What’s a good quality long lasting air compressor?

[Jim Caudill]

I had a self-serve car wash for over 17 years. I really worked the air compressors pretty hard. I purchased (3) Ingersoll-Rand 60 gallon T-30 air compressors with 5 hp motors (one in my home shop). These were/are single-phase 240 volts and the weak areas are the pressure cut-out switches. Heavy cycling results in the contacts either burning or welding together. IR is very proud of their crappy switches to boot, and the last one cost me about $150! I started using the more generic switches, but had to do a little plumbing and rewiring, but once the conversion is done you are home free. I could buy replacement switches for between $35 and $50 almost anywhere (TSC, Rural King, etc). I did have to replace a motor once, and went with a Marathon brand from TSC. I never paid more than $1,000 for any of them, and I purchased from Northern Tool (free delivery) and Sears. I like them quite well, but if money was no object I would go for Quincy.

 

[Marctrees]

Coryc - Yes, Belaire... look at this one seriously... Probably best value bang for the buck is linked below... It has an Italian made ABAC pump .. Google it... T29 IIRC, a mexican Century motor, and a USA made 60 tank IIRC in NC.

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/...o-stage-vertical-air-compressor-5hp-60-gallon

I have ordered from Global a number of times, always good.


It was a great deal sold by HF talked about below...NO longer available at HF.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=361437&highlight=harbor+freight+compressor

 

[slodat]

Champion is what I have and recommend. Very high quality, last a lifetime or more kind of purchase.

 

[Iron Beaver]

I was you at this time last year. Here's what I learned:

The cheap Quincy & IR units seem to be a little on the flimsy side; I would steer clear of them, especially the IR. I would suggest you look for a compressor with the following features, in descending order of importance:

Low pump speed
Cast-iron pump
Disk valves (not reed valves)
Two-stage
Pressure-lubricated (Important in industrial settings, but home gamers can usually cut this corner and be fine).

In air compressors as in most things, you pretty much get what you pay for.

I looked at high-end Quincy units ($$$$$) Saylor-Beall units ($$$$$), VMAC portable compressors($$$$$) and Rolair ($$). I was contemplating cheaping out and getting a Rolair or saving up for the best Saylor-Beall I could dream of when I found an '80s Curtis "Master" line 5hp 80 gallon with a recently replaced pump for $800.

5hp is barely enough for me, running die grinders, lots of plasma cutting, 1/2" and 3/4" impact wrenches, a 9" 5HP air angle grinder (intermittently ), and a big Cleco air drill. I never use more than one tool at a time and never have to wait on the compressor unless I'm using the big grinder.

If you have a few months to diligently check FB and CL every day or two and are willing to travel a bit, you just might score a good deal. Otherwise, if you want a quality product in a hurry you will have to pay for it. Even at a Rolair price point, even a cheap compressor can last a while if decently built and treated well.

Finally, there are ways to make the most of whatever compressor you have. I had to learn these from harsh experience, hopefully they are some help:

1) Friction in your air delivery system is the enemy. It saps your air pressure when you most need it and wastes valuable power.
2) Throw your 3/8" air hoses and 1/4" quick-connect fittings in the trash and never look back. I use 1/2" industrial quick-connect fittings and consider them just about adequate. One warning though: They are much harder to connect than 1/4" fittings and, just like a 1/4" fitting if not connected completely can pop loose and maybe injure you when you let go.
3) If you build an air supply system, use 1" pipe minimum, from the compressor tank all the way to the attachment point for the air hose
4) If your compressor doesn't have a magnetic starter, install one. I had a pressure switch stick closed and ran the pressure up to 180 PSI because I foolishly tried to have it switch the motor directly.
5) It will cost more than you think, but will be worth every penny in the end

 

[slodat]

My recommendation is buy once, cry once. I went with a "fully packaged" (aftercooler, moisture drain, etc) Champion with a 15hp pump running 1/2 speed on a 7.5hp motor with an 80 gallon tank. It is about as quiet as a reciprocating compressor is going to get and it runs my heavy air loads quite well.

This is where I bought mine.

 

[Old Steamer]

My vote goes to Quincy.

Of course as stated, it depends on your needs and budget.

 

[Rinspeed]

Double tap.

 

[Rinspeed]

My recommendation is buy once, cry once. I went with a "fully packaged" (aftercooler, moisture drain, etc) Champion with a 15hp pump running 1/2 speed on a 7.5hp motor with an 80 gallon tank.

That's a lot of money, that's a lot of compressor but that's a lot of money.

 

[Iron Beaver]

My recommendation is buy once, cry once. I went with a "fully packaged" (aftercooler, moisture drain, etc) Champion with a 15hp pump running 1/2 speed on a 7.5hp motor with an 80 gallon tank. It is about as quiet as a reciprocating compressor is going to get and it runs my heavy air loads quite well.

This is where I bought mine.

I also recommend buy once, cry once. But some of us don't have enough tears for that much crying....

 

[jmarkwolf]

Can anyone comment on the quality and durability of FS-Curtis and Puma?

Looking for the better-than-average compressor without breaking the bank.

 

[strutaeng]

Can anyone comment on the quality and durability of FS-Curtis and Puma?

Looking for the better-than-average compressor without breaking the bank.

Curtis has been around for a long time. They are an American company until some time ago they got bought out by the Chinese, and added the "FS." They still seem to make pretty good, industrial units based on the literature I see (5HP-30HP+.) And they also make industrial scroll (or screw?) units. I think recently they started offering the smaller, homeowner grade units (2HP - 5HP.) They have different lines, based on what you are using them for.

