Air compressor companies quality?

[miller]

Hey im lookin for a new air compressor. About 7hp and 60-80 gallon capacity (im gonna add on another 60g tank). Anyway I was wondering what you guys thought of the different brands out there.

Cambell-Hausfeild
Craftsman
Husky
Ingersoll-Rand

If I left any brands out feel free to add. Thanks.

[E-boyz67]

Ingersoll-Rand are the better of all three.

[Rescue912]

I-R goood ... I got a refurb for about the same price as a big campbell at the discount places. It has 100% duty cycle too - ie: can run all day, every day without croaking.

Eaton out of Ohio makes nice stuff too.

[amoto]

Where did you get the I.R. refurb unit?

[Rescue912]

hmm, can't remember the name - gettin' too old. Some place in Indianapolis, Indiana. I will see if I can find the receipt. Convenient because it was only about 45 minutes away so I was able to pick it up and save shipping too.

Any dealer would probably have access to refurbs though. Find a local dealer and give them a buzz.

[Rescue912]

Can't find receipt. Pretty sure it was the Grainger in Indianapolis on the East side at the intersection of I-465 and Post Road.

[aggie vw]

NEVER get a craftsman. My dad had one.....

After a couple of years the electric motor driving the pump burnt up. The electric motor is built into the pump housing. This means NO ONE will rebuild the motor. It is cheaper to buy a whole new compressor than to buy a replacement motor.

btw it was a 6 hp 60 gallon compressor.

-Erick

[Searoy]

You could build a Volksair. Up the compression to about 15:1 and run it on natural gas.

[MNAirHead]

Husky and Craftsman are Marketing names -- not brands.


Ingersol and Campbell are Assembled brands.


I've got a Husky that's really a Campbell... used to have a Craftsman that was an Ingersol....

The problem with built to spec items is that the quality is sometimes not consistent.

I've had zero problems with my Cambell/Husky... Pay close attention to the motor on top of the tank -- there are different brands... a smarter guy can tell you the brands of motors (Baldor, Dayton, Emerson etc) that are your best bet.

Air compressor talk is a common topic at the following website... wood workers cherish their compressors more

www.woodnet.net

T.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

MN is correct. I have a C-H and it is OK but I wish I had got an 80 gal tank rather than a 60 gallon tank. The compressor style itself also makes a heck of a difference especially if you are going to be running air tools a lot or a blast cabinet. Also make sure that they come with a moisture bleed at the bottom of the tank… and use it. Don’t forget a water separator also. If you are going to get a auto lube setup for your tools, make sure it is part of the tool and not at the tank otherwise you will foul up your hose for painting.

I have had several smaller Sears compressors and, depending on the time of the year or the day of the week, it is one manufacturer sub-contractor or another. I understand it is the same or worse with the larger units. They change P/Ns/ models so often that even they are often confused and this is not just with compressors. Most of their stuff it OK but getting the right parts for them can range from problematic to difficult. Now that they have eliminated a lot of their repair facilities they have to ship to one of the few repair facilities and you know who is going to pay for that and how long is it going to take.

Anyone you talk to is going to have had problems with one of more brands so I think you need to look into service of who you buy from; can they fix it, can they get parts to do it and parts availability for you to do it (see above).

Lee

[doc]

I have a 71/2 hp, 80 gal. Puma compressor about 3 years old - about $1400 installed (I had 200V/80 amp wiring circuit ready to go). I've been very pleased with Baldor motor, 3 cylinder Puma pump setup. Have had zero issues. Several hundred dollars cheaper than comparable IR units. Only significant difference is the Puma pump.

doc

[SCOTTRODS]

Check out Eaton Compressors..... They have some of the best INFO on Compressors, available on the net..... and they also sell pretty nice compressors.......

[doc]

Almost bought an Eaton. Great web site. Read and learn what to look for.

doc

[Chris V]

I had to dig up our Craftsman air compressor manual, we've had it for ten years... it's a permanently lubricated, 2 stage, twin valve, stationary unit...# 919.165610

60 gallon
240V/15A
cut-in of ~145PSI
cut-out of ~175PSI
9 CFM @ 90 PSI

We've had this thing for years, and it gets used pretty heavily, painted a few cars and plenty of media-blasting aside from ratchets/DA's/impacts/hammers...The other day it was having difficulty pumping up to 60PSI after my Mother drained the whole system (~100' black pipe + hoses). I turned-it off and thought it was dead, after a week out of town for work I flipped it back on and it pumped-up no problem - but I only was seating the bead on a single tire after replacing the valve-stem.

There was a sale on a garden shed last year around Mother's Day and I went ahead and built it on slab with its own electrical panel - but the agreement was it now contains the big ol' loud air compressor.

[bens collision]

other thing to consider is how much use it gets, there's a huuuuuge difference between using a compressor at home than one used for a commercial application that's in use 10 hours a day 5 days a week. i learned that the hard way when i started my shop... the first compressor i bought was an ingersol and i bought it from a farm supply place, found out later that its not built for commercial use, regardless of what the ratings are on it, it just cant hold up. it WAS a high rpm (3400 rpm ) motor which couldnt handle the constant stop and start demand we placed on it, i changed that motor out to a lower rpm and it works a lot better. id say if your using it for ' hobby' then about any one will do as long as the cfm ratings match your needs and to find a good used one, you can get em for 1/3 the price of a new one.