California Air Tools air compressors

[Hdonly0]

Does anyone own one of these California Air Tools compressor? I recently bought one and was curious what others thought. It is really quiet. It will run an impact, but you will wait alot. It's nice though because you can pick it up and carry it. First oiless compressor I have owned and wondering how long I can expect it to last. Looks like all the parts are available to rebuild it.

 

[doctordirt]

I bought one about 2 years ago from Home Depot, I love it. It is so quite.

 

[Hdonly0]

Do you use it alot? Sounds like it must be holding up well. The little I have used mine, I think it is a great small compressor.

 

[dogdog]

I was looking at the specs of the 60 gallon ones they have out, basically 2x 2HP on top of a 60 gallon tank...didn't realized they have a service live of 3000 hours only... not sure if that is low , common.... they stress it is serviceable if it ever breaks.... Not sure about the smaller ones.

 

[Rarified27]

I have a 4610AC and love it.

18g/15g nailers, inflating, etc are all a breeze. It will operate an impact, but will activate somewhere between around the 3rd lug.

The sound compared to something like the 6gal homeowner style in all the box stores is fantastic. Mine mostly runs inside with nailers and is never an issue.

 

[PT Doc]

I was looking at the specs of the 60 gallon ones they have out, basically 2x 2HP on top of a 60 gallon tank...didn't realized they have a service live of 3000 hours only... not sure if that is low , common.... they stress it is serviceable if it ever breaks.... Not sure about the smaller ones.

How many hours a day do you use the compressor? 3000 running hours would be a lifetime for many home shop owners. Quincy claims 50,000 hours just for comparison.

 

[Citation]

I have a 5510A. Very light. Much quieter than my other small compressor. Though the flow rate is low even for a 120v compressor, the low noise level means you don't care as much. Most of the compressor is no better built than the no name brands the auto parts stores used to carry. I got mine cheap because a seal in the regulator was installed backwards at the factory.

Anyway, it's currently my go to compressor because most of the time I don't need more and it's quiet. Like most oil free compressors I would expect the teflon rings to fail if used heavily (no cool down time) or just after so many years. But also like most oil free compressors I suspect rebuilds aren't that hard.

Keep in mind that CAT isn't the only company using these low noise pumps. Also the intake filter and that little tube hanging off the filter really do impact the nose levels.

 

[danielbuck]

I had the 6 gallon version (I think?) a while back before I stepped up to a 60 gallon. It worked great, was quiet (even quieter with a better muffler/filter). You're only going to be able to do so much with a small tank, but for light duty and cleaning off machines, it was perfect. I'd recommend it to anyone, provided the tank size fits their needs.

 

[anndel]

I had the 10 gallon 1002 version and it's super quite compared to my Husky 30 gallon. I sold it to my buddy since I needed the garage space and kept the 30 gal. I used to it for impacts but after taking off a set of 6 lug nuts (1 wheel) the compressor would kick on to refill the tank so I assume the 5.5 gallon would kick on more often. I regret selling it and is looking to get a smaller version say 1-2 gallon just to fill tires.

I'm saving up for maybe getting their 60 gallon version for the shop.