Help deciding on which air compressor to purchase!!!

[jordanwhiteley]

As the title states I am looking to buy a new compressor and my head is spinning in circles on which one to get.

I will mostly be doing small automotive stuff, light impact use and occasional very small grinder use so these are around the specs I am looking for.

List of compressors from lowest to highest price with links
1- Husky 30 gallon($440) 155psi, 5.3 cfm@90, 1.6 hp, 148 lbs
2- Campbell hausfeld 30 gallon($500) 135 psi, 5.5 cfm, 178 lbs
3-Ingersoll rand 20 gallon($560) 135 psi, 5.5 cfm, 2 hp, 200 lbs (100% duty cycle)
4-Industrail air 30 gallon($580) 155 psi, 5.7 cfm, 1.9 hp, 190 lbs
5-Quincy 26 gallon($700) 135 psi, 7.4 cfm, 2 hp, 165 lbs (10,000 hour pump rating)

I'm leaning towards the Husky or Ingersoll. The husky is least expensive and similar ratings although I imagine maybe less quality? The Ingersolls 100% duty cycle makes me feel like it would be the best choice as its only $100 more than the husky but the smaller 20 gallon tank concerns me.

I just found the quincy, I have heard their the best quality and I like the extra 2 cfm but I don't belive I could afford the extra $150 over the ingersol. They are the only ones with a pump rating though. is this marketing or do they really last forever?
Let me know your thoughts or if there is a better deal I should be looking at. Thanks much

 

[bastage]

Scrap the list and get the HF 29 gallon.. same pump as the Quincy.
https://m.harborfreight.com/29-gal-2-hp-150-psi-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-61489.html

 

[CNGsaves]

+1 for NONE of the above . . . . way too much money for medium-sized compressor.

Better to purchase low cost "starter" compressor like $100 twin tank 4 gal oil-splash DeWalt, Hitachi, Husky, Campbell Hausfeld, Craftsman, etc. Or SpeedAire 20 gal horizontal tank, even older Craftsman belt-driven oil-splash in that style are great compressors for 1st compressor on the cheap.

THEN . . . . watch CL, Estate Sales, Garage Sales, Auctions, etc like a hawk for quality 5 HP 60 gal compressor like . . . Quincy, Kellogg, older Ingersol Rand, Champion, etc. that will be a LIFELONG compressor. None on the list above for all that money will be long-term keeper. Buy Quality and Longevity instead.

Above strategy would give you a mobile compressor, along with small tasks around home, the Big Stationary compressor would be your workhorse when you need the air for pneumatic tools, sand blasting, etc.

 

[Sh40674]

Are you in a part of the country where they have a Menards? Midwest ish... if so their sanborn 30 gallon goes on sale all the time for 379... Very good compressor for the money

 

[jordanwhiteley]

+1 for NONE

Above strategy would give you a mobile compressor, along with small tasks around home, the Big Stationary compressor would be your workhorse when you need the air for pneumatic tools, sand blasting, etc.

I would love a big 60 gallon especially for the cost of these mid tier compressors but no 220v plug and I haven't seen any 60 gallon compressor that is 120v. and i don't have the option to be adding a 220v. I like the thought process though

 

[md21722]

Scrap the list and get the HF 29 gallon.. same pump as the Quincy.
https://m.harborfreight.com/29-gal-2-hp-150-psi-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-61489.html

Yeah, I agree. Plus the Quincy rates in AFCM whereas the others rate in SCFM. I think its a numbers game because I never got 7.4 even adjusted for altitude out of my NAPA version of it. Quincy, CP, NAPA, and HF are all pretty much the same compressor for this model. Choose your color & logo. With a 26 gallon tank I could get about 2-3 wheels off with the impact before it came on. As far as choosing the IR, you can always find a auxiliary tank to get more air storage. A lot of the airless ones break and people put them up on Craigslist for dirt cheap. You'd probably pay more in fittings and air line to get it together than a broken airless unit on Craigs.

