Air Compressors - Whos your pick?

[mtncrawler]

Hey all,
Buying a new air compressor for plasma cutting and other lighter duty applications. For plasma, I need 4.5CFM @90PSI according to the mfg - still on the fence about the Miller 375, 375 extreme and Hypertherm 38. I would like to stay on a 120v/20amp circuit. I do have 1 240V/30 amp available, but dont' want to keep plugging things in and out. Not that its that big of a hassle.

I've looked at some Craftsmen units, but have heard recent negative feedback - but don't know how true this is.

What about IR, Campbell-Hausfeld or others?

Whose do you use and why?

Thanks!

[imagineer]

I use a Coleman Powermate 5hp, 20 gal for a Mitec Cut40 plasma unit.
It keeps up fine but is so @#$%^&* loud I look for reasons not to use it.

I'd recommend not going with a direct drive oil-less compressor.

[prop-doctor]

most of the low voltage(120v) comperssors are oil-less and they are loud
i have a sears ele. compressor (old)that is quit, but it is oil lubed , and 220v.
i guess you could look for one that was 120v
i have used a pancake comp. that was 120v and sorta quit

[slamdvw]

I have a craftsman 2stage, 120 volt unit. Does everything I want it to. It's a low RPM compressor (1725 or something like that ) Fairly quiet compared to the buzzbox hi rpm compressors. I run a plasma with it witn NO problems. A miller 375 IIRC.

[brokenbones]

spend the few extra dollars and pick up an IR SS3 or an IR garage mate they both use the same air end. they are both single stage oil lube, cast iron, and best of all they are quite. they are capable of 7-8 cfm @ 135 psi and will run on 120 vac. the SS3 has 60 gallon vertical tank and the garage mate has a 15 or 20 gallon vertical tank on wheels.. goodluck

[sstorkel]

I own an oil-free Porter-Cable pancake compressor. Got it as part of a kit that included a couple of nail guns. Has to be one of my least favorite power tools! The thing makes so much goddamn racket that I hate to turn it on.

Always wanted to replace it with the Porter-Cable CPL6025. An oil-lube, belt-driven design with a 25-gallon horizontal tank. 8.6cfm @ 40psi, 6.8cfm @ 90psi which is the best you'll find for the price. Originally recommended to me by Jeff Jewitt, who's a pretty famous finishing expert in woodworking circles. Price was around $400-450, IIRC. Oil-lube means that it generates quite a bit less noise than an oil-less design. Specs say 78dB, which is still pretty loud but nothing like the 90+dB that my pancake generates.

Sadly, this compressor has been discontinued. But, coincidentally, Sears now sells a Craftsman-branded compressor (model #19541) with exactly the same specs and nearly identical appearance for $399 (currently on sale for $379). My guess is that it's the exact same compressor as the CPL6025. If I were going to buy a compressor, it's the one I'd be looking at...

[gnm109]

If you intend only to use the air cmpressor for plasma, then the above suggestions are fiune.

however, if you ever intend to do any sandblasting or glas bead blasting, you will need about double the capacity, like 12-18 CFM.

I went through several small Sears and other air compressors. All of them were way too noisy for me. I do a little blasting and spray painting and it seems that the small ones really take a long time to pump back up and shut off. They get pretty hot too, when you extend them a bit.

I finally broke down about 15 years ago and got an 80 gallon dual stage compressor that puts out 18.5 CFM and I've yet to be sorry. It's a vertical and doesn't take up too much space.

My 2 cents.

[fun4now.]

if its for shop use i would say spend a little more $$ get a nice big unit, having too much air is never a problem, not enough can be a real pain and cause the compressor to over work and die sooner. i picked up the husky from HD about 5 years ago on sale for like $390 i think. its running strong and will still be doing so for may more years. if you are willing to spend $1300 on a plasma unit why go cheap on the air, you will end up using the air far more than the plasma befor long as you start to colect air tools.mine is a simgle stage as it was all i could aford and that was stretching my budjet but i found the $$ and got a good one. if you can aford it go 2 stage, it will be quieter and produce more air. with the 60 gal. tank mine dose not run too often as its got plenty of air to use befor it cycles on.
the Miller 375 extream is a great plasma unit and will be the one i replace my spectrun 125-c with as soon as i can get up the $$ i got the spectrun 125-c because i did not have shop air at the time and the spc.125-c has a built in air compressor, so it fit the bill.

[MAC702]

I used a Miller Spectrum 375 from a DeWalt/Emglo 120V compressor (the roll cage model). It was an oiled unit and ran very well with a 100% duty cycle. It did way more than I thought it could and kept up with the plasma cutter with no problems.

I also used a Porter-Cable roll cage 120V oiled unit. Again, pretty much the same deal. Worked very well.

I don't buy oilless units. Don't like the noise and have seen many breaks, as they are typically in cheap units.

