[BiturboS4] RE: [s-cars] LAC: Help with garage air compressor purchase?

[Theodore Chen]

--- Bill Mahoney <wmahoney at disk.com> wrote:
> Darin
> Representing the Ferrari end of compressors is this $277 Porter Cable
> http://www.toolsforless.com/cgi-bin/ToolBig.pl?SKU=CPLDC2541S
> Maybe available elsewhere for less?

nice, but too small.  it won't be able to do much more than fart at
a die grinder.  it's fine if you want portability and all you're doing
is nailing, but for the same price you can buy a much larger air compressor.
i'd buy the little compressor only if i needed to be able to carry it
around while shooting nails.

--- Linus Toy <linust at mindspring.com> wrote:
> At 01:41 PM 12/3/2002 , Cody Payne wrote:
> >Hey Darin,
> >         I bought a decent Vertical tank at HomeDepot for $300 bucks w/
> > some tools (Impact Wrench, 3/8 Socket, Chisel, Sprayer, 25' Hose)  Made
> > by Husky (OEM'ed by someone else I am sure) Nice vertical tank takes up
> > less space.  Of course it isn't as nice as the belt driven type which run
> > about $100 bucks more and are quieter.  But works just great for me at up
> > to 120 PSI w/ a 30 Gal Capacity.

they are noisy as hell.  if you don't mind the noise and you live far
away from neighbors, the direct drives will do the job.

> Yes, the vertical tank compressors are the way to go--takes up much less
> room in the garage, though some risk being a bit tippier.  I bought the
> Sears unit (link above--$260 or so last fall), 'though the freebie kit it
> came with didn't have the impact wrench or ratchet--that's OK--this year's
> stocking is supposed to have a IR 2131 and 1107 in it :)  The
> tank/compressor is made by DeVilbiss Air Products for Sears.  Of note with
> this unit is it is rated to operate at up to 150 psi, compared to the
> standard 120-130 psi.  May not sound like a major difference, but it is
> significant, because the compressor cycles back on around 80 psi or
> so--IOW, your range is from 150 > 80 vs. 120 > 80.

the link you referenced didn't work, so i don't know what you got.
i also bought an air compressor from sears, also made by devilbiss.
mine is a hotdog compressor for portability (since i do move it from
time to time).  it takes up more floor space, but i can just shove it
under the workbench.  most of the time i don't move it, and i have a
100 ft. hose that's long enough to get air most places in my dinky
california house.  i wanted some modicum of portability, and the uprights
don't have that.

the compressor i got is a 2-stage compressor, about 30 gallons.  for
some reason, i can't find it on the sears.com site right now.  not
a belt-driven, but a 2-stage.  it's also very quiet.  when it's running,
it's not much louder than a vacuum cleaner, and you can actually talk
to people in the garage while it's running.  my friend's direct-drive
compressor is so loud we have to yell at the top of our lungs when
it's running.

the two-stage compressor is also capable of achieving 175 psi.  this
means more air stored in the tank, so the effective volume of the
tank is higher.

you'll pay about $100 more for this compressor than a 30 gallon
direct drive, but it's worth it, IMHO.  i paid about $375 for it
on sale about six months ago.

if you don't care about portability at all, get a 220 volt upright.
it doesn't cost much more than a 110 volt compressor, and these
things can keep up with just about any tool you're likely to use
in the garage.

you should ask yourself what kind of tools you're going to be using.
nailers don't use much air.  impact wrenches use a fair amount of
air but tend to be run intermittently.  a dual action sander or
die grinder, on the other hand, will use air really fast.  it's
annoying to have to stop frequently to let the air compressor catch
up.  unfortunately, 110v compressors don't have enough juice to
be able to keep up with a die grinder or sander being run continuously,
but a larger tank gives you more buffer.  a 220v compressor shouldn't
have much trouble keeping up.

also, be aware that cheap air tools generally use more air than quality
stuff (i.e. ingersoll-rand).

-teddy


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