Posted: 10/16/2013 3:41:22 PM EDT
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I'm looking for a compressor. I would be using it for basic repairs, some wood work. Not everyday use, just now and then.
I saw this one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bostitch-Comp-BTFP02028/26913688 What says Arfcom? Any experience with them? Anything better in the $270 area? I'm not looking to spend more. |
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I'm looking for a compressor. I would be using it for basic repairs, some wood work. Not everyday use, just now and then. I saw this one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bostitch-Comp-BTFP02028/26913688 What says Arfcom? Any experience with them? Anything better in the $270 area? I'm not looking to spend more. You get what you pay for if you pay cheap you get cheap those oil less compressors are junk. Once you have air you will want to get more and more air tools buy a good compressor and cry once. An upright 60 or 80 gallon unit with an oil sump will do just about anything. |
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I wouldn't recommend a small air compressor for a homeowner with only one compressor. Also, I don't see a need for the average homeowner to buy a 60 or 80 gallon compressor because that's more air than most people need.
Here's an ideal air compressor for a homeowner 30 gallon roll around air compressor is an ideal size for the average person. I had a 30 gallon one for years and it did 99% of what I needed. Now that I have a 60 gallon compressor, I love it. But, the 30 gallon would still do 99% of what I need...even now. |
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so it really does depend on what you actually expect to do with it.
20 vs 30 is about 60-80 dollars difference for the size. oiled vs oil-less is about another 100-150. each of these things makes a difference, but totally depends on what you plan on using them for. I have had a 30 gal compressor for over 14 years. oil-less. loud yes, but I rarely fire it up inside the house. I have 150 feet of hose if I need to do something inside, so it can run outside. a buddy of mine has a similar one except his is vertical, mine is horizontal. he has had his nearly 20 years. he has had to replace the reed valves in his, I haven't done anything to mine. both are abused seriously for automotive work. air guns, ratchets, air chisels, body saws, sand blasters etc.. but not every day. few times a year they get worked hard. I use mine once a month or so to air up tires and such, but only do some major work for a week or two once a year or so. probably ran 350 from sears at the time. I dream of having a 60 gal oil less, but don't need to spend the 600-1000 for it cause I don't use it enough. neighbor just had one big one put in last year. but he built a blasting booth in his garage to sand blast a whole truck. so again, depends on what you mean by wood work. around the house etc if you need the extra capacity. if you need the oil less and have to spend the extra couple of hundred. |
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OP spend another 200 bucks and get a compressor worth having notice the difference in the CFM rating if all you ever do is use a nail gun you can get by with the small rated CFM but once you get into air tools such as impacts and ratchets you need to higher CFM for them to work correctly.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/campbell-hausfeldreg%3B-60-gallon-cast-iron-air-compressor if you are stuck with a budget then here is one in your price range that is oiled instead of oil less. http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/jobsmartreg%3B-1-1-2-hp-%28running%29-26-gallon-oil-lubricated-vertical-air-compressor here is a oiled unit from Harbor freight http://www.harborfreight.com/25-horsepower-21-gal-125-psi-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-67847.html |
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so it really does depend on what you actually expect to do with it. 20 vs 30 is about 60-80 dollars difference for the size. oiled vs oil-less is about another 100-150. each of these things makes a difference, but totally depends on what you plan on using them for. I have had a 30 gal compressor for over 14 years. oil-less. loud yes, but I rarely fire it up inside the house. I have 150 feet of hose if I need to do something inside, so it can run outside. a buddy of mine has a similar one except his is vertical, mine is horizontal. he has had his nearly 20 years. he has had to replace the reed valves in his, I haven't done anything to mine. both are abused seriously for automotive work. air guns, ratchets, air chisels, body saws, sand blasters etc.. but not every day. few times a year they get worked hard. I use mine once a month or so to air up tires and such, but only do some major work for a week or two once a year or so. probably ran 350 from sears at the time. I dream of having a 60 gal oil less, but don't need to spend the 600-1000 for it cause I don't use it enough. neighbor just had one big one put in last year. but he built a blasting booth in his garage to sand blast a whole truck. so again, depends on what you mean by wood work. around the house etc if you need the extra capacity. if you need the oil less and have to spend the extra couple of hundred. I won't say that they don't exist but I have never seen a 60 gallon oiless compressor. I paid less than $400 for my CH 60 gallon air compressor from Lowes. I did have a 10% off card and it was also on sale so that's how it ended up less than $400. |
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Oil-free is code for loud as fuck. At my old house, I kept the compressor in the shed and used the tools outside. In new house I put the compressor around the side of the shed to cut down on noise. I shouldn't have bought an oil-free one. I will never forget the night I left my oilless one plugged in upstairs while I was building a house. I went to bed in the basement and ended up jumping up and hitting my head on the ceiling (almost) when it fired up at oh-dark-thirty. Scared the living crap out of me, as it was right overhead. 
