sorry, yet another compressor question...

[punkenduro]

ok, ive been looking at compressors for a bit now, and feel i need one finally. my goal was ~$200 bucks, decent enough for weekend work on my track car/daily driver (1/2 & 3/8 impact mainly), and available locally so if i have problems i might have a quick fix. heres the three ive found.

sears ----------- home depot ----- lowes
craftsman ------ husky ----------- ch
26 gallon ------- 20 gallon -------- 15 gallon
125 psi --------- 155 psi ---------- 200 psi
4.0 scfm @ 90 -- 4.3 scfm @ 90 --- 3.7scfm @ 90
$230 ----------- $200 ------------ $200

to me the husky looks like the best deal, but i have no clue about this stuff, the 200 psi of the ch might be an advantage. the craftsman looks like its clearly not the winner, but is the extra gallons what im looking for. any help would be nice.

 

[Steven67fr]

I personally wouldn't purchase any new, oilless compressor. I'd look for an older 2 piston unit in the same size range. I use a craftsman unit from the 70's. Well over 300 hours and still a solid 5.1 cfm. (new it was claimed to have 5.4 at 90 psi). Just my .02.

I'm not saying that the above are not good units, I just prefer the oiled type head. They are quieter and run at a lower RPM generally.

You can usually pick one up in the $50-100 range in the 12-25 gallon size range. Just be sure to check out any used unit carefully.

StevenFl.

 

[scott4]

Investigate this option. Might be worth your while.
Research needed.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I personally wouldn't purchase any new, oilless compressor. I'd look for an older 2 piston unit in the same size range. I use a craftsman unit from the 70's. Well over 300 hours and still a solid 5.1 cfm. (new it was claimed to have 5.4 at 90 psi). Just my .02.

I'm not saying that the above are not good units, I just prefer the oiled type head. They are quieter and run at a lower RPM generally.

WOW ! Exactly what I was going to say !

You can usually pick one up in the $50-100 range in the 12-25 gallon size range. Just be sure to check out any used unit carefully.

In my area, people are asking $100-$200 for 2-3HP units in good shape on CL (There is a nice looking 3HP Craftsman on CL with an asking price of $175, hard to justify when my 2HP unit runs flawlessly !)

IMHO, you need at least 2HP, which means you need 240V. A 1HP compressor (typically 4.0 CFM @ 90 PSI) is fine for 1/4-3/8 ratchet/impacts but it barely meets the minimum on 1/2 impacts. A 2HP unit will run out of air running a die grinder or cut off.

If you have to stay with 120V, there are portable, oiled 1HP compressors out there. Find a 40-60 gallon tank from someone who blew up their oil-less compressor and plumb that in. Remember, a "true" 1HP compressor will probably require a 20A breaker with 12 gauge wiring !

 

[Steven67fr]

WOW ! Exactly what I was going to say !


In my area, people are asking $100-$200 for 2-3HP units in good shape on CL (There is a nice looking 3HP Craftsman on CL with an asking price of $175, hard to justify when my 2HP unit runs flawlessly !)

IMHO, you need at least 2HP, which means you need 240V. A 1HP compressor (typically 4.0 CFM @ 90 PSI) is fine for 1/4-3/8 ratchet/impacts but it barely meets the minimum on 1/2 impacts. A 2HP unit will run out of air running a die grinder or cut off.

If you have to stay with 120V, there are portable, oiled 1HP compressors out there. Find a 40-60 gallon tank from someone who blew up their oil-less compressor and plumb that in. Remember, a "true" 1HP compressor will probably require a 20A breaker with 12 gauge wiring !

I agree 100% with the old wizard. Mine is a 1.5 horsepower and works finr running a 1/2 impact for doing things like tire rotations or disassembly of heads and the like. But if it were going to be used in a shop or at a higher duty rating you'd want to look for 3-4 hp or a larger tank.

I've used both oiled and oilless and far prefer the oiled type head design.

StevenFl.

 

[Ghostrider]

I found my craftsman pro 60 gallon on craigslist almost new for 250. It does great for my small garage @ 10.2@90 psi.

 

[camarotoolman]

No oilless. be carful with a used one, people pump them up, before you get there so they seem good, later they wouldn't work. Happened to me make, some kind of a take it home and try it first.