Differences in compressors

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Hey guys. Let's say an air compressor can deliver 90psi consistently for removing lug nuts with a 1/2 gun. If one were a HF & the other a more name brand, what does the more expensive compressor offer over the HF?

I have an IR 2135 qti, 3/8 air ratchet, blow gun & tire inflator I'd like to use. My grandfather's compressor needs to be retired. Only 110v. It's not used often.

Help!

 

[matt_i]

Hey guys. Let's say an air compressor can deliver 90psi consistently for removing lug nuts with a 1/2 gun. If one were a HF & the other a more name brand, what does the more expensive compressor offer over the HF?

I have an IR 2135 qti, 3/8 air ratchet, blow gun & tire inflator I'd like to use. My grandfather's compressor needs to be retired. Only 110v. It's not used often.

Help!

I'm going to say that the higher price point is going to get you more longevity and possibly a better initial warranty.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I'm going to say that the higher price point is going to get you more longevity and possibly a better initial warranty.

If/when the HD craps out if that's how i go, can u throw another motor on it and call it a day or do they all mount differently to tank? And which HF unit would be decent for my needs and or other brands? I'm not looking to spend a ton but also don't want frustration with performance

 

[matt_i]

Forgot: possible ASME tank at higher price point.

I don't think any are not going to perform right out of the box, aside from warranty issues.

Its more like can you get 20 years out of it without a hiccup, or can you put it on a blast cabinet one day and run it for a couple hours straight without it grenading.

Likely the higher price point units have put more into validation & improvement iterations in the design.

 

[R_Holiday]

I have a HF compressor I bought after grad school because I needed one and didn’t have the money for a bigger name brand one. That was 5 years ago and it hasn’t let me down yet. It’s not quiet and I use it to power my IR 2135ti no problem. They now sell one from a brand that supposed to be much quieter. I haven’t heard it run so can’t attest to it.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

https://www.harborfreight.com/air-t...e-vertical-shopauto-air-compressor-56403.html

Is this one good spec wise?

 

[metlmunchr]

If/when the HD craps out if that's how i go, can u throw another motor on it and call it a day

For home shop grade belt drive compressors, the motor will likely outlast the pump. There are various aftermarket replacement pumps available, with some at prices that make replacement a worthwhile option, and others at price points where it makes more sense to buy a whole new unit.

The unitized direct drive motor/compressor type units are normally scrapped unless they develop some minor and easily repairable problem, and in many cases there's no repair parts available as they're built to the lowest price point and considered disposable.

 

[Iron Beaver]

Depends very much on the brand. Some big-name brands and box stores will sell you a compressor of almost HF quality with an expensive name on the side as their "budget" line. Others (like Rol-air) seem to have better than HF pumps and motors at a correspondingly higher price.

If you want to spend a little more on the Rol-air you could get an okay-ish Italian made pump instead of a not-so-great ABAC or ABAC clone. You can also get better attention to detail and quality control. Last I checked Rolair used WEG motors that lasted okay and HF used chinesium motors that I know nothing about.

If you want to go all in, here are some of the amazing perks you could get:

Disk valves instead of reed valves
Cast iron construction
Low-speed pump
Baldor industrial motors
Magnetic starters
Pressure lubrication
175 PSI cutout
Horizontal tank.

My workhorse compressor has all these features except maybe pressure lube and they are so worth it if you can afford the compressor and have space for it.

 

[metlmunchr]

https://www.harborfreight.com/air-t...e-vertical-shopauto-air-compressor-56403.html

Is this one good spec wise?

If Tractor Supply has stores in your area, this would be a better buy IMO.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dewalt-30-gallon-air-compressor-155-psi-dxcm301

Belt drive vs direct drive on the HF
One year warranty on everything and two years on the pump vs 90 days on the HF

 

[Don1357]

For a do many different things compressor the only number you should care about is the cfm @ 90 psi, followed by the duty cycle. High psi tank? Nothing more than a distraction.

For the longer answer... You can fill a tire or drive a nailer with just about anything. For air hungry operations such as impact wrenching, sanding, blading, grinding, cfm is the only thing that matters as you'll empty the tank in a hurry and will be working of the pump.

 

[Citation]

From the POV of the tool very little. Perhaps the amount of moisture or blow by oil from the crank case.

The big differences are going to be in things like duty cycle (50%, 100%, does the pump over heat, does the electric motor over heat), long term service life (hours between pump needing some service, what is the Mattie of that service - in place valve rebuilt or pump bearings shot so the whole pump needs to go), does the pump use a magnetic starter or just the pressure switch (reliability and simply a requirement at some point) air capacity (tank size/pressure), pump flow (cfm @ various pressure), system efficiency (a big deal for an industrial user), noise level (not always correlated with price).

 

[redmondjp]

For the OP's use case, any of the box store belt-drive compressors with a 30-60 gallon tank will be sufficient and last a long time. Get the best deal that you can. You will need a 30A 240V circuit. Mine is plugged into my dryer circuit, as I switched to a gas dryer.

 

[Wrench97]

Noise level and the quality of the tank will be the biggest difference.
Higher RPM pumps are a lot noisier the lower RPM pumps but the price points are quite different also.

 

[u2slow]

Hey guys. Let's say an air compressor can deliver 90psi consistently for removing lug nuts with a 1/2 gun. If one were a HF & the other a more name brand, what does the more expensive compressor offer over the HF?

