Air compressor for home garage | GTAMotorcycle.com

Air compressor for home garage

shanekingsley

shanekingsley

Curry - so nice it burns you twice
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I think I'm gong to ask for one for x-mas. I used to build cedar decks and fences about 20 years ago and haven't used one since.

I read a few old threads and see that I should figure out what tools I want to run first, and for now, I guess that I will use it to swap my winter/summer tires on the car and do any work on my bike that a compressor would be used for and maybe build a shed and new deck in a year or two - nothing hardcore. I have also read that I should be going with at least an 8gal and maybe 6-8cfm, because that would run most tools. I also have been reading about oil vs oil-free, but still don't know what I should get, because so many people seem to be happy with both.

Somewhat quiet would be nice as well, but not a biggie because it will live in the garage. I have a single car garage (for the bike only - car stays outside), so space is at a premium.

Any suggested deals going on decent quality units for what I've described? Under $300 is ideal if it possible for what I will be using it for.
As always - the insight is appreciated:)
 
Too much CFM and PSI said nobody ever. That out of the way Home depot/Lowes/CTC always has a smaller unit 4-8 gal , direct drive 120PSI on sale. The twin tank Makita , Dewalt, and pancake Hitachi are all under $300 and pretty good units. If i was shingling and running it everyday I'd buy oil less with no hesitation , my oil less is a decade old and has a lot of hours and its fine. My pancake oil compressor is over a decade old and its also fine. The noise is a big thing, the direct drive are usually noisy, last couple years they have been legislated to get better. Yes its the garage, but its an annoying sound. I'd avoid brands like powerfist ect, the reason they are cheaper is an aluminum piston in an aluminum cyl and stuff just vibrates appart. To some degree you get what you pay for.
Remember the ratings on some of these are 'peak' hp ratings and the CFM is not sustained , its a blast rating. Again it really depends what you want to do.

For snow tire change over just buy a CTC electric impact gun. By the time your compressor is full of air and you pull out the air hose I'll be done. And its higher torque , sustained.
 
People laugh about Princess Auto stuff all the time, but I bought this exact compressor there about 10 years ago for what I seem to remember was $199 (on sale) and I've put it through hell...and it's STILL going.

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It's nice and quiet (oil drive) and does everything I need including driving my impact gun for changing tires, etc.
 
I have one that I bought at Home Depot at least 11 years ago. Biggest one I could find that runs on 110 volts with a 32 gallon vertical tank. It will almost keep up to my die grinder. Allowing for the usual running the tool for a couple minutes then a minute for checking progress, it keeps up well enough.
 
Thanks! If anyone comes across a good one on sale over the next few weeks post up. I think a vertical tank will be best, unless I can mount it on a wall shelf or build a table over it.
 
shanekingsley said:
Thanks! If anyone comes across a good one on sale over the next few weeks post up. I think a vertical tank will be best, unless I can mount it on a wall shelf or build a table over it.
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Keep us posted! An air compressor is one thing I wish I had. My workshop is a single car garage as well.

By your recent threads, seems like you're getting quite a nice set up!
 
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I prefer electrical, more energy efficient & no wait times to get it primed. It's also more mobile.

I only use my compressor to dust tools off & clean my garage.
 
If you're interested in longevity and the greatest cfm, go with something oil lubricated. Oil-less uses a diaphragm or a self-lubricating piston, usually made of teflon, but it wears down and loses its ability to seal and build pressure over time. It also creates more heat, which is the enemy of pretty much any tool. Oil-less is best suited for light duty that won't require the compressor to run continuously for any length of time. They are very good for airbrushing on a budget however because they don't introduce any oil into the air stream.

Also at ~$300 you're going to be limited to 120V compressors and you won't get more than maybe 5 cfm (being generous) out of it @ 90 psi. Another thing to note, air tools are rated at 25% duty cycle, meaning something rated at 5 cfm would actually use 20 if you operated it continuously, so a big tank is your friend, but it will take longer to fill.