OP, I'd get the 60 gallon one (typically 9-11 CFM @ 90PSI), but a new one will cost more (about $100) than you want to spend. Used ones show on on CraigsList from time to time, and they will be cheap, but questionable. Anything smaller will limit you severely in the tools it will run, due to CFM deficiency. Plus the duty cycle will be exceeded trying to use it beyond it's capabilities--which will greatly shorten its life. 
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Quoted: OP, I'd get the 60 gallon one (typically 9-11 CFM @ 90PSI), but a new one will cost more (about $100) than you want to spend. Used ones show on on CraigsList from time to time, and they will be cheap, but questionable. Anything smaller will limit you severely in the tools it will run, due to CFM deficiency. Plus the duty cycle will be exceeded trying to use it beyond it's capabilities--which will greatly shorten its life.  |
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With the exception of a pancake type compressor strictly used for running a nail gun/crown stapler, anything less than about 10 cfm is completely worthless IMO. You can't even run a die grinder, let alone a texture gun, sanblaster, drill, etc. There is an extremely popular 60 gallon vertical unit that can be found sold under many brand names...Craftsman, Cambell Hausfeld, Kobalt, IR, and some others. It is priced according to the brand name, but they all come out of the same factory. I have the Sanborn from Menards...it can be found for around $400 on sale. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
| Look for around 9cfm or higher. Die grinders and cut-off wheels are two of the handiest air tools, they need a lot of volume. I have a 4-5cfm 26gal, I can rotate tires without too much waiting, but there is some. Running a wire brush on my die grinder is an excercise in patience, something I lack when it comes to tools. Even airing tires is a drag. I have been spoiled by commercial shop air systems though. Compressor will be one of the first upgrades when I own a place instead of renting. |
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Quoted: Had to go looking to find the CFM rating - 4.3@90psi. It's just enough to run an impact gun, which is as much load as MOST home users will put on a compressor. It's plenty for nailers, blowguns, etc. It will run one, but not well. I have had several compressors including three uprights. This is the only one that does everything without melting down: http://www.amazon.com/Air-Compressor-230V-Vertical-Gallons/dp/B00DTVEGDE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1382283959&sr=8-4&keywords=ingersoll+rand+80+gallon Anything less will have limitations. Those small uprights a couple of you pictured won't even run air shears. My brother tried with his and ended up bring the steel to my house to cut. They also won't run a floor removal chizel worth a shit and running a paint gun will result in a lot of wait time. CFM is where it is at and the Ingersoll Rand compressor has it. Barely getting by with lesser compressors sucks. If you can buy an electric tool to do the job you want to run on air, buy the electric tool until you can step up to the right stuff. |
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It will run one, but not well. I have had several compressors including three uprights. This is the only one that does everything without melting down: http://www.amazon.com/Air-Compressor-230V-Vertical-Gallons/dp/B00DTVEGDE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1382283959&sr=8-4&keywords=ingersoll+rand+80+gallon Anything less will have limitations. Those small uprights a couple of you pictured won't even run air shears. My brother tried with his and ended up bring the steel to my house to cut. They also won't run a floor removal chizel worth a shit and running a paint gun will result in a lot of wait time. CFM is where it is at and the Ingersoll Rand compressor has it. Barely getting by with lesser compressors sucks. If you can buy an electric tool to do the job you want to run on air, buy the electric tool until you can step up to the right stuff. Quoted:
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Had to go looking to find the CFM rating - 4.3@90psi. It's just enough to run an impact gun, which is as much load as MOST home users will put on a compressor. It's plenty for nailers, blowguns, etc. It will run one, but not well. I have had several compressors including three uprights. This is the only one that does everything without melting down: http://www.amazon.com/Air-Compressor-230V-Vertical-Gallons/dp/B00DTVEGDE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1382283959&sr=8-4&keywords=ingersoll+rand+80+gallon Anything less will have limitations. Those small uprights a couple of you pictured won't even run air shears. My brother tried with his and ended up bring the steel to my house to cut. They also won't run a floor removal chizel worth a shit and running a paint gun will result in a lot