 

[jordanwhiteley]

Are you in a part of the country where they have a Menards? Midwest ish... if so their sanborn 30 gallon goes on sale all the time for 379... Very good compressor for the money

Down south with closest menards 2 states over unfortunately, however i have heard the husky i linked for 440 goes on sale from time to time for $400.

and for the harbor freight listed, idk about hf stuff. When i first started buying tools everything i bought was hf and the only thing that hasn't broken has been the free stuff which i haven't used for it to break. For $355 i feel that would be a rather large gamble but then again i am no expert in the matter.

 

[md21722]

You can also look at some offerings from Northern Tool or Rural King if you have one nearby.

 

[jordanwhiteley]

You can also look at some offerings from Northern Tool or Rural King if you have one nearby.

I have mostly been looking on amazon, home depot and Northern tools websites. There is a northern tool pretty close by would they have more compressors than whats listed on their site in the store?

 

[anndel]

I was in the same boat as you but being in Hawaii, I was limited in choices. I even called HF regarding shipping to Hawaii and they quoted me $450 but that's only FOB where I had to go down to the docks and load it onto my truck, bring it home and unload it. I bought a Husky 30 gallon dual dual piston and for $79 delivery, they unpacked it in my garage. 3 years and still going strong.

 

[jordanwhiteley]

I was in the same boat as you but being in Hawaii, I was limited in choices. I even called HF regarding shipping to Hawaii and they quoted me $450 but that's only FOB where I had to go down to the docks and load it onto my truck, bring it home and unload it. I bought a Husky 30 gallon dual dual piston and for $79 delivery, they unpacked it in my garage. 3 years and still going strong.

Thnx for the info, how often do you use it and what do you mainly use it for? Any issues with what you need it to do?

 

[Sh40674]

for what you're planning on doing most will work, if you have a tractor supply near by i see they have a porter cable for 379... a alot of compressors are like batteries... same compressor, different stickers.

 

[bastage]

and for the harbor freight listed, idk about hf stuff. When i first started buying tools everything i bought was hf and the only thing that hasn't broken has been the free stuff which i haven't used for it to break. For $355 i feel that would be a rather large gamble but then again i am no expert in the matter.

Dude it's the same pump and a slightly smaller motor as the most expensive compressor on your list.. it's not made by harbor freight.. it like Quincy, Chicago Pnumatic, Bellaire and a few other brands are all made by Atlas Copco.

We all know that some of what HF sells is junk, but there are also a lot of quality items there. There is a rather long thread about the good HF tools in this forum.

 

[Stooge]

i recently had my go to air compressor die, (an old devilbiss) and after a lot of back and forth, my limited budget and want for possibe mobility ended up with a 30gallon electric husky, this one http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-30...table-Electric-Air-Compressor-C303H/206532808 i had been pretty set on getting an oiled one but sometimes i go out of the shop for jobs, and with the electric i can just throw it in the back of a small suv, (could probably even fit in the trunk of my car if i was so inclined to try it) without having to futz with draining and filling oil. the devilbiss i had was a 30yr old electric so supposed short lifespan of the electric compressors wasn't too condemning to me. its a little louder than my last one but is tolerable, and for the few months I've had it, its done everything ive needed it to from running die grinders for hours at a time, impact gun duty and powering paint guns.

 

[jordanwhiteley]

i recently had my go to air compressor die, (an old devilbiss) and after a lot of back and forth, my limited budget and want for possibe mobility ended up with a 30gallon electric husky, this one http://www.homedepot. too condemnin...as told oiled is the way to go for longevity.

 

[tarbellb]

My brother bought that 26gallon Quincy.... its terrible.

He's not even a tool guy and he's totally unimpressed.

 

[tarbellb]

If you are going for a mid/small sized I would almost just consider the HF. At least you can return it easily when it breaks, not if, when, all these mid size models are pretty sketchy.

If you can get away with slightly lower specs, I would highly recommend the

Makita MAC5200 Big Bore series- ($330) large diameter pistons, more efficient, quieter!, and nice compact unit. Plus you can buy it Home Depot

 

[jordanwhiteley]

If you are going for a mid/small sized I would almost just consider the HF. At least you can return it easily when it breaks, not if, when, all these mid size models are pretty sketchy.