I'm going back to the DeWalt when I need another (just sold the Porter Cable to a friend who needed it.) But that's just for the color. They both worked very well for those needs.

Obviously, the bigger the compressor the better, but that's my feedback on 120V oiled units.

[Sandy]

It would be a rare occurrence that someone might say that their compressor was too big, for shop use anyway. For construction purposes I suppose the oiless have some positive attributes; no oil to check, no belts and pulleys, no tip or run angles to worry about. For a shop I wouldn't even consider one.

[fun4now.]

they all have a place and a purpose, for a home shop get the bigest you can get away with as you will have it for a long time and will start to colect more and more air tools. with a small unit that will only work the plasma you will soon fimd your self outgrowing it and wanting larger as the air tools start to colect up. there are some realy nice air tools out there to make life much easyer on the home shop/hobbie guy, get a nice big air suply and start taking advantage of them, you will never regret having a nice big air compressor. changing the oil once a year is not so hard and even with synthetic oil still only like $4.00 i'm planing on adding a sand blaster cabenet soon and i know i have enough air to run it because i went big right at the start. good choice then even better now. 8^))

[pmbassist]

I bought a sanborn 30 gallon direct drive recently. The power was good (6cfm) and the price was good ($299) but it was insanely noisy. I took it back and got the 60 gallon version. It was an extra $100 but it was belt-driven, oiled and had double the power. Well worth it to spend a little extra on something like this, otherwise you will be taking it back.

[brokenbones]

Originally Posted by fun4now.

if its for shop use i would say spend a little more $$ get a nice big unit, having too much air is never a problem, not enough can be a real pain and cause the compressor to over work and die sooner. i picked up the husky from HD about 5 years ago on sale for like $390 i think. its running strong and will still be doing so for may more years. if you are willing to spend $1300 on a plasma unit why go cheap on the air, you will end up using the air far more than the plasma befor long as you start to colect air tools.mine is a simgle stage as it was all i could aford and that was stretching my budjet but i found the $$ and got a good one. if you can aford it go 2 stage, it will be quieter and produce more air. with the 60 gal. tank mine dose not run too often as its got plenty of air to use befor it cycles on.
the Miller 375 extream is a great plasma unit and will be the one i replace my spectrun 125-c with as soon as i can get up the $$ i got the spectrun 125-c because i did not have shop air at the time and the spc.125-c has a built in air compressor, so it fit the bill.

2 stage units will not produce more air they produce more psi. a single stage unit produces more air because the swept volume of each cylinder is the same versus a smaller second stage piston on a 2 stage unit, but the single stage unit is limited to about 135 psi versus 175 psi on the 2 stage unit. As far as noise from either unit it all depends on the manufacturer. 75% of the noise that comes from an air compressor is intake noise, if the intake is piped to a remote location the units are significantly quiter.. here is a test that will prove the noise theory next time you are running your comp remove the intake filter and cover the inlet with your hand and hear the difference.

sizing an air compressor is the biggest challenge in the buying process, its very important that the unit doesnt start and stop more then six to ten times in an hour or motor and starter damage can occur. its better to have the unit run at long intervals or equip the unit with an auto dual to unload the compressor ( still have it run just not making any air ) that will also help in power consumption. people somtimes think that with your compressor sitting in the corner of your shop with its tongue hanging out is creating distress in the unit. air compressors (good ones) are desiged to operate at temps that normally reach 375f to 425f on the discharge from the head but on that note i have seen people build insulated enclosures around them with no ventilation wich will result in sudden death.

if plans for expansion are in your future a little bit larger one might fit the bill.

[Diverbill45]

I had a small single stage compressor which served me well for many years, but when I bought my blast cabinet, it wouldn't even begin to stay up with the amount of air I needed. I was in the market for a two-stage unit until a friend of mine put me on to a 3 cyclinder single stage unit. At first I didn't want to even think about a single stage unit until he showed me the one he bought 2 years ago. He has his own body shop and runs lots of air tools, so his demand for air is large. After I watched his compressor in action I decided to get one.

This unit has no problem keeping up with my blaster and is very quiet while running. I payed $699.00 for the unit I bought and the unit sitting next to it had the same HP and CFM at the same PSI, with the same size tank, but was a 2 stage unit and the price was $1099.00. The store said that they are selling more of these units than the 2 stage ones. I took the $400.00 difference I saved and purchased 2 more gas bottles for my shop.

I'm very pleased with mine and have no complaints and would recommend that if anyone is in the market for a compressor, you might want to take a look at this unit.

Oh yea, Eagle brand compressors are made in Canada, not in China or Taiwan.

[gimpyrobb]

I have a Champion compressor and love it. Lots of good deals on ebay for them. Also a buddy has a Eaton pump and loves it, they are out of Eaton Ohio.

