Inexpensive mini air compressor NOT for air tools?

[BikeRider]

I don't use air tools so I don't have a compressor. But sometimes it would be nice to have pressurized air to blow away leaves and debris from an engine bay or suspension, or when working on parts that require pressurized air such as the pistons on an automatic transmission. So I was wondering if there are "mini" electric compressors that while obviously not suitable for air tools would still work for such applications, kind of the air version of a pressurized water washer.

I could potentially use a tire compressor or even bike floor pump with the right attachments, but I'm hoping for something that's specifically built for such tasks. I'm looking to spend under $100 as it's just for occasional use, and as small as possible as storage is an issue, so no pancake compressors. For example would this work:

https://www.harborfreight.com/12v-150-psi-compact-air-compressor-63184.html

And being HF are there better ones out there for around the same price? Even cheaper would be better though!

 

[GeoBruin]

What you linked is an inflator, not a compressor. An inflator doesn't have a tank and will not be able to store a volume of air that you will be able to release all at once which is what you need to use a blow gun.

You will need something like this at a minimum and even then, you'll probably be disappointed at how quickly you'll blow through the air in the tank and then you'll you'll be waiting for it to refill so you can do a few more seconds of "blowing".

If you really need something that small, you might be better served by something like this. Makita made the original but there are tons on Amazon that take all the popular tool brand batteries.

 

[BikeRider]

What you linked is an inflator, not a compressor. An inflator doesn't have a tank and will not be able to store a volume of air that you will be able to release all at once which is what you need to use a blow gun.

You will need something like this at a minimum and even then, you'll probably be disappointed at how quickly you'll blow through the air in the tank and then you'll you'll be waiting for it to refill so you can do a few more seconds of "blowing".

If you really need something that small, you might be better served by something like this. Makita made the original but there are tons on Amazon that take all the popular tool brand batteries.

Thanks, good to know. I had one of the latter, a combo mini vacuum/blower I got to clean my PC, whose blower was surprisingly powerful for its size and cost, that I used to blow leaves and debris from the ground when working on my car outside, but it burnt out eventually and I haven't replaced it. But do such units provide enough pressure to expand a trans piston?

 

[GeoBruin]

Thanks, good to know. I had one of the latter, a combo mini vacuum/blower I got to clean my PC, whose blower was surprisingly powerful for its size and cost, that I used to blow leaves and debris from the ground when working on my car outside, but it burnt out eventually and I haven't replaced it. But do such units provide enough pressure to expand a trans piston?

No. Sorry, I missed that requirement from your original post. The HF compressor I linked will do what you need, but may be disappointing as a blower. Maybe you need two tools to cover your needs if you don't have room for a tank?

 

[BikeRider]

No. Sorry, I missed that requirement from your original post. The HF compressor I linked will do what you need, but may be disappointing as a blower. Maybe you need two tools to cover your needs if you don't have room for a tank?

If I had to choose I'd go with one that could be used to provide pressurized air for such tasks and use a standard blower, either mini or full size, for cleaning. Just wish there was a truly "mini" device that did that and provided continuous pressurized air without need for a large tank. I'm sure that it's possible but a good one would probably be expensive.

 

[niget2002]

I have two of the little 3-gallon compressors. They're made by many different brands, but they all look the same. They work great for small tasks and I've even used them to run small nailers when working inside the house. The last one I found was at a goodwill for $20

They all look like this:

You are being redirected...

 

[BikeRider]

I have two of the little 3-gallon compressors. They're made by many different brands, but they all look the same. They work great for small tasks and I've even used them to run small nailers when working inside the house. The last one I found was at a goodwill for $20

They all look like this:

You are being redirected...

What kind of pressure does it put out and for how long? I wouldn't need it for more than a few seconds at a time so it might be perfect for my needs, although at 20lbs it's pretty heavy.

 

[niget2002]

What kind of pressure does it put out and for how long? I wouldn't need it for more than a few seconds at a time so it might be perfect for my needs, although at 20lbs it's pretty heavy.

75psi. It's not really that heavy. I use them to top off air in the tires on my truck and travel trailer when we go camping. They both have handles to make them easier to carry around. They are a bit noisy as they're oil-less compressors.

 

[GeoBruin]

What kind of pressure does it put out and for how long? I wouldn't need it for more than a few seconds at a time so it might be perfect for my needs, although at 20lbs it's pretty heavy.

The specs are right on the website. But you have to remember that it all depends on what pressure your regulator is set at. Do you want to "blow" at the max pressure of the compressor? At 90 psi? At 50 psi? And remember that when the tank pressure drops below that pressure, your effective "blowing" pressure will drop to almost nothing pretty quickly with a tank that small.

 

[The Cobbler]

I know you said no to pancake , but they do make small ( 1 or 2 gal) units that might fit the bill

 

[thesilverone]

I use this https://www.amazon.com/California-A...Compressor/dp/B01LYHYHEA?tag=atomicindus08-20 for such applications

 

[johnre]

What you need for what you describe doing, is a small, battery operated blower - the key is less pressure head but more air volume.

They are much less expensive than a storage-tank based compressor.

Note that some shop vacs allow you to connect the hose to the air outlet and use it as a blower; my Festool does this, for example.

 

[bdbecker]

+1 to the California Air Tools compressor suggested by @thesilverone. I've got a larger model and really like it. I know it is above your $100 budget, but I can't emphasize enough how much of a difference having a quiet compressor makes in the shop. I had a similar compressor to the CH brand one mentioned above. It worked well enough, but man, that thing was loud.

Also, the HF compressor runs on 12v. It would get awfully annoying having to hook it up to a car battery every time you need to blow something off.

 

[RTM]

Just wish there was a truly "mini" device that did that and provided continuous pressurized air without need for a large tank.

What kind of pressure does it put out and for how long? I

I use this https://www.amazon.com/California-A...Compressor/dp/B01LYHYHEA?tag=atomicindus08-20 for such applications

I have a bigger CAT air compressor than linked above, the 4610A, with a 4.6 gal tank. I was blowing down a filter (at 90 psi) on my shop vac, and had to wait for the tank to refill three times. I don't think you are blowing out an engine bay in a few seconds, except maybe on an RC car, or you don't have a mess of trees around you.

If you want mini, get a can of air that is refillable. Might work with the mini compressor you want. But not sure it will blow down an engine bay either.

Amazon.com : refillable air duster