In 2012 or so I bought (2) ES-100 pumps that I got from a fellow that did auction buying some time ago. I pieced one of them on a 7.5 HP and it's a beast, a little too much for what I need. Pump weighs like 260 lbs. The pump has the disc valves with optional head unloaders. I sold the other pump to a guy that had some sort of print shop.

I think Puma is more on par with homeowner grade units.

 

[dr_clyde]

I always ran pressure lubricated Quincy units. I had a 5hp and a 10hp, both were bulletproof and ran quiet. I forget the pump models.

I have since gave the 5hp one to my dad and sold the 10. I now run a 10hp Atlas-Copco screw. Never going back to a reciprocating compressor if I can help it. Screw compressors are the bomb. Quiet and TONS of air.

I would personally snag a 5 HP pressure lubed quincy for my home shop. You can get one used for less than $500 all day long.

 

[tdkkart]

Consider a typical 135psi single stage compressor. With a 25’ 3/8” hose, 3/8” or High flow couplers, 135 psi will get you about 90 psi working pressure At high consumption tools. By that I mean 1/2” impacts, drills, sanders, die grinders, etc. But, keep in mind that this is at the compressors kick off pressure. By the time the compressor kicks on, you Have dropped to 105psi. That’s going to result in a pretty dramatic loss in pressure at the tool, and be very noticeably down on power. Now, if you are running an HVLP gun, who cares, because most run 20-50psi, but for most common tools, you are going to deal the drop. It’s even worse with a 50’ hose. It was an incredible pain in the **** to run my 1.3hp 4-1/2” angle grinder consistently off a typical 135psi single stage compressor. Same with air drills using hole saws. Drill half way through and run out of power. Been there, tried that, didn’t work out. When trying to get a job done, it’s incredibly frustrating to deal with the large fluctuations in power as pressure drops.

A few yeas ago I spent the equivalent $$$ of a new compressor installing a full Rapid Air 3/4" system in my shop. This one change made a DRAMATIC difference in the air pressure that actually gets to my tools. I see very little pressure fluctuation at the point of use.

 

[vanapplebomb]

That is what I have too. It’s a nice setup. I purchased another outlet, so I have a total of four drops. In a 32x40 shop I am always within a 25’ hoses reach of a drop. Having the 3/4 tubing certainly helps a ton when unsung big tools. Definitely a worth while investment.

 

[Citation]

My recommendation is buy once, cry once. I went with a "fully packaged" (aftercooler, moisture drain, etc) Champion with a 15hp pump running 1/2 speed on a 7.5hp motor with an 80 gallon tank. It is about as quiet as a reciprocating compressor is going to get and it runs my heavy air loads quite well.

Overkill is still overkill. Saving money and buying too little is a bad idea. Buying way over what you need is equally a waste of money.

Consider a home owner who decides that they need a pickup truck to occasionally haul light, bulky items like a dresser or a few bags of mulch. So they can buy an F-150 or F-350. Which is going to last longer? Well if they try to do F-350 work with it, the F-150 is going to die fast. However, if they really aren't going to do hard labor with it, the F-150 will probably last every bit as long and cost less. That Champion is a great compressor (my dad used to have one) but, with light use, it may not last any longer than a $1000 HD 80 gallon compressor. Is that Champion used to 10% of it's ability or "pro-sumer" 80 gallon used to 40% of it's ability really going to be any different?

 

[Gogolino]

The only thing thats similar on my compressor and that big Champion compressor is that dark green color. Almost forgot to mentioned that my 20 gal Masterforce compressor was around 12 times less than yours last week when I got it.

 

[matt_i]

Current compressor is a 24yo IR T-30 5hpx60 gallon. Bought new in the later 1990s. The way I use it hopefully will it will have a 2nd owner someday. This is the grey paint job and not the yellow ones I see these days.

If I had to buy new I'd look at Quincy. I bought one for plant use a few jobs ago and neighbor has a 7.5hp version and my eye picks out the cast iron mass in them as equivalent to good.

Imo the higher cost models get you a better tank, which is almost more important than the stuff that sits on top. I seem to constantly read about viable compressor heads looking for new (-er) tanks.

 

[rider]

I’d look for a Saylor-Beall. Top notch quality, made in the USA, and legitimate parts availability should you ever need it. Think of your purchase amortized over 30 years - the extra up-front cost pays off in future reliability. I personally like to support manufacturers that actually make the hardware in the U.S. rather than slapping together a pile of imported parts made to the cheapest price point.

 

[Dumber than lumber]

To the OP: do you care about noise level? Some compressors can give you a headache after an hour.

 

[Coryc1]

To the OP: do you care about noise level? Some compressors can give you a headache after an hour.

Noise level is important to me, but second to price and quality, worst case scenario I build a little room for it to keep the noise down. I should also mention, I will be the only one using it. Meaning there’s only gonna be one hose and tool being used at any time. It’s not like I have multiple lines and tools being used at once by multiple people if that also makes a difference.

 

[viikinki]

My opinion, if you want silent and high quality compressor, then find a used Atlas Copco rotary compressor with low hours. These compressors can run easily 50000 and above hours
I have a GA7 10hp and that machine is absolutely great.
Newer again a piston compressor

 

[IndyGarage]

I've owned about 5 larger compressors.

Best of the ones I've had by far is Champion.