i had bought a new air compressor on eBay, and UPS lost it.
so for round 2, i’ve decided to go the store-bought route. i’ve never heard of Kobalt, but was looking for some opinions on this…
…or anything else that’ll get the job done without hitting my wallet too hard (it’s thin enough as it is).
or
the problem with the one you showed is PSI… its not listed, however, i have seen that compressor out at job sites but I wouldnt trust it… its cheap and only 10 gallon… you can do way better for not much more money. craftsman makes very excellent compressors… this is the one I have, but you probably wont want to spend the money on it (i didnt either…christmas present)
Soulstice,
My brother from another mother.
My old nextdoor neighbor set me straight on compressors a long time ago. he said 20 gal & 5 hp is the minimum you’ll need for most applications. Anything smaller will labor through most applications. You need a lot of compression and reserve air if your going to spray any larger applications, or if you ever want to sand blast, run air tools, or a nail gun. If your just going to do small paint applications like surfboards, then the above compressor will work. Nothing worse than losing pressure while your spray painting, paint starts to sputter and spit, or the tip clogs, or the tip starts to drip. All things that can ruin your day for a lousy $100 more in equipment
If you buy a larger capacity you’ll be much happier in the end. I know it’s quite a bit more money, but worth it in the long run.
-Jay
i’m not much for airbrush, but i definitely want to be able to run a few small air tools. i’ll start the hunt for a 30gal tank w/ a bit more juice. thanks.
The oil-less motors in the Sears and Lowes really suck. They are very noisy! It’s like being next to a router all day long which makes you want to reach for the 12 gauge.
Resinman has the ticket.
… so for round 2, i’ve decided to go the store-bought route. i’ve never heard of Kobalt, but was looking for some opinions on this…
http://www.lowes.com/…il=cr&lpage=none
…or anything else that’ll get the job done without hitting my wallet too hard (it’s thin enough as it is).
An air compressor will be your main tool. The base that controls all other air tools. It will be with you for 20 years or more. Don’t skimp. This is the one thing that you want to get some beef under the hood. It will make all the difference in the world tomorrow, and 5 years from tomorrow. Campbell-Hausfeld is a good brand.
The one you listed will only give you blow air, and run a touch-up paint gun. You want to get a 60 gal tank, and an output of at least 8-10, but 10-12 cfm @ 90 psi is better. Spend $400-$500. You won’t regret it. Because you won’t be able to ‘upgrade’ a little rinky-dink compressor when it doesn’t push enough air to run a sander. And if you try to sell it later and get some of you money back when you go to get a bigger one, you will take a beating on the selling price. Buy the bigger one now. Get a loan, sell something, whatever you have to do. Sanders and stuff are air hogs. Go with the full meal deal bro.
Ahmm- it depends a whole lot on what you plan on doing with it…
Looking at the specs:
14.0/40 PSI & 6.0/90PSI
10 gallon tank Digital gauges for precision and ease of use Maintenance free oil less direct drive design Uses 115 volt regular household current Vertical tank design for easy storage Includes 14-piece accessory kit for all you inflation and connection needs Ah huh. This is an oilless compressor to start with, which gives me pause. I avoid 'em whenever I can, the noise they make alone is enough to drive you crazy. The claimed air delivery ratings are…interesting. Put it this way, my big Emglo is rated at 6.5 CFM @ 100 PSI, and it’s a bruiser, with a large tank and I run it on 220 volts to push things like air hammers or if for some reason I have four guys on a job going flat out with framing nailers. It keeps up with them just fine. ‘Digital gauges’ - whoopee do. If they break, throw said compressor away, it’ll probably be cheaper and easier than getting 'em fixed. This is a minus, not a plus. ‘Uses 115 volts’. That gives me pause as well. Either you need to run it off a 20 amp circuit or else the claimed air delivery ain’t what it actually does. As I mentioned, my Emglo runs on 220 volts, which to my mind is what all 1 HP or larger ( real HP,not claimed) motors should run on. Vertical tank, blah, blah - myself, for intermittent use, I like a smaller compressor. If you are not doing HVLP painting, for instance, or planning on running a jackhammer or air sander all day, I haven’t found that I needed a big air tank. The bigger tank means the compressor doesn’t kick on