Air Compressor Opinions Wanted

[weasel_master]

Here is what I saw today that I am thinking about buying on my way home: Husky 26 Gallon Vertical Air Compressor Quiet Series Including 6 Tools

I can't remember for the life of me what the specs were on it though. It was less than 9cfpm @90psi which is what the off the shelf blasting gun is I was going to buy as well. I want to say around 5 or 6 cfpm but not sure. Just looking to see if it's a decent brand or if I should hold out and save more. Price was $289.

775

[weasel_master]

Also, looking at media. All I could find around where I'm staying the night is 80 grit glass beads or garnet. I remember most people saying to stay away from glass beads as it isn't nearly as aggresive as Aluminum Oxide. Is garnet good or should I just search around for AlOx?

[Geilt]

From what I've heard the Husky's a middle of the road brand. Some are better, some are worse. You get what you pay for with compressors. What are you looking to use it for?

[weasel_master]

Mostly just sandblasting work.

[Arizona Ranger]

For sand blasting I would get the most cfm you can afford. I have a compressor that produces the recommended cfm for my blast cabinet and I can only blast with good results for about 2 minutes, then have to wait for the compressor to catch up. Believe me it's very frustrating. As far as husky compressors go they are good enough for home and light shop use. If you were running a production shop with 5 or more people using the compressor all day long you may want a bit more quality. Most compressors today are made in china anyhow. Even the normally US brands like Ingersoll Rand. Stay away from oil less and combo compressor head and motor units. If your compressor head or motor fails on this type you cannot just replace one part, the whole unit has to be replaced.

It is worth it in the long run to get a larger compressor than you think you will need.

[cimmaronkid]

+1 for Arizona Ranger. Get the biggest out there you can afford and you will be a lot happier. Check out Harbor Freight as they have sales all the time and buy the extended warranty.

[weasel_master]

Is something like this worth picking up from harbor freight? I just figured it was pretty low quality from there. I've got a 20% coupon so I could save some cash there. I just figured I'd try Home Depot since I have some gift cards there. Is it pretty vital to stay away from oil less?

[okie shooter]

Weasel master, I imagine husky is made by the same folks that make Harbor freights. The problem you face is that the oil less compresors are not rebuildable at all, when they fail they fail(or alteast I havent heard of too many folks doing that, you useally toss them). If you get a little more money into one, but they are maybe larger(like five hp, sams has a five horse 27 gal. but oiled) most are rebuildable, oil lubricated, belt driven aircompressors. That said you need portablity at this time. As for oil less, you can get colesessing filters and such to clean the air up for painting and sandblasting. Industrial shops use crankcase type of compresors just with good clean up of the air before use. Any compressor needs filters to pretreat air for use in painting even oil less ones.(moisture is as much an ememy in many uses of air as oil is to paint)

P.S. Husky is just home depots brand of air powered stuff, thus like harbor freight and others they just spec it out to a manufacturer and it gets made with their name on it.

On media, garnet I beleive will break down quicker than aluminum oxide and others but I can cut into a 2" plate of steel using water and garnet, It takes 50000psi of pump to do that but its kinda of a kick ass machine with three axis control gantry with cnc control.

[weasel_master]

Alright. I'll have to do some more research. It looks like I'll stay away from the oilless. Thanks for the help.

[okie shooter]

Weasel master, on that husky kit, you got a 175-200 dollar compressor and another hundred in tools approximately. I think Cambell hasfield has a kit like that too. wally had them for a little less.

[weasel_master]

I passed on it for now. I've got to do some more reading on this stuff. I stopped by Harbor Freight on my way through WI yesterday and checked some out. They had a 2hp 8 gallon for $89 but I held off. I want to look around some more before I impulse buy something I won't be happy with.

[okie shooter]

I passed on it for now. I've got to do some more reading on this stuff. I stopped by Harbor Freight on my way through WI yesterday and checked some out. They had a 2hp 8 gallon for $89 but I held off. I want to look around some more before I impulse buy something I won't be happy with.

Thats not a bad deal for one to use around the house and air up tires and things like that. Just not enought guts to get much heaver into either tools or sand blasting.

