recommendations on new air compressor, pancake Y or N ?

[tstex]

Hello to all and Merry CHRISTmas,

My 15 gal and prob 20 yr old porter cable compressor is almost ready for the graveyard. Can you pls tell me what pancake compressor [one's they sell today] are the most reliable and versatile? I have a PC framing nail-gun that I use from time to time, do not have a paint spray gun...It's primary use will be for filling tires on tractors, trailers, 4 wheelers, hosing down dirty engines and things, etc. and filling a portable air tank. My usage frequencies varies but it seems like I am filing one or two of 20-30 diff sets of tires, so it's never idle for long periods. I mostly fill a portable air tank to go to the tire source(s).

I received an HD gift certificate so just in time.

Thank you in advance and pls let me know if you have any questions.

 

[pokey1416]

I bought this one last year on sale for $326. It is very quiet and replaced a 40 year old Craftsman that was sooooo loud.

 

[metalbender]

Try to get a 1750 rpm version of whatever brand, will be much quieter. I have an Iron Horse portable, runs fairly quiet.

 

[slckeys]

My small compressor for tires is a California air tools. It's quiet and does a majority of my air work. The quiet is what sold me. But more brands have quiet ones out now.

 

[RustyA]

Just bought this compressor at harbor freight as it's lighter to carry than my twin stack for filling tires or throwing in the RV. Pretty quiet and good for inflating up 95 psi. 3 Gallon 1/3 HP 110 PSI Oil-Free Pancake Air Compressor $69

 

[tstex]

thank you for all of your suggestions.....noise is not as important as it's functionality. I'll definitely need something that can run a framing gun, but it doesn't need to be super robust. Thanks again and Merry CHRISTmas - tstex

 

[MiserableOldFart]

I have a Makita hot dog compressor that works very well. It's pretty heavy compared to some pancake ones, but it's an oil lube compressor, and I just don't trust the oil free ones. I like it.

 

[4570Man]

I’ve seen some pancake compressors on sale for $100 so if price is the top concern go there but I have 2 of these Makita quite compressors and they’re great. You can have a conversation or talk on the phone with it running 3 ft away.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

About any compressor with a reservoir tank on it will run a nail gun or staple gun. Same with a tire inflator. Those are all low demand tools. I think I got the cheapie Bostich pancake compressor and it came with another Bostich nail/staple gun. Had it for a few years now (10?) and it works fine for what it's made for. I don't think I paid $200 for it, but it was on sale.

Any pancake style will fill tires, but for very large tires needing a lot of air, it just won't be "fast".

 

[sea2summit]

You may need to watch the duty cycle on the pump/motor of a pancake style compressor if you're doing very many tractor or truck tire adjustments. I went from a 5 to a 26 gallon a while ago and would never go back to a 5 as my primary, I'm looking for excuses to go even larger or possibly add a tank. Being able to top off the truck or trailer tires in seconds rather than minutes is really nice and I rarely do any other air tool work away from the garage.