I'm toying with the idea of getting myself a compressor. What should I be looking for. Just looking for someting basic that I can use an impact wrench, Ratchet. I won't be doing any painting or sanding as I don't have the space for a large tank or the need.

Any suggestions?

Paul

 

Ratchets and impacts, because of their intermittent use patterns rely more on the air stored in the tank rather than the continuous output rating of the motor and pump. In this case a typical 12-20 gallon tank compressor would fit the bill nicely.

Some words about 'horsepower'. Like shop vacuums, a boastful race has become common in the ratings of the compressor motor horsepower numbers. It's not uncommon to see a small portable compressor sporting a six and a half horsepower rating. Well, this is total bunk. One electrical horsepower is 746 watts. At an unrealistic efficiency of 100%, 6.5 horspower is an electrical load of 4,849 watts. A compressor is a relatively inefficient machine, at best 50-60%. Given that the common 15 amp receptacle found in the household can only furnish 1800 watts, you can see where things just dont add up. In most cases the true horsepower of a typical compressor rated for 4-5 'marketing' hp is more like 1.5 'real world' hp. Such compressors will do a fine job of powering most intermittent-use air tools like impacts, ratchets, chisels, blow guns, etc, as well as continuous items such as low-flow paint guns, air brushes, small grinders and the like.

The better compressors are the belt-driven, oil-lubricated ones. These are also the costliest but last the longest by far. These days the direct drive oil-less type are far more common, and much less expensive. They also take less regular maintenance and can be used at any angle. As such, these style of compressors come in several small shop-friendly form factors which allow them to sit either vertically and horizontally and take less space but will still be easy to transport.

Stores such as Sears sell lots of varying styles of compressors. Given your requirements, anything nameplate rated at 2-4 horsepower (for a 'real rating for 1-1.5) with a tank size around 12-20 gallons would work nicely. It depends on how much you use the unit if you need a 'heavy duty' type. For most weekend hobbyist use, the direct drive will be the best bet. If you plan on using the thing more often, consider an belt-drive oil-lubricated unit. If you are like me, with paint guns, big grinders, sandblasting units, a big glass bead blast cabinet, etc, you will need a dedicated, true 5-7.5 horsepower compressor and it's requisite 40 amp 240 volt branch curcuit and plumbing. It will last you for 30 years or better with proper maintenance.

 

Just a note on portable compressors,don't use an extension cord to get close to the work area,use more hose,the motors won't last long if you use an extension cord.Hose is cheaper than heavy amp"contractor"cords

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll go stop in at Sears and Home Depot this weekend and see what they've got.

Cheers,

Paul

 

As a dentist, my life runs on compressed air, so I have some experience. Air compressors have two basic qualities, air pressure and air flow. Don't confuse them. You can get lots of small air compressors at Home Depot or Sears that have two small air tanks, and are really meant to run pneumatic nailers. Construction crews and carpenters use pneumatic nailers to frame houses and do roofing. They need hgh pressure, but not a large air flow, since they work on "puffs" of pressure driving nails.

A lug not wrench, or "impact wrench," requires large amounts of air flow, as do most pneumatic tools. In my garage I have a pneumatic socket wrench, lug nut wrench, grease gun, polisher, sander, paint sprayer, die grinder, and right angle drill. All require moderate air pressure, but large air flow. If you wish to have the impact wrench really work, you will need a tank of sufficient size to run it. Both places you are going sell pneumatic tools as well as compressors. Look at the kind of tool you want to run, and the package should tell you how big a tank you will need. Almost any compressor will give you high pressure. I bought a little battery powered compressor for the run-flats on the Mini and it says it will produce 120 PSI! But nowhere near enough air flow to power even a dental drill. If space is a premium, some models offer upright tanks with the motor on top. Uses very little floor space.


One word of caution. Having a decent air compressor at home can become addictive. Being able to actually check and inflate your car tires, blow up ***** and air mattresses - paint things. You get spoiled. And the first time you remove those lug nuts - very nice.

 

An air compressor that puts out 8 cfm at 90 psi will do a good job of running most air tools the DIYer will use. You will start to need a compressor with more output than 8 cfm if you use a sander or die grinder. My first compressor was a 5hp single stage Sears oil cooled with 30 gal tank. I used the heck out of it for 10 years and then sold it for what I paid originally. I stepped up to a 5 hp two stage compressor with 80 gal tank for two reasons. I had the space for a larger compressor and I tend to use tools that need more air to run. An extra benefit is the larger compressor is quieter and runs cooler. I would stay away from the oil-less compressor as they are louder and won't stand up to much use. As Joe said, once you get your compressor you will find many uses for it. Have fun.:smile:

 

I've looked considerably for a battery powered 1/2" impact wrench I recently found it at Harbor Freight. It's a Chicago (by way of Peking) model rated at I think 19.2 volts. It comes in a plastic carry case with a home recharger. I have used it for multiple tire changes over two and three day track events. This and a 37 pound aluminum jack have made tire, brake pad and rotor changes very easy. www.harborfreight.com.

 

paulmon,
I believe Grearbear gave you some good advise, and I agree with it. Also, get on the web and do some leg work on your on, read a lot, make a decision based on your own research. :smile:
Charles

 

I have been, searching google like mad. The forums are just one point of my quest.

