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Polar Air Compressor????

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22george

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Jan 26, 2011
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l have virtually the same compressor, but with the horizontal tank. l am very satisfied with it.
 
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C96

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They are basically Saylor- Beall clones. The pumps are offshore replicas of the S-B as are many of the other components. As you can see the Polar pump looks remarkably identical to the Saylor-Beall 707 pump.

DSC_0579-edited.jpg
Saylor-Beall_zpsa13769fb.jpg
 
M

MacMcMacmac

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canada
They are made by LaPlante Compressors, which, despite the name, is a Chinese company. They closed out their Chinese operations a few years ago, but I'm 99% sure they still cast the pumps there. They used to make Kelloggs, but I'm sure the "new" Kellogg is a spin-off of LaPlante, considering the old Kellogg was shuttered by CompAir about a decade ago.

I'm sure LaPlante can press an Eaton name tag into the sand before they pour the old Buick engine blocks into the mold.
 
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C96

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Stuart in MN said:
but the tanks and most other components are made in the US.
Click to expand...

Here is a direct quote from the www.eatoncompressor.com website:

“Starting October 28th, 2008, We are putting an American flag sticker on the items that are made in the USA. For example, our tanks are made in the USA, So we have placed an American Flag Sticker on the tank that states this tank is manufactured in the USA. These stickers will be placed on every item that is made in the USA. This gives the consumer a clear direction when purchasing our compressor on how much of the complete unit is made in the USA.”

Lol, that’s funny because according to their statement the compressor pictured would seem to only have 2 items made in the USA, the belt guard and tank. :lol_hitti
 
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PT Doc

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What's up with all the flexible copper being routed everywhere. If it's a clone and sb didn't have to do that, what up with poor doing it?
 
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Bob C

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PT Doc said:
What's up with all the flexible copper being routed everywhere. If it's a clone and sb didn't have to do that, what up with poor doing it?
Click to expand...

It has head unloaders for continuous run option.
 
F

fnieto

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I purchased a Eaton 80 gal. 2 stage with continuous run, auto drain feature back in 06. It has served me well. At the same time I purchased one of their air dryers with no issues.
Very robust unit. I know of two friend that purchased from Eaton with no issues.
I can tell you this, they will field your questions and return calls promptly.
 
Z

Zrexxer

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It seems that Polar is Eaton's attempt to dodge the stigma that became associated with their own name, based on their shady business practices. Once everyone started to realize what Eaton was really like, they just rebranded their products so no one would recognize them. R i i i i ght.
 
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terryo1965

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Ann Arbor, Michigan
I bought a 7.5hp single phase unit about 2 years ago and have had no problems, in fact I really like it. It's really quiet and puts out more air than I need. Unloading it was the biggest problem, my Bobcat just barely lifted it off the truck, you really should have a forklift.
 
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fnieto

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Zrexxer said:
It seems that Polar is Eaton's attempt to dodge the stigma that became associated with their own name, based on their shady business practices. Once everyone started to realize what Eaton was really like, they just rebranded their products so no one would recognize them. R i i i i ght.
Click to expand...

Elaborate on your statement.

The OP is asking about our opinions on this product.
 
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fnieto

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C96 said:
I think this is what Zrexxer is referring to, but if not it’s an interesting post.

↓ Click below to read: ↓

Eaton Compressor threatens to sue me over "Made in China"
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I never questioned the origination of the product itself and no "made in the USA"

stickers are to be found on the unit I own. Not defending Eaton in any way but as

for the compressor I own, it's been very reliable so far. Maybe if I had issues with

it I would have seen Eaton's true colors. Thanks for clearing it up .
 
C

countryroad82

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Mar 18, 2011
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Kentucky
I bought one a couple years ago and haven't had any real problems with it other than when I first bought it the sight glass leaked a fuzz due to not being properly sealed. Other than that all I have done to it is drain the tank and change the oil!! Which probably by now I need to adjust the valves as it is probably due for it, just don't have the time.
 
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samendolaro

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Mar 16, 2013
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I had actually been looking at the 4-cyl Champion VRV7-8, spins at about 550 rpm's. The only thing I didn't like was that it had Reed valves and a two year warranty for about $3200. Champion has an Advantage unit VR7F-8 which is a 2 cyl with Disc valves running at about 990RPM for $2900 and it has a 5 yr Pro-rated warranty.

Eaton, Polar Air, E-max are all the same unit and I hadn't considered them until recently, (I was so dead set on getting a Champion unit ).

Most of the Hate for Eaton seems to come from the "Made in China" issue but there has never been any quality issues associated with Eaton.

So I am likely going to order that same 80 gallon Eaton unit. The units have been around long enough to dispell any fear.
 
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samendolaro

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Last edited:
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Red Dirt

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Bumping this up. What did you decide to do? Oh, and based on the Polar Air site, it appears that there is another difference between the "Industrial" and "Premium" units--the premium comes with an auto tank drain.
 
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thammel

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And now they have a whisper quiet option too.

Want to hear about more experiences with these!

Tom
 
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samendolaro

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Red Dirt said:
Bumping this up. What did you decide to do? Oh, and based on the Polar Air site, it appears that there is another difference between the "Industrial" and "Premium" units--the premium comes with an auto tank drain.
Click to expand...

I ended up ordering the Premium unit through EBAY (Still from Eaton), it actually ended up cheaper since shipping was included. I also ordered 4 rubber standoffs from themfor the unit to sit on.

The compressor arrived intact, to get it off of the pallet I put a couple 2x4's between the tank and compressor , put the right half on my lift and the left half on the cherry picker and was able to get it off pretty safely.

I Initially had some issues with one of the high pressure relief valves blowing at about 120psi , they quickly sent me some new ones and that fixed the issue.

They also forgot to send the auto tank drain with the tank but also shipped that to me. My only problem since was with the autotank drain which happened a few months ago where it was not closing all the way ( I think something got jammed into the valve where it would not close fully) we tried to clear it but in the end Eaton send me a brand new one, no questions asked.

So overall pretty satisfied . The only thing you you need to know is that the warranty on this unit is only valid if you are using their "airbase " compressor oil. So you should buy a few quarts with the unit since you are going to need to do that initial oil change pretty quickly.


As for the whisper quiet option, I believe it is only a Baffle which is placed over the top of the unit, The unit isn't that loud and the runtimes are pretty short.
 
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DekeT

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samendolaro said:
Most of the Hate for Eaton seems to come from the "Made in China" issue but there has never been any quality issues associated with Eaton.

So I am likely going to order that same 80 gallon Eaton unit. The units have been around long enough to dispell any fear.
Click to expand...

:lol_hitti that you associate pointing out it's a chinese clone of a true American standard or that they have documented history of product origins as "hate".
 
OP
8

8man

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Oct 16, 2013
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Bryan, Texas
OK, got the 7.5hp, 80 gallon Polar Air hooked up over the holidays. It is quiet and it pumps up quickly. I have not had a chance to "wring it out" yet as the rest of the shop isn't finished, but it certainly appears to be worth the money.

The cylinder bleed down after the motor stops to allow easier start up takes some getting used to.

I got the automatic drain and that thing will scare the **** out of you the first time you hear it! Sounds like a mini explosion.
 
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