover that usage rate. It’s a balancing act between tank size, pump ratings and power requirements.

Ayuh,.... Agreed,..... You can't buy To Big of an air compressor,.....

If you buy to small, you can plumb in a reserve tank for short bursts, but then ya gotta wait for it to build back up to pressure,....

 

[Citation]

How much air hammering do you do? In general you don't need much to drive a 1/2" impact for short bursts. Such bursts are generally fine for passenger car/truck like removal. Over the years most of my demanding impact work (axle nut, suspension bolts) was driven of a 4 gallon, 4 cfm compressor. I'm not sure about the impact hammer. My gut feel is a 4+ cfm, 10+ gallon would be fine. However, you have to think about how long you are going to continuously pull the trigger.

 

[R1Rider]

#1 stay away from oil-less compressors, they literally have a plastic piston with a copper coated ring. They are junk. Campbell Hausfeld manufactures for most of the retailers like Husky and Craftsman. They arent bad units if they are not an oil less. When it comes to compressed air, its not necessarily the size of your tank but the CFM that it can output. The more the better. I have an 80gal husky in my garage, its only 12.6? CFM. For sandblasting in a small blast box it struggles to keep up due to the low CFM. However, if you can get ahold of an old compressor, you can plumb in extra tanks which will buy you some time but the trade off is that it will take along time to fill up. I used to have a 50hp Kaeser rotary screw in my shop.... I could fill a 400 gallon receiver tank to 120 psi in just under 1.5 minutes lol.

 

[Lucid Moments]

I am looking at a similar decision. I use air tools rarely, but when you do need them nothing else will work. I have decided on this compressor. 11.5 CFM at 90 psi will do anything I can imagine me doing for the forseeable future. I could go smaller, but honestly I couldn't save all that much money.

 

[zdech123]

That husky looks pretty good. That is certainly an option.
While I don’t use air hammers and my impact much, like previously stated, if I need them then I really need them and nothing else will do.
I looked at some compressors last time I was in northern tool but they might be a little overkill for my needs.

Thanks for all the information so far.


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[Krang]

Anyone look at a california air 10gal? The cfm is up there and they are just so incredibly quiet... always been impressed with them.

 

[outdoorspace]

Anyone look at a california air 10gal? The cfm is up there and they are just so incredibly quiet... always been impressed with them.

I just got one, the 240V version. It's not at all obnoxious, but I wouldn't say incredibly quiet. I rigged up an auto drain. I'm pretty happy with it.

 

[Lucid Moments]

Anyone look at a california air 10gal? The cfm is up there and they are just so incredibly quiet... always been impressed with them.

I have considered it, and admit the quiet would be nice. But at the end of the day it is less than half the cfm of the Husky unit and not all that much cheaper.

 

[Citation]

#1 stay away from oil-less compressors, they literally have a plastic piston with a copper coated ring. They are junk. Campbell Hausfeld manufactures for most of the retailers like Husky and Craftsman. They arent bad units if they are not an oil less. When it comes to compressed air, its not necessarily the size of your tank but the CFM that it can output. The more the better. I have an 80gal husky in my garage, its only 12.6? CFM. For sandblasting in a small blast box it struggles to keep up due to the low CFM. However, if you can get ahold of an old compressor, you can plumb in extra tanks which will buy you some time but the trade off is that it will take along time to fill up. I used to have a 50hp Kaeser rotary screw in my shop.... I could fill a 400 gallon receiver tank to 120 psi in just under 1.5 minutes lol.

This view of oil free compressors isn't true, at least not for the compressors I've looked at. The ones I've looked at typically have an alloy rocking piston with a telflon lip seal. Here is a random video I found that illustrates a typical oil free compressor.

Note that it actually is belt driven but still a high RPM pump as the universal motor that drives it is also high RPM. For heavy use I would still prefer a belt driven oil lubed compressor (the traditional layout). I do expect the pumps will last longer and are better able to handle extended running. Then again, the duty cycle of many compressors is still in the 50-75% range (not talking about true industrial units, rather ones that plug into the wall). For a home user an oil free compressor is a good option. Most will probably never wear the pump out. For the heavier users, so long as they stick with a name brand rebuild kits are generally available. Also, while oil free compressors had a reputation for noise, most of the new "quiet compressors" like the California Air Tool's compressors are oil free but very quiet.

Anyway, for the OP's need I suspect something like the Kobalt 26 gallon quiet compressor would work nicely and isn't too expensive. There is a reasonable chance that something like the 8 gallon Husky compressor that was under $100 last Christmas would be sufficient... but not quiet.

OP, do you have any friends with smaller compressors? If you were in my area (sorry, you aren't) I would let you try your tools on my 4 gallon and my 20 gallon belt drive compressor to see what you think. I suspect you would find the 4 gallon is probably fine but the larger 20 gallon belt drive would be more than enough. Not that I would tell you to avoid a 240V, 60 gallon 3 hp model if you hand the chance...

 

[Spook001]

I’ve had a Craftsman #20 gallon 175 psi compressor for over 20 years. I’ve used the **** out of it, including taking it to construction sites. I don’t do body work or painting, but use it for a lot of other things. The point is, unless you have a lot of intensive work, the little guys do just fine.

 

[zdech123]

Anyway, for the OP's need I suspect something like the Kobalt 26 gallon quiet compressor would work nicely and isn't too expensive. There is a reasonable chance that something like the 8 gallon Husky compressor that was under $100 last Christmas would be sufficient... but not quiet.



OP, do you have any friends with smaller compressors? If you were in my area (sorry, you aren't) I would let you try your tools on my 4 gallon and my 20 gallon belt drive compressor to see what you think. I suspect you would find the 4 gallon is probably fine but the larger 20 gallon belt drive would be more than enough. Not that I would tell you to avoid a 240V, 60 gallon 3 hp model if you hand the chance...

I have a dewalt pancake for my nail guns and it struggles to keep up. I used it once or twice with my impact and it wasn’t the best.
Not sure how it would act with an air hammer.
I just glanced at 20 gallon compressors online and saw an ingersoll garage mate. Going to keep looking but right now it looks like the husky mentioned previously is at the top of the list.

Thanks.


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[firebirdparts]

There is a big breakpoint in air compressors at $500 and about 11 CFM. It's a big jump above that. That is what most people would call a cheap 60 gallon compressor. You don't need a big compressor at all for an impact, but you if you want to continue to work on cars and buy more tools then you ought to stop at $500.

For a small compressor, honestly about anything will run that impact at a low duty cycle, and you may decide to take something more modest and "get by" for a while.

traditional oil free compressors are really noisy and you don't get as much air per hp as you would with a lubricated compressor. That is what really matters in practice. I have one that I bought 30 years ago before I moved up to the 60 gallon. it works fine. I actually still use to paint with. The california "quiet" oil free looks interesting and I have no idea how they did it.

 

[firebirdparts]

P.S. I got to looking on google too and I noticed Ingersoll Rand has a 14 CFM compressor out there for $700. So that is more or less in the "hole" where no compressors really were available between a cheap 60 gallon and maybe $900 for the next step up.

Not that you need that, you don't.