# What air compressor do you have?



## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Noiseless and oil-free..... not quite sure they nailed that combination yet.
I run a Bostitch oil free. It is in a seperate insulated shed outside my woodshop.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

MAC 700 http://www.aircompressorbase.com/makita-mac700-review-how-well-is-this-big-bore-air-compressor/

Here is a link to compressor reviews. I have owned and used many small compressors over the years and this is the quietest and quickest by far. Don't let the oil base scare you.

Some of the cheapies carrying once respected names like Campbell Hausfied, are now nothing but junk and have brush type motors and unlubricated plastic gears and soft metal, ringless pistons; continuous running life expectancy of about 25 hours! 

The Makita I link to is honestly quiet enough not to interfere with normal conversation; no comparison to the popcorn crackerjacks!


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## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

I bought the 26gal oilless from Harbor Freight to replace the little Campbell-Hausfeld that burned up after only a relatively short time. It isn't super quiet, but it is a heck of a lot quieter than the C-H. I would just about jump out of my chair when the C-H came on, even when wearing gun muffs to try to protect my ears.

I can run the HF unit 4 or 5 feet away without needing the ear protection. Plus, with a 26gal tank, it comes on a lot less often than the C-H unit did. I was in "wicked cheap" mode when I bought the C-H, I think I spent $70 on it...in spite of that little voice in my head that was telling me that I was wasting my money buying a cheap POS. The little voice was right...again. I caught a sale at HF, and had a coupon, so the big one ended up costing me about $150, only a little more than double the C-H that proved to be a total waste.

Bonus- the bigger 26gal unit is big enough to run a 1/2" impact gun, and smaller air ratchets and air chisel, which makes changing tires and other automotive work go a lot faster.


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## matrout76 (Feb 2, 2013)

why do you want oil-free?


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

I have an Ingersoll Rand 25 horse 3 stage with a 100 gallon tank, not oil free, but the filter system keeps the oil out of the lines perfectly. and the desiccate filters and water traps provide clean dry air. It is extremely quiet as it is in the compressor room along with the water heater, and furnace. hard plumbed to all three buildings


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

http://dewalt.com/tools/compressors-wheeled-portable---electric-d55168.aspx

This gets light use powering my pneumatic nail and staple guns in my hobby operation, and is still working well after 3 years. I chose this air compressor because it has a relatively large tank and high PSI plus a small footprint. It is oil-less and I wouldn't call it quiet, but I am satisfied with it, so far.


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## Ian G (Jul 29, 2014)

shinbone said:


> http://dewalt.com/tools/compressors-wheeled-portable---electric-d55168.aspx
> 
> This gets light use powering my pneumatic nail and staple guns in my hobby operation, and is still working well after 3 years. I chose this air compressor because it has a relatively large tank and high PSI plus a small footprint. It is oil-less and I wouldn't call it quiet, but I am satisfied with it, so far.


Same one here. Its loud in a echo'y pole barn but once its up to pressure, With 2 of us running a nail and staple gun it doesn't kick off too often. Price was right as it was 299 around here and Rural King was having a 15% off sale when I picked mine up.


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## spammy_h (Jul 2, 2014)

I have an old C-H 26 Gal 5 HP that holds a lot of air, but is really noisy.

I also have a newer Hitachi 6 gal. pancake style compressor that is incredibly quiet. It also has 2 outlets that make it really fast to assemble frames - I have the brad nailer and stapler hooked up at the same time and can go between both without disconnecting / connecting tools.

I'm guessing most any newer compressor will be pretty quiet compared to the older ones. I thought the Hitachi one looked cool and really like the 2 outlets. I've seen similar setups by Porter Cable and others and would guess that the electric compressor pumps are probably either the same or very similar for compressors of the same specifications.


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## Michael B (Feb 6, 2010)

sjj said:


> Noiseless and oil-free are my main criteria.


No such thing.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

I saw where Roland? Is had a lot of good reveiws. Haven look at one yet. Hope to soon as I remember when I am in the tool supply house. 
David


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

I have an old (45 years) craftsman. The 240 volt motor finaly went south about 6 years ago after running it underpowered on a generator. I didn't have a plug for the welder and compressor in the garage. I replaced the motor with a 120 volt from a treadmill. It now only runs at half speed. It takes a while to get to 100 lbs of pressure but handles everything I put to it.

Cheers
gww


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

Smokepole - did you mean "Rol-aire"? They are made in Hustisford Wis, and are good, but not great.

We have a 1 1/2 hp IR on a large tank. The tank never gets warm, so no water in the line problems.

