How to choose a my first air compressor?

[Chris Lukowski]

I'm having a hard time settling on what kind of air compressor I should buy and am hoping you can help me out. I am currently between a pancake style compressor, a hot dog style compressor, or a larger vertical tank. I have a small basement workshop so the space is a concern, albeit more from a footprint standpoint than overall size. The next concern is cost. I really want to keep the total tag at $250 or less if possible.

As for what I intend to do with it, apart from blowing air to clean off workbenches and tools, I want to run brad/trim nailers off of it so it has to be portable enough to take up two flights of stairs on rare occasions, although I don't intend on leaving the house with it (I have a small tire inflator so that won't be a feature I need). I do want the ability to also run a framing nailer when I do some finish work on my basement, but that's a one time gig and intermittent performance will be more than acceptable. I'm not sure yet whether I'll use it for light-duty paint or finish spraying (especially since space is tight with a ~10x10 work area), but I want to keep the option open for small projects in the future. Finally, I want an oil-free model.

That being said, what brands, styles, and specs should I be looking for? Thanks!

[Grant Wilkinson]

I went from a very noisy Porter Cable pancake to a very quiet Rolair JC10, and I love it. However, I don't use it for spraying or sanding. Both take more air than my small unit will handle. It's great for nailing, though, and very portable. They have bigger units, of course, that will handle spraying, etc.

[cody michael]

I have a cheap little craftsman hot dog style, it is light enough I can carry it. I have ran my framing nailer no issue. It issues loud, but when I use air nailer I use ear protection. It was on sale for under 100$

[Robert Engel]

Chris,

Having used a pancake quite a pit:

Pros: very portable, it will run a framing nailer, good for everyday shop use.

Cons: low CFM/tank capacity = not suitable for air tools or painting, very noisy.

I would suggest a 1-2HP portable compressor with a 20-30 gal tank. This will be portable enough to lug up the stairs for those occasional projects (keep in mind 150' of air hose can be gotten pretty), you will have some capacity to future use of air tools, last but not least, much quieter/less run time.

If I were going to get into spraying finish, I would get an HVLP unit rather than use a compressor.

BTW for small trim projects I get by with a portable air tank. I just used the tank off an old worn out compressor and put a couple fittings with gauges. I recently trimmed out a small room and was surprised how long a tankful ran the brad nailer.

[Jack Lemley]

I went from a Rigid NOISY 2.5 horse to a MAC2400 Makita QUITE compressor and love it!!!! Plenty of air for my uses and I can carry on a conversation next to the compressor with it running. Won't get it for $250 but you will never regret coming up with the extra dough.

Jack

[Robin Frierson]

I just needed something to blow out my cylone filters and run a brad nailer so got one of those little California air compressors because they are super quiet and cheap. I put it up on a shelf out of the way and it works fine and cost less than 150$;

http://www.californiaairtools.com/

[Jim Tobias]

Our uses/needs sound similar. My older Campbell-Hausfield dies a few months ago. I bought this and love it.......plenty of air power and extremely quiet. They sell smaller models .
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0188XBTLY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Jim

[Jim Tobias]

Our uses/needs sound similar. My older Campbell-Hausfield dies a few months ago. I bought this and love it.......plenty of air power and extremely quiet. They sell smaller models .
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0188XBTLY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Jim

[Rich Engelhardt]

While I have an Ingersoll Rand 2.5HP "twin hot dog", that rocks the house & has all sorts of delivery - the thing is noisy and it takes oil.

I chose it over the much quieter (but still oil using) Makita line because the IR gas a 100% duty cycle and the Makita, only 50%.

Were I in the market today for such size compressor, I believe I would look long and hard at the California Air line.

[Ernie Miller]

Our uses/needs sound similar. My older Campbell-Hausfield dies a few months ago. I bought this and love it.......plenty of air power and extremely quiet. They sell smaller models .
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0188XBTLY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Jim

I bought the same unit and I love it. Quiet and plenty strong enough for your needs.

[Van Huskey]

Get a California Air Tools 5510A, they are REALLY quiet, well under your budget, will be lighter with the aluminum tank (they make a steel tank version for a little less) can handle what you want to do and have a 5.5g tank . The key for these compressors is how ridiculously quiet they are. I think the AL tank version is about 35 pounds and for ~180 bucks shipped they are hard to beat.

[Bill Conerly]

For light usage in a small shop, think about where you'll put it. Mine is on a purpose-built shelf way up high and out of the way. Worth considering before purchase.

[Patrick Curry]

I went large with my first compressor. Originally used it for etching ('sand blasting') and needed the higher CFM and tank size. Bought it used off CL for approximately what you're willing to spend.

2nd compressor was a pancake that came with a 18 Brad nailer. 'Bostitch' brand.

I orefer the pancake setup. Smaller tank requires short start up run cycle. Much much quieter motor. And it's easy to move around.

The larger compressor is needed for spraying, but I wouldn't start it up for any other reason. Way too loud to bring into a basement BTW.

If if you decide pancake, get one if the combo kits that include 16, 18 and stapler. Nice to have.

[Gene Takae]

I also recommend California Air tools. I don't own one yet but if any of my current compressors crap out a CAT will replace it. Super quiet and fast refill.

[Dave Lehnert]

What makes the California Air Tools compressor better?
What makes them quiet vs other brands?

