Any advice on small air compressors , that are a step up from the ones that inflate car tires, but not a big or expensive as a compressor for framing or siding?
Name brand suggestions would help or a place to read reviews.
Maybe one big enough to run a small trim nailer??
So many of them are junk
Replies
sounds like you're looking for a pancake compressor.
couple of companies have a system out where you use a compressed CO2 like in paint ball guns for light work.
it might help folks if you said what you want to do with it.
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter WFR
"But when you're a kibbutzer and have no responsibility to decide the facts and apply the law, you can reach any conclusion you want because it doesn't matter." SHG
Edited 11/30/2009 11:52 am ET by bobl
I asked about small compressors not too long ago. For a small compressor bigger than an infaltor, and smaller than for framing or roofing, I would love to have a Thomas renegade. From researching them, I have found that Thomas compressors offer continuos duty rated motors, fast recovery time, and they are capable of running a framer for some light duty framing.
Here is a link to the one I like and the Thomas site.
They are pricey, but not many other compressors offer a continuos duty motor.
http://www.thomasairpac.com/products/airpac/renegade_electric/T-635-HT/T-635HT.jsp
Webby
Edited 11/30/2009 1:11 pm ET by webby
Edited 11/30/2009 1:11 pm ET by webby
I bought a tiny senco off amazon for 99 bucks or so.
pick it up with 1 finger...great for trim jobs-runs a 18 gauge gun no problem...not for production-I've got a twin emglo for that-but for a kitchen or small trim job-SWEEET!love it!!!!
silver
http://www.bobstools.net/Store/25T-635HD.html
I have one and it is light and quiet.
I did put a pressure regulator on it though.
Will Rogers
Do you need it 'right now' or in a few months?
If not 'right now', watch craigslist and other areas for used items, I got my thomas ultra for $40 at a garage sale, smallest compressor I have.
View Image
Edited 11/30/2009 4:14 pm ET by junkhound
Where'd ya get them shoes?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Where'd ya get them shoes?
Goodwill Industries, about 5 years ago.
89 cent Monday special, 'almost' new.
Have not bought any new clothes (except underwear and socks) or shoes for a long time!
Rolair makes a good one...My small hand carry is 20+ years old and I have trimmed thousands of square feet of houses with it and only change the oil from time to time ....Not the cheapest, but I think the best.....
I picked up a small (the smallest I think) Dewalt. Very quiet, lite and keeps up for trimming.
I wouldn't use it for underlay or framing, got that one if I need it.
I didn't want to lug the larger pancake or run alot of hose for small trim job.
It's doing the job.
1 Gallon, 135 PSI Max, Trim Compressor - D551401 Gallon, 135 PSI Max, Trim Compressor - D55140
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Edited 11/30/2009 6:31 pm ET by calvin
I have that smallest of the DeWalt compressors as well and I like it for trimming. As a goof I tried to run the spray gun off of it to see if it'd be able to keep up...nope, couldn't even lacquer one piece of trim, oh well. For its actual purpose it is a good compressor, light, easy to carry, the square-ish shape fits in the gang box well, not very loud, and all for $119.00 when I bought it.
Cool, I hate being uncertain with a purchase and this one I was not real sure. I wanted to be able to spend much more for a real good one (unsure what-rolaire/thomas maybe) but had none I could put my hand on-so...........
It takes a bit to pump up, but after that-seems to keep up with trim work just fine. Guns work like off the bigger one.
The only yellow thing I own otherthan a small bit and holder box which I think is the best tool dewalt ever made.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
This little bostitch got good reviews from FH a couple years ago. I've been hoping to buy one soon, because so many of my jobs are small and/or a long way from the parking lot. My Emglo gets heavier every year.
http://www.cpobostitch.com/compressors/oil-free_compressors/View Image
If anybody has one of these, whaddya think?
I have what popawheelie has. It's my third small compressor and most likely my last. They're great.
http://www.amazon.com/Senco-PC1010-1-Horsepower-1-Gallon-Compressor/dp/B0000AQK78/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1259627174&sr=8-1
I love my Senco. Quiet, keeps up with any finish trim work, light weight, cheap enough, etc.
I have the little Senco, too. It's a great compressor. Will not keep up though if you have, say, a bunch of window wrap sitting there in place ready to get nailed off.View Image
I agree, If you have a room of floor trim ready to go and you're quick about it, it will not keep up.
But I use it for built-in units, usually with the customer around. You can have a conversation in the same room while it's running.
I bought one this year and am very happy with it.
On a hill by the harbour
I really don't like my noisy PC pancake, so I'm shopping around, too. I've got a big twin-tank Emglo, but lugging it around for small jobs gets old fast.
Looking at the choices presented here, I see that the Thomas weighs only 4# more than the Senco, and delivers twice the CFM... at 3-4 times the price, depending on which Thomas model you buy.
Don'tcha hate choices like that?!?
AitchKay
I'm not sure if this still holds true but when I bought my Thomas it was still made in Wisconsin, USA.
One of the best jobs I ever had was working in a Wisconsin factory.
Another thing to consider. They have rebuild kits for the Thomas.
I'm not sure but I think the compressor piston goes after a while. It is oil-less so there can be some wear. I think the piston is graphite impregnated.
I don't like throwing away stuff after it has a part wear out.