Crazy Roland


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Hitachi 4 gallon. Think its 4 gallon. Works great for running a stapler or brad nailer. It uses oil for lubrication which is why I bought it 
It's also fairly quiet, it doesn't wake anyone up when I run it in the basement.


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## ABruce (Dec 27, 2013)

I have a 7.5 hp Ingersoll Rand rotary screw. It has a coalescing filter and a refrigerant drier.Its has a sound attenuating enclosure and is under 80db. Quiet and oil free, you could sit on it and chat. The air is clean enough you can run paint guns. The only problem is the price. Its overkill for most people. I understand that their are some smaller screws on the market , they


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

I just upgraded from a Makita rattlebox to a nice older Quincy 210 with a 60 gallon tank. You can barely hear it run.


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## popeye (Apr 21, 2013)

I have a Ingersoll Rand Centac air compressor. 3965 cfm at 115 psi. 900 HP 2300 volts. Another Joy about the same and eight others just a bit less capacity. Oh and at home a 3 gal harbor freight pancake!


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

I have one of those ubiquitous little oil-less pancake compressors. Noiseless is hardly a moniker I'd give it. These things are a lot more irritating than the old belt-drive poketa-poketa machines of bygone years. I had to use it to drive a compressed air torch for some tests a while back, I videotaped the tests. Most of what you hear is the compressor.

I intend to retire that to portable service, and install a fixed one in the garage, in its own sound-resistant enclosure. I need about double the capacity for an abrasive blaster anyway.

And durnit, every one of the things these days seem to be Made in China. Used to be you could get an American compressor. Even the Ingersoll Rands I've seen lately are Chinese. Compressors can be dangerous ... I really don't trust Chinese welding all that much.

Since I'm shopping, I'd love to hear about available "Made in USA" compressors, and I intend to look up some of the choices above. I need around 6 CFM, and favor one that bleeds the condensate automatically.

The advantages of oil-free are less fiddling with it, no need to filter oil out of the air, and mostly that when oil is exposed to hot compressed air it tends to make carbon monoxide. If you wanted to use this as breathing air, and oiled compressor would probably kill you. But you really want one made for breathing air if you going to breathe it.

For driving air tools, heck, you're supposed to oil those anyway before use. A little oil in your compressed air can be a good thing for those. If you are using a paint sprayer or are using air to blow off dust, you need to get any oil and condensate out of the lines.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

popeye said:


> I have a Ingersoll Rand Centac air compressor. 3965 cfm at 115 psi. [HIGHLIGHT]900 HP 2300 volts.[/HIGHLIGHT] Another Joy about the same and eight others just a bit less capacity.


I'm glad I don't get _that _electric bill!  :lpf:


I just have a Campbell Housefield twin tank 110 volt compressor (about 4 gallons). But its perhaps 20 years old and has an induction motor:thumbsup:, not a universal motor.


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

Phoebee said:


> Since I'm shopping, I'd love to hear about available "Made in USA" compressors, and I intend to look up some of the choices above. I need around 6 CFM, and favor one that bleeds the condensate automatically.


Quincy is just about the only comporessor that is pressure lubricated like your car engine instead of splash lubed. Unless they are run dry, they run just about forever. Not every Quincy. Of the new ones, look at the QR series, not the QT. But, I would look for a nice older one, a 210, 310, 325 etc.


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## Sonoramic413 (Aug 10, 2013)

I have the Quincy QT5 /80 gallon with a RapidAir max line plumbed system throughout the barn/workshop. It doesn't have the automatic condesate purge, but they can be added. My cooling loop with drains at all low points and water separator downstream keeps my tools dry.


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## Hiwire (Oct 19, 2014)

This is an old thread but I figured I would reopen it and see if people have any thoughts about whats on the market now. I currently have a 1/3 HP 3 gallon compressor that came from TSC and I cant complain. It has held up well. It sits next to my bench and roars to life about 3 or 4 times for every medium I nail together and at least twice for every 10 frames I staple together. It keeps up with tools but almost runs constant when nailing. I have been limited since power to my shop was just a leg off a 20 amp fuse. The lights dim and when its cold its been known to trip the reset. Finally this year I have new electrical service to the shop...100 amp!! Its time for a new compressor. 1) Ihave the ability to move it to the outside, yet unheated, part of the building. There will be at least 1 insulated wall between me and the compressor so I probably wont even hear it any more. 2)My electrician suggested going to a 220 motor...quieter, it can now have its own circuit, and probably a 70 to 80 gallon tank so even when in box production It wont cycle on and off much. I am not using it all day every day and not using it what most people would call "a lot" overall. Ive always been the type to try to buy smart and do it once and Id rather buy too big than too small. Can anyone see a down side to the oversized machine? Seems like maybe it would outlive me with the amount I use a compressor for. Would operating in an unheated area shorten the life? And finally, does anyone have a suggestion for a favorite 220 60+ gallon unit? Iam leaning toward HF or Kobalt. Maybe not top of the line but probably good enough for my the low usage requirements of my business. I am SO looking forward to not having that little compressor making so much noise directly in my ears!
Ray


