Dewalt portable compressor questions

[GarageEnvy]

I'm looking at purchasing a small portable compressor for a couple of reasons.
1) A guy came along and paid me way too much for my 15 year old Craftsman oiless that I had never drained

2) I'm doing more work out of the garage on homes where I need to be able to take a compressor with me and pack it up each night.

3) I don't have the funds right now for the big 220 monster and I can't really justify it for my use.

I don't run a blast cabinet. I don't have any pending or upcoming paint projects and no need to run air sanders in the next year or so. The most frequent use would probably be pumping up bike tires. Away from the garage it would run a single framing nailer and trim gun. I zeroed in on Dewalt because of their design and the fact that back in the day when I worked construction Emglo was the industry standard. I've found 3 models and I'm wondering if any of you own one of these or could make recommendations.

D55154
http://www.dewalt.com/tools/compressors-hand-carry---electric-d55154.aspx

Love the design and the ability to wheel in my tools on top of it. I suspect oil lubricated pump would be better and quieter but this thing only puts out 4 cfm and a pump speed of 3400rpm

D55371
http://www.dewalt.com/tools/compressors-wheeled-portable---electric-d55371.aspx
Larger tank but now over 100 pounds. I'd lose the shelf for hauling in tools but the pump runs 1725 rpm and is 2 stage. It also has a little larger tire and 1.6 hp

D55171
http://www.dewalt.com/tools/compressors-wheeled-portable---electric-d55171.aspx
Pretty much the same as above. In fact I really can't point to any major differences.

D55146
http://www.dewalt.com/tools/compressors-wheeled-portable---electric-d55146.aspx
Appears to be their Cadillac. 200psi and 1.8hp and 5.2scfm. The cons are a smaller tank, oil free pump and a little louder than the other models (but still pretty quiet). It's also belt drive rather than direct and 20 pounds lighter.

 

[Greatbear]

All seem like decent compressors for being direct drive. The 1725rpm units looks especially nice, the difference between the 55371 and the 55171 is the 371 offers dual-mode operation similar to a gas powered compressor where the motor runs continuously after the tank reaches the set pressure and resumes pumping at cut-in pressure and also offers standard on/off operation as well. This allows the unit to cool itself off between cycles using its own fans, rather than simply sitting still to cool.

 

[BadTriumph]

I've got one almost identical to the first one except mine doesn't have wheels. I am a little spoiled by my 80 gallon DeVilbiss that has somewhere around 15cfm, but I don't think 4 cfm/4 gal is enough. I use my portable when I need air somewhere other than my workshop and it runs a lot. When running my framing nailer, it clicks on every five or six shots and runs for a good minute or so. It gets old. If you're using this for anything other than nailers, you're going to have to wait for it to catch up. Don't get my wrong... I love the little thing, but it wouldn't make a good ONLY compressor. Have you looked at the reviews on Amazon? i think they sell all of these that you're looking at.

 

[theoldwizard1]

For heavy usage, I would stay away from an oil-less pump.

Also, anything over about 1 hp probably will require a 20A circuit.

 

[cashishift]

Rol-Air might make some compressors that suit what you want.

 

[route246]

Never understood oil-less. I only use compressors that have an oil reservoir. I don't trust anything that doesn't for some reason. Personally, I use the Makita MAC2400 because it was the most quiet I could find. Old Emglo was a little quieter but you can't find them since they went bankrupt and the name was bought by Dewalt. The Dewalts are not as quiet as the old Emglo.

Rol-Air might make some compressors that suit what you want.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Any one using an Eaton/Polar Air portable ?

Very reasonably priced.

 

[scott37300]

I have the 55146 I bought close to 5 years ago now and it has been a great compressor. I have used it to run 2 roofing guns, framing, spray texture for drywall, I even used it for an HVLP-it ran constantly but it kept up and did a good job. I really like it.

 

[PCO6]

Wizard - I have one that appears to be the same unit as the blue one you show above. It's black and labelled as a "Hot Rod" 3 HP compressor. I bought at Canadian Tire about 2 yrs ago. I use it as a back up to my main compressor and like it because it's portable. It sits under my main bench and has been good for quick light duty work.

It has just developed a problem. It starts fine and comes up to pressure in less than 2 minutes. It won't repressurize though unless it sits for about a half an hour. The pressure switch seems to be OK. There is a reset button that is separate from the pressure switch. When I push it the compressor starts slowly and dies out after about 5 seconds. There appears to be some kind of over load problem and I just haven't dug in to it yet.

 

[GarageEnvy]

Thanks for the suggestions. The rol-air compressors are heavy. Looking at their product line the lightest one I saw was 170+ lbs. That rules them out for sure. The Eaton really looks like a nice unit. Oil lubed, lighter than Dewalt and a claimed CFM that is higher. I don't know what shipping would be but at face value it's even cheaper. Keep the info coming.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Wizard It has just developed a problem. It starts fine and comes up to pressure in less than 2 minutes. It won't repressurize though unless it sits for about a half an hour. The pressure switch seems to be OK. There is a reset button that is separate from the pressure switch. When I push it the compressor starts slowly and dies out after about 5 seconds. There appears to be some kind of over load problem and I just haven't dug in to it yet.

Sounds like the thermal overload is kicking out. Is the pressure in the head bleeding off after shutting off ?

Also check the voltage at the plug while you try restarting with the reset switch.

 

[scott37300]

Thanks for the suggestions. The rol-air compressors are heavy. Looking at their product line the lightest one I saw was 170+ lbs. That rules them out for sure. The Eaton really looks like a nice unit. Oil lubed, lighter than Dewalt and a claimed CFM that is higher. I don't know what shipping would be but at face value it's even cheaper. Keep the info coming.

Here is a rolair that is only 64 pounds, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PDOOA4/?tag=atomicindus08-20. Just google them and there are a bunch of them. I used to have one of them also till I let a "friend" borrow it to do his roof and he decided he wanted it more than me and took it with him when he moved away. They are pretty heavy but are a great compressor and will last forever if you keep oil in them. Pretty sure the smaller ones are still made in the US also. I know the bigger rolair are US, I have a 30 gallon rolair in the garage that is great.

Here is the one that I had and it says it is only 74 pounds. http://www.ontimesupply.com/index.p...d=1410&zenid=c6661264a85ef35787726fdafb42357a

 

[Greatbear]

Wizard It has just developed a problem. It starts fine and comes up to pressure in less than 2 minutes. It won't repressurize though unless it sits for about a half an hour. The pressure switch seems to be OK. There is a reset button that is separate from the pressure switch. When I push it the compressor starts slowly and dies out after about 5 seconds. There appears to be some kind of over load problem and I just haven't dug in to it yet.

This is due most likely to a bad unloader. The compressor is trying to start with full pressure remaining in the cylinders. There are two styles used in smaller compressors, one is a small valve attached to the pressure switch via a small pipe or hose. When the pressure switch turns off, a lever presses a valve stem and relieves the pressure in the heads and piping from the pump to the tank. There is a check valve at the tank to keep the air in the tank. Another version is an extension of the check valve in the tank. When airflow stops, the check valve closes and another valve vents the pressure in the piping. This style can get gummed up over time, it can be removed and cleaned with carb cleaner or similar. The pressure switch style usually gets clogged from debris, it can often be disassembled and cleaned as well. When the pressure is left in the heads, the motor cannot start, and trips the overload switch,

 

[PCO6]

Wizard / Greatbear - Thanks for the clues. You've given me something (else) to do this weekend -