Need an air compressor

[Sage55]

I've had a Senco PC1010 for the last 5-6 years easily, and honestly from the get go I never had much luck. It wouldn't be able to hold a tank of air for longer than a day at the most. It wasn't really that big of a deal as I used it for small jobs and rarely.

Well I go to plug it in today because the front tire of my lawn mower is getting low, only to find the compressor not even able to produce a pound of air. Needless to say I'm looking to purchase a new compressor.

I'd like to be in or around $200 and looking for something that's going to last. I'm not a mechanic by no means so the compressor wouldn't see a ton of use, but I want it to work when I need it.

So far I've been eyeing these two compressors:

• Makita 2.0HP 2.6gallon
• Craftsman 1.0HP 3gallon

What are your thoughts on the above two? Is there something else you'd suggest looking into?

 

[epmills]

If you want something thats going to last, dont get an oil-less compressor. I didnt even look up the 2 that you mentioned, but im guessing they are oil-less.

 

[Sage55]

The Craftsman above states "Its pump provides 2.4SCFM at 90PSI and is oil-lubricated for durability".

 

[Sage55]

epmills... you're 0 for 2, the Mikta also states "Oil lubricated provides cooler running pump, minimizes wear"

Anyone have any other recommendations?

 

[RKA]

I have the Makita you linked and I like it. Only issue in 1.5 years is the steel coupler rusted out, sent rust into the regulator and possibly resulted in a leaky regulator. I replaced the coupler with stainless (which I would recommend you do right from the start) and the regulator and it's been fine. The "soft start" feature does indeed prevent this from tripping breakers. It's fairly quiet and obviously does the job. Longevity, I couldn't say. I'm a homeowner, so it sees occasional use for the nail guns and cleaning small parts and other misc household tasks. For garage use I have a 20 gal comp, so the Makita never sees auto related tasks.

 

[m21bmr]

What are your thoughts on the above two? Is there something else you'd suggest looking into?

My Father-in-law has the Craftsman that you are considering. I have used it several times and like it pretty well. His is 5-6 years old and still works well, but it hasn't been used very much, so that may not offer much meaningful input on durability.

I have a Husky (built by Campbell Hausfeld) oil-lubed 26 gallon unit personally, but if I was in the market for a small unit, I would be happy with the Craftsman that you are considering.

I looked on the Sears website, and the Craftsman shows a current sale price of $109.99. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00915310000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2

 

[Sage55]

Thanks for the input guys. I too am a homeowner and the compressor likely isn't going to see much more work then air up lawn mower tires, cleaning, and maybe airing up a basketball.

After searching around I decided to go with a larger model Craftsman 7 gallon air compressor and using the "SAVEMORE" discount code on Sears website I was able to get it for $153 with taxes!