air compressors

[s1120]

Well, sense my pole barn is on hold for a few years, I am going to take some of the money from the sale of my house and get an air compressor, and some other tools. The new house will have a 24x24 garage, with a 20amp 110 outlet, and a 220 outlet. I am looking at two compressors that TSC has. One is the Ingersoll-Rand for $499. It’s a 3hp [7.9 peak], single stage. 11.3 cfm, and 90psi. with a 60 gallon tank, and not being one of those oil less compressors.[I will not get one of those. REAL loud!]

Also looking at the Campbell-Hausfeld 60 gal compressor. Same specs as the Ingersoll. For $381.

I know the Ingersoll will be a little better built. I will be using the compressor a lot, but not everyday/all day, like a shop would. What would you all chouse? Any outhers I should look into? I would like to keep it under $500 , but I got some wiggle room in funds. The less I spend on this, the more I get for other toys, er, I mean tools./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Thanks!

 

[EdKing]

I think the difference between the 2 compressors is the duty cycle. The Ingersol has a higher duty cycle. Which one I would get would depend on the air tools I plan on using the most. If they require a lot of air (cfm) I would go with the Ingersol, as it will hold up to turning on and off supplying the air flow needed for the high cfm tools.

 

[Wingnut]

In your tools thread you mentioned restoring/repairing tractors and cars ... so I'll throw in my $0.02 worth. As a preface, I have 2 portables ... both 3.5hp 20 gal units (I bought the second when I thought the first had frozen up but it was just a circuit without enough joice).
Forget the 120v single stage compressors and spent an extra $100 to $150 (Sams or Costco) and get a 2 stage compressor. Longer duty cycle, more pressure, more capacity. "Ya gets what ya pays for"!
Myself ... as soon as I finish cleaning up and rigging the shop (I need to pipe in the dust collector and set up all the stationary tools ... I'm going to get compressor # 3 and toss one of the postables out in the barn for those times when a trailer or the ATV has a low tire.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Check Depot. Mine here has some "Husky" compressors. Don't know if they're any good, but if I read the price right, a 7hp vertical, 240v was $399.00 and a 5hp vertical, 110V was $369.00.

SHF

 

[s1120]

All the ones I am looking at are 220 volt. I already played the 110/120 volt compressures game.

I never thought of HD. I will have to take a look. I checked Sears, but all they had was the oilless ones[WAY to loud!] and they were more money.

 

[Rockyroad]

I purchased the Ingersoll you refer to about 5 years ago. I have it down in my barn, and I have had no trouble with it at all. Mine is NOT a cast iron compressor, but according to the manual it has a sleve. In any event, it has been fine.

In retrospect, a 2-stage is better, particularly with a cast iron compressor. Home Depot was selling some good ones for about $800.

However, there is no end to this tool game. I sould have bought the bigger compressor, I should have bought the next size up tractor, etc, etc....

Point is that the Ingersoll has done everyting I have asked it to do, and since I am a "weekend warrier", I probably don't need a 2-stage anyways.

Keep the oil changed and the Ingersoll will probably last you many, many years unless you are using it day in and day out .

 

[gobbler]

Let me throw out a name you might not be familiar with ... Quincy

Quincy Compressors have been around for a very long time.

Call a compressor repair shop, ask them for a recomendation, and I'll bet you he'll mention Quincy.

Depending on where you live, you might find them at Home Depot or a Farm & Home, otherwise you'll have to go thru a dealer.

BTW, I have a 5HP, 60G vertical that I paid $550.00 for a couple of years ago. It's a single stage compressor with a Baldor motor. Excellent compressor.

Here's a link to their website

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.quincycompressor.com/>http://www.quincycompressor.com/</A>

 

[fishman]

Yeah, I bought the 5 hp vertical Husky this weekend at HD. The one year no interest no payments deal they had going was the kicker. Anyway, as someone who never had an air compressor before, it's the greatest thing ever. I aired up everything I owned, and then blew grasshoppers out of all my radiators.