of wait time. CFM is where it is at and the Ingersoll Rand compressor has it. Barely getting by with lesser compressors sucks. If you can buy an electric tool to do the job you want to run on air, buy the electric tool until you can step up to the right stuff. The OP is a homeowner. He doesn't need an 80 gallon $2k+ compressor to use an air blow gun and run a few basic air tools. Now if he WANTS it and buys it....then he'll love it. However, the OP doesn't NEED 80 gallons of compressed air. I run an air shear on my 60 gallon compressor without a problem. My air cut off tool works the compressor the hardest but it'll even run that. My small 30 gallon compressor would run nearly everything I needed INCLUDING a paint gun for smaller paint jobs (like a motorcycle tank). You can buy electrically powered metal shears if the OP needs them and doesn't want to buy a compressor big enough to run them. Most average homeowners don't have the place for a 60 gallon or larger compressor. I think the ideal size for a homeowner is a 20-30 gallon upright. Then, if the homeowner needs a portable compressor then a small portable compressor would be my next purchase if I was in his place. The OP also doesn't want to spend more than $270...so a 60 gallon and especially your 80 gallon $2k+ one is not an option...so no point in recommending it. I paid $150 for my original 20+ gallon upright and it did everything that I needed....and would STILL do everything that I needed....I just WANTED more air so that's why I bought the 60 gallon (and love it). |
| This Makita gets excellent reviews. Look up reviews on Amazon and Home Depot. |
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OP, if you do decide to go with that Bostitch HF has the same unit for $180(with coupon).
$180 |
| I'm pretty sure I have the same compressor that Andrewh talks about above (mine is a Craftsman). If I had to do it all over again I would get a vertical (saves space) oiled version. My oil-less is loud, as they all are. A descent oiled vertical runs ~$700 and should last a lifetime. I know Quincy makes oiled vertical compressors for that price and they are made in the USA...this is where a Northern Tool catalog comes in handy to be able to compare them on paper before price shopping at other retailers. Good luck. |
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If you want to keep your budget to $300 or less, buy a used one. If you already have a 220 volt outlet in your garage, look for a used 220 volt compressor. If you don't have 220 volts in your garage, buy a used gas engine powered compressor. You don't want to make the mistake of buying something with too little CFM's. Whatever you do, don't buy an oil-less 110 volt compressor. My first compressor was an oil-less compressor and it was a worthless noise maker.
I bought a used gas powered wheel barrow style compressor back when I was renting. I thought I would sell it and buy a good electric compressor once I bought a house but I'm still using it because it does everything I want out of a compressor and it hasn't let me down. It may take a while but you can find good deals on used ones on craigslist. |
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I've had 2 "cheap" craftsman/ Ingersol/ china type A/C's and i'm DONE. Bottom line is as always if you pay cheap, that's exactly what you get. Most home DIY guys can get by with these, but they are noisy, lack in serious sustained CFM and just don't last. I finally stopped jumping over a dollar to save a dime and bought a top of the line Rolair 3 hp wheeled torpedo type AC, and let me tell you .... what an impressive compressor ! reasonable quiet, portable, and can run my hi volume air tools no problem. The only issue with the flagship Rolairs is you need 220V . If you can budget the money, buy one they are built the old fashion way with quality and heavy metal !
http://www.rolair.net/products/wheeled_electric/index.html |
| All I can add to this is that I bought a 33 gallon 3.5 hp Craftsman at Sears more than 20 years ago. I use it to power an impact wrench for car work as well as a cutoff tool and a few other tools. I use it ALL THE TIME. It's still going strong and I use it a lot. If it ever breaks I will replace it with something much bigger as some suggest, stand up 80 gallon 220 volt or so. You can never have enough pressure. |
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All I can add to this is that I bought a 33 gallon 3.5 hp Craftsman at Sears more than 20 years ago. I use it to power an impact wrench for car work as well as a cutoff tool and a few other tools. I use it ALL THE TIME. It's still going strong and I use it a lot. If it ever breaks I will replace it with something much bigger as some suggest, stand up 80 gallon 220 volt or so. You can never have enough pressure. Old Craftsman's are good quality, new Craftsman's are absolute china junk, so you have a decent one that will serve you well. But the biggest gripe with my Craftsman was the NOISE !!!! |