Compressor Buying Advice

[Dennisfly]

I need some input to select a compressor. It is for home use. Fill tires, blow out parts, blow off the mower. Should I consider something that can drive air tools? Portability wouldn't be high on my list. I was thinking maybe Sears in the $100 to $200 range.

I heard that the oilless ones don't last as long. Anything to that?

 

[sneaky_pete]

For the uses you list, an economical oil-less compressor from Sears will do fine. I've got one that has been doing all that and driving the odd air tool for probably ten years, with no problems and no maintenance. But be warned - compressors are like tractors and welders; once you have one, you will find more and more uses for it, and wish you had a bigger one. The good thing about a cheapy compressor (in my opinion) is that even if you end buying a bigger better one down the road, the cheapy is still handy to have around for portability and filling tires. etc.

 

[Bird]

Dennis, you can figure the oilless compressor at approximately one-tenth the lifespan of a good compressor with oil in a crankcase. Now how much are you going to use it? And especially how long will you run it continuously when you do use it? For many people the oilless is a good way to go; less cost, no oil to mess with, etc., but I think you'll find in the manual that you should not run it continuously for more than 10 minutes at a time. Actually, you'll find the same warning in the manuals for some of the aluminum compressors with shallow crankcases. I carried a small oilless compressor in the RV when we were traveling and it was just fine, but when I quit traveling and had a big shop building, I bought a big oilless, and it never made more than 8 months without breaking down and sometimes only 2 or 3 months. First time it was broken reed valves, next time needed piston and cylinder, next time the cooling fan broke loose and cracked the cowling, etc. But I was running it a lot! And of course, I got rid of it and bought a "good" compressor. Now the good part about the Sears oilless is that they come with a manual that includes a parts list, and it's relatively easy to completely rebuild one in less than an hour.

 

[beenthere]

My suggestion, is get one that isn't so noisy you don't want to hear it kick on. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Some are really bad and scream loudly (I have one!).

 

[kenmac]

I don't know big you want to go, but I have a 7.5 hp 80 gal. 2 stage 25.25 cfm @ 100psi compressor that I bought off the net. Great compressor . Will do all that I ask it to do. You can do a google search on compressors. check site this is the one I bought

 

[Dennisfly]

Thanks for all of the feedback. It helps.

Kenmac: That looks like a great compressor but very much larger and more expensive than what I had in mind.

 

[dmccarty]

Dennis,

I needed a compressor for years but I wanted and still want a big one to do work with but alas I have not money or room for such a beast.

Thus I need something small. Right now I really just need the compressor to do the work you have on your list......

I bought a $99 OIL lube compressor from Sears. You might be able to get it cheaper if its on sale. Its small light, quiet, cheap and uses oil. It does what I need it to do... I did not want to spend a couple hundred dollars on a compressor, use it for a few years and then buy a bigger one. The one I got seems just right for what I need currently...

Later,
Dan

 

[Boondox]

Dennis -- I have two compressors. The first was a small oilfree Porter Cable that I got for stuff like you mentioned, plus spraying fungicides on my trees, etc. Figured it would eventually die (everybody told me the oilfree compressors didn't last long) and I'd move up to the 60 gallon monster I really wanted. Well, I now have the 60 gallon monster for big jobs, but the little fella is still running like a champ. So I use the small one for small tasks like tires and woodworking nailers, and the big one for the air wrenches in the garage. I'm happy with both, tho the little job sure is NOISY!

 

[Bird]

Pete, all the oilfree ones I'm familiar with have a teflon coated aluminum cup for a cylinder. And as the teflon wears off they get noisier. But it's a simple job to replace that cylinder and piston ring.

 

[RobertN]

I have a 5hp 60gal upright oil-less. It is the NOISIEST thing in the world. It makes my slightly older Turbo-Cummins sound like a whisper /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif It is about 5 years old though, and has been well used. It still works fine...