Cheers,

Paul

 

Personally, I would shop for one that is as quiet as possible.

 

I forgot to mention that when it comes to garage appliances like this, stick with name brands. Sears is great because they will stock and sell parts practically forever. A good name brand like Ingersoll Rand, or Milwaukee, or Black and Decker or the equivalent will also probably be around in 10 years. I would steer clear of "bargain" brands like Chicago Tool or the like. These are cheap imports rebadged for U.S. use, and the models change so often that tracking down parts in a few years may be impossible.

 

Check out our garage section. We have a selection of Air Compressor, tools, and remote tanks for tire filling in our garage section.

http://www.piloracing.com/shop/products.php?cat=14

We try to give the best price that we can on all products.

 

Home Depot is running a pretty good sale right now on a Husky 30 gallon oil-less compressor with all of the basic tools (hose, oil, impact wrench, ratchet, air hammer, 2 paint sprayers). $299


Good basic shopping how-to's at www.aircompressorsdirect.com.

 

Stay away from the "oil less" compressors. They are EXTREMELY loud. Also, try to get one that puts out at least 10 SCFM @ 90 psi.


Rawhyde

 

What??? how is an electrical extension cord going to affect the motor at all (assuming its in good condition and properly rated for your load).

 

I have a 120V "5.5hp" oilless compressor w/ 30 gallon tank and if I had to do it again i'd get a 240V oiled compressor. Mine just doesn't have enough oomph to power impacts and angle grinders.

 

I will more than likely get the following unit from sears:
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...ab=spe#tablink

All I want to do is inflate tires and use a 3/8" impact wrench to remove wheels etc.

I have limited floor space but high ceilings are there any problems mounting the unit high up on the garage wall?

 

I currently have an oil-less compressor and there's no way I'd ever buy another. It's so noisy that it's unbearable inside the shop and I hate to tote it outside to run it out of consideration for the neighbors. Don't get me wrong; air tools are wonderful things and I love having them. But no more noisy oil-less compressors for me!

 

How much more quite are the models that use oil? I just can't see spending that much money on something I won't use much.

 

Check Lowes/Home Depot/Harbor Freight for Campbell Hausfeld/Husky oiled compressors. If they are more, it isn't by much, and you'll be happier in the long run.

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS...prod_id=167501

http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=prod...60-1126-WL6117

You can save -alot- of money on the tools if you buy from Harbor Freight when they are on sale. Their sale prices are typically about 1/2 of their regular prices. All their cheap air tools are fine for occasional use except their cheapo impact guns. I'd bought one of those and ahd to return it for a real one. It didn't come close to breaking lug nuts.

I got a 60 gallon vertical CH compresser on sale at Harbor Freight for $397. I'm glad I got the big one - they aren't kidding when they say buy the biggest compressort you can.

 

Don't kid yourself, there are 1 million+ uses you will find for a compressor once you get it

The only problem with a wall mount is that they are heavy and vibrate alot. It better be a solid mount.

Can you stuff it out of the way somewhere and hook one of these up to it:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46104

They go on sale for $40 from time to time.

 

Go to Princess Auto and look at their vertical compressors. They cost ~$500 CDN and will handle almost every need. An impact gun uses a lot of air and these units will handle it. I have a twin cylinder setup with aluminum heads and a cast iron body. It uses a 80 gallon tank. The only mod I added was a contact heater on the cast iron block to preheat the oil on cold mornings.

 

Not an upright but quiet... MSRP is 450.


The VS6231, 4.5 Peak HP Oil-Lubricated, Belt-Drive compressor has a cast iron, single cylinder pump for extreme durability. The 20 Gallon horizontal tank delivers 6.4/5.6 SCFM @ 40/90 PSI and the low RPM pump promotes long life and quiet operation. The VS6231 has a maximum pressure of 125 PSI.

http://www.piloracing.com/shop/prodd...GALCOMP&cat=14

 

I work for Ingersoll-Rand, but I work for the heavy machinery side of it, but we do get shop compressors that come if for sale time to time and we do have some nice vertical tank compressor's. Infact a fellow employee has one that i was about to buy but never did. But it also depend's on what your really looking for as far as size power and what kind of voltage it runs on.Ive never heard anybody complain about them and never really hear anything ever goin bad on them. But anyways thats jus my .02 Good luck on choosing one .

 

I recently purchased this one from Sears: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...ab=spe#tablink

It's a 25 gallon, 6HP oiled, belt-driven compressor delivering 8.6/6.8 SCFM at 40/90 PSI (150 PSI max). At $399 for that amount of airflow in an oiled compressor, I simply could not find a better deal. It's quiet (being oiled and belt driven), decently portable (has semi-pneumatic tires instead of the cheapy solid plastic wheels), and has worked wonderfully for my recent installs of springs, camber plates, control bars, header, exhaust, brakes, and wheels.

With the good price on the compressor, I splurged a little bit on the air tools themselves (considering they're what takes a beating), buying a higher quality impact gun and ratchet wrench (both the "Professional" version of more inexpensive Craftsman products). Next up are a couple of inline oiler couplings to help keep the tools in good condition in the long run.

So far, I've been very pleased with the combination, and would purchase the same setup again if the need arose.