Air Compreesor Questions.

[IRQVET]

So I have been kicking around the idea of purchasing an air compressor but I haven't got a clue as to what I'm looking for.

I thinking around $200 - 300

It would be for home/personal use and I'd like something strong enough to run a DA sander.

Any suggestions or mistakes you've made that I can learn from?

 

[road1will]

Get the one with the largest tank you can afford/have room for. Its annoying working in a garage when the compressor is constantly cycling on. If you have the ability, you should seriously consider a remote installation, and then plumbing your garage for air.

 

[Rivieraracing]

+1!!
I had a smaller one that was mainly meant for portability and more for nail guns and it would be on non stop for most anything, got annoying and was ******* it real quick, I am running with an older Craftsman 5hp 33 gal one right now, works pretty good for most everything but I really want a 60 gallon really really bad though!! It's hard to keep me happy I guess!

 

[Eagle]

the bigger the compressor the better, a huge tank with a modest compressor is jsut asking for long periods of waiting for the PSI to build back up so you can use your tool again.

 

[blackcoffee]

Pretty much man from my experience with air tools / tanks / compressors. Along with the one on my truck and the one in the garage. Get the biggest friggen tank you can find and a strong beefy compressor because your gonna need it. It's one of those things that you go big or its just a pain.

---------- Post added at 10:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:49 PM ----------

BTW Unless you're buying these pieces used and I mean quite used then your looking on spending ALOT more then 200-300$.

 

[BOSS]

You can get a decent compressor for 300. I just bought a 3 yr old 30gal Craftsman vertical compressor for $220, never been happier. I've been painting, sanding, nailing....and it never skips a beat. In fact, I used it on 120lbs for air blasting the dust etc. outta my garage a couple days ago ...beats the hell out of a broom.


B

 

[riviera rider]

DONT JUST LOOK AT THE LARGER THE BETTER YOU MUST GET A COMPERESSOR WITH A GOOD CFM RATING!!!! IF ITS LOWER THAN 14CFM DONT GET IT

get a 60 gal tank with a motor that can put out over 14cfm and you shouldnt have any problems

 

[sanddperformance]

you can pick up used 60 gallon for under 300 and if it is a older one it will last. stay away from the oilless ones they are loud

 

[TunasTwins]

Harbor Freight?

 

[TnTahoe]

i have a craftsman 33gal from Sears its pretty decent for what I use it for

 

[jdub5256]

I bought 4 1/2 years ago a craftsman 33 gal horizontal tank from my neighbor for 35.00 kept running out of air. so i found a 60 gal tank only no compressor and hooked the two together. now i have a 93 gal tank. now alot of people told me i would quickly burn up the motor but i use it about 4 times a week n has been running perfect no problems at all.

the best part is when i hooked them up all i did was on the horizontal with the motor already mounted on it i just ran a small air line with the quick dis-connect from that over to my vertical and permentaly hooked up to the in side of the tank. this way if i need the horizontal out on the road i just unplug from wall outlet and quick dis-connect and now i am mobile

 

[polobuds]

you can pick up used 60 gallon for under 300 and if it is a older one it will last. stay away from the oilless ones they are loud

+1. Oiled ones are much better because you can keep them oiled up. Oilless ones wear out faster. And agreed, CFM more important than tank size

 

[96ProCompTahoe]

im running a 60 gal powermate, puts out over 14cfm @ 90. should handle everything i'll throw at it in the garage. picked it up on a good deal, original buyer bought it and didn't have a 220 line set up to run it. SCORE! haha

as already stated oiled compressor will outlast oil less every time hands down if you keep up on the maintenance. you can hear yourself think when its running as well

 

[foreverfalcon40]

Craigslist my friend!

 

[Sierra53]

I have a 60 gallon Husky from Home Depot and it is great. It is three years old and I paid about $400. I had a 33 Gallon Craftsman that I had to rebuild 3 times in 3 years due to constant use. It was very loud and annoying.

 

[domin8]

I hate be crash the party, but my Craftsman Professional 25 gallon is oilless and is very quiet. Normally, I'd agree that oilless is louder, but this thing is so quiet that I don't worry about waking my son when he's down for a nap.

 

[Vegasf6]

So I have been kicking around the idea of purchasing an air compressor but I haven't got a clue as to what I'm looking for.

I thinking around $200 - 300

It would be for home/personal use and I'd like something strong enough to run a DA sander.

Any suggestions or mistakes you've made that I can learn from?

D/As do require a lot of air. Do you already have your sander? Can you provide specs? Something like this I/R can use as much as 17CFM with no load. I would think that is in the ~90PSI range.
If you buy a compressor that cannot deliver enough volume of air at the given pressure, you can still run your sander while using your tank reserve. But you will find you have to pause and let the compressor catch up occasionally. If this is not a problem for you, you may well find something in your price range. If you want 100% duty cycle and just go and go you probably need to raise your budget.

Also, don't forget you will want a decent quality high volume filter and regulator unit. I had been having an issue using rotary tools from my 60 gallon Ingersoll-Rand and I was blaming it on the 100 foot of plumbing coming into my garage. I finally realized it was my regulator wouldn't allow enough flow. Replaced it with a better one and all is well. Budget another 100 - 150 for that.

Something like this "Black Max" I find on craigslist for 300 may be worth looking at.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/tls/3735383230.html
Doesn't give much in the way of specifications though, hopefully it is a dual stage.

A little google fu seems to suggest it's made by/for Coleman which would make sense. 12.7CFM at 40PSI. So you can see even a decent size oiless belt drive compressor still may not provide you with enough air for sanders and rotary tools. Impact tools are easy.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8433

 

[Red Rider]

I would recommend spending time reading this website:

http://www.about-air-compressors.com/

It is really informative, even for me who have worked with compressors for 10 years or so, I just learned a bunch. I just picked up two compressors (oil) from a friend. They are Huskys that are made by CH.

If you look around, you can find a broken compressor that may need some minor repair (new belt, new gauge) and pick it up from cheap.

Craigs list is a shot in the dark. I would recommend perusing often and daily and you may be lucky. Avoid older units that you may have trouble finding parts for, or that have been used by shop or commercially (constant use).

Don't forget to budget for tools. It can get pretty expensive.