Harbor Freight air compressor

[BlueSOG]

I have one of these:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/ingersoll-randreg%3B-5-hp-air-compressor-60-gal

and wish I had gotten something bigger. While it's rated for continuous running loaded... when I use the blasting cabinet, it does just that... which means I now need an after-cooler and real good moisture separator. It runs standard air tools great but the high air hogs really give it a work out. Compressing air creates lots of heat, hence the need for the after-cooler...

[BlueSOG]

Also, the CFM ratings on pneumatic tools tends to be LOW while the CFM ratings on the compressors tend to be HIGH. Tools always seem to need more air than the manufacturers claim while the compressor manufacturers completely lie about what their compressors will do.

[patdoody]

It doesnt matter what brand you buy, a compressor that small isnt good for anything that requires a constant steady supply of air. Also don't bother with those oilless compressors, they burn up to fast.

I have the large 60gal compressor they sell. It works great for everything in my shop. Its also the same compressor home depot, lowes, sears, tractor supply sells, and is made by Campbell housfield or Ingersoll Rand it looks identical to all, they just rebrand them for the respectful store. Ive been running it non stop [as it I never turn it off it will kick on to fill its self when ever it needs even in the middle of the night if it has to] for about 4 years now. no problems. Just change the oil seasonally like a car.

[Guest]

I believe Central pneumatic 21-gallon air compressor will be decent for a good price.

[nuklhd]

I believe Central pneumatic 21-gallon air compressor will be decent for a good price.

do you sell air compressors?

[DoomBuggy]

Do you need this to make a living or for occasional hobby use?

I have a very, very old medium size Sears horizontal compressor and a portable Hytachi twin tank unit. The Hytachi is fine for normal wall framing or hardwood trim use with my nail guns and pneumatic staplers and small tasks with a pneumatic chisel ( think tile removal ). It also works very well for air brush work.

With the Sears unit I have painted an Olds 442, a C3 Corvette, a '69 Pontiac Grand Prix, and a score of bikes. On the 442 and the Vette I used old school High Pressure guns and each I had to wait at one point or another for the VOLUME ( cfm ) to catch up, but I have still laid down show quality paint jobs. Once I moved to a HVLP gun I never had the issue again. I will be using it for the Panhead next spring.

On power tools, I have a little blast cabinet and it is a pain in the butt to do more then small pieces, the unit runs so much that it build enough moisture that even my separator cannot keep up. With my biggest impact gun I can remove the lugs from 1.5 wheels before I have to wait for the compressor to kick in.

My point is to figure out what you will need it for and if the money for a "better" unit is well spent on the compressor or can it be used for another tool ( like a good moisture separator?)

I have come close to pulling the trigger on that HF unit as it would clean up a bit of floor space, but this damn Sears unit just will not die and I cannot justify buying a new one until it does.

[BuddhahoodVato]

POS , buy american made, fuck the dumb shit.

[farmall]

Few new affordable compressors are US made. I haunt auctions looking for Speedaire and similar. I've not scored a Speedaire yet but my bro has and it's fucking sweet. I can afford new but I'm a cheap fucker and enjoy the hunt. I'd rather have multiple cheap compressors I can scatter around than rely on one.

I have a couple of good old US compressors, and two more recent units I don't really care for, but air is air. If I need more CFM I connect them together. Fittings and hose are cheap. If you score a dead compressor with a good tank you can add that as a reservoir.

Collect compressor parts when opportunity knocks. It's easy to swap pumps, motors, switches and tanks on belt drive units. When my Sanborn tank rusted through (old Sanborns are good) I swapped motor and pump onto another tank. I've used that Sanborn head since 1988.

Got a fixed compressor and need more air in bursts for impact tools at the end of your line? Add a small air tank. Repurposed propane tanks are great for this. I use a tee with two nipples and a chuck for quick portable tank fills and to use the tank as an air pig.

Campbell-Hausfeld compressors often die of reed valve failure. Replacement reeds are cheap and the rest of the pump is decent.

[seaking]

HF is actually quite pricey compared to farmer supply stores, shop around a little. I remember my neighbors 3 stage ran 100% painting cars, nobody wants to listen to that shit. Any blasting job, paint or extended grinding is going to exceed the capacity of any unit that HF offers.

They're fine for cleanup and airing up tires, but that's all I'd consider them for.

[BuddhahoodVato]

Ingersoll-Rand plc (NYSE: IR) is an Irish global diversified industrial manufacturing company formed in 1905 by the merger of Ingersoll-Sergeant Drill Company and Rand Drill Company, rival companies that had each been founded in 1871. The company is incorporated in Dublin, Ireland, and has its US operations headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina. Ingersoll-Rand has been a constituent of the S&P 500 Index since 2010, replacing Pactiv Corporation on 16 November 2010 (it had previously been in the S&P 500 Index until it was replaced by Quanta Services in June 2009

[DoomBuggy]

Compressors. American Compressors, Russian Compressors, ALL MADE IN TAIWAN! -Lev Andropov's mechanic

[KeithTurk]

I'm 60 yrs old... owned 10 plus air compressors over the years and everything you've heard here is about right.... Good bad and indifferent.

The real question is how much can you afford and what do you really need? I have a 80gal two stage with a cast iron head pump and it was 800 bucks from lowes... used it for the last 5 or so years with no issues. I'd borrow one short term if it allows you to save your nickels and buy a better one later.... Bigger is always better when it comes to air.

But like many have said... you can squeak by with a cheaply for many years if your lucky ... big isn't mandatory just a hell of a lot nicer then small.

K

[Dougtheinternetannoyance123]

Cast IRON pumps are the way to go if you want durability,,, if you run them hard rig up a box fan to cool them (Sandblasting, DA sander and grinders) 2 stage will deliver high volume. for light duty shop use a single stage is okay but high demands a commercial 2 stage cast iron pump is da bomb. Look up some websites and figure out your usage and work around that. (GPM and Duty cycle. As Farmall sez... "Math is brutal" and he is right.)
You can generally rebuild a older american cast iron pump easily and cheap, fukker will live forever after that if you treat it right.

Noise is a problem. I run mine in a storage container outside the shop and run a long intake hose with a K&N air filter on it and it cuts down the noise by a huge amount. (Intake noise is a big part of the problem)

[hillcat]

Recovery rate is the most important criteria.