[Keith Westfall]

You guys are lucky..., in Canada.... :(

Shop for California Air Tools 5510A on Google (https://www.google.ca/search?q=California+Air+Tools+5510A&rlz=1C1GGGE_enCA565CA565&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjHj-Ka3-HRAhVLwGMKHY3hAgIQsxgIZw)



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(https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiUpOWa3-HRAhULgH4KHZkVBzYYABAB&ohost=www.google.ca&cid=CAASIuRoV0Wmx5JBQvwcKuovwBIMKDZWqiuzFicVvcsEtA 8QYGQ&sig=AOD64_0dGbn3fbU8ZaY9C8JbatxRN15MOw&ctype=5&q=&ved=0ahUKEwjHj-Ka3-HRAhVLwGMKHY3hAgIQ8w4IaQ&adurl=)

California Air Tools 1.0 HP 5.5 Gal Ultra Quiet Oil-Free Steel Tank Air Compressor (https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiUpOWa3-HRAhULgH4KHZkVBzYYABAB&ohost=www.google.ca&cid=CAASIuRoV0Wmx5JBQvwcKuovwBIMKDZWqiuzFicVvcsEtA 8QYGQ&sig=AOD64_0dGbn3fbU8ZaY9C8JbatxRN15MOw&ctype=5&q=&ved=0ahUKEwjHj-Ka3-HRAhVLwGMKHY3hAgIQ9A4Iag&adurl=)
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[Brian W Evans]

I'll second the suggestions to get a pancake kit that includes nailers/staplers. A compressor that will spray paint is a whole other ball game but a pancake will drive nailers all day. I used to have a Porter Cable pancake that came with two brad nailers, a stapler, and some accessories, very similar to this one (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Porter-Cable-6-Gal-Portable-Air-Compressor-16-Gauge-Nailer-18-Gauge-Brad-Nailer-Crown-Stapler-Combo-Kit-PCFP12234/203471431). The compressor developed a leak after several years and I decided to replace it with a much nicer portable Rolair. The nail guns still work great and I consider the original purchase to have been well worth the low price. That said, the PC compressor was extremely loud, and blowing air will cause it to cycle very frequently.

One other thing to keep in mind is to watch out for the amperage draw required by whatever compressor you buy. My Rolair draws almost 14 amps on startup, which will tax a residential 15 amp circuit if other things are running on it. My basement circuits are shared by fans, dehumidifiers, lights, etc. and this caused problems for me when doing trim down there. I don't think most pancake compressors will have this problem.

[Scott T Smith]

What makes the California Air Tools compressor better?
What makes them quiet vs other brands?

They are quieter because they have a design that operates at lower rpm's. I use several compressors here on the farm and use my CAT unit for portable work.

I would rate the Rolair and Makita models as higher quality, but IMO CAT has the best overall value for light duty or low cfm needs.

[John K Jordan]

Chris, I didn't have time to read all the responses but my experience: I have two pancake compressors, a horizontal 25 gal (all 110V) and an vertical 60gal 2-stage with a 5hp 220v motor. The 25 gal takes up the most floor space. The big one will keep up with all the air tools I have, even random orbital sanders.

I've seen some people mount compressors on a wall to save floor space in the shop. I keep the pancake compressors in other buildings but both are on (sturdy) shelves for that reason.

Any of them will run my nailers. For use around the farm, the pancake are the most useful since I can easily carry them anywhere. I use one with my framing nail gun for shed construction, barn siding, etc.

One thing, if you put a compressor in the basement shop and need to use it up two flights of stairs, instead of carrying the compressor you can just run a long air hose. I bought several 100 foot hoses which were inexpensive. When remodeling in the house I left the noisy compressor outside. We built a horse shelter 400 ft from the nearest power and instead of running long extension cords (bad for motors) i used a short cord and long hoses. Another advantage to this is the long hose effectively increases your tank size. It will take longer to fill but won't have to cycle as often.

JKJ

[Andrew Pitonyak]

They are quieter because they have a design that operates at lower rpm's. I use several compressors here on the farm and use my CAT unit for portable work.

I would rate the Rolair and Makita models as higher quality, but IMO CAT has the best overall value for light duty or low cfm needs.


http://www.californiaairtools.com/ultra-quiet-oil-free-air-compressors/

Larger pistons with slower RPMs. I can't help but wonder if the Teflon Cylinder Rings also helps with noise, but that seems like it would be a marginal sound improvement.

Lighter weight makes a big difference if you intend to haul this thing around. I purchased a "portable" unit (about 10 years back) that is in my garage. I can carry it, but not easily. Later, I purchased a lighter unit that sits in my basement. I am more likely to haul that one around when I need one. When the one in the garage fails, I will purchase one from California Tools.

[Patrick Walsh]

I also have been going back and forth on compressors. Im not going to purchase one right now but i am about to plumb my whole shop up with copper for air. I personaly am on the fence between the self drying 2 horse ultra quiet California unit and the Quincy bellow.

Clealry the Quincy is the better made more capable unit. On the other hand the noise man the noise.

I actaul heard one of the small dual cyclinder California units run last week. It was very very quiet!


http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200350475_200350475?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Air%20Tools%20%2B%20Compressors%20%3E%2 0Stationary%20Air%20Compressors&utm_campaign=Quincy%20Compressor&utm_content=35239001&gclid=COjOhcS94tECFcSEswodYdwL0g

[mreza Salav]

Very happy with my rolair vt25big. It provides the largest CFM in price/size range it belongs to. It is NOT oil-less and I use it for nail guns as well as blowing dust around the shop when needed, etc. Has worked perfectly over the years.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Yes, the noise, hate the noise; especially if I were to have it running often in an enclosed space. The unit in my garage, well, when I fire it up I put on hearing protection and my family scatters.