I have an IR 2135 qti, 3/8 air ratchet, blow gun & tire inflator I'd like to use. My grandfather's compressor needs to be retired. Only 110v. It's not used often.

IMHO, the same compressors are sold under a multitude of colours and brands. I'd only look at oil-lubricated belt-drive stuff.

A 240V portable ( 3HP Speedaire) has served me well for that use over the last 20 years. (No sand blasting mind you.) Its a 10cfm machine - on par with many 40-60gal models, so I may improvise another tank or two for more reserve as I get my shop better established.

 

[redragoon]

Most likely duty cycle will change the most with a better made one. If both can supply 90psi at 10cfm, then what is their duty cycle for doing that? The HF model may only have 25% duty cycle so for every 30 seconds of runtime, it needs 90 seconds of cooldown.
Where a better quality unit may sustain 50% or higher, even 100% for the industrial constant supply models. Higher quality units should have a higher duty cycle for either longer on times or faster recovery. Cheaper units will break down or have heat issues which lowers their maximum duty cycle.

 

[Rick B.]

The main thing to consider with compressors not how much air they hold or how much pressure they make. The important thing is how many C.F.M it puts out. It's not how much air you can make it's how fast can you make it. I sandblasted many cars, motorcycle parts even several houses with a compressor that only had a 20 gal. tank but the pump put out 20 cfm.

 

[Don1357]

The main thing to consider with compressors not how much air they hold or how much pressure they make. The important thing is how many C.F.M it puts out. It's not how much air you can make it's how fast can you make it. I sandblasted many cars, motorcycle parts even several houses with a compressor that only had a 20 gal. tank but the pump put out 20 cfm.

That's the ticket. Sadly it is cheaper to increase PSI and tank capacity so those are the numbers manufacturers like to tout.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

So may I ask, without getting into "Cadillac" compressors, to remove wheels, plow mounts and maybe a cut off wheel (i live in the rust belt) what my most affordable option taking into account duty cycle & longevity?

 

[Don1357]

So may I ask, without getting into "Cadillac" compressors, to remove wheels, plow mounts and maybe a cut off wheel (i live in the rust belt) what my most affordable option taking into account duty cycle & longevity?

Craigslist.

High CFM and 100% duty cycle as the only parameters to care about.

Before buying look up how much a rebuild kit for the pump(s) can run you.

My older Campbell Hausfeld, 145PSI max, cast iron heads, 100% duty cycle, 60 gallon 13.5CFM@90 was $150 on CL. I may need to rebuild the pumps, yet to be seen.

You know when they say they don't build them like they used to? A brand spanking one would be 135 PSI max, aluminum heads, 80% duty cycle, 11.5CFM@90PSI, currently $737 at Lowes. Why? Because to the undiscriminating modern consumer all they see is that big *** 60-gallon tank, everything else is but a blur of information. Campbell Hausfeld could not compete in quality with the other 60-gallon units, so like most they started building them to fit an specific price point.

**** they turned a detraction, units being 'oil-less', as if that was a good thing

 

[Citation]

So may I ask, without getting into "Cadillac" compressors, to remove wheels, plow mounts and maybe a cut off wheel (i live in the rust belt) what my most affordable option taking into account duty cycle & longevity?

Most of your requests relate to using an impact wrench. My IR 231 wrench was fine running off a 4CFM, 4 gallon compressor.

The last one, the cutoff wheel is a totally different question. Mine will wipe my 20 gallon, 130 psi tank down to 90 psi in about 6 seconds. That compressor delivers 5.7 CFM @ 90 so you aren't going to get much better with a 120V compressor. A 20-30 gallon, 150-200 psi tank would probably make a cutoff wheel tolerable for heavier use. You would still have to wait for the pump to refill the tank if cutting of a 3/8 bolt (kind of guessing). If the cutoff wheel is something you really want to use get a 60+ gallon, 240V compressor. My brother has an 80 gallon with a 145psi, 10 CFM @90 HF pump. I was surprised how often his cutoff wheel required refilling the tank. Still, we were able to use it to cut a stuck bolt off a strut we changed on his car. That compressor, very similar in specs to a typical 3hp, 60 gallon model, had no issues with the cutoff wheel. Still, if that is your only reason to buy a 60 gallon compressor, I would suggest seeing if an electric cutoff wheel could do the job. The compressor work can be handled by a much smaller, cheaper compressor.

 

[u2slow]

So may I ask, without getting into "Cadillac" compressors, to remove wheels, plow mounts and maybe a cut off wheel (i live in the rust belt) what my most affordable option taking into account duty cycle & longevity?

Buy as much horsepower as you can afford (including wiring the circuit). Real HP.... none of this '120V 6HP' embellishment. Beyond 3HP your portable electric options are pretty much gone.

With my 10cfm/3HP machine, I still leave grinding/cutting duties to electric tools. The air is for impact tools, inflating tires, blowing things off.

 

[Don1357]

With my 10cfm/3HP machine, I still leave grinding/cutting duties to electric tools. The air is for impact tools, inflating tires, blowing things off.

At 10cfm you could still drive a small yet respectable nozzle on a sand blasting cabinet. Nothing you would put up with using on a commercial setting but still beating most home options, namely chemical stripping and sanding.

 

[2oldforthis]

Perfect timing on this thread. My CH chuncked a rod last week. It was maybe 15 years old. I have been searching for a new pump but have not found “the” one.

 

[Citation]

What type of motor? The HF pumps seems like a good, low cost, light duty/home user option.