as often, but when it does it runs for longer. If you are using something intermittently that uses a lot of air, you might outrun the capacity of a small-tank compressor, but that depends a lot on what you’re doing. A healthy air wrench used all day, lets say, or an air sander or a lot of spraying - either way you’re gonna blow by anything smaller than a phone booth in size and under at least 8 CFM@100PSI. Okay, I’ve described my big compressor, now for the one I actually use most of the time. It’s a Hitachi, 2 (claimed, more like 1 and change on a good day ) horsepower, 4.1 CFM ( free air, not SCFM) claimed at 90 PSI, and it’s pretty good. The gauges it came with sucked rocks, as did the fragile regulator. Those have been replaced since. It keeps up with two guys with framing nailers or me with intermittent use of higher air use tools like wrenches, sanders and air chisels. Haven’t tried spraying with it yet, won’t bother trying to use it with the sandblaster. If I had to replace it, I’d go with a Rol-Air, 'cos the damned things seem to hold up forever. The guys I work with either use them or Emglos, with Emglos for the bigger models. Now, after all that, what would I do? Look in pawn shops and especially used tool places and tool repair places. Construction guys fold, just like surf shops. Or sell off tools, or just have 'em fixed and never pick 'em up. I bought the big Emglo for $150 and it runs just fine five…no…eight years later. Also, gas stations that fold or sell off or become convenience stores with gas pumps out front - great place to find used, big compressors, best quality for chump change, maybe even a case of beer. 99% of 'em will be 220 volt, many may be three phase, so look at the motor plate. hope that’s of use doc…
Howzit SoulStice, Those direct drive compressors are loud and hadr to work on if they break down. I find the belt driven compressors are better since they use less electricity and you can fix them a lot easier. Mine was bought used for $ 75 and it has a 6.5 amp motor instead of the 15 amp motors that are usually on those direct drives. Granger sells almost every part for every compressor which is also convenient. Aloha,Kokua
I’m guessing he’s refering to doing surfboard work with it, because he posted in a surfboard forum.
The only reason for my large spec suggestion is my DA is my main air tool, and it draws 8.0cfm @ 90psi. The large tank keeps the DA from draining it and causing the compressor to run constantly and excessively trying to keep up. When I use the DA, I’m usually running it for extended periods. Then the 10.2cfm @90psi compressor can gain ground on the air drainage which helps keep heat and extra wear and tear on the compressor pump to a minimum. Mine is a vertical, stands a little over 6’ tall, and has about a 3’ x 3’ footprint. If I had a smaller one, I would have to sand a little, then take a break and let the compressor catch up, then sand some more, take another break, etc. That wouldn’t work for me.
Look on http://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/?gclid=CLijh-Kt5LQCFckWMgodc1sAwA to see exactly what you need. At that site you can search for oil belt driven how many gallons cfm etc. This site (http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Saving-Money/Buying-Tools/how-to-choose-an-air-compressor/View-All) explains what general size compressor you will need based on the tools you plan on using. It lists the general CFMs for many popular tools. Also, once you pick a compressor, look on craigslist and ebay… I got this(http://www.sears.com/craftsman-professional-60-gallon-air-compressor-3.1-rhp-vertical-tank/p-00916476000P) for $250 on craigslist.
craigs list!
2 words...
Craigs
List
how about these dual tank compressor’s from california air tools?
noise versus power is a bigger issue in a residential neighborhood
big compressor noise is worse than planer noise
Originally Lowes Kobalt brand was mentioned when thts thread started. I own an upright Kobalt and have been very happy with it. It’s in storage currently and I can’t remember the size/capacity of the tank. But it is large. Probably 20 gallon. It’s as big as you can go and still be 120 volt. Paints surfboards and runs nail guns with ease. It is oil-less so it’s a little noisy, but not really that bad. Also with the larger tank it doesn’t kick on as often. The only thing I don’t like is that the tires on it went flat and won’t air up.
another vote for craigslist…$200 will buy you a $600 compressor. Belt compressor only way to go. Check the peak amp draw on the compressor motor to verify you won’t exceed the circuit feeding it if you’ve got other stuff plugged in and going as well…