Compressor suggestions

[Tom Henderson2]

Greetings.

I'd appreciate some input on compressor choices.

I am *very* space constrained, and am very noise-conscious. So small size and quiet are my primary criteria.

Most of my usage is for nail guns, blowing off dust, etc as well as putting air in the car tires etc. The pancake units are too small.

I haven't done any spray-gun finishing, but might like to do some.. but not much. I don't expect to use air drills, air sanders or other large consumers.

My existing compressor is a 20-year old Campbell-Hausfeld with a ~15 gal tank. It is extremely noisy and doesn't have an auto shutoff -- it is always running when the switch is on.

Looking at the compressor universe, I thought the newer-generation Dewalts might do the trick... higher tank pressure to provide more volume at normal usage pressures, fairly small, and supposedly quieter than most.

Anybody have any experience with them? Any comments about noise levels?

Any idea if the smaller unit can be operated while in the upright position, as against a wall? That would help my space issues.

Any thoughts on these or other similar units.

-Tom H.
Ventura, CA

[Ben Cadotte]

Don't know about the Dewalts.

I have 2 compressors now. A very noisy Craftsman 25 gallon unit. And a newer Kobalt 45 gallon belt drive oiled unit. The Kobalt purchase was a direct result of the Craftsman being so noisy. Dewalts may be different, but as far as I know all oil free direct drive compressors are noisy.

[john bateman]

I was about to buy the Dewalt upright because it's on sale at Lowes until the 6th (today), but other unrelated issues got in the way.

I was concerned it might be noisy also, however it's specs say 78dB noise level. My old craftsman measures 90db in my basement using an SPL meter.

The Ingersoll-Rand GarageMate compressor, which is oil lubed and costs twice as much, claims it is "whisper quiet" at 78dB...exactly the same as the Dewalt oiless. I don't think you're gonna find anything truly quiet out there, at least in consumer/light commercial grade.

I never hear the compressor in my dentists office, though. That's what those drills run on.

[Jacob Reverb]

Most of my usage is for nail guns, blowing off dust, etc as well as putting air in the car tires etc. The pancake units are too small.

Tom, I'm surprised the pancake units are too small for nail guns, blowing off dust and pumping up tires...I've found them to be fine for that.


I haven't done any spray-gun finishing, but might like to do some.. but not much.

Here I think you're getting into another ball game entirely, because for spraying I think you want a fairly good number of CFM, and/or a good sized bottle to give you some "cushion" ... and that generally means having a unit A LOT bigger and noisier than a pancake compressor.

I'm not sure this is any help, but maybe it will help you to better define your compressor needs/deficiencies.

[Steven DeMars]

Look @ ROL-AIR, they have some quite units . . .

Steve

[Peter Quinn]

You can spray finishes with an Asturo LVLP conversion gun on around 5-6SCFM effectively according to several experts and their literature. Don't need a monster compressor with a modern spray gun.

My friend uses an older emglo single stage wheel barrel compressor (oil bath pump) with a 15A GE induction motor pushed by a pulley. Plenty of air for nailers, light spraying, etc. Its quiet but requires a strong mule to move it. I've been on job sides where three guys are using it at once and it keeps up.

Same friend uses a pancake for trim jobs. On one job in a recording studio he found an empty rack mount isolation cabinet in a corner (used to contain noisy electronic tube amps so sensitive microphones don't pick up the sounds on recordings). We ran the pancake all day inside the cabinet, you could stand in front of it and have a conversation. Perhaps an isolation cabinet would control the noise for you?

[Matt Ocel]

I got a 2 hp Rol-air and its noisy and needs every bit of a 15 amp breaker, when its cold it'll blow it 9 out of 10 times.

[Matt Schell]

my friend has a brand spanking new 15 gallon oil-less craftsman and I couldn't believe how much louder it is than my 20 year old oiled unit. The ioled craftsman has some issues from age and lack of proper maintenance but I couldn't handle the noise of that oil-less.

[Jim Becker]

The roofing/siding guys for our addition used the flatter unit shown in your second picture. I will not say it was quiet, but it wasn't too bad as far as small compressors go. I packed enough punch to work several nailers simultaneously. The framers also used an identical unit when they were doing their work.

[Dale Lesak]

John. a lot of the dentists drill are hooked up to bottled gas. I'm not sure what they use but the air brusher's use CO2.

[Phillip downs]

I find that oil-less compressors wear out prematurely. I have an old twin tank Senco direct drive.

I put it in a box with a lid and some vent holes with wheels and roll it under my Radial Arm saw.

Makes it lots quieter and more mobile.

[Dale Lesak]

a oiled unit will outlast a oil-less about 10 to 1. they are quieter, and if you are going to do any spraying I would not even think about a oil-less unit. I have used compressed air for about 50 years have seen 5 or 6 oil-less go belly up. only one oiled unit.(Didn't check oil and after a year and a half it seized up) :)

[Bill Bezilla]

Take a look at the Makita.

it runs at 1/2 the RPM's of typical compressors and is therefore quite a bit quieter. I have been pleased with mine. - purchased from Amazon about
3 yrs ago. i bought it based on the many positive reviews and many comments about being quieter.

[John Callahan]

I'd give Thomas compressors a look- imho one of the two best brands of portable air compressors out there, Rol-Air being the other. The Thomas T-2820ST is portable, quiet (74dB), has great output (5.0cfm @100psi (5.0cfm@100psi)), is made, fwiw, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It runs fine on a 15amp circuit, starts fine at subfreezing temperatures, and has a 100% duty cycle. Downside is the price- recent price increases have pushed it over $500.

[Kim Spence]

I just picked up the vertical Dewalt Saturday at Lowes with the 15% off sale. I went back and forth between this one and a oil lubed Kobalt (also Lowes) of similar size/specs. I went with the Dewalt because it has a slightly smaller footprint and is a bit lighter.

Seems nice so far the little I've used it, but it IS loud. Dewalt claims 78db. I think its pretty much same loudness as my old pancake (that I burned up by running sprayer on;)

I think the Dewalt will serve my needs nicely and will support the light duty spraying I do.

[Rob Will]

I would buy a 220V vertical tank compressor with an oiled cast iron pump.
Look for models that the pump runs slow.
Then, I would build a sound-proof closet around it and hang tools on the outside. Thay way, you don't loose wall space. The closet needs some ventilation.

Another approach would be to mount a smaller horizontal compressor on a high platform or shelf to save space. I have seen this done with good success.

HF sells some decent air hose reels. I would put one near the workbench and another near the outside door or garage door.

If you have any farm supply stores, that might be a good place to look at compressors instead of at the BORG. I think you will find better quality.

Rob

[William OConnell]

I have 2 of the one pictured below in the link. Its the one on wheels. Its oiled wich inherentley makes it quieter and last longer. I run a framing crew and we have killed many compressors. These seem to take the use the best. The storage compartment is handier than one might think. It seems to be the best model Ive bought over the years
http://www.mytoolstore.com/makita/mak09-04.html