Hey guys. I am going to be looking for a good air compressor in a month or so. Would like it to be fairly large, but not to big and bulky. Would like it to be pretty cheap, too.
LMK.
-Casey

what will you be doing with it... you have to get one with enough psi to run your tools... and enough cfm to keep up with your usage of them... then we can work from there

Not sure where in PA you live but keep an eye out at http://www.craigslist.org they have a pretty good tool section. And listings for both Pittsburgh and Philly.

dc

Personally im going with the 33 gallon one at Sears for 250 bucks, comes with impact, ratchet and air chisel and hose accessorys

hye 81BRONk36, that air compressor is good but if you can save money and get it with out tools i would, those tools suck, the impact gun is probly about 25 ft/lbs and the air ratchey maybe 2 ft/lbs the air hammer is OK but not good

Not sure where in PA you live but keep an eye out at http://www.craigslist.org they have a pretty good tool section. And listings for both Pittsburgh and Philly.

dc

Is craigslist nation wide? We have it in CA too.
Anyway, they have a pretty good tool section and great prices.

Is craigslist nation wide? We have it in CA too.
Anyway, they have a pretty good tool section and great prices.


yes it is

hye 81BRONk36, that air compressor is good but if you can save money and get it with out tools i would, those tools suck, the impact gun is probly about 25 ft/lbs and the air ratchey maybe 2 ft/lbs the air hammer is OK but not good
There is one at a Pawn shop that looks like its brand new, for 200 bucks, the Air tools are at another pawn shop dunno how much the want for them. lol

I not sure what this tuns retail but I got a screaming deal on it from a friend. I wanna say they are about 500bucks. Works awsome
http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/214848/fullsize/P6130095.JPG

If you want it to be cheap look for an older used one. They will probably out live anything new made today anyways.

Whatever you get stay away from the Oil Free compressors. There a super piece of shit and will have a very short life. They are also make more noise than a mother ****er and they have a very innefficant pump. Craftsman sells a lot of them

If you want it to be cheap look for an older used one. They will probably out live anything new made today anyways.

Whatever you get stay away from the Oil Free compressors. There a super piece of shit and will have a very short life. They are also make more noise than a mother ****er and they have a very innefficant pump. Craftsman sells a lot of them


like mine?

good thing I didnt pay full price for it

I kinda like this one:

http://www.jeepaholics.com/support/files/peteyg/20050629210033_petes_bench_side.jpg

Not cheap (although you can find them for around $500 if you look hard enough), but I'll never need to buy another one for the rest of my life...

It's an Ingersoll-Rand 64 gallon/2-stage/single phase 220v/5HP/continuous duty/175 psi compressor. It'll run my die grinder continuously, and it is SO quiet....you can actually hold a conversation while it's running.

like mine?


Exactally
I have the Craftsman but its not the "professional" one, but the motor and pump is all the same.

I used it for 4 or 5 years and it got to the point where the pump would not even get the tank pressure above 80 PSI no matter how long I let it run. It was also noiser than shit and it took forever to get the pressure up even to 40 pounds. All the problems I have had with it are due to the oil free design.

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/189028/fullsize/000_0074.JPG
First of all with the oil free compressors the motor is a direct drive with the pump. So your running the pistons in that pump at a screaming fast 3750 RPM's, where the oil lubed compressors are geared down about 5 to 1, so the pump might run at about 800 RPM's, and be 100% quieter while doing it on the oil free pump.
Another problem with the oil free compressors is it uses wobble pistons, notice the piston and connecting rod is one piece. So what happens is when the piston is half way up or half way down its stroke the piston is sitting at an angle in the bore with a small air gap on each side of the piston. Thats why the pump needs to run at 3750 RPM's, so it can get the air out the exhaust port and in to the tank before all of it leaks past the piston. Also on the intake stroke its loosing a lot of its efficiance because its not able to draw in a full cylinder of air due to the wobble piston, also contributing to its inefficiancy.
Another problem is with the high RPM of the pump, and with no oil lubrication, it gets real hot. So to fix that there is this big cooling fan that goes right on to the end of the crankshaft. The problem is its constantly slinging dust, dirt and everything else thats in the air directly in to the bottom of the pistons, on the cylinders, and right in the roller bearings on the rods. The dirt gets imbedded in the soft aluminum cylinder walls scratching them and the piston ring up also contributing to its inefficiancy.
The oil lubed compressors have a sealed crankcase so no dirt can get on the underside of the piston and in to the bearings. Also most, if not all of them use cast iron cylinders and pivoting pistons like an engine would use. That gives it a good seal so 100% of the air the pump is drawing in gets compressed and discharged in to the air tank. I would guess the oil free compressors only get about 40% of the air thats pulled in the intake filter in to the tank.


They also have a MUCH longer life
this is the new/old motor on my 5 year old Craftsman oil free compressor. The pump and motor on the tank is 30 years old, and it runs better, is much quieter, and produces more pressure and volume then the Oil Free pump did when it was BRAND NEW.
http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/189027/fullsize/000_0073.JPG



This is the 30 year old small Craftsman compressor on the floor. It donated the pump, motor, belt and pulleys to the new 60 gallon tank. Best thing I ever did.
http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/189026/fullsize/000_0072.JPG

HAHA my dads 30 year old Craftsman compressor was that same type and color. I never looked at the motor/compressor from the back, but it's probably the same one we used growing up. Worked fine, no problems at all.

-Will
89 XLT 460

good info....makes sense too

Im not worried about yet tho, I only paid like 300bucks for it at the time so Im sure I will get that much use out of it. if/when it breaks I will look at another one or building a hybrid like you did

good info....makes sense too

Im not worried about yet tho, I only paid like 300bucks for it at the time so Im sure I will get that much use out of it. if/when it breaks I will look at another one or building a hybrid like you did
Yeah for $300 you cant go wrong with it. If it did **** up like mine did you will still have a nice 60 gallon air tank and a good 240v 15 amp motor you could do something with

I've got the Delta 80 gal shop model. It's the same as the higher end Craftsman, Husky, Campbell-Hausfeld, etc. Aluminum-bodied pump, 220V motor, 2 stage, 17cfm at 125psi. Most places sell them in the $850 range, but if you dig around you can get it for $600, and if you can find a 60 gallon version they're even less. I got mine at Sam's Club after a month or so of searching. It's held up great so far, including 30+ hours of sandblaster use and 20+ hours of die grinder use.

Potamus and I just picked up a very old compressor, cast iron, one lunger with a motor for free courtesy of our nephews and niece.

We still have to find a suitable tank for it, and we are thinking of using an old LP tank.

You can have my old 20 gallon tank for shipping. Probably gonna be $40 or so

I've got the Delta 80 gal shop model. It's the same as the higher end Craftsman, Husky, Campbell-Hausfeld, etc. Aluminum-bodied pump, 220V motor, 2 stage, 17cfm at 125psi.

Yep. I've got the Craftsman version. Been fine for me. Good value for heavy homeowner (but less than full-on professional) use IMO

I've got the same compressor that Mike2 took the pump and motor off of, even down to the color. The thing is somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 years old. I was over at my uncles house and I found it in his garage with a "siezed" compressor, he gave it to me just to get rid of it. I pulled the head off of the compressor, lubed the piston around the edges with some penetration oil. Put it all back togeather and let it sit overnight, fired it up the next morning and it worked like a champ. I've been using it for eight years now. :thumbup