If you can get away with slightly lower specs, I would highly recommend the

Makita MAC5200 Big Bore series- ($330) large diameter pistons, more efficient, quieter!, and nice compact unit. Plus you can buy it Home Depot

Ya it seems like these mid sized compressors really **** for price to performance, they barely beat the smaller compressors and are almost as expensive as decent 60 gallon units. I need about 5-6 years of light usage overall with the occasional weekend project where I beat it for a few hours. My current 6 gallon pancake cant get one tire off my truck before turning on and forget about using it to zip off a harmonic balancer or most steering related bolts. Which is fine I can continue using the breaker bar but what id really like is just a little more up time using my blow gun when detailing my fleet of vehicles(just 3 but friends and neighbors pay me to theirs sometimes). I get about 5 seconds now and I have to wait for it to rebuild or i have little pressure and a very hot compressor. I have seen the 20 gallon tanks allow for 25 seconds so I assume 30 gallons would give over 30 seconds.

 

[jordanwhiteley]

I am considering the HF 29 gallon now after reading more about them. Any idea how long you can get the warranty to extend until? and an approx. cost of warranty I cant find any info on their website.

Also, ran across this Northstar at northern tool. Same specs as ingersol but almost 100 bucks cheaper. Theres 15 gallon tanks on craigslist for $20 bucks I could add to this just for those stubborn nuts and bolts. I read their made by puma but never heard of either company, are they worth a ****? they claim a 4 year warranty and 100% duty cycle

 

[Infinia]

IDK seems you could make a $/pound chart with a multiplier factor for max PSI and get a reasonable answer. Max PSI will make a given tank appear larger AND support more line loss. Duty Cycle for homeowner grade is 50%.

 

[Citation]

Jordan, how many cfm is your pancake compressor? Are you running an impact or air ratchet? In general I agree that the 30 gallon 120v compressors aren't great values compared to the 60 gallon 240v models. You might find that a ~4cfm over 10 gallon compressor will do the job if the impact wrench is your primary tool. I have an IR231 wrench that runs just fine off a 4 gallon, 4cfm compressor. Yes, it cycles frequently but it also refills quickly. It was perfectly capable of pulling the axle nut of my car. I still prefer my 20 gallon CH based belt drive oiled compressor.

Anyway, my point is you might be over killing for your stated goal.

 

[Stooge]

Was very close to purchasing this model but was told oiled is the way to go for longevity.

I had heard the same thing, but going from how long the electric one I had prior to this one, and with zero maintenance, I wasn't too deterred. i don't have the expectation that this will last 30yrs like the devilbiss, but for $300, if i can get 5+yrs out of it, i will be happy enough with it. plus i could end up upsizing at some point, or moving shops so mobility was a big deciding factor for me. The Husky being atleast assembled in the US, albeit of global components also factored into the purchase.

I am considering the HF 29 gallon now after reading more about them. Any idea how long you can get the warranty to extend until? and an approx. cost of warranty I cant find any info on their website.

i had been looking at the 29gallon HF also, even had printed off a coupon for it as it was on sale at the time, wasn't expecting a lot out of it, but then i happened across this video

skip to about 13minutes, he added to the video he made of saying that the 21 gallon was alright for home use, but then the next day, goes to use it and its basically dead in the water. the video ends with him returning it and picking up the Husky, which is what got me looking into that one and later buying it. its not a crazy high HP, huge storage compressor, but it meets my needs of more than a weekend tire rotation or brake job user but not pro shop and came in under budget.

 

[bastage]

i had been looking at the 29gallon HF also, even had printed off a coupon for it as it was on sale at the time, wasn't expecting a lot out of it, but then i happened across this video

skip to about 13minutes, he added to the video he made of saying that the 21 gallon was alright for home use, but then the next day, goes to use it and its basically dead in the water. the video ends with him returning it and picking up the Husky, which is what got me looking into that one and later buying it. its not a crazy high HP, huge storage compressor, but it meets my needs of more than a weekend tire rotation or brake job user but not pro shop and came in under budget.