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## Hiwire (Oct 19, 2014)

duplicate, sorry


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## ABruce (Dec 27, 2013)

If it was me , on a casual or seldom used compressor I would look at a 2 or 3 hp upright tank. That gets you the 220v motor, and if you are not faithful about draining it look at the automatic drain, that way you do not have an accumulation of moisture sitting rusting
the tank.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

My Hitachi keeps on chugging


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

Since my last post, I bought a second compressor, this time a rolling model. Going from memory (it is 130 miles away at the moment) it is about a 20 gallon Husky from Home Depot. It has over twice the CFM of my old pancake compressor, and probably 1/3 the noise. The pancake machine has a rapid jackhammer noise, but the big one is a poketa poketa machine Walter Mitty would have loved, and not unpleasant to work around.

The big difference: I could run my grit blaster for only about a minute on the pancake when blasting paint off rusty tractor fenders. The new one can keep up with it.

Downside, you can't pick the big one up with one hand, takes longer to get to pressure, and draining condensation requires getting down on the floor. I have yet to see one with a convenient condensate valve.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

>I have yet to see one with a convenient condensate valve

That's no kidding


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## Jim_in_PA (May 17, 2016)

sjj said:


> Noiseless and oil-free are my main criteria.
> If you own an air compressor, which do you own?


I personally have a 3hp, 60 gallon IR compressor in my shop. It shares the same sound-deadening closet as my cyclone dust collection system.

That said, historically "oil-free" and low noise has not been associated with compressors. Even my itty-bitty little one for "on site" install work makes a racket...it sounds like a motor scooter. LOL However, California Air Tools has some units that I'm told are pretty impressive if you can make due with something smaller for just air nailer use. They are working on some larger units, too.


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## Steve in PA (Jan 26, 2015)

I have the 60 gallon porter cable one from TSC. I use it primarily for automotive. It is in the back room of my garage. I plumbed my lines with copper and water traps and have had no issues.

Last summer I media blasted and primered the car I'm restoring mostly without issue. For around $500 it has served my needs well.


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## wood4d (Jun 22, 2015)

california air bought one because it has lots of cfm for its size . Its really quiet, has "mufflers". doesnt do well on an extension cord, needs a direct 20 amp plug in. Way better than my pancake units.


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## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

At the farm i have a 6hp 60 gal. Black max from the auto shop days, but for the house i bought a little Porter cable pancake compressor. Sits under my work desk in the house, noisy but that little thing is much better than i thought it would be. Tried the cheap harbor freight pancake at first and it was sent back in a couple days, was junk and quit immediately.
Might end up switching compressor locations later and plumbing the big one from downstairs since the little pancake would fit our current needs at the farm. All about bug furniture lately.


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## Hiwire (Oct 19, 2014)

Ive been looking and comparing. I don't run a compressor a lot all the time but there are days when I'm building frames or boxes that it can run most of the day. The palm nailer uses a lot of air. Currently the 3 gallon tank sits next to my bench. When making boxes it sounds like a weedeater in my ear all day and restarts after every few nails, several times per box. With the new electrical service in the shop I am considering a 220/ 60 gallon compressor that will run less often and be quieter. I was going to put it in the tractor shed but a lot of the manuals I am reading say not to run it below 30 degrees. The tractor shed is not heated (This morning it is -13), so I may have to move it inside after all. TSC has the Ingersol Rand 5 HP 60 gallon on sale for $649. This is probably overkill, yes, but even with expanding I doubt I will ever outgrow it!


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## Jim_in_PA (May 17, 2016)

Hiwire, that's a good compressor...I have the 3hp version. IR's product is made extremely well...metal parts where so many of the mass market units have plastic, etc. The one thing I did for mine that was totally worth the investment was an auto-drain. I didn't pay retail for it...found it on EBay or somewhere for a fraction of retail cost.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

If you can go bigger as in 60+ gallons it is for the better


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## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

I have a 26gal, 110v oilless from Harbor Fright. It is more than adequate for frames and boxes, even runs my 1/2" impact wrench for auto repairs.