Specs: 3 year warranty, 5.7 cfm @ 90 psi. It's quieter than the compressor I have at work, which also requires oil. Subjectively, it looks very well built. Unless someone is going to use a compressor commercially, it should work just fine.

I'm surprised Bird hasn't commented. Bird, you out there?

 

[Bird]

Yeah, John, I've been reading this thread, but haven't responded because I don't really want to recommend a specific brand (kind of like telling someone whether to buy a John Deere, New Holland, or Kubota tractor). I've posted my opinion in the past about the type of compressors I think are best and the features I want. I happen to be a little partial to Ingersoll Rand air tools (although there are some other brand I think are just as good), and their air compressors I'm sure are good, but in my personal opinion, a bit overpriced. And Paul mentioned Sears only having the oilless compressors and that may be all a store has in stock, but in their tool catalog they have a much bigger variety, including some high priced commercial models.

Now if you really want to go first class, I'd suggest looking at a Saylor-Beall (but then I don't drive a Rolls Royce either)./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[arkydog]

For what its worth, the 2-stage compressors usually will cut off at 175 lbs. and kick back in at 150 lbs. What this means is if you have a 1/2" drive impact, it will do a lot more as for as loosening up rusty and stubborn nuts and bolts a lot easier than a single stage which might only peak at 125-135 lbs. With the higher air pressure, you also have more cubic feet of air stored in the same size tank. This will make blowing off your tractor and other things better.

 

[s1120]

<font color=red>Now if you really want to go first class, I'd suggest looking at a Saylor-Beall (but then I don't drive a Rolls Royce either). </font color=red>

Well, I don't think I can pull first class. I don't drive a Rolls eather, just a beatup old jeep with 225k on it. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Kind of the car virsion of an old hand tire pump.

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>cut off at 175 lbs. and kick back in at 150 lbs. What this means is if you have a 1/2" drive impact, it will do a lot more</font color=blue>

Absolutely right, and since that impact wrench is rated for 90 psi, using the higher air pressure, along with failure to oil and/or grease air tools and failure to keep moisture out of them is what kept me in the air tool repair business a few years./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif The higher air pressure gives you more power, but eventually will do little things to the impact wrench like break hammers or hammer pins, twist the spline off the rotor, etc./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif Of course, depending on the jobs you need to get done, it may be worth the extra maintenance and/or replacement costs./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[s1120]

You got that right Bird. I have seen a lot of impacts blown apart for that . I think we have all kicked it up a bit to get a realy hard one off from time, to time though./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[JRP]

Here is my $0.02 worth.

Ingersol is a good brand, but I think a todays TSC Ingersol is not built as well as the all cast iron ones from yesteryear. I would guess some other big company bought them and are milking the name. Still better than Husky or sears. A 5 hp Ingersol two cylinder, single stage w/ 60 gallon vertical tank should do well for you. You won't regret buying quality.

Stay away from the "peak horsepower" game. It is like saying your car has more horsepower because it is rolling down a hill. Divide peak hp by two and it is about the true motor horsepower. Using "peak horsepower" as a spec should be illegal. Deceptive.

Stay away from oilless. It is a 3600 RPM motor direct coupled to a non-lubricated compressor. (Recipie for low reliablity.) They had to invent "low maintenance" to think of some advantage why someone might posssibly consider buying one.

220 volt is what you will need to get an adequate air supply. A true 2 hp compressor can do a lot of work, but not much samdblasting.

Emglo is an excellent brand. Emglo was recently purchased by DeWalt. I have one 5.5 hp honda powered portable Emglo that is great. The $350,000 GE high voltage oil filled circuit breakers I maintan have an Emglo compressor in them. We never have to touch them.

Hope this helps some.

Jim Poux

 

[s1120]

Well, I think I will go with the Ingersoll. It is cast iron, and its the only one that listed peak, and running HP.

