# AIRCOMPRESSOR



## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)

I need to buy an aircompressor 130#/10gal tank. What brand would be good /reliable and not very noise?

manfred Diel


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

An important specification is the cubic feet per minute at what psi it can deliver. Pressure alone really means nothing unless you are just blasting dust occasionally. 

What tools are you going to use? 

Regards, Greg


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## Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

What do you plan on using it for?


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## Marauderer (Jan 5, 2008)

If you want quiet you do not want an oil less compressor. A lot of the compressors that size are oil less. There are other considerations; power 110V or 220V? As Greg and Trains said what are you going to use it for? If you plan on using it to power air tools you will need at least 5 cfm at 100# to have constant use and not drain the resivor tank and have to wait for it to pump up to continue your job. 

So, tell us more and we can better help you.


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## yardtrain (Feb 18, 2008)

Check your local Home Depot. My local Home Depot had a 125#/10 Gal. for only $79.00 Brand Name Brute it is not oil less.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Manfred,

I have a big older Craftsman. Biggest unit they sold in the 80s. Even mounted on 2" hard felt blocks, it's noisy enough to bother me. By all means, consider 220v models. I'm not saying you have to have one, but I think you'll like your electric bill better. Depends on how much you want to use it and what for. I run any air tool as long as I want as well as a homebuilt sandblast cabinet, never runs out of air. Point of fact, I don't think I've ever heard a quiet, large air compressor.

I'd also suggest you consider a vertical unit, that way you can stuff it in a corner out of the way. And lastly,* unless* you're going heavy-usage or light industrial, go take a look at the Harbor Freight units. Built in China. And no, I am not in any way connected to HF on any level. I just like the quick, 'get-er-done cheap' aspect of their stuff.


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## Dave F (Jan 2, 2008)

Mine is a Porter Cable, I've been very happy with it. I use it for just about every type and size of pneumatic nailer you can imagine: from brad gun to roofing gun. Also does a great job on the bike tires..


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I have a 5 horse Speed Air from Grangers. Bout a 60 gallon tank and it is vertical. It is good enought for everything I do. Has a little trouble keeping up with a impact wrench. Know it's there but not that noise


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I guess we can all sort of wait for Manfred to come back to tell us what tools he needs to use before we can really give him the right suggestion. 

In the mean time we can all describe what we have. I have a 4 cylinder 220v compressor with about a 100 gallon tank. It will do 19 scfm at 125 psi, and about 26 at 90 psi. Suffice it to say it will run a die grinder continuously (they take the most air). 

I used to have a wimpy compressor as a kid, and it made me nuts trying to use air tools, so when this one came up at a good price, bam! sold! 

It also powers my 40 psi lines for my 26 air operated switches. (it does not come on very often!) 

Regards, Greg


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## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks guys for the input, mainly use of the compressor will be blowgun(light dusting/small thermoplastic injection(7/8bar) pressure pot (25#) bicycle tire inflator,staple gun/small airbrush/ 


Manfred Diel


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

blowgun and tire inflator, almost anything will do and small tank size. Airbrush, I would have at least 20 gallon tank, staple gun will depend on how often you staple. You don't really need anything really huge, I'd get the larger tank though because it will help minimize pressure variations to the airbrush, even though you will probably use a regulator. a 5hp 110v unit will be fine. The HF stuff is inexpensive and if you don't use it all the time every day, it will last well enough. 

Regards, Greg


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## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks Greg! 
manfred Diel


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## RimfireJim (Mar 25, 2009)

Posted By Les on 26 Oct 2009 09:21 AM By all means, consider 220v models. I'm not saying you have to have one, but I think you'll like your electric bill better.
Another old myth or misunderstanding. The voltage it runs on means practically squat in terms of how much power it uses (there is a small i^2*R loss factor, but generally not significant if you have properly sized wires to the machine). Power is volts X amps; doubling the voltage cuts the amps in half, but doesn't reduce the power. Power in is also power out plus efficiency losses. There is a small improvement in efficiency from higher voltage/lower current (i^2*R), but the power out and frictional losses are by far the dominant factors. Your electric meter measures energy used, which can be thought of as the amount of power you use times how long you used it. It doesn't give a hoot about voltage or current.

That said, it works best to run a machine on the highest voltage it is rated for, because it cuts down on the voltage drop in the wires going _to _the machine (again, that old i^2*R thing).


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

On Factor to remember....Oilless = noise Lots of it.


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## RimfireJim (Mar 25, 2009)

Posted By Greg Elmassian on 26 Oct 2009 11:35 AM 
Airbrush, I would have at least 20 gallon tank 


How big of an airbrush do you think he has, Greg?!







Many hobbyists airbrush with units that have a 1 gallon tank, or even no tank at all. I've painted a whole car (1:1 scale) with a spray gun and my 1 (true) HP, 20 gallon tank compressor. Yeah, it was marginal, but it got the job done.

Big is necessary if you _need _the air, nice if you _want _it, and a liability if you aren't going to use it.


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