A friend of mine does body work both for a living and on the side at home. He did the same thing you are doing, lots of research on what he needed and wanted to power the air tools he intended on useing. He finally settled on a eighty gallon, five hp compressor, he used it for twenty years, rebuilt it once, and is still useing the orginal air tank as a second receiver for his new compressor. One thing for higher quality would be get an asme rated tank but that might be outside of your price range and most smaller home units dont come with that as an option. The rated tank is welded by only cerified welders and in some places are the only air tanks that can be sold.

[GreenWolf]

I did some research on this over the winter, and the recurring theme was, "I got a 26-gallon compressor. It sort of does the job, but I wish I would have bought a larger compressor." I even had a thread on at CetmeRifles, if anyone remembers.

My advise - buy one compressor. Don't buy one, regret it, and buy another one later. You can sell off a larger compressor at a reduced price easier than yet another "discovered that I needed more" small compressor. This is a decision you want to make "one time."

I put a Campbell Hausfeld 60-gallon compressor (http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=1&paID=1010&sonID=469&page=1&productID=17628) on 3-month layaway at Tractor Supply last month. The price was $399 minus a 10% discount. The compressor is manufactured in Ohio, not China, which was a big plus for me.

[weasel_master]

I would love to get a big one but being in college and living in an apartment, my options are limited. Looking for a portable, yet decent capacity compressor has been a challenge. I'll be done with school this December, so maybe holding out until then isn't so bad. I just would need to find someone around here to blast or let me blast my stuff then.

[drhall762]

I use nothing but AlOx these days. I like it. As for the compressor, I had one of the oil less jobs. When it no longer worked I scrapped it. Now I have a twin piston compressor with a seperate 220V motor. It puts out enough that I don't have to stop and wait when I'm working on something in the cabinet.

Dave :sniper:

[8675309]

Listen to these guys! I had a couple small compressors when I first started working on cars, the oil free type. I got frustrated even using tools. Your best bet with a blaster cabinet is a two stage compressor, and the ones at Harbor Freight are fine. Harbor freight has crap tools, they are also $9.99. I have bought a lot of cheapo stuff from them, and have also bought some decent machining tools. I have a co-worker that bought a mill/lathe from them 2 years ago, uses it frequently, and has had no issues. I bought my compresser from them 4 years ago, not an issue yet. I have two other friends that have bought the big compressors there as well, they have been golden as well. One of them has had his for almost 7 years without issue. MAKE SURE YOU KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR OIL no matter where you buy! Get a water separator, I like my auto-bleed-off valve as well.

When you buy your tools, don't go with crap tools. You will be sorry that you did. I promise. It's worth the extra money spent.

[Big Steve]

Home Depot here has a nice one for 399. It's one of those V twin style compressors. I don't know the CFM but it is 5 hp. If you are going to blast I would not go any smaller.
Steve

[Perro]

i blast with a 25 gallon sears craftsman oiless. I only use it for sandblasting, and nothing more.

i wont lie to you, it runs out of gas after 1 minute or so and you have to wait and let it catch up like everyone else says, but i find it helps let the dust settle inside the cabinet during that time, and makes it easier to see through the cabinet next time i pull the trigger (and i have a shop vac hooked up to the cabinets)

it will work - i wanted a small portable too when i bought mine. It will work for what you want to do, but you will be constantly sitting and waiting for the tank to fill back up. You have to decide if you can get away with blasting for about a minute straight, and then stopping for about a minute and a half while it fils back up and saving some money, plus space on the small compressor, or spending alot of money, taking up alot of space, and being able to blast continuosly. When i made the decision to buy mine, i fealt i could afford to wait to fill the tank back up - im not a production shop that needs it to run non stop - and i only use it once in a while when i want to refinish something. YMMV

you will also most likely need a 220 volt plug installed to run a big one - living in an apartment might SERIOUSLY limit you on that

As far as what happens when it breaks?? Well, i have plans to turn mine into a spare storage tank for air inline with a new compressor increasing my volume of air stored.

[8675309]

LOL, I turned my oil free into extra storage when I went up to the 40 gallon tank. Turned my capacity to 60 with an extra hose!