[backuproller]

my speedaire runs 25 cfm at 175 psi. yeah she's noisy as all get out. but hey, weld, grind, weld, grind can be noisy too. i got the welder and compressor mounted on my truck but i got a hundred feet of hose and leads. i can park it around the side of the shop and it minimizes the noise for me. but the the wife hears it all when working late at night. she told me there is a noise ordinance in our yard, no equipment running after 10 pm.

[JKC9392]

Quiet means QUINCY or EATON both blow away competition... Buy the biggest you can afford!!!! Alarge compressor that works less means less water and electricity. I use to run a IR 25CFM 80 GAL, neighbor b######d ,he is 1/3 of amile down the road!!!!!

[Doolittle]

The Husky (Made by Campbell Hausfield) 80gal 2 stage (home depot) is cheap and well made. I'm very pleased with its perf.

Plus, its half the cost of a IR. The new sears models suck in my opinion (what I replaced).

[fun4now.]

i got the singl stage husky, could not aford the 2 stage. i realy like the one i got, its served me well and i see no signs of it stoping any time soon.

[BigEd36]

I have the single stage Farmhand 60 gallon tank, paid $396 IIRC (Campbell Hausfeld sold at TSC), the same as the Husky at Home Depot(both made by Campbell Hausfeld, painted different color). Mine has given me good service, but it is a little loud. A buddy has the same compressor, he mounted the air intake outside his garage and piped it into the compressor, it cut the sound a LOT. Guess I'll be doing that to mine soon.

Ed

[mtncrawler]

Hey all,

Thanks for all the great feedback!

I think I've decided - based on budget, tool requirements- on a Husky (a.k.a. Campbell-Hausfeld) from Home Depot (10.4/11 CFM @ 40/90PSI). It's a full cast iron, lower RPM, so it should be on the quieter side.

Here's another possibly crazier question. I'm devoting one half of a 2+ car attached garage to my new shop space. In order to save space, I was actually thinking about locating the compressor in my basement. It would make for about a 15-20ft run to the shop space, but my main reason for thinking about this is mainly for noise. I'm in rather close proximity to the neighbors and I dont want any hassle over the operation (not that I'll be running it at odd times), but if its in the basement I wont have to worry - just run down and kick it on before I go to work. Its a totally unfinished basement and I don't have a family I would be keeping up. I could even plumb the intake out a basement window

Am I being too paranoid or courteous? Any similar installations out there?

[Birken Vogt]

I have seen indoor installations with a big piece of PVC for an intake pipe. Don't forget to go BIG especially if a long run. It is best to pick it up from outside, believe it or not, that is where the absolute lowest amount of moisture is unless you are picking it up from an air conditioned room.

Don't forget to get an automatic drain to keep the moisture out.

I have one of those Husky AKA Campbell-Hausfeld units and I don't like it. It is loud and pumps a lot of lube oil into the tank. I also have a very nice Curtis unit which you can see here: http://photos.thedieselstop.com/show...mb=1&si=birken I set it outside with a TEFC motor and the rain just falls right on top of it, but it's made for that. It doesn't put ANY oil into the air. It runs 900 RPM and sounds about like a quiet lawn mower idling. That way I don't have to listen to it either. I think your basement idea is a good one just make sure plenty of ventilation and plenty of insulation so noise doesn't get to you. I hate excess noise, I don't even want to know when it is running.

Before you buy from Home Depot check out the more respectable domestic names of which there are a lot: Curtis, Ingersoll-Rand, Saylor-Beall, Eaton, Quincy, Sanborn, and a few others. Some of their prices are pretty good too and quality is much better. I also prefer to have a 2-stage compressor. Standard 2-stage setting is 145 to 175 psi. Then I regulate it to 140 for the shop so my air pressure never varies with the compressor cycles. At the individual outlets I regulate it again to whatever the application requires.

Birken

[fun4now.]

i have that compressor and am verry happy with it, i do not have any oil problems with it, yes its a lil loud but thats life for the $$ its a great comp, i have had mine about 3 years and never needed to add oil between yearly oil changes, for the $$ its a great comp. also the basment is a good idea for your own noise isues as well as the naibors

[Birken Vogt]

I've never had to add oil to it either but there is a noticeable amount of oil-caused "mayo" in the bottom of the tank and I don't like that because it means that there is also aerosolized oil in the air.

Compare this: http://www.allcompressors.com/ingersoll-rand/ss3l3.htm
To this: http://www.nextag.com/Campbell-Hausf...06/prices-html

I guarantee you the I-R is a better product, and the price difference will seem insignificant over the years that it will operate.

Birken

[brokenbones]

not only is IR a better unit, but if you have problems with it you can call the local IR distributer or air center and they will come fix it.. thats better then trying to lug it back up over the stairs and bringing it back to home depot..

that alone is worth the few extra dollars!

quincy is another recip company that will perform the same tasks as IR. saylorbeal, champion, etc.. dont have the tech support that ir and quincy have.. unfortunatly the good psi lubed quincy is very expensive.