compressor reccomendations

C

crashed

looking for a new compressor. just a hobbyist that needs to air up a tire here and there, run a die grinder or sander or impact once in a while. so far the most i have painted is a roll cage and small parts but i am working on an old car i want to eventually paint. i dont plan on doing anymore whole cars or body work so i dont need a compressor thats able to run a body shop 5 days a week. was thinking of an 60 or 80 gal 5 hp 2 stage. would like to buy local as i need it in a hurry (sold my old compressor tonight) but there isnt a lot of choices on brands. we have what the box stores sell which i figure are all about the same units with different paint, and also available are puma and ingersoll rand. any reccomendations on a brand?
 
So I've learned from folks here that you want to look at CFM (rated @ 90 PSI I believe). Get as much CFM as your budget will allow.
 
Can't say much about buying something that important in a hurry. Quincy has a good reputation, and so does another not frequently mentioned, Saylor-Beall. Champion also has their fans. Those three are made in USA, unlike Ingersoll and Eaton.
 
i-r and eaton are pretty much bottom feeder brands now days . both out sourced in china to other 3rd world countries. anything at a box store is going to be the same. buy quality and pay the shipping. you'll pay shipping anyway no matter where you buy. beware of 3hp compressors advertised as 5 hp . if the electric motor does not state 5 hp it isn't .
 
You may want to try Craigslist. I see shops going out of business all the time and selling really nice compressors for 1/3 of what they would cost new. That's how I got my Speedaire Refrigerated Compressed Air Dryer for $200.
 
crashtech;21884 said:
Can't say much about buying something that important in a hurry. Quincy has a good reputation, and so does another not frequently mentioned, Saylor-Beall. Champion also has their fans. Those three are made in USA, unlike Ingersoll and Eaton.
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Thanks for the brand recommendations. I didn't realize Northern Tool had anything but overseas compressors. But they carry Quincy and have free shipping!

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...ural&cm_cat=netconcepts&cm_pla=Google&cm_ite=
 
If I was buying another compressor or replacing the pump on the one I have now I would get a Curtis D96 pump.
The Curtis uses poppet valves instead of reed valves and have a much longer life cycle and are completely rebuildable. Valves and seats can even be changed without head removal.

A 5 hp D96 pump is rated at 18 acfm@175 psi @ 775 rpms. Quality does cost a bit more, but this is a once in a lifetime purchase, last a hobbyist forever, and is completely rebuildable if it does ever wear out for the Pro.
 
I actually got one of the 'refurbished' Morgan series compressors at Northern Tool because it was super cheap, something like $299 for a 3.7 hp 60 gallon with 13 CFM at 90 PSI I think it was. It is exactly the same thing as the 60 gallon Kobalt that you can buy at Lowe's. Not necessarily a revered brand or made here in the USA, but I'm just a hobbyist too and this allowed me to get to a bigger air compressor faster. I've had it several years (I bought the extended warranty on it for $50 because I knew what I was buying) and haven't had any issues. It keeps up with everything well except my DA. Though I kind of think it is starting to consume more oil now so I need to call them about that before my warranty is up.

However I believe I had read online elsewhere that the US General compressors that Harbor Freight sells are USA made and are supposed to be pretty damn good air compressors. May be worth doing a little more research.
 
I'm about to pick up a C-Aire compressor, they make a few models, talked to a compressor specialist and he said the V-pumps they use are really nice, he said they have been known to use the curtis pumps as well.
 
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