For those of you that have a compressor in your garage...what type do you have or what are the specs that you would recommend?

I could give you that information but it probably wouldn't help you.

What are you looking to use a compressor for and is there a budget you had in mind? This could help us give you some general guidelines.

#thingsiwantbutdontneed

1.) Shop air is the sh*t
2.) you are probably ok with any decent compressor if it is for normal tasks, if you are gonna be using a 1" impact all the time that's different than airing tires, nailers, blowers ect.
3.) It's OK and often cheaper to put two compressors in parallel than it is to buy one big compressor.
4.) DO NOT FORGET AN AIR DRYER.

Dewalt D55146 is a POS, it eats belts all the time.

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4.) DO NOT FORGET AN AIR DRYER.

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Not sure what kind of "air dryer" you are recommending here - maybe you meant water separator?

A real air dryer is a big/expensive piece of equipment which I don't see being practical for a home/garage shop. And I don't think those mini dessicant dryers really do any good.

Go over to www.garagejournal.com and do a search for threads about running lines for air. Eventually you'll come to a point where you find out about something like this with angled piping and drip loops that is the recommended solution which will both keep the air temp down and force the water to condense and drop out of the air:



Here's the end point for my line in my garage (the copper pipe runs around 2 walls so about 40 ft or so):




At the end there is a Sharpe 880 which is a combination regulator and water/oil/contaminant separator. [url=www.garagejournal.com][/url]

I've sprayed epoxy primer and single stage urethane without problems, no air dryer needed.

yeah I was talking about a separator.

It's all about matching the capability of the pump/motor with the tools you plan to use. Buy the pump based on the CFM rating first, and the other factors (voltage, tank size, duty cycle etc) depending on your other needs. Having a big tank will help to supplement your CFM needs depending on how you use your tools.

List of CFM requirements for most air tools

I have a 230V Porter Cable 3.5 HP with a 60 gallon tank. Love it. It'll push 11.5 CFMs at 90psi and will run most tools. It was close enough to run a paint gun intermittently for my needs, which was my limiting factor.

A compressor like that probably runs about $600 these days. I was also a little surprised by just how many fittings I had to buy to get everything how I liked it.

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1.) Shop air is the sh*t

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Also, +1

Doing it over again I would get a oiled compressor. Never had a complaint from the neighbors but II closed the garage door when it needs a refill.

Like mentioned before, the tools you plan on running dictate the unit. Impact wrench and air ratchet can run on most anything. Using grinders or da sanders need quite a bit more cfm.

Definitely get an oil-filled compressor. May be little more expensive but well worth it. I have one and it runs so much quieter than that mind-numbing sound of an oil-less one.

Need to get a separator for it too but those aren't much.

Figure out how much air you need and how big a compressor and then get a little bigger for future. You'll probably need it.

220v oiled if you are doing more than an impact wrench and airing up tires. Oilless arw junk for mechanic work. good if you are doing some experiment and need really clean air. Dont use the advertised horsepower to compare models, Ive seen plenty of 110v rated at hp that would burn a house down if accurate

Although I doubt the OP is looking to get a $2000+ air compressor (hey, you never know!) - the next upgrades after oilless vs oiled would be:

single stage vs two stage - two stage are more efficient and produce cooler air because of an intercooler between the stages (important if you paint a lot and don't have an external cooler).

slow vs fast RPM - The slower the motor RPM the better the compressor (when comparing 2 similar cfm compressors) - look for something in the 1000 rpm range vs 2000 or more rpm. Lower RPM will be quieter as well.

reed vs disc valves - reed valves are ok...until they are not. They tend to break catastrophically...disc valves are a step up and are easier to maintain/clean/repair.


You'll find that the best compressors in the 220v 5hp 60/80g range are two-stage, ~1000 rpm, with disc valves. Going beyond that would be pressure vs splash lubrication, American vs import, etc...

I really appreciate all of the feedback, fellas. Great information that will give me a good starting point.

Java, I don't know whether to thank you or curse you for directing me to the Garage Journal site. ;-)

Not much to add but my dad just got a dewalt 5hp 80 gallon air compressor and I'm jealous.

We have had the Lowe's $200 one for 15 years. Still going strong.

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We have had the Lowe's $200 one for 15 years. Still going strong.

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I bet you a $200 air compressor at lowes 15 years ago was some 10hp 480v ingersol model. $1500 today

Campbell Hausfeld, 5hp, 20 gallon

http://texags.com/forums/46/topics/2622840/replies/42937375

Seriously it aired up my lawn tractor tire over and over and over. /winks face

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Campbell Hausfeld, 5hp, 20 gallon

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I was half there on HP, lol

5hp on a 110v outlet? thats the made up horsepower ratings I'm talking about

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5hp on a 110v outlet? thats the made up horsepower ratings I'm talking about

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Which is why CFM is a better metric

It runs Mr Dubi's pneumatic car tools and home improvement tools. This compressor has renovated 2 houses and does everything we need.

Make sure you don't get one that is too small.

We have an old house with 100 amp breaker box, so a 200 compressor is not in the cards.