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Thread: Portable Air Comperssor

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Oskaloosa Iowa
    Posts
    270

    Portable Air Comperssor

    I'm shopping for a new portable air compressor. All I am going to use it for is a 18Ga pin nailer. That's all its for.
    I am installing some base board trim on a house remodel project.
    I have been looking at these two.

    Rolair JC 10 $250.00
    Senco PC 1010 $120.00

    All I need it to do it run my 18ga nailer.
    Looking for suggestions or reviews of either one.

    I guess I'm kind of leaning toward the little Senco PC1010
    Both are local and and easy to look at and get my hands on.

    Suggestions...insight ?

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,685
    The 18 gage nailer's demands are pretty modest. Honestly, I use a sub-$100 Husky for portable use. Not adequate for a framing nailer, but for brads and pins...works great! Locally available is a nice feature and I suspect either unit you ask about will work just fine.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    868
    I had the same need and about six weeks ago bought a cheap Harbor Freight compressor.

    Works fine for this purpose. Not much capacity there...but enough for the nailer. Of course, I am not using it to power my shingle nailer, so the duty cycle is low.

    Would I buy another one of these for $39? Yes. Is it as good as the other pancake compressor that I have had for years? No.

    The reason I bought the HF unit, is because I am renovating the house next door, about 400 feet from my house, and I soon tired of dragging the other pancake compressor back and forth between the two locations.

    For the money it seems to be a winner. But if you want something that supplys more than what a nailer requires, might be better to follow Jim's suggestion and spend around $100.

    Edit: Have not tried it with my framing nailer. I am sure it would fire a couple nails, but uncertain how many before the tank pressure dropped and the little compressor could not keep up. Staples and Brads fine...at least at the rate I fire them...

    Bill
    Last edited by Bill Space; 02-22-2019 at 4:00 PM.
    Too much to do...Not enough time...life is too short!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Palm Springs, CA
    Posts
    1,085
    I have the RolAir JC10 Plus. It is an excellent small, quiet compressor. I use it with my 15, 18, 23 gauge nail guns and it does just fine. It is small enough and light enough to be portable but I put mine on a small cart for convenience and put a few pictures on this thread https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....air-compressor.
    Dick Mahany.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Griswold Connecticut
    Posts
    6,926
    Mike

    I've never seen, or used, the Senco, but I do own the Rolair JC10.
    It will definitely operate a pin nailer, and it is very quiet, if that is important to you. You will not have to raise your voice to be heard over it at anytime. Nice for work inside the house. You will not bother anyone else in the house while using it.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Deep South
    Posts
    3,970
    I've heard a lot of people endorse the California Air Tools compressors for smooth quiet operation. I don't own one but thought I would bring it up just because they seem to be very popular. Might be worth a look.

  7. #7
    I used a recondition Porter Cable 3 pound pancake from CPO before I got me a quilpail 6 gallon which is alot quieter but it looks like CPO got a 6 gallon pancake for 89.99 recondition. I still use my pancake doing outside stuff since being noisy dosnt matter much.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    East Virginia
    Posts
    830
    I have a HFT $100 special that I use for nail guns and have been entirely pleased with it. Oil lubricated, not too loud, 8 gal tank, auto thermal shutoff, wheeled, what's not to like?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    Michigan, USA
    Posts
    548
    Quote Originally Posted by Art Mann View Post
    I've heard a lot of people endorse the California Air Tools compressors for smooth quiet operation. I don't own one but thought I would bring it up just because they seem to be very popular. Might be worth a look.
    I have a small California Air Tools compressor, and I've been very happy with it. Very quiet, as you indicate. I use it with a 23-gauge brad nailer and a 16-gauge finish nailer and have no complaints (I'm not putting in 30 nails per minute - more like 6 per minute).

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Central Missouri, U.S.
    Posts
    1,263
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Cutler View Post
    Mike

    I've never seen, or used, the Senco, but I do own the Rolair JC10.
    It will definitely operate a pin nailer, and it is very quiet, if that is important to you. You will not have to raise your voice to be heard over it at anytime. Nice for work inside the house. You will not bother anyone else in the house while using it.
    Ditto on the JC10. Very happy with mine, especially the quiet part. Seems very well put together.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Upstate NY
    Posts
    3,789
    I have the Senco. Very quiet, but not very powerful. It should be fine for you 18gauge, but not much more.
    I've had it maybe 12 years and the drain valve and one of the valves broke; considering how little I used it, maybe that's not very reliable.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,879
    Quote Originally Posted by marlin adams View Post
    I used a recondition Porter Cable 3 pound pancake from CPO before I got me a quilpail 6 gallon which is alot quieter but it looks like CPO got a 6 gallon pancake for 89.99 recondition. I still use my pancake doing outside stuff since being noisy dosnt matter much.
    When I first heard of CPO car sales I thought it was a special navy discount.

  13. #13
    I have used both
    I own the rolair
    The senco is lighter but less capacity
    Sound level is the rolair is quieter in my opinion
    If you are only going to shoot 18 gauge nails
    Get a ryobi cordless

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Western Nebraska
    Posts
    4,680
    I use the Senco for trim almost daily, and it is a great little machine. Super quiet, and adequate air for a 18 or 15 gauge gun shooting pretty fast. I've tried 6 or 7 other trim compressors in the crews, and this is the one I keep.

  15. #15
    I actually use this daily
    Fits in a nice nook in my van
    And seems like I am always plugging a three way into and share my air on the job site
    It keeps up with demand but I keep in another room than I am working
    Loud little bugger
    4.0@90psi
    https://www.rolair.com/products/air-...arry/fc1500hs3

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