So you were looking at a belt driven oiled compressor, but then saw a YouTube video of a direct drive oiless compressor of the same brand that's normals half the cost dying so that steered you to look at a direct drive oiless compressor from a different manufacturer that costs twice what the one that died did? My friend I don't follow the logic used in this at all.

 

[Stooge]

So you were looking at a belt driven oiled compressor, but then saw a YouTube video of a direct drive oiless compressor of the same brand that's normals half the cost dying so that steered you to look at a direct drive oiless compressor from a different manufacturer that costs twice what the one that died did? My friend I don't follow the logic used in this at all.

You don't have to follow my logic

the HF one in the video that died was an oiled compressor.

I didn't have a great inclination of getting an HF one, but needed to pick up something quick and was scrambling over the course of a week to research what to purchase. matching my lack of warm fuzzies about an HF compressor, and hearing stories of ludicrously short lived HF compressors of several flavors along with video of them doing just that, was putting me off of them, but I was looking at them as I had a $100 giftcard to Harbor freight. I hadn't originally even considered a home depot/ husky. I became interested in them through the specific video I linked and started researching them thereafter and decided to give it a try as they have a few year warranty and if it dies after the warranty is up, im only out a few hundred, of which that compressor has paid me back several times over.

I was originally suggesting the husky I picked up based on the OP's referenced needs and the fact that GJ will generally suggest an overkill compressor to run an impact gun once a month to rotate tires and that you can get away with less. ya dig?

 

[KMdef9]

For the first time I'm finding myself on this side....

If all you do is light impacting, and very small grinding, why not go electric if that's your budget? You can get some quality tools and still be under budget.

Do you have the air tools already? Are they high quality tools?

 

[ilovevocs]

^ This right here.

 

[jordanwhiteley]

For the first time I'm finding myself on this side....

If all you do is light impacting, and very small grinding, why not go electric if that's your budget? You can get some quality tools and still be under budget.

Do you have the air tools already? Are they high quality tools?

Yes I worked as a mechanic for dealership about 4 years before I quit and went back to school. So everything I have is good quality snap on, matco and ingersol for the ratchets, impacts, air hammers and grinders.

When you say electric do you mean to say oil less? Or electric tools?

 

[jordanwhiteley]

Jordan, how many cfm is your pancake compressor? Are you running an impact or air ratchet? In general I agree that the 30 gallon 120v compressors aren't great values compared to the 60 gallon 240v models. You might find that a ~4cfm over 10 gallon compressor will do the job if the impact wrench is your primary tool. I have an IR231 wrench that runs just fine off a 4 gallon, 4cfm compressor. Yes, it cycles frequently but it also refills quickly. It was perfectly capable of pulling the axle nut of my car. I still prefer my 20 gallon CH based belt drive oiled compressor.

Anyway, my point is you might be over killing for your stated goal.

As stated above I have both air tools and a few more toys than probly needed but they all serve a purpose from time to time. My pancake cfm is like 2.5 i wanna say. I tried taking off a 24 mm bolt the other day and it barely started to get it loose before the compressor cycled on. I agree i don't need a whole lot just trying to find the best quality compressor in the 20-30 gallon range that i don't have to worry about breaking for at least 6 years and possibly 10 before i have the ability to upgrade to a 220v compressor.

 

[montanafordman]

Another vote for the harbor freight 29 gallon here. I had that compressor and its an excellent one for the money and IMHO the best option if you don't have 220V power available. You can buy parts for it and its the same exact pump as the more expensive brands. Heck you can buy a replacement plan and probably still be cheaper and have a better warranty (although I don't feel replacement plans are usually worth it).

With my 29 gallon HF compressor it ran my impacts fine and intermittent die grinder use but it just didn't have enough to run my die grinders and cutoff wheels continuously for my auto restoration project so I bought a 60gal 5HP Quincy. In the 4 years I owned it I used it heavily at times and it never missed a beat. My dad needed a compressor so I drove mine 800 miles to deliver it when I had some time off to go visit the folks. It survived the trip well and now he's getting good use out of it.