 

[Rockyroad]

Bird-

Quick question seeing how you repair air tools:

A friend gave me a pneumatic winch which I have chained up to the rafters in my barn. It is rated for and will lift a half ton. It is old, and according to the guy who gave it to me was rebuilt once. It is the handiest air tool I have in my barn! I hook up the compressor to it, and just pull the rope when I want to lift something.

It is made by a company by the name of ARO (Cleveland, I think). Have you ever worked on one of these and where are parts available from?

Any info would be appreciated.

 

[Bird]

ARO is a division (or in some way a part) of Ingersoll-Rand. I never got many of their tools, but did get a few of their automotive tools and parts were always available for the ones I got. I've not actually seen one of their winches (or is it a chain hoist?), but you might try <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.irhoist.com/aro_na.htm> this site</A> and see if your model is listed there. And my primary parts supplier (great folks to work with) was Air Tech, Inc., in Beckley, WV Call 304-253-6799 and if parts and information about it are available anywhere, I'll bet Craig (owner), Doug (shop manager), and/or Molly (parts, shipping and handling, etc.) will know all about it.

 

[gerlacr]

I am also in the process of deciding what kind of air compressor to buy but am faced with the choices of lubricated verses oil-less as well as the pump size and CFM rating. It would be just for weekend warrior work and my budget is a bit limited. I definitely want to be able to spray paint my construction projects as well as operate a few tools that I do not have yet. It seems that most spray guns need close to 10CFM at 40psi. Is this accurate? I assume this indicates the continuous airflow capability of the motor and pump. Can a compressor with a lower CFM rating but adequate tank size work if painting is restricted to small projects where there is no need to spray continuously for more than a few seconds at a time? Do I have to add special filters to the line to remove oil if I am spray painting? Would an oil-less compressor eliminate this need?

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>most spray guns need close to 10CFM at 40psi</font color=blue>

Like everything else, there are lots of different sizes. I thought 7 CFM was closer to the "norm", but you can certainly buy some that take a lot more or less.

<font color=blue>Can a compressor with a lower CFM rating but adequate tank size work if painting is restricted to small projects where there is no need to spray continuously for more than a few seconds at a time?</font color=blue>

Yes.

<font color=blue>Do I have to add special filters to the line to remove oil if I am spray painting?</font color=blue>

Yes, but more importantly to remove moisture. Some of the cheaper filters remove oil from the air pretty well, but not moisture. More expensive driers are needed for most painting.

<font color=blue>Would an oil-less compressor eliminate this need?</font color=blue>

Well, you won't get any oil in the air flow, but you still need just as good a drier for the moisture.

And I'm repeating myself again, but an oil-less compressor works just fine, but with a very short lifespan, especially if you run it for long periods at a time. If you don't plan to let it run for more than 5-10 minutes at a time with plenty of cooling time in between, it might last you several years. However, it's pretty cheap and easy to rebuild one, but of course, it can be darned inconvenient if you have to stop and do that in the middle of a painting job.

 

[JRP]

Bird is right about the oil and moisture. My oil lube compressor has not had an oil in paint problem. I have a water trap to catch the moisture. It is mounted to a 12" x 18" flat board with a PCV pipe stucking up. The dryer drops into the pipe. I put this between my compressor hose and my 15' painting hose. It slides/drags around on the floor behind me as I paint. The closer to the gun, the cooler the air will be and more moisture will condense out. Also, I have a disposable desicant type dryer that screws between the spray gun and the QD fitting. Good auto paint supply stores sell them for about $3.

My Craftsman 2 (true 2 hp, about 4 "peak" hp) is twenty six years old now. No oilless compressor will last like that. You probably would be better off buying a used Emglo compressor made in Pensylvania off ebay for $300 than a brand new aluminum tiawaneese one at TSC for $400. Take a magnet with you when you shop. My gasoline Emglo compressor was $400 off ebay and I love it. Would not sell it for $600. It can sit it on the front of my tractor and I can drive it and nail gun right to the cow shed project. Big nail guns are awesome.

Smaller projects don't take very long to paint. Don't plan on painting your house with an air compressor. Rent an airless rig.