"There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Edited 12/1/2009 12:31 am by popawheelie
I don't like throwing away stuff after it has a part wear out.
Other than a burnt out motor, the cause of failure (100%) of non-working compressors that I have acquired is that one or more of the valve springs has broken or in a couple of cases just had rust spots that prevented sealing.
Easy fix for that, use pieces of old bandsaw blade to make new ones (lap then on a fine stone first) and all is well. You can reuse the old gaskets even.
I forget the name for those valves. It's like a flutter valve or a reed valve. You could use a feeler gauge as well if it was wide enough.
From what I've gathered, the oil-less compressors weak point is no oil lubricating the cylinders.
I remember seeing a rebuild kit for the Thomas so I figure the pistons do wear out over time. And that people are rebuilding them.
"There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Edited 12/1/2009 11:30 am by popawheelie
Don't know about other brands but for Dayton Speedair you can get the valve reeds through a Napa dealer (or at least I have here). Over the years I have picked up junk compressors and repaired them and sold them when tired of them. Had a couple that needed reed valves and IIRC they reeds cost about $1 apiece.
Life is Good
The "custom closet" guys working on a project I'm on right now have this one....
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=100645228&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=100645228&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D25X-_-100645228
No idea if its any good or not....but, it's lightweight....has wheels and even a telesscoping handle.
Were I doing mainly light gauge stuff, I'd definetly take a closer look.
R.I.P. RAZZMAN
These are pretty good deals on what appears to be a great little compressor.
http://www.amazon.com/Makita-MAC2400-Big-Bore-Compressor/dp/B0001Q2VPK/ref=pd_cp_hi_2
or
http://www.amazon.com/Makita-MAC700-Big-Bore-Compressor/dp/B0001Q2VK0/ref=pd_cp_hi_2
I just bought the 2400, much quieter than the Dewalt it replaced. I think I'm gonna like it. And I thought I got a good deal @ $300!
If the 700 looks good you can get free shipping from Amazon rather then Aubuchon. That's a hard to beat deal.
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
Edited 12/1/2009 1:45 am ET by PeterJ
I have the little Senco and the little De Walt. Of the 2 the De Walt is more robust and easier to take around work-sites. I got the dewalt because at the local tent sale this summer it was $99 with hose and 18 ga gun. The senco is a nice little unit but if I had to buy another one it would be the de walt.
craig
you (or anyone) have a link for the dewalt? Have the Senco, and it's great for the little things.
I bought one of those so called junk air compressors for $50 at a swap meet.. Guy was selling all sorts of cheap Chinese made tools for tiny fractions of what the stores sold them for..
Took it home, pulled it out of the box, and since then have used the heck out of it..
IT's run my roofing nailers when my big air compressor was on the fritz I've hauled it around the country and even overseas. I did finally remember to change the oil after about 5 years and since then I regularly change it every decade or so..
I've hooked that little 1/2 hp compressir in tandem with my big 85 gallon tank compressor when I sand blast and have run it for hours upon hours that way.
Hey! Maybe I should drain the tank of water someday?
About three years ago, I bought a Campbell Hausfeld 1 gal compressor at ACE Hardware. I was installing new prehung doors in a two story house and didn't want to be lugging my pancake up the stairs - or stringing hose all over the place.
That little compressor has become the only thing I load up when I'm heading to a job site. It does anything I need to do and it's a snap to pick up and move as I work. It's only downside is that it's really noisy.
Shortly after I got it, I helped my daughter and SIL replace some redwood fencing at their house. Just for fun, I took the C-H to see how far I could push it. To my surprise, it ran a PC framing nailer just fine. It ran constantly, but kept up.
At HD the other day, I saw a small Ryobi compressor and brad nailer setup for ~$150. It's small, lightweight, and very portable. If I were in the market for a new setup, I would definitely give it a look.
I had one and the Campbell HAusfield customer service was terrible, they could not be contacted, and never answered e mails, I think they were just a warehouse for Chinese stuff, no real tech support
What tech support did you need for a 1 gal air compressor? It has to be one of the simplest tools I've ever seen. - lolI did have a problem with mine when I first got it - it ran forever while charging up. It took about two minutes to trace the problem and about 15 minutes with a couple of wrenches and some teflon tape to rework the threaded fittings. It's been great since then.
I think this is the one that Basswood uses:
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-D55140-Heavy-Duty-1-Gallon-Compressor/dp/B000HZJMFM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1259690189&sr=8-1
He had some threads on it and the selection process last year around April when he was looking.
Maybe he'll chime in.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=103740.1
Personally I love a small 1 gal hotdog made by Puma (cheap chinese but it's worked great). Its' 12 amp and runs relatively quitely but is large enough to keep up with a 15g nailgun going full speed on base or case. I also have a 15 amp Senco hotdog that is too loud, and is 50% heavier with no additional benefit for trim work. The smallest Senco will not keep up with a large fiinish gun, but is perfect for small jobs like kitchens or one window repairs.
i see the new Dewalt 1 gal is only 2.6 amp--not much different than the small Senco I imagine.
I have had the puma for half a dozen years and other than the cheap regulator crapping out has run perfectly and is easy on the ears.
The small pancakes in the 12 amp range are good and lightweight but many are too loud.
Will someone ever come out with a variable speed motor and oil bath so we can have low noise most of the time and sheit and geit when we need more power?
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.