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Help buying an air compressor

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knave:
I think that Harbor Freight is a pretty good place to get a compressor. That said, I picked up a craftsman 6hp large upright compressor a few years ago and I love it. It's not really portable though. (other than wheeling it aroud if needed.)

Since that's a factor for you I've used pancake style compressors for painting and they do a good job of flowing enough air for the sprayer. Go with one of those.

atomikbohm:
Strangely enough, I had a similar conversation with a good friend who did some sand blasting every now and again.  He told me the key factors he looks for is a slow RPM motor that allows you to grease / lubricate more than just the air tank.  He explained that the higher the RPMs the shorter the life of the motor.  (Rule of thumb: When the compressor is running, if you have to shout to your buddy next to you don't get it)

I guess the quieter ones are usually more $$$ though so... If you want to hand this down to your kids in 10 years, get a slow motor what can sustain your required air needs.  If you are looking for something to get you buy for the time being get a less expensive one with some good hearing protection.

Good luck.

ahofle:
Thanks for all the feedback.  I was looking at this model:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xhf/R-100497925/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
but after the harbor freight recommendation, I found this one for less than a third of the price:
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/oil-compressors/1-3-4-quarter-hp-4-gallon-115-psi-pancake-compressor-38898.html

Could those ratings be right?  It's 4.2 SCFM vs 5.2 for the DeWalt -- do you think the harbor freight model will be able to power a sprayer or impact wrench?
At $99, I can't imagine being really disappointed at any rate.

ahofle:
 ;D 
Thanks for that by the way.

SavannahLion:
I would like to put my two cents in:

Many years ago, I purchased a pancake style air compressor for my father as a gift. It was cheap and it came with two nail guns. IIRC, it was made by Home Depot's internal brand. He had it for about three or four years unopened in the box until I discovered it after his death and took it back.

The nut is that I don't know if it was due to being stored unused for so long but this type of pancake compressor downright sucks. No matter how long I run the thing, the compressor tank never fills beyond a certain PSI. After a lot of research at the time I learned that there are two significant types of compressors on the market. Oil-less (what this pancake compressor is) and oiled (what professional level compressors are I guess). The key difference between the two is how the compressor fills the tank thus requiring or not requiring a bulb of oil. I found accounts of how repair shops have piles of useless pancake compressors destined for the scrap yard and I believe it.

I don't know if atomikbohm's comment about slower motors is indirectly related to the oil-less/oiled compressors. I think I can recall that one of the indicators (besides the obvious such as the ad presented by PBJ above) is a loud vs quiet motor.

TBH, it runs contrary to my nature to buy a tool knowing that it's a piece of crap and is bound to fail long before I can ever hand it down to my own children. However, on the other hand, I do have many of my dad's older tools. While I do know how to use them, I tend to refrain from doing so and keep them in storage. eg, my father built his table saw from the gutted remains of a discarded table saw, angle iron and three door knobs. Starting the ---smurf--- up actually makes the motor growl and dims the lights.  When the saw reaches full speed, it screams like some freaky sci-fi creature from hell. It has no guard whatsoever and has no problems chewing through wood and fingers with equal vigor. I've witnessed kick backs send wood sailing through windows, impaling lumber into a wall and shatter bone. I wouldn't dare teach any of my kids on such a intimidating machine. I would much rather teach them proper table saw practice on a much smaller (translation: much less intimidating) table saw like my fiance's, which is considerably cheaper and will likely require replacement within a few years.

In short, I'm saying basically the same thing as atomikbohm, but for a different reason. Does it make sense to spend  :censored: loads of money for something that either A) may not be considered safe by the time your kids get their hands on it or B) that standards have changed so much that parts are impossible to find or the actual techniques have changed? Your kids are going to end up buying their own tools anyways. I have two compressors rotting in the mountains because it's nearly impossible to get hoses for them and their output is so insane that it's virtually uncontrollable.

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