Air Compressor Recommendations

tomw said:
Coolidge, do you have a CA Air Tools compressor? I like the 70db rating, but all others seem to say run away.
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I do not. The interweb reports are hit and miss on quality, but you can purchase via Home Depot which I think would make it easy to return if one failed in the first 30 days. I have seen nothing near as quiet and wish I had given one a try vs the Rolair I purchased for $999. I'm sure the Rolair will out live me but good lord its LOUD as hell at 95 decibels.

At $365 with free shipping I may yet buy the California Air 10 gallon at Home Depot and get rid of the Rolair. I do not like loud annoying noise. I need to see how much air my Accu-Lube consumes and how frequently the Rolair cycles on.

Out of over 100 Home Depot reviews the 10 gallon has a fairly decent satisfaction rating.
 
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Go with Rolair. Call them and tell them what your needs are. They are very helpful. I own two units one small twin tank I can carry and one 60 gallon for the shop.
Good luck. Al.
 
I have seven compressors on the farm, ranging from Porter Cable pancakes up to 27 cfm two stage units. My 2hp California Air compressor is the most quiet of all, followed by a Campbell Hausfeld 10 cfm belt drive model. The PC pancakes are very loud.

Ingersoll Rand makes great stationary compressors and are worth looking at.


Scott
 
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scsmith42 said:
I have seven compressors on the farm, ranging from Porter Cable pancakes up to 27 cfm two stage units. My 2hp California Air compressor is the most quiet of all, followed by a Campbell Hausfeld 10 cfm belt drive model. The PC pancakes are very loud.

Ingress Rand makes great stationary compressors and are worth looking at.


Scott
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scsmith42 said:
I have seven compressors on the farm, ranging from Porter Cable pancakes up to 27 cfm two stage units. My 2hp California Air compressor is the most quiet of all, followed by a Campbell Hausfeld 10 cfm belt drive model. The PC pancakes are very loud.

Ingress Rand makes great stationary compressors and are worth looking at.


Scott
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Did you mean Ingersoll Rand ?
 
For me the oil free ones are normally rubbish. Or I may just be hard on air compressors. I have my fathers old Wisconsin powered two stage with 60 gal tank, Noisy as hell though, but it will keep up with almost anything, He used it for a 3/4inch impact and everything else at once. I have an old sears oil two stage portable with a little electric motor, I think the motor is about shot, and the cylinders are worn, but the thing is still kicking, and have thrown out many of the cheap oiless things.
For South TX, you may need a cool shaded place outside, but if you can put one outside, it needs to have good filters and plenty of air flow.
I am prob going to have to put in a new compressor in a year or two, but will prob go with the one of the two stage ones, or buy the stuff and build my own from parts.
 
tomw said:
I was pondering this reply:


When I decided to click on the link I posted. Whoops, wrong link. I was trying to post this one:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Californ...t-and-Oil-Free-Air-Compressor-10020/203245210
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That's quite a bit cheaper... but for my money, I still wouldn't buy it. I guess it comes down to matter of how much you want to spend now vs later on. As I and others have said, the oilless compressors just don't last. I had a couple die after only about 2 years, the longest lasting one, 5 maybe 6 years. Those compressors were used on job sites for framing and finish nailers, on average about one week out of every month. By comparison, the shop compressor a belt driven model has been cranking out air every day since it was purchased in 1996.
 
Well, I guess you need to decide between noise and compressor life. The California Air is very quiet, so it lasts 5 or 6 years, fine by me for the price. As previously mentioned, I have the Dewalt oiless compressor with a 15 gal 200PSI tank, and it is too loud (they claim 78 dB) for my liking, but was inexpensive. If I used it more often, I would have gotten rid of it and probably get one of the models below. Yes, bigger is better and will last longer, but you pay the price and they are usually stationary. If I were to buy a portable "garage" compressor again, I probably would go with the smaller IR or Quincy compressors. They are durable and most people report that they are not too noisy. I would read the reviews. The next step up would be a 60-80 gal, IR, Quincy, Curtis, etc. with an 1800RPM motor and low speed pump if you want it to be quieter. Stay clear of the cheap stuff if you want it to last.

Ingersoll Rand Garage Mate Air Compressor — 2 HP, 5.5 CFM, Model# P1.5IU-A9
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200375221_200375221

Ingersoll Rand Electric Portable Air Compressor — 2 HP, 115 Volt, 30-Gallon, Model# SS3F2GM
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200339041_200339041

These require a 20Amp 120V circuit
Quincy Single-Stage Air Compressor — 2 HP, 115 Volt, 26-Gallon Vertical Tank, Model# Q12126VPQ
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200612354_200612354

Quincy Single-Stage Air Compressor — 2 HP, 115 Volt, 20-Gallon Horizontal Tank, Model# Q12120PQ
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200612353_200612353
 
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