im currantly looking into an air set-up for the house. but since garage space is super limited, im looking at the 'portable' units at about 6+hp and 150psi with a ~30 gal tank. is anyone using anything along thses lines? how do u like/dislike it? what do u recommend?

-spenc

 

What's this? Low buck means no air tools!

The only time you'd want a bigger tank is if you're painting, with long, even strokes. If you're using air tools, where you don't need a lot of capacity (and you're just hitting it for a second or two), you're fine with that (unless you're using an impact wrench to drill through 3" thick steel). I find that the stand up ones actually take very little space.

Actually, the 5.5 hp + 22 gal tank @ Sears is $50 off right now.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr...22000

Or this (WTF? Sears on eBay?)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...30787

 

yea, well i need air to pressurize my sprinkler system in the winter, so momz is springing. otherwise i'd be working with my usual tools and 'torque multipliers.'
the reason im looking at the portable ones is so i can move it around and in and out of the garage. this way if mom needs to walk through the garage, i can move it. otherwise it will most likely be sitting right in the amin walking area. (gosh, i have too many wheels in my garage)
also, what kind of electric outlet do i need? reg. house currant or 220?

-spenc

 

Take a trip to Sears and try to find one that is either a return or or sale. Ours works fine for most jobs. Even Home Depot has a Husky that is the "upright" type that works well. My only issue with the 20-30 gallon tank is that the compressor cycles more frequently when using die grinders at maximum output and a few other air tools.

 

Any of the small ones will do fine for most projects. I'm not sure if mine was just really cheap, or if they are all the same way, but the direct drive units are LOUD. You will not want to be in the same room with them, and plan to stop working by 9PM if you have neighbors. Of course, there are no other real alternatives...

I gave away my little direct drive compressor when I bought my 60 gal 2 stage upright. It is quiet (much lower frequency noise) and NEVER has run out of air. The small ones will stop working with high demand projects.

Examples of high demand:

Die grinder
Rotary cutting wheel (I use this one most)
Sand blasting (this is a biggie too).

For simple impact tools and air wratchets, you don't need a big unit. A larger tank means the motor gets to rest more.

Final words of wisdom...

Expensive air tools are better than cheap ones.

Scott

 

I have a 30 gallon 6hp vertical compressor from sears. Its very nice for what I use it for. Be sure to drain it every time you use it as mine builds up water pretty quickly.

For starters I bought this $99 kit from home depot with a bunch of husky air tools. Its got most of the basics even though I want better air tools husky is better than nothing. And they are pretty much the only air tool that comes with a lifetime warranty that I know of.

 

Spencer,
If you're at NNJR tomorrow I'll talk to you about them....I got one for X-mas last year and got a kick *** Impact gun. All of it is Sears stuff and works quite well. Single stage electric, 110 volts, good flow at 90 psi (enough for a decent impact gun).

John

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by celica73 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I gave away my little direct drive compressor when I bought my 60 gal 2 stage upright. It is quiet (much lower frequency noise) and NEVER has run out of air. The small ones will stop working with high demand projects.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Can you give me/us an example of such a compressor?

To be honest, i have no idea what you're talking aboot.

 

I recently (5 mos ago) purchased this:



Sears item #00916778000

It was a bit expensive but waaay quieter than the other cheaper ones. At 11pm with my garage door shut you can barely hear it outside (20ft away).

So far I'm really happy with it, however, all I've used it for is running the impact wrench, airing up the tires etc (can't believe I ever lived without airtools - still use hand tools for tightening/torquing though)

Goodluck.

 

Have the same one for three years now, love it, much quieter than others in that same size and doesn't take up that much floor space ( don't buy something cheap and later regret it ) just get a good one and be done with it

 

that sears peice looks good. im gonna go to sears tomorrow and see what they have in stock. see if they have what i want. large tank, good hp, blah blah

-spenc

 

when i was looking into the purchase, most people told me (or i read) -

-get the largest tank you can afford (20 gallon min)
-psi is the number you're concerned with. most common auto air tools need 90 psi. 125 to 150 max is pretty common.
-the oil-less or self-oiling motors are not known for reliability, but are less expensive.

i purchased a second-hand husky/home depot standup w/ wheels 25 gallon 5hp 150psi max. so far so good - it is really loud, and the guy who lives above my garage has already given me crap for it. the starter set of tools are pretty much useless - the impact gun couldn't get all my lugs off.

a quick trip to sears later...



600 ft/lbs in reverse! it, as they say, owns.

i would go craftsman all the way - maybe catch a sale, or apply for a card and get 10% off. and you can always bring it back if it don't work.