Which air compressor?

Hello, I am a new member here and have a question.  I would like to purchase a portable air compressor.  It will mainly be for “home use”.  I would prefer a “quiet” one on wheels or portable with wheels and not one to just lift from place to place.  I’ve been doing some research on line but I found this forum and thought I’d ask.  I do know that everyone may have a different opinion too.  I do understand about the SCFM and other criteria for a compressor for the intended use. I am just looking for what you have and likes and or dislikes.  Does anyone have the Lowes Quiet Tech compressor? Or maybe a Rolair or California Tools?

Thanks for any input,

Carver67

I myself have a rolair vt2big an it’s great. I run my plasma cutter off it(not recommended) an it just keeps going. I know it’s not what your asking about but I have high recommendations for rolair. 

I recommended this one to my brother in law. Perfect for the homeowner and he loves it, quiet pretty compact and easy to move around. https://www.amazon.com/California-Air-Tools-5510SE-5-5-Gallon/dp/B00NOSCDPA/ref=pd_lpo_469_bs_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5VC4ZJ0DFA39K7GTWNV5

My favorite compressor is the 2 gal Thomas Ultra Air-Pac. Super quiet and so easy to carry around, perfect for punch work. If I can get away with it, that’s the one I grab. A little small for your all-around needs though.

Carver67 wrote:

4 hours ago, Carver67 said:

Hello, I am a new member here and have a question.  I would like to purchase a portable air compressor.  It will mainly be for “home use”.  I would prefer a “quiet” one on wheels or portable with wheels and not one to just lift from place to place.  I’ve been doing some research on line but I found this forum and thought I’d ask.  I do know that everyone may have a different opinion too.  I do understand about the SCFM and other criteria for a compressor for the intended use. I am just looking for what you have and likes and or dislikes.  Does anyone have the Lowes Quiet Tech compressor? Or maybe a Rolair or California Tools?

 

Thanks for any input,

 

Carver67

You haven’t said what tasks you will be doing with it. Without that information it is anybody’s guess what your needs are.

I’m a Rolair guy myself. You aren’t going to go wrong with one, they generally will cost you more than some other brands but will be well worth it.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Thanks for your input.  I should have mentioned that I’d primarily be using it for trim work around house, filling a tire, woodworking (pin, brad nailing), blowing off sawdust but I’d still like it to be quiet and portable too.  I understand I wouldn’t really be able to use a air ratchet efficiently with it though.  What about am aluminum tank versus steel, brand name, warranty, etc. Just, are you happy with what you have for your required needs is what I was after.  Thanks again for your input and I am glad I have found this site.  

Carver67 

I have a husky rebranded CAT, not wheels though, nice an quiet compressor, the Kobalts look nice but have a lot of plastic on them, bad thing? you be the judge of that, Rolair are amazing compressors if you can swing it i would take that route or CAT

When you stated wheel requirements I assumed you were looking for something around 5 gal or so. A 2 gal compressor would be just fine for your needs. These are very light and easy to carry around, no need for wheels. I love my Thomas Air-Pac and can vouch for the 2.5 gal Rolair but both of these might be a little on the high end for occasional home use.

Given the tasks you want to perform, you could probably use one of the really small compressors like Rolair’s AB5, Senco’s PC1010N, or any number of California Air Tools compressors. At around 25 pounds they might be more convenient to carry than to roll something bigger. As far as noise, the magic number you want to look for is about 70 decibels or less. A lot of the pancake compressors come in at around 80 which can be more than a little obnoxious in enclosed spaces.

Anything on wheels is typically a “larger” compressor, That would be a pain to move around room to room for trim work. 

For your needs you can get away with a smaller / portable compressor.  I have a California air that is way more than enough for trim work , framing nailer etc. 

I just keep it on a cart which is super handy to have access to the rest of my tools.

I recommend craftsman we have had one for about 10or more years and still going strong I think its @  30gallons

I have this one :

https://www.amazon.ca/DEWALT-DWFP55130-Heavy-Quiet-Compressor/dp/B00HQYFZGM

Love it. Since the pressure can go up to 200 psi, it is very light and above all less noisy. Plus, it only draws 12 amp so no risk to trip a breaker with it. I even used it to do some light framing.

I am a big fan of the California Air compressors.. I bought the 10 gallon one.  It’s perfect for what do.. I don’t bother anyone in the house or my neighbors when I am working in the garage.  

