I'm looking at different compressors for my shop and I'm just wondering what size and brand everyone else is using. I'm looking at 3.5 to 5 horse chicago pnuematic models, I think they are around 60 gallon. Just wondering if this will be big enough to run the day to day air tools and occasional paint gun.

 

I'll suggest you read this...

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...tegory_6970_87

Click the "LEARN MORE" tab.

 

I have owned several compressors in the past, Speedair is good, Emglo is ok, CP are ok as well. I would say buy somthing at least 5hp or more with the most CFM, Gallons,and 120 or more Max air compression, try to find one that is as close to 10 CFM or more you can afford to buy. anything less than that you will be waiting for it to catch up.

 

The best bet would be the Quincy it will last the rest of you life & your kids kids too. If you can afford it
This would be the one, Free shipping is good too

These run at a slow RPM so the produce less heat & less water. Made to last if you can help it never go with a 3650 RPM always go with 1750 RPM 2 stage also keeps up faster for less downtime.


http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...0475_200350475

Never under size a compressor, get what you can afford, then borrow some more money & go big. Otherwise you will be buying another one next year. 5 hp min, that way you can paint, grind & sandblast. Need lots of cfm, whatever you think you need add 50% for good measure.

You will not be sorry, just my 2c OBTW CP's suck

The best part Quincy is Ford Blue

I wish I got one. I went with a CH 7.5 hp 29 CFM
Still works great just RPM's are a little high.

 

My everyday compressor is a single-cylinder cast iron Sanborn pump ($15 at swap meet) belted to a 120V 3450 rpm 1/2 HP (continuous duty) motor (free from a scrap metal dumpster). Hank Hill would approve of the tank: it used to hold propane. Pipe fittings, check valve, pressure switch/unloader cost a lot more. Rated CFM is about 2.5, but in practice it is enough for painting (not HVLP) and impact and ratchet wrenches. Surprisingly, it'll run a die grinder long enough to do useful damage. And it doesn't overheat in high duty-cycle use.

My point? Don't overlook a smaller compressor if it's built with a quality cast-iron pump and real motor. Especially if it's cheap.

FWIW, my other compressors:
2 cylinder pump (forget the brand) belted to a GE 230V single-phase 5 HP TEFC farm duty motor, on a 17 gallon (?) Webster tank. About 6 CFM. Both motor and pump get uncomfortably hot, but it is enough for serious die grinding and near-continuous sandblasting. I'm looking out for a better pump.

"Imported" 2.5 gallon direct drive oilless compressor. Incredibly loud. Overheats and shuts down if I exceed the pathetic duty cycle. It's basically a self-filling portable air tank.

 

My point was simple, Do not buy junk get it right the first time to avoid having to buy 2 or 3 compressors. Do a job big or small do it right of not at all. Your compressor is the heart of the shop, you do not want to here an imported POS clanging in the corner, it will force you out of the garage.

Go with a slow 1750 rpm motor no matter what. 3hp or 5 hp.

 

There is a place for the cheap $100 compressors.

In my case, I bought a cheapie (3hp peak, actual hp continuous closer to 1/2, single tank), for $88 from Sears.

Then I adjusted the pressure to be slightly higher (125psi indicated).

The only caution --- change the oil 2 or 3 times or more during the first 50 hours of operations until the oil you change is free of metal flakes.

If you drained the oil into a clear glass jar, you can actually see the metal flakes.

Do first drain after 1 hr, 2nd at 5hr, then at 15hr, 30hr, etc. until it is clean.

The compressor will last a long time with this.

 

Buy it based on CFM. Spray gun = 10-15 cfm. Plan on spraying anything that's going to take more than 5 min's to paint? Better get a compressor that puts out more than your gun, probably the biggest CFM user of all your tools. I think everybody has the same general concensus. Buy more than you need if possible. A better brand is going to last you longer. I suppose what you should have asked is "what should I buy with this budget..." If your budgets $500 you're probably looking at a inexpensive 5hp max. 1500 will get you a nicer 5hp. 2000+ will put you in a nice 7.5 hp.

 

If you are running off a 15 or 20A 120V circuit, you are pretty much limited to 1.5 actual running horsepower.

Disregard the claims for "peak" HP....

Anything that is above that require 220V, or a gas/diesel engine of its own.

Big tradeoff for portability vs. air capacity.

 

Get the biggest and best compressor you can. I have a very large compressor myself here. However I also have a large sand blast cabinet, many air tools, the Bridgeport, and a couple frame air lift jacks. Get a brand name unit. I stay away from : sears, home depot, lowes, and Harbor Freight stuff when it comes to a compressor. Speed Air is ok, Good part is Granger stocks parts, IR is good, Quincy is very good. Matter of fact I just sold a 5 PH 2 stage here a few months ago. Just way to small for me. Champion is also another good compressor. I run a Atlas Copco duplex 15 Hp rated at like 98 cfm @ 90 psi.

Buy a good one and take great care of it! Will be something you and your kids will enjoy for years to come. Buy a cheap one and look forward to replacing it every couple years or more. I have seen some cheap ones last a whole day and crap out. Its not fun. The more they run the hotter they run, the hotter they run to more oil and water they seam to pump in the air. Oil and water just suck when added to a paint job!

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

I wouldn't buy anything but a good 2 stage compressor. The 2 stage will recover a lot faster than a single stage when running air tools like die grinders and DA sanders. I have a 220v, 60 gallon tank, 6 hp single stage and it has a problem keeping up with air tools. This is just used for my own use and hobbies, not professional use. I have to wait on it a lot when using a DA or die grinder.
The bottom line is that it comes down to your budget.

Kevin

 

Not always true. My single stage will kick a lot of 2 stage compressor butt. Its all about the CFM the pump will put out. You don't see a 2 stage fall to far behind due to the pressure difference. If your what to get real crazy look for a screw compressor. Very quiet and great CFM output

Single stage will run up to about 110 - 135 psi and shut off letting pressure drop to 80 - 100 psi before starting back up. So now your at about 90 PSI your compressor is trying to fill the tank and keep up with your demand. You are also seeing a drop in air tool performance due to lower PSI at the tool. So even if your compressor puts out as much air as you are using you will not see a improvement in tool performance unless you stop and let the tank fill. If the compressor put out a little more you might not even notice the improvement as its slowly increasing as the compressor runs.

2 Stage will run up to about 175 - 190 PSI and shut off then let pressure drop to 130 - 145 before starting back up. The pump is still trying to fill the tank and keep up with demand however at this point your air tool should be running off a pressure regulator and will still be getting the 100 - 120 psi and be running at peek performance. This would allow you to run longer before you see a drop in performance making you think the compressor is doing a better job recovering.

Most air tools are only rated for 120 PSI MAX input so a 2 stage will need to be regulated for each tool.

 

Most single stages can be tweaked slightly to give them a slightly higher max. and min. pressure.

I tweaked mine to have a min (restart) of 105psi, and a max (cutoff) of 130psi.

Added a lot of extra ommph....

 

Not needed just turn it down to 140 psi Shut off & 90 catch up. You will be good to go. Should keep up all day for years to come. My compressor is turned down to 140 psi & it take like 1 min to catch up. Use a quality oil & change it often.

 

Then Why spend the money on a 2 stage?





I just happen to pull my compressor out of its shack in the back. One pump is staring to make a little noise so I might need to rebuild one. Not bad I think the date stamp is 1986.