Looking to upgrade air compressor, suggestions and advice?

[Keith Downing]

Finally going to toss my little 5 gallon, 15 year old air compressor to the curb and get a more versatile replacement.

I've got space in my shop for a bigger unit and I've budgeted roughly $500 for a new unit.

What would you guys recommend for use with air guns/nailers, paint and finish sprayers, and also I have just invested in a 60w Chinese laser so I've heard that a quality compressor can be used as the air assist on that as well.

Compared to everyone else on here I'm still relatively new at all this. So any advice and obvious points to consider would be much appreciated.

[Jim Finn]

I have a 30 gallon Husky and like it. I do not like oil-less compressors because they are way too loud.

[Paul F Franklin]

Are you going to plumb it in or does it need to be portable?

[Keith Downing]

Jim, what is the maintenance like on the non oil-less compressors?

Paul, I don't think it would need to be portable. I will still have a small pancake portable compressor for small odd jobs with the nailers.

[Brian Lamb]

Back at Christmas I picked up a California Air Tools compressor, 2hp, 10 gallon and it does a pretty good job of keeping up with my stuff. I do have a 5hp 80 gallon Ingersoll for the higher air demands, but I've been pleasantly surprised how well this unit is doing.... and it does it at about 75db, and they were on sale at Xmas for $265. They are a little higher now:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/California-Air-Tools-10-Gal-2-HP-Ultra-Quiet-and-Oil-Free-Air-Compressor-10020/203245210

[Scott T Smith]

Back at Christmas I picked up a California Air Tools compressor, 2hp, 10 gallon and it does a pretty good job of keeping up with my stuff. I do have a 5hp 80 gallon Ingersoll for the higher air demands, but I've been pleasantly surprised how well this unit is doing.... and it does it at about 75db, and they were on sale at Xmas for $265. They are a little higher now:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/California-Air-Tools-10-Gal-2-HP-Ultra-Quiet-and-Oil-Free-Air-Compressor-10020/203245210

Ditto the positive comments for the California Air Tools compressor. Very quiet and a great reputation. I've been very pleased with mine.

[Keith Downing]

I guess what I should maybe have asked as well is, what is the tradeoff between hp and size? The California Air Tools 2hp, 10 gallon has great reviews and is in my price range. But going from 5 (or it may have actually been 6) gallon to 10 gallon seems like a very small upgrade. Is the extra horsepower going to make it a considerably better tool?

Other than a pricetag of less than $600, my only requirement is that it does need to be 120v power. And I'd prefer not to have to upgrade again anytime soon.

[Dave Zellers]

I would look at Rolair while you are exploring.

Similar tech as California Air.

[Doug Garson]

Not an expert on compressors but I would suggest you start by working out the maximum pressure and cfm you need for your biggest consumer or combination of consumers and typical durations. The tank is just a buffer between compressor output and tool consumption. Take a look at the linked website.

http://www.ingersollrandproducts.com/am-en/solutions/garage-solutions/maximum-impact-enewsletter/tool-tips/tool-tip-choosing-the-right-air-compressor-consider-power-and-storage-needs

[kevin nee]

Last night I purchased a 5 hp 26 gal with 11CFM @ 90psi on craigslist for $125 a similar compressor quit on Sunday this came up while I was doing research on a new pump which is $200. I may still repair the other one as I use air every day. I have been using a pancake compressor for the last couple of days. Noisy (scares the dog) and runs constantly.
Good luck with your decision

[Jerome Stanek]

If you are planning on using it for air assist on your laser you will want the biggest tank you can get. Other wise the compressor will be starting a lot and that is hard on them

[Keith Downing]

Seems I'm coming up with more questions than answers the more I read and research.

If I'm stuck with a 120v power outlet to run off of, is the max about 2 hp for the motor? That seems to be what I'm finding. And most of those tanks don't seem to go over 20gallons.

I actually do have a 220v outlet in the shop, but it means I would have to constantly be switching out my table saw and my air compressor. Although those are 2 things I never run at the same time, it still seems like an unnecessary hassle.

[Myk Rian]

Keep the small one. You'll find uses for it.

[Randy Viellenave]

Wouldn't be too hard to put a switch inline with the outlet so you just have to operate a switch versus unplug-plug every time.

[Keith Downing]

That's a good point, I'll have to research that a bit if that looks like something I'll need.

At this point I've inquired about a used 3 hp, 60 gallon Ingersoll Rand (asking $400).

If that doesn't pan out I'll probably be going with a new 20-24 gallon 2 hp from whomever i can find the best deal. It just seems silly to do anything less than 20 gallon if I have the space and budget, and while I'd like a 3-4 hp, I'm hoping the 2 hp with the bigger tank will do the job for me.

[Charles P. Wright]

This one is 33 gallons on 120V. I bought it about a year ago and have been fairly happy with it. My air biggest use was spraying paint.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-33-gal-Quiet-Portable-Electric-Air-Compressor-C331H/203995169

[Keith Downing]

Charles, what has your experience been with the husky?

Ironically that is the very first unit I looked at when I started considering the upgrade. However, I hadn't seen any positive reviews for this brand on the boards, and as such had kind of just dismissed it as a discount brand.

[Mike Jaureguy]

You might consider a "T" electrical connection at the plug to avoid the switch-out you seem to object to. Also, no matter which compressor/tank you upgrade to, you could plumb the old tank onto the new one to gain a "free" extra 5-6 storage gallons. This would also reduce the number of start cycles on the new unit. Especially if you are planning to consign the old one to the curb give-away. For me, if at all practical, I would go with the bigger and quieter oil units. I don't think there is such a thing as too much air. Regards, Mike

[Jim Andrew]

I have a Puma that has served me very well. Would get an upright this time, as they have more clearance under the tank, so you could rig up a better drain for the tank. The drain on mine is very close to the floor with the horizontal tank.

[Keith Downing]

Thanks everyone for the input.

I've gone in so many circles I think I'm possibly more confused than when I began.

I'm currently very close to pulling the trigger on the a Rolair 24 gallon which apparently just upgraded this model to a 2.5 hp motor.
Here are the specs: http://www.toolnut.com/Rolair_FC250090l_2_5_HP_24_Gallon_Compressor_p/fc250090l.htm

My question is, how do I know if this will be adequate to power a hvlp gun which requires 10-14 cfm @ roughly 25 psi? I see this is only rated for 5.4 cfm @ 90 psi. But how does that convert? I've searched and no one seems to have a straight answer.

Oh, and also, the difference between displaced air and delivered air in cfm??? Which is the measurement an air sprayer needs?

[Charles P. Wright]

Charles, what has your experience been with the husky?

Ironically that is the very first unit I looked at when I started considering the upgrade. However, I hadn't seen any positive reviews for this brand on the boards, and as such had kind of just dismissed it as a discount brand.
So the Husky brand is Home Depot's store brand; and can vary in quality. It's actually a USA assembled Campbell Hausfeld. I am happy with it, but don't use it incredibly heavily. Mainly just nail guns and a little bit of spraying oil-based paint with an inexpensive HVLP gun. It was able to keep up for the smallish pieces (a toy box/dresser) that I've done without running overly much; and the tank was a big enough buffer. If you're going to need the 10-14 cfm; then this is probably not the one for you. It's only 6.8 CFM at 40psi. Good luck with your choice.

[Jerome Stanek]

I had a Husky that was just out of warranty that went belly up Looked at replacing the bad parts but was cheaper to pitch it. I did save some items from it before I scraped the rest.