Check out this video.. this is the exact one I have.. yes this video is very accurate.

So accurate, I bought the PC one with 2 nails guns about 14 years ago. Compressor and nail guns still work great, but after buying the CA compressor I never use the PC one anymore.

SetBuilder wrote:

On 2/9/2017 at 11:21 AM, SetBuilder said:

Anything on wheels is typically a “larger” compressor, That would be a pain to move around room to room for trim work. 

 

For your needs you can get away with a smaller / portable compressor.  I have a California air that is way more than enough for trim work , framing nailer etc. 

 

I just keep it on a cart which is super handy to have access to the rest of my tools.

Nice set up, clean and organized.  I have seen carts on the job site before but most looked like a homeless person’s shopping carts:)

I would go with rolair they make great portable air compressors 

Small compressors i have a craftsman and a dewalt. They aren’t the quietest things though. They are reach about 12gal maybe 15. They have worked great for many years with no issue. My dewalt is having an issue now but i also took it into the shop so who knows what happened to it, those guys don’t always take care of the tools like they should. Both are over 10 years old though. Definately paid for themselves.

Carver67 wrote:

On ‎2‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 11:36 PM, Carver67 said:

Hello, I am a new member here and have a question.  I would like to purchase a portable air compressor.  It will mainly be for “home use”.  I would prefer a “quiet” one on wheels or portable with wheels and not one to just lift from place to place.  I’ve been doing some research on line but I found this forum and thought I’d ask.  I do know that everyone may have a different opinion too.  I do understand about the SCFM and other criteria for a compressor for the intended use. I am just looking for what you have and likes and or dislikes.  Does anyone have the Lowes Quiet Tech compressor? Or maybe a Rolair or California Tools?

 

Thanks for any input,

 

Carver67

I have the Lowes quiet tech air compressor and love it. It runs about 10 or 12 decibels less than most air compressors it’s size and has been trouble free since I bought it which was only a few months ago.  I mainly use it for small cfm air tools like drills, a small sander, and blowing off my work station when I’m doing small projects.  Comes in handy when I blow the junk out of range brass before cleaning in my ultra sonic cleaner.  I actually did a video showing the noise difference between the Quiet Tech and a pancake compressor the same size but was never able to upload to this group. A hair dryer is louder than the Quiet Tech.  Bought it mainly because of less noise, compact size and the fact that I currently reside in an apartment, so I have to keep the noise level down to an acceptable level. Fits perfect in my portable work bench I keep tucked away in my closet.

Thanks again everyone for your input.  It is greatly appreciated.  Still haven’t made a decision yet, but will let ya know when I get one.

Carver67

I was thinking of the Kobalt “quite tech” but it’s only 1 hp and that seems a little small. 

What is more important?  HP or tank size?  In fact, could someone categorize and list in order of importance all of the factors?  How I’ve been looking into it so far is:

1) Tank Size

2) Loudness

And thats it, but I’m in the same boat.  Do I get a compressor and nailer separately, or get a pancake compressor combo kit?  

Can’t go wrong with Rolair.  I’ve never heard a complaint about them.

They do make a few smaller ones with wheels.  Alot of people don’t think they need wheels.  I’m at the point, I wouldn’t even buy one that didn’t have wheels.  Unless it was a very small one, but I wouldn’t buy one of those to begin with.

Regarding the Porter Cable pancake compressors.  I’ve never had one, but I’ve seen a few on job sites.  They are extremely loud.  I think there are a few other brands that all basically look the same and come bundles with about 3 nailers.  

croikee wrote:

What is more important?  HP or tank size?  In fact, could someone categorize and list in order of importance all of the factors?  How I’ve been looking into it so far is:
1) Tank Size
2) Loudness
 
And thats it, but I’m in the same boat.  Do I get a compressor and nailer separately, or get a pancake compressor combo kit?  

croikee wrote:

On 2/15/2017 at 1:01 AM, croikee said:

What is more important?  HP or tank size?  In fact, could someone categorize and list in order of importance all of the factors?  How I’ve been looking into it so far is:

1) Tank Size

2) Loudness

 

And thats it, but I’m in the same boat.  Do I get a compressor and nailer separately, or get a pancake compressor combo kit?  

