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Compressor Purchase?

EXTAAFLY

EXTAAFLY

Well Known Member
Okay. . . been lurking for years. Owned half a -6. Time to make this dream a reality.

Looking at two compressors for my build space.

Both Dewalt

Thinking this one should do the trick. . .

DXCMLA1683066
http://www.dewalt.com/en-us/products/gear-and-equipment/air-compressors/30-gallon-belt-drive-compressor/dxcmla1683066

Any reason to think this would be a better option? Same price at Home Deopt

DXCMLA1983054
http://www.dewalt.com/en-us/products/gear-and-equipment/air-compressors/30-gallon-cast-iron--oil-lubricated--belt-drive/dxcmla1983054
 
I have the 20 gallon version of the oil lubricated belt driven .. it's quiet and so far very reliable.

Note: They don't pack them very well .. inspect it carefully before accepting a delivery .. had to return my first one
 
Just about anything with a 20-gallon or greater tank will work. IMHO, stay away from the direct drive models. The belt drive units have always been a LOT less noisy.

At one time, I had a 60 Gallon vertical tank with 6 HP motor. That was the best setup that I have had. Of the smaller units, the ones like you link to with the vertical tank takes up less floor space and would be more desirable for me if there was no difference in price from the horizontal models.
 
After doing a lot of looking, I bought this one: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Quincy-Com...PSI-Electric-Vertical-Air-Compressor/50073349

I have been very happy with this USA built compressor. It is relatively quiet due to belt drive and oil lubricated, and it produces 7.4 cfm at 90 psi. This is a key spec that I don't see in the website you posted. This is about the highest air output I could find that would still run on 120 volts and was on wheels. I have been using it lately for spray painting the interior of my RV-10 kit, and it just keeps up with the air demand. Anything smaller probably wouldn't work well for painting.

I know people who have built with much smaller compressors, and they will work so long as you don't push them too hard for continuous air usage.

Best of luck with your new project.
 
Thank You!

This one I think just moved in to the top spot. American made (but I think I remember from previous research they're assembled here with some % of foreign parts, still better IMHO), it is higher HP 2.0 v. 1.6, Higher CFM output at 90psi 7.4 v. 5.6, smaller tank by 4 gallons (not sure that will make much difference). Finally, it is the same color as my tool chest :cool:

DRMA said:
After doing a lot of looking, I bought this one: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Quincy-Com...PSI-Electric-Vertical-Air-Compressor/50073349

I have been very happy with this USA built compressor. It is relatively quiet due to belt drive and oil lubricated, and it produces 7.4 cfm at 90 psi. This is a key spec that I don't see in the website you posted. This is about the highest air output I could find that would still run on 120 volts and was on wheels. I have been using it lately for spray painting the interior of my RV-10 kit, and it just keeps up with the air demand. Anything smaller probably wouldn't work well for painting.

I know people who have built with much smaller compressors, and they will work so long as you don't push them too hard for continuous air usage.

Best of luck with your new project.
Click to expand...
 
monster compresser

Got a lot of advice to buy a monster big compressor, which I did - cost me a fortune, and I had to rewire the shop for 3-phase. It was great when using the air drill, and if you are slow-build, you'll use it a lot. Also, for painting it seems to be very good to have a huge one.

I moved, and getting 3-phase into the "new" house would cost more than a fortune, so I went and bought a 99 euro single-phase compressor from the French version of Home Depot, and it's working fine. I have a lot fewer holes to drill, and I'm also using a tiny bosch electric drill which works great, and is about the same size as the sioux air drill.

Hopefully this is helpful. :)
 
Three phase is overkill for a "house" compressor.....unless someone gives it to you for free!

That said, 240V is all you need and that's already coming into your house. Wire it into your dryer circuit (and dont run them at the same time) and youre in like Flynn.

I have an old Craftsman 240v 25gal (oil/belted) roll around which after many years of service I replaced with this IngersolRand vertical as my main compressor: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_211720_211720

5Hp is pretty much all a 30amp house hold 240v circuit can light up without tripping so thats was what I went with. I also have a 10gal cheater tank that I plumb into the line for either extra capacity or if I need to take some air offsite for simple stuff (like a flat tire).

Bottomline: get the biggest compressor you can afford because you'll use it way more than you think and a little one will cost you more than twice a big one - the cost of the little one, then when it burns out, the cost of the bigger one.
------------

Back to what the OP asked - you need to look at CFM rating, not gallon capacity. How much air the pump can put out must be based on what your tools need plus a margin. A sand blaster is the worst for using air, a paint gun probably the least. For me that speced out at 18CFM at 90psi continuous. As far as I can tell what you are looking at is a wood working compressor with meager output. Dont be fooled by a big tank and a puny compressor - once you exhaust the tank, you have to stop and let the pump rebuild. For many of these little ones, either the motor or the pump cant take continuous duty.
 
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At home I have a big 220v Quincy I have used for year, has served me well and will run anything I need.

When I moved my plane to the airport I needed something to run the rivet gun, squeezer, air drill, etc. and bought this.

https://www.amazon.com/California-A...=8-1&keywords=california+quiet+air+compressor

I am super impressed with how quiet it is. You can barely hear it if your standing on top of it. It runs my air drill without a problem which surprised me. If I ever did run out of air I would probably just order a 2nd one and run them combined. The lack of noise is a nice relief and it put out way more volume than I expected.
 
Harbor Freight..

..has 30 gal (maybe 29?) belt driven, 110V, oil lubricated compressors for cheap. I have been using mine for 6 years. Drain it every session. Maybe I've been lucky, but so far, I haven't seen a reason to pay more simply to have it painted yellow with Dewalt on the side. The compressor looks almost identical to mine.
 
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