 

[visedog]

My advice is to go for at least 3 HP compressor if you are planning on using air tools.

 

[bastage]

My advice is to go for at least 3 HP compressor if you are planning on using air tools.

110v power only.. I don't believe that there is a true 3 hp compressor that's going to work. And especially not without going to a larger then normal circuit which would typically be a no go if they can't do 220v

 

[jordanwhiteley]

My advice is to go for at least 3 HP compressor if you are planning on using air tools.

Thnx for the vote fordman.

Yeah I am limited to these specs of these compressors for now I would love to go bigger but feel they should do what I need them to and understand their limitations.
Mostly looking for opinions/ experiences on best quality in this class for longevity and price/performance

 

[Infinia]

you could make a $/pound chart with a multiplier factor for max PSI and get a reasonable answer. Max PSI will make a given tank appear larger AND support more line loss. Duty Cycle for homeowner grade is 50%.

(a lower # is better when buying a commodity)


Husky $440/148 lbs * (125 psi/155psi) = 2.40
C.H. $500/178 * (125/135) = 2.60
IR $560/200 * 125/135 = 2.60
IA $580/190 * 125/155 = 2.46
Quincy $700/165 * 125/135 = 3.92
H.F. $355/170 * 125/150 = 1.74

HF clearly stands out as best value. some folks say throw out the top and bottom bids and sort the rest. Husky or IA wins here.

120V 15A compressors all have about 1.7 HP motors more or less. The husky looks the cheapest ( lives on fan cooling )

notes> The IR is rated at 100% so that would last longest out of the box.
Quincy's pump has 10000 hour rating? perhaps other stuff breaks 1st
warrantees? HF (link in post #2) has the worst but IMO maynot matter if you know to how to test and adjust things and can return any QC duds in 90 days. I personally do not place any great value on warrantees and paid for insurance add ons. It gives folks peace of mind so it's worth something!

 

[volaredon]

you could always go for a gas powered unit......but I would generally go for the largest CFM output I could afford and the largest tank I could possibly fit in the intended space... you won't be sorry which you WOULD BE if you bought something then discovered that it was too small for what you do and cannot keep up.
I myself have an EMGLO 5hp 80 gallon 2 stage upright that I bought used about 15 years ago...best $500 I have ever spent on garage equip besides maybe my 2 post lift that I paid about the same for....

 

[Citation]

As stated above I have both air tools and a few more toys than probly needed but they all serve a purpose from time to time. My pancake cfm is like 2.5 i wanna say. I tried taking off a 24 mm bolt the other day and it barely started to get it loose before the compressor cycled on. I agree i don't need a whole lot just trying to find the best quality compressor in the 20-30 gallon range that i don't have to worry about breaking for at least 6 years and possibly 10 before i have the ability to upgrade to a 220v compressor.

I understand. Given that you are still thinking replacement I've got to say if it was my money an 8 gallon HF oiled compressor woods be my choice. Is rather not spend $400 on something I'm expecting to replace even though I agree it's not as good as the ones you are asking about.

BTW, I would also suggest looking at a '2hp' California Air Tools compressor. They claim good flow and are really quiet!

 

[jordanwhiteley]

Thnx for all the input everyone. Have it narrowed down to these four.
Again have narrowed it down to 20-30 gallon and no 220v or pancakes. These all perform close to the same and are within budget so who wins the longevity-quality contest.

Cheapest - HF 29 gallon ($355)
Cheapest- Porter cable 30 gall ($350 w/ friend discount)

last two- Husky 30 gal ($440)-This looks like the porter cables twin for more $

Northstar 20 gall ($420 w/ $50 off coupon)

Have a few votes for the HF and one stay away from HF vote.(One confirmed 4 years ownership of the model)
One confirmed 3 years Husky ownership
Not much word on the northstar or porter cable.