It is about addressing your needs and wants. Normal sound for compressors is around 80 decibels, most of your pancake style compressors run in that area, and that is pretty loud. There are several companies who make compressors which can be substantially quieter running around the 70 decibel range which is more like a normal conversation sound level. There are several different size compressors out there, some companies offer 1 to 1.5 gallon compressors which are usually in the 25-30 pound range and easily carried from room to room to knock out a few finish nails or brads, Then there are those that are about 40 pounds and 2 1/2 gallons, they usually have enough capacity to run a framing gun albeit slower and will cycle more with the bigger nailgun. The pancakes tend to be heavier than those I previously mentioned hold about 6 gallons, which is plenty of air to run any nailgun, you can charge on up and carry it out to check the air and top off tires or zip off a few lugnuts if needed. It won’t power any high demand tools like a grinder, sander or paint with more than an airbrush.

The critical thing to look at more than HP is the amps it will draw when starting up and running, the other thing is the SCFM at the pressure you will be running your tools at. The four factors I would look at, in no order of importance are amperage, SCFM, portability and noise. You have to prioritize what you want. If you aren’t going to use it more than once a month and you are looking at a pancake compressor, a finish nailer and and a brad nailer, you probably are not going to beat the value in the combo kit.

Just venting here a bit.  I had started this post about which air compressor?  I really appreciated everyone’s opinion on this.  So I finally decided on Lowes quiet tech air compressor and today I drove 78 miles to a Lowes store.   Walked in to where it was displayed about 6 weeks ago and it was no longer there.  So, I asked about if they had one in stock and the guy looked on the computer and I gave him the sku number from the Lowes website which I had up on my phone.  He said, it says zero in stock and it is not on order for stocking anymore.  He could not explain why.  I am confused about this.  Does anyone know anything about why Lowes will not be selling this compressor anymore?  Is there something wrong with the Kobalt quiet compressor, a recall or something, just not selling in the Midwest for some reason for lack of sales, ect.  If anyone knows why I would appreciate an answer as I was planning on purchasing this.  If not, I plan on contacting Kobalt next week.  Thanks.

Follow up. Long story, but I found one in Kansas City and they are shipping it directly to me.  Shipping charge was only $13.00 so I figured it was worth it.  The lady at the Special Orders Department at Lowes was very helpful in resolving this issue.  I really still do not understand the issue other than some kind of supplier issue currently.  She did say that Lowes will be ordering a little over 500 units but it may be a month before they hit the shelves.

Models change rapidly. They might just be deleting stock to make what for the newer version which may be better or worse. You rarely see a model without changes last very long.

I have not read all the reply’s so forgive me if this has already been discussed. I bought this last year and have used it about a dozen times. I have never been disappointed. And the price is really good…I have never seen it this low. 

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-6-gallon-oil-less-pancake-compressor-and/p-00916575000P?SID=IMxdCx-CoreTools-V2-activeusers&utm_medium=2706_92012_CoreTools

California air is the quietest I have ever heard.it seems that if it works good for a month then you are set,or they problems right from the start

I agree California Air is quiet especially indoors.

I bought a 220v air compressor 30+ years ago and the tank rusted out.  Replacement tanks are not cost effective, so you might as well get a new compressor.  One of the first things I bought after my tank rusted out was a California Air just because of the aluminum tank and I’m glad I did.  I finally found a broken compressor with a good tank (took over 1 1/2 years)  at a garage sale.  Now I have to transfer the compressor to the new tank.

You have to keep in mind that an air compressor is never big enough. 

First you pick one to blow up your kids inflatable items, then you need to inflate your car tire and suddenly you have to paint your house. 

With that said, I would not go for the smallest one you need right now. But as long you stay within your budget and find something that’s easy to move around. I would go with the best PSI option as possible. 

Wish you guys the best of luck

I bought my parents a husky easy air last year and when I do demos at the home depot I use the easy air because it’s small and portable and has sufficient air flow.

It definitely has enough air to power 18ga brads, 18ga stapler, and 16ga finish nailer continuously because the amount of air it uses to push that small faster into the wood is very small and the tank can refill itself way before you ever make it drop enough in pressure to notice a difference. So for what you want to use it for I’m sure you’ll never run out of the air. Heck even when I do framer and roofing nailer demos I use the easy air and I get around 5-8 nails in a row before the heads stop going all the way down.

How about the NorthStar brand? Did anyone use it?

I have Ryobi P731 and have used it for 3 years now. Not a single issue and would buy again. 
You can set the PSI your tire is supposed to be at and it will cut off on its own. You can also get like 20 complete tire inflation out of a charge if not more.