Having a blast over the years with the kids shooting "bb guns". Now we have a range and all the bb guns walmart sells

We been thru the springs, multi pumpers, break barrels. Went online to see what I could get that is cool and found the DPMS rifle. Not a huge CO2 fan.

Then it happened, stumbled across PCP. Maybe its because I was always told PCP was bad mkay Immediate need lol.

Went on good ole CL and met a very nice fella selling lnib Diana Bandit and Beeman 2027. Good start for us and will be fun converting to carbines.

That said, I didnt think much about charging them....I have no real interest in getting scuba tanks filled. No biggie, ill grab a PCP compressor on amazon.

Please school as to why there are some for $180 and some for $4500

Im seeing variations of the same things and "oil less" which scares me as to longevity, parts etc.

Let me know how to wisely spend my money. Understanding, im a nobody from nowhere just having some fun with the kids.  Thx bros.

Why is there a cost difference?

Some come from known air gun brands and should have reasonable support behind them if you have issues. I mean what could POSSIBLY go wrong with a 3000PSI+ air compressor?

Some come with all the features you want, like compressed air filters, cooling (fans usually), and power connections. Others are more DIY. Like a lot of things, the more you know, and the more you are willing to do, the price tends to be cheaper.

Speaking of cooling, some compressors are meant to fill a rifle. Some the smaller air breather (firefighter?) tanks. Some small scuba tanks. Squeezing air that hard makes a LOT of heat. And condensation, which is why you need some kind of an after filter.

A ~$500 compressor just came out called RovAir from Air Venturi that the Tubers are blowing on about. For about the same price there is the JTS COMP1. I have not compared features. Yet. I believe those are the 'bottom tier' to consider if you do not want to be messing with setting up your own cooling and want support from this continent. But then, all I have for my PCP pistol is a hand pump, so take that for what it's worth. I don't see a need for a compressor until you get up into the higher volume tanks on air rifles, but YMMV.

Either way, it's more kit to haul around. Those PCPs don't just fill themselves.

PN

Compressors for filling guns directly, don't need to be big or fancy to do the job.  Plus, being more portable with 12V power options means you can take them to the range easier.  Larger, and more expensive machines are better suited for filling a tank.  SCBA tanks are really nice because they can hold more air for their size and weight than SCUBA tanks. Tanks are much more convenient for filling in the field, and quicker to fill than a compressor.

That said, for smaller reservoir guns, the hand pump types are O.K. for many shooing scenarios, like hunting, or just shooting 25 shots per session.  If you are shooting 100's of shots per session, the hand pump will become a burden in short order.

Oilless compressors have the advantage in that there are no oil fumes present in the compressed air.  The expensive compressors that use oil, and are made for breathing air, have filters that remove almost all water and all the oil in the final product.  These are those $4500 compressors. If you are filling tanks that might get used for breathing air, these features are a must.

This is a Coltri MCH 6 that cost me just a hair under $3K. I saved for a year. Prior to that I had a 3 stage hand pump.  
After the pump I bought a $600 SCBA tank which I got filled at two local dive shops (They would only fill to 3600psi).

I decided I was not going to spend hundreds upon hundreds on various cheap Chinese made liquid cooled compressors that constantly shit the bed and need rebuilding.

I've spent a few years on the major air gun web site's (Think ARFCOM for air guns) and there are threads upon threads of every cheap compressor that eventually died.

It's their nature, because compressing air in stages to achieve the 4500 psi is hard on them, it generates a lot of heat. The Coltri is a dive compressor and built with long life. It will last me a lifetime, and has support if I need it.

It really is the "Buy cheap...buy twice" when it comes to compressor.

and Now I can fill my SCBA tank in 6-8 mins from 3000psi to 4500, and I can quickly film my guns from the bottle (In like 45 seconds). and get about 25 refills per SCBA tank. and at 60-90 shots per fill, that is 1500 to 2250 shots. which is a full day at the range shooting multiple air guns.

And the SCBA tank is portable and requires no plug in.

For me, it was work the $3K as I now have air independence.

And if you think about other hobbies (like fishing) where guys spend tens of thousands on boats/motors and tackle, a $3K compressor is chump change. look at what a side-by-side ATV runs???


And I won't be on Airgun nation asking where to get parts for my $200 Wang chung compressor....

I have the Daystate branded version of the above, but without the breathing air filters.  Without those features, and a few other things to make it less expensive, mine set me back about $2000.  Again, for compressors in this realm, you should be filling tanks, not guns directly.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help. Like most hobbies, its a deep dark hole Fun one tho!

I was lucky enough to score one of the cheepy $200 china amazon shoebox ones new off fb marketplace for $40 from a amazon pallet reseller.  For that kinda money I figure ill familiarize myself and when it burns up, ill b ready to make the next move then.