Advice re A Choice Between Two Compressors

[Howard Rosenberg]

Hi all -

My HVLP gun needs 8.6 CFM @ 40 PSI.

I'd like to choose between the following two compressors.

#1 -
- single-stage
- oil lubed
- 135 PSI
- 25-gallon tank
- 8.6 CFM @ 40 PSI
- 78 db

#2 -
- two-stage
- non-oil lubed
- 175 PSI
- 25-gallon tank
- 5.6 CFM @ 40 PSI
- 82 db

My projects are mostly bookcases & cabinets - on average two to three feet by four to five feet.

I'm told by the store owner who is very knowledgeable, extends great customer service and who I trust that he sells #2 with my gun to furniture finishers with no problems.

Would someone be willing to advise me which is my better choice?

Thank you.
Howard

[roy knapp]

If your gun HVLP gun requires 8.6 cfm @ 40psi, why would consider a compressor that only puts out 5.6 cfm @ 40 psi :confused:

The no. 1 compressor is oil-lubed and mechanically it should out last the non-oil lube 5.6 cfm compressor.
Go with no. 1:)

[Howard Rosenberg]

the 175 PSI in the second choice allows more time between kicking in....

[Randy Meijer]

If your gun HVLP gun requires 8.6 cfm @ 40psi, why would consider a compressor that only puts out 5.6 cfm @ 40 psi :confused:

I was wondering the same thing??

[Bill Neely]

I was wondering the same thing??

Since most times the gun isn't spraying continually you can probably get away with using the smaller comressor. However if I had a choice, and could afford it, I would go with the bigger compressor.

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

If your gun HVLP gun requires 8.6 cfm @ 40psi, why would consider a compressor that only puts out 5.6 cfm @ 40 psi :confused:



Because the guy sells #2 to other folks with the same gun and they do just fine. I think stated air requirements are as much a CYA for the manufacturer as they are anything else...and I look at 'em the same way folks look at 'horsepower' ratings. Maybe they're right, maybe they're not.

KC

[Norman Hitt]

If you enjoy Loud Noise, Lots of Cycling on and off, and shorter compressor life, buy the #2.

I would suggest having your dealer plug in both units, (one at a time) and listen to them, remembering that if they are in a large room at the store, they will both be much louder in your smaller shop at home.

Everyone to their own, but having owned/used many compressors over the years, I still can't get used to how noisy even the little oil-less pancake compressor for the nail guns is, and it seems to run forever when it cycles on. I have been known to set it outside the shop and close the door except for the space for the air hose to go through to cut down on the noise. I have used other larger oil-less compressors (in other folks shops), and I can say for sure that there will never be one in MY shop. The CFM ratings may not be 100% correct for all conditions, but they are much closer to correct than the highly misused elec mtr HP ratings, and are definitely a good comparison figure.

With only a 25 gal tank, the 5.6 CFM @ 40 psi compressor will Definitely cycle often and Will Not catch up as long as you are spraying. Your Spraying can be done with either compressor, but you probably will have to stop spraying and let the compressor catch up with #2, and this MAY affect your finish, depending on what finish you are using And the size of the project.

[Dale Rodabaugh]

I would go with the oil lubed compressor,but go up the scale a little to get the cfm you need.The oiless units are very noisy and they dont seem to last very long.

[Bill Arnold]

the 175 PSI in the second choice allows more time between kicking in....Which seems immaterial to me if your #2 compressor can't even support the maximum flow rate of the gun. Whether you trust the guy at the store or not, apply some logic to the situation. Your gun requires 8.6cfm. If the compressor can't supply air at that rate, how can you get peak performance?

[Rob Russell]

If I had to guess, he sells the #2 compressor because the furniture finishers don't have to worry about any maintenance. There's no oil to change.

FYI, with #2, you're paying to compress air to a pressure tht you'll never use. The really key statistic is to look at the CFM the compressor can maintain. Once the tank is empty - that's the important metric.

I'd go with #1.

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Howard,

I would not even go with number one. I would try to find a larger compressor. The compressor I have is rated for more 2 cfm than my plasma arc uses and it still does not keep up.

If you are goint to be seling stuff some paint manufacturesr will not warranty finishes done with an oilless compresser.

[Jeff A. Smith]

At what distance is the db measurement taken for each one? I wouldn't go oil-free. They're WAY noisier. He may sell more because of some other reason... maybe they're cheaper... maybe he makes more on them... maybe the oil-lubed compressor one is out of stock a lot.

I've had both, and when my Speedaire oil-lubed goes out, I'll get another one just like it if possible.

Lotsa Luck!

Jeff Smith
Athens, AL

[Jerry Olexa]

Go w the bigger one. In a pinch, it can back up the other. CFM is the key and the more you can get within your other parameters would be my choice.

[Jim Andrew]

I have a MakAir oil lubed contractors air compressor, and I changed the oil in it
the other day and it was not even dirty. I have another job site compressor,
smaller, and the oil is really dirty, needs to be changed every couple months.
There is a load of difference in the quality of air compressors. Had an oil less
compressor once, it lasted very shortly. Jim

[Kelly C. Hanna]

After buying two oiless compressors, I have owned my last one...buy the #1 compressor and you won't go deaf!~

[Jerry Bittner]

One other factor to take into acount is that compressors with an oil sump are much, much quieter that the so-called airless.

[Ed Blough]

Everyone commented about noise. I had an old (30 years +) Sears oil filled 20 gallon tank compressor that was stolen. I bought what I thought was an exact replacement. Cambell Hausfeld oiled filled 22 gal compressor. The first time it start up when I wasn't expecting it I jumped across the garage. It was easily 10 times as loud as my old Sears. I took it back. I then started my search for a replacement compressor. I nearly bought a two stage oilless which was by far the quietest compressor I found. I did many side by side comparisons. However I bought a Porter Cable 3151. I don't know if it is quieter than the Cambell Hausfeld or not but the pitch and tone of it is far more desirable to me.

As for durability I talked to Porter Cable service. They said they repair more oiled compressors mainly because they were neglected. They recommended oiless to me.
Further I have a buddy that has a diving houka ( a gas powered compressor for shallow diving). It is a Briggs Straton engine an oilless compressor and truck inner tube and two thirty foot hoses with regulators. The rig floats behind you as you dive. He runs it day in a day out in very salt laden conditions just putting gas in the engine when it runs out. Cleaning boat hulls he runs it 2-3 hours straight 8 to 12 hours a day. You know what the BS bought the farm before the compressor. I don't know any compressor that works that hard.

[lloyd morris]

Go with # 1. No question about it IMHO. You obviously need the CFP. Also, having just gone through my first compressor (a Sears Professional Grade oiless in just 2 years) I recently purchased a 25 gal Sears Professional Grade oil lubed model.

The difference in noise is significant and while they were rated almost the same the oil lubed compressor seems to cycle on and off less. The noise was so bad with the oiless that I wore ear plugs and ear muffs when it was running. Hope this helps.

lloyd