For those of you that own air tools....

A buddy of mine was asking me what sort of "Man Specific" wedding gift he could get me for $250.00, as when he got married I bought him his first Grill for about $250.00 at the time. I want an Air compressor to run air tools with, it will make working on the truck much quicker. I have never owned a set of air tools or a compressor so I'm interested in some of the options, features, and things to watch out for when looking to purchase them. I'll be buying the tools and even hoses separately so the $250 will go straight to the compressor, so here's my questions:

What's a good reservior size?
What's a good HP rating for Pump?
What's a "silent pump operation" feature?
Do I want a compressor that needs to be oiled or oilless operation?
What's the difference between the MAX psi and the flow at 90psi rating?
I've always leaded toward Craftsman hand tools but don't know much about their air tools, is this a good brand?


Thanks for the help guys!

 

Ok, let me jump right in here and say this. Most people will recommend getting a 5hp or more model, but it isn't necessary for weekend mechanics like you and me. I recently bought a 26 gallon, 1.6 hp oiless craftsman compressor. The pressure switch started blowing out air last week so I took it back to sears. When I got there, they informed me they did not have any more of the 26 gallon compressors in stock. So, I we worked it out so they would meet me halfway between the cost of the 26 gallon and the 33 gallon. I am MUCH happier with the 33 gallon compressor, it is on sale right now for $299 and comes with a $100 mechanics air tool set that includes an air hammer, impact, and air ratchet, and 25' rubber hose (which is really nice.) It puts out 4.9 CFM at 90psi, which is plenty to run any typical air tool. It is very quiet as well, my old 6 gallon would drone out voices from 20 feet away, while you can stand within 5 feet of the new one and carry on a conversation. I can use my blow gun constantly to clean my shop and it keeps it at a constant 120 psi. The air tools that come with it are pretty good for light duty tools, I have had no problems with the tool's capability yet and don't think I will. All and all I would definitely say go with the 33 gallon craftsman, its a pretty good deal for what it is.


Edit: Oops, it is still on sale for $299, but online it does not say anything about the free tool kit, but they have the same one for $399 that says "with tool kit."

 

i've got a 5 hp, 20 gal Campbell Hausfeld from walmart. it was about 250-300 or so with a tool kit/hose. it included a cheap 1/2 impact, a cutoff tool, a cheap paint gun, nozzle, air chuck, hose, and a few quick connects. it's a good starter kit and i've picked up a few more and better tools over the years. its done everything i've needed it to do.

 

With air tools, it's CFM, (Cubic foot per minute of air VOLUME)not air pressure. Thats why you need as big a compressor as your budget and home electrical will allow. I'd love to have my 220v 100 gal tank model I had in my shop instead of the 5hp oilless rattle can I have now. With the old upright I could remove and rotate a set of tires before the thing would restart. with my new one, I can remove two rims (if I'm lucky) and then wait about a minute for the tank to refill, then do the next two. A smaller tank/compressor will take even longer to fill with enough CFM. A small compressor/tank will never keep up with CFM hungry tools like Da sanders and Air files.
In synopsis, buying a small compressor is like getting 2 inch spacers for a 4x4 ram, then realizing you really needed/wanted to lift it 5 inches...

 

I think I might would have him get me the air tools instead of the compressor and you buy the compressor as I think for most of the good ones you will probably spend more than $250. I have a 33 gallon Craftsman but not the one Jr. Mechanic was talking about. Mine is the 2hp one that puts out 6.4CFM or scfm not sure which but it's the same rating the 1.5hp one gives 4.9 for. The thing is most good air impact guns say they want atleast 5.0cfm so the smaller HP one is right under that. I prefer to over power stuff rather than under power it. I've had my 33 gallon one for a few years and really like it. It does however have to start to fill up fairly quickly if you areusing a impact gun or something like that. All in all it's a decent size for someone that wants to use on on the weekends. I wouldn't get the 1.5hp I'd get the 2hp one minimum as I would want the higher CFM rating to power the good air guns. The tool kit they give you with the Air compressor imo isn't worth $100 as the impact gun is not powerful at all. I got this kit for free when I got my compressor. If I torque my wheels to 100ft lbs on my truck it has a really hard time pulling them off. It however seems to pull the lug nuts on my car off fine which are torqued at 80ft lbs. It's okay for light jobs but just doesn't have enough power for big stuff. I've used the rachet a few times but not many it also seems okay for small jobs but I don't know how much torque it actually puts out. The air hammer I've used I think once and it didn't impress me either but I haven't used it enough to know how it is. Overall I'd just spend the $200 for a new in the box IR 2135 off eBay and get the compressor thats big enough to power it and not pay for the tool kit.

The only downside to the 2hp one I can think of is I think it's a lot noiser or the specs make it look that way. It's fairly loud.

If I had to do it again I'd probably try to get atleast a 60gallon or so one if I could afford it. I don't know the prices on it but the 33gallon while fine for most stuff I do is too small sometimes and I wish I had the bigger one. Chances are it will work fine for most of us here and what we do with it though.

 

What ever you do, get an oiled compressor, not an oiless. They are 4-5 times quieter and will last longer. Have him get the compressor and then you start adding tools. As mentioned CFM is the biggy with compressors. If you ever get into doing body work with pneumatic orbital sander or DA sander, you will need ALL the CFMs you can get. A little 26 gal will work fine for your 1/2" impact, air ratchet, hammer and even cutoff tool if you take it easy, but for other items it will get inadequet very quickly.

 

I have theCH 5/26 upright oiless. Forgot trying to talk within 20' of it while its running. Neighbors hate me cause of it being soloudIm sure. Had it 8yrs and works fine on lighty duty stuff like pwdr coating, spray painting, ratchet or impact gun on tire removal but try removing suspension parts or do any serious grinding, sandingor sandblasting then it sucks. Constantly waiting for it to refill. Since Ive been doing a so much more sandblasting the last year or two I really need to replace it with something much better.

Like to get 6hp 60-80gal oiled with at least 10cfm, preferably 15cfm at 90 next time around.

 

My oiless compressor is very quiet...

 

If you are a casual mechanic. Go to Harbor Freight, get the 10 gallon four horsepower for $99. Spend $150 on air tools and hose. If you are not a pro, I find their (central Pnematic) tools work really well. 4.9 cfm@100 ps1 6.5cfm@50 psi. Plus you can buy a two year, no questions asked warranty. Yeah I would like a 20-30 gallon too, but I like to be able to use my compressor for work too.

 

I wouldnt spend money like that on that compressor, however I have been thinking about going there to get a cut off tool since they advertised them for like nine bucks, I figured I would grab one and see how well it works.