Air Compressors - Oil Lube or Oilless

[Aaron Hamilton]

Which is better?

[brandon guthrie]

without a doubt get one with oil, they are quieter, and much more durable/longlasting. The extra maintenance, which is very little, is worth it. I have had to put new piston assemblies in oiless comps for a few friends because they just don't hold up under extended use.

[Brent Dowell]

Ditto.

To me, the small oilless ones are really, really, loud for the CFM.

If you can swing it, get as big a 2 stage oiled compressor as you can afford.

But isn't that always the way it goes with tools?

Get the best, you cry once, get something else, cry everytime you use it...

I tend to learn the hard way....

[Todd Jensen]

I agree as a whole with the above oil vs. oilless statements, but think there are some fairly recent exceptions. Some of the smaller oilless are very nice, quiet, and will last a very long time. I know of a Thomas that has seen daily use for many years, seen here: http://http://www.thomasairpac.com/products/airpac/airpac_electric/T-635HD/t-635hd.jsp

and I recently bought the new Dewalt D55141, and so far am very happy with it. http://http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=15021

Both drive the big finish guns no problem, but you would want to go bigger and 'oil' type I think for heavy staplers and framing guns. I have a larger 'oil' dual tank in the shop, but the new Dewalt is great in the field, its light and quiet, and I can't outrun it with my SFN40. I can also rest it flat or upright in the back of the truck, and never have to worry about the oil level or leakage. JMO and experiences.

[John Bush]

Hi Aaron,
Do a search for air compressor comparison. I don't recall the member's name, but he is/was in the air compressor industry and wrote a great post comparing the various types of compressors and what to look for to match your needs. It will tell you moist all you need. I read it but am stll looking for that lucky deal on Craigslist. JCB.

[Michael Fross]

I have the porter cable oil-less pancake compressor and just hate it. It works fine, but it's so loud that I regret each time I have to turn it on.

My vote...Oil lube.

Michael

[John Callahan]

Which is better? Oil lube generally but Thomas is the big exception to the rule. They're reliable, quiet, generally long lived, run fine on a 15 amp circuit, start well when cold, and iirc many if not all of their compressors have a 100% duty cycle rating.

[Greg Cole]

Oil lube definately. On this one, I won't even bother with the usual "depends on what you want to do with it".
Unless you plan on using it for an HVLP gun etc, you can get a decent one for $250 or less... take the extra 10 seconds and drain the tank(s) after each use and it will live a long life.

$0.02

Greg

[Keith Webster]

Oil lube. I have had my IR twin tank portable for over 6 years. It gets used at the shop, the job sites, freinds and neighbors homes (have to fight to get it back), and any other places that it is needed and it just keeps going. Most of the oil less seem to break down after a few years of service. Now with that said.....this is based on it gettting used everyday. An oil ;ess would work fine for someone that is going to use it just a couple of times a week maybe.

[Randal Stevenson]

Oil lubed on either the little ones or the big ones. I have a little HF pancake that is oil lubed, and I had to buy a seperate regulator, to be able to drive framing nails. But, as a noname brand, I can leave it in my truck, and it hasn't been stolen (bad area of town). It's my portable, general house construction one.

I have a big shop sized one at home. When you look at those, go as big as you can afford (You always find tools to run you out of air). You'll want cast iron first, then aluminum with a cast iron sleeve, and LAST aluminum. Prefer dual cycle, and look at your tools cfm and try to get one larger, by the next common pressure level (if your tools are all 90, look for one that is at least 135, however above 90, you tend to jump to 175psi).

[Mike Murray]

I have one of each... a small, oil-less PC pancake for small jobs around the house, mainly trim work and such, where portability is key. This compressor gets used very little, but when I need portable air, there it is. In the shop, I have a large, oil-lube stationary compressor that gets most of the work. The oil-less is twice as loud and provides one-fifth the output.

[Alex Berkovsky]

Oil lubed are much quieter. I bought a Makita MAC2400 (http://www.amazon.com/Makita-MAC2400-Horsepower-Gallon-Compressor/dp/B0001Q2VPK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-6055032-2772916?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1180144593&sr=8-2) and very happy with it; it's very quite compared to the other compressors that I have heard. I have to build a little dolly for it like pictured on Amazon. Read Amazon reviews.

[glenn bradley]

Ditto.

To me, the small oilless ones are really, really, loud for the CFM.

If you can swing it, get as big a 2 stage oiled compressor as you can afford.

But isn't that always the way it goes with tools?

Get the best, you cry once, get something else, cry everytime you use it...

I tend to learn the hard way....

Brent and I went to the same school. Don't follow us. My little bitty cheap oil unit has lasted through two of my neighbor's oiless screamers.

[Dennis Peacock]

Oil lube and get you an IR compressor. I got my IR 5HP 60 Gal upright for $479 from TSC on sale. Best purchase for a compressor that I've ever made and I've already been through 3 compressors. So far, this one has kept it's promise of being a very nice and reliable compressor.

[Todd Jensen]

You guys are comparing apples to oranges. The Dewalt I mentioned has similar power to the Makita mentioned in a previous post, and is quieter and MUCH lighter. Also, for those that haven't used or been around a Thomas, you wouldn't even throw their name around with Porter Cable or any of the other shoddy compressors. I stand by my initial post. I think if you go with a good brand of portable compressor - Thomas, or now Dewalt(who bought Emglo), you're not going to go wrong in a portable compressor, oiled or oilless.

[Dan Clark]

After researching this for a while, I ended up with a Thomas T-200ST. It's a double-hotdog, 4 gallon, 100% duty-cycle compressor.

Unlike a lot of oil-less compressors, it's fairly quiet and can power multiple framing nailers simultaineously. Obviously, you can use mutiple finishing nailers too. It has a 12 second recycle time, so it's not constantly running like some compressors.

It has a low intial amp draw and only uses 13 amps, which means that you can use it with an extension cord. I've used it with 50' 12g and 100' 10g extension cords with no problems.

As with most other smaller compressors, you get portability, but it's not the compressor of choice for running air drills and sanders, and paint guns. For those uses, you'll need much larger compressor.

Regards,

Dan.

[Aaron Hamilton]

After all of your suggestions, I decided to get an oiled compressor. I got a Craftsman Professional 60 Gal 3.5 HP. I got it all wired up this morning and could not believe how quiet it was! Quieter than my old harbor freight oiled 21 gal compressor I'm very happy w/ my decision!

Thanks guys!