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## Hiwire (Oct 19, 2014)

ok...If Binford still made the turbocharged model with the drink holder, color coordinated air filter, and red, white, and blue striping, I would be tempted to take a look at it...but they don't. I will have to be satisfied with just double the compressor that I NEED. When its not pumping air I can just gaze longingly at it as I polish the pipes so in a sense I will get twice as much use out of it. Oh and I like the way it sounds. As you can see, this is a no brainer.


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## Jim_in_PA (May 17, 2016)

That's a good price for that IR compressor, Hiwire...go for it!


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## Greeny (Jun 27, 2016)

Phoebee said:


> ... and draining condensation requires getting down on the floor. I have yet to see one with a convenient condensate valve.


Convenience is pretty easy to obtain. Turn off/unplug the compressor, bleed off the air, remove your tank drain screw, and attach one of those plastic slinky style coiled hoses to your drain hole. At the other end of the hose, attach a blow gun or other air valve. Now you just pull the hose end out the door or point it down a drain and open the valve to drain your tank.
If you use a cheap blow gun, it will eventually crud up with nasty water from the tank, but it's cheap and easy to replace. I'm much more consistent draining my compressor tank since I don't have to get down on my knees and make a mess!

Also, I've got the small HF upright compressor. 21 Gal? I move it around a little bit, the coiled hose moves easily with it. If I had a stationary compressor, I would definitely set it up with an auto drain.


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## Jim_in_PA (May 17, 2016)

I originally used the manual drain method with and extended drain setup, but since my compressor is in a sound-deadened closet along with my dust collection system, it's "out of sight; out of mind". The automatic drain system takes care of it consistently without me having to remember it and there's almost no excess moisture ever in the tank or supplied air.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

Hiwire mine sits in the unheated side of my shop and I never had a problem with it. Been bounceing around a nice temp of 0 out side. If you are worried make up a small box to sit over the head and put a 25 + watt light bulb in it. You will thank your self for not having to listen to it.


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## sjj (Jan 2, 2007)

My-smokepole said:


> Hiwire mine sits in the unheated side of my shop and I never had a problem with it. Been bounceing around a nice temp of 0 out side ....


The instructions for the break in process are often very vague and confusing. 
I think it shouldn’t be done at so low temperatures.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

6 gal. Very quiet and oiless.


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## Mefco (Oct 16, 2015)

Anybody have this one?
http://toolsinaction.com/kobalt-compressor-review-twin-stack-quiet-tech-electric-compressor/
Supposed to be 80% quieter than othercompressors


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## Jim_in_PA (May 17, 2016)

Mefco said:


> Anybody have this one?
> http://toolsinaction.com/kobalt-compressor-review-twin-stack-quiet-tech-electric-compressor/
> Supposed to be 80% quieter than othercompressors


Looks like a nice, compact (and quiet) unit for incidental and portable use. It's specs are on the light side for heavier tasks, but for running nail guns, etc., it should be fine.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

>> Supposed to be 80% quieter than other compressors

Hah! Wimpy motor - only draws 8.5 amps. I have a twin tank Campbell Hausfield that draws around 15 amps. So put a small motor on and call it quiet, but the tradeoff is limited air production, and the motor runs relatively more frequently than a larger motor.

Its possible that you may not need large amounts of air, for instance building frames uses small nails or staples and it would certainly be adequate, and probably so for building boxes too. If you were to want to run lots of 3" nails out of a framing gun (big nails take a lot more air), probably not.


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## Richinbama (Jan 15, 2018)

I have 3 different air compressors. A 5 or 6 gal harbor freight oilers, a Campbell Mansfield 26 gal. Oil less. The 5 will blow small rooms of ceiling texture, rum a full framing nailer, break nuts off tires and rims. For building bee stuff. The 79.99 harbor freight unit is adequate. I'm a gen. Contractor, and it's portable, quiet doesn't really matter, as you got to make a little noise , to make air. The 26 doesn't get pulled around much, just for many light small area sandblasting or something like that. The 5-6gal will do that also. An auto body shop would need the 100 lb. Tank or bigger. Bigger is best for that, it's all about c.f. need to run a tool. All tools have a c.f. use chart, needed air specs. Nailers use very little air, and arent continuious drain on air tank.its all about preference, do ya want to lug a 26 gal. Unit around for a 4-6gal. Job...?


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