For what its worth, I used to have a lil' 8 gallon with I think 4.5 cfm and it worked fine for my impact gun (10 seconds max). I now have a 3hp (actual) single-stage 60gal 240V compressor and it does what I need it to do. Capacity wise, it is adequate at 10.8 cfm. No complaints with most tools, including a die grinder or cut off wheel. It will not run a dual-action sander or sandblaster properly for more than a minute though.
 
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Watch Canadian tire for the their deals. I bought an upright compressor and put it in the corner of the garage.
I than hooked a 200 foot hose line onto a retractable reel, and can pretty much walk where i want without running out of hose.
 
I have a 5 gallon cambell hausfeld I bought from canadian tire like 10 years ago or something,no issues ...but I barely ever use it.Their is really nothing on a bike that cant be done with simple hand tools,still a good addition to the garage though,I guess, and air tools can be fun to play with:p
edit-you want to use it for other projects as well,missed that ...I would not have a clue as to what to get then
 
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crankcall said:
For snow tire change over just buy a CTC electric impact gun. By the time your compressor is full of air and you pull out the air hose I'll be done. And its higher torque , sustained.
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^^^ This is so true.
 
IMO high CFM is only needed if it's a production shop or you're painting or grinding.

My main compressor is in my basement with a line out to the garage. I also have a tire inflater in the garage and a nail gun compressor floating about.

My main pet peeve is the BS power ratings on the compressor motors. The same motor (Check the model number) puts out different HP's on different compressors. The whole watts / HP / amperes thing is a joke.
 
shanekingsley said:
Thanks! If anyone comes across a good one on sale over the next few weeks post up. I think a vertical tank will be best, unless I can mount it on a wall shelf or build a table over it.
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I have one with a double tank I got from CT - I don't use it since I got a free bigger one. I wasn't planning to sell it but if you need it and it's only taking space, you can come see it and if you like it we can arrange a price I am sure you will be happy with. It's been used twice at the track until I realized it's too much of a pain to haul that thing around.
 
I was considering a small one. Used to have a 1 gallon one from CT. It died and CT took it back a year later with a full refund. Must have been a known defected product. Was considering the small 2-3 gallon one, but not sure how long it would last. Just used it to fill tires and as an air gun for blowing out dust, etc.
 
Riceburner said:
Just used it to fill tires and as an air gun for blowing out dust, etc.
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This is all I think I'll be doing with it for the next few months, but I do have a few things I want to do in the yard pretty soon.

Thanks for the info everyone.

ZX600 - sent you an email:)
 
Disclosure; I'm a consultant (PT) for an Asian tool and machine importer. 15 brands may come out of the same factory, they change the paint on the powdercoat line and stickers. The price differentials become less expensive motors, sleeves as opposed to bearings and copper/alu windings, cheaper valve assemblies in the pump and almost no tolerance controls on manufacturing. To get the CFMs out of small pistons they run at ludicriss RPM which is why they are so noisey, almost a buzzing sound. And all those little single cyl machines are just coughing out a lung to keep up.

Buy the best compressor you can justify, drain the tank every time you are done using it. They last years with very basic love.

Also remember pressure drops in the line, 90psi at the compressor on a 50ft hose is not 90psi anymore, and cheap hoses exasperate the situation.
 
crankcall said:
Buy the best compressor you can justify, drain the tank every time you are done using it. They last years with very basic love.

Also remember pressure drops in the line, 90psi at the compressor on a 50ft hose is not 90psi anymore, and cheap hoses exasperate the situation.
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Thanks - it's the same as I do for anything I buy - get the best I can afford. Occasionally that means getting something a little cheaper now and then selling it and getting the one I want a few years down the road. Appreciate the tips!
 
I find TSC puts on some nice sales. I just bought a 60 gallon that was marked down 400 bucks. It was time to replace my old 25 gallon direct drive that was 25 years old.
 
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