Question About Compressors

Joe,

What are you looking for in a compressor?
What I mean by that is do you want it only for these hobbies or do you want to be able to fill the car's tires, run an impact gun, etc?
If you can stand the noise or have a way to isolate the noise then an industrial compressor is a good way to go.
Give me an idea what you are going to use it for, how much you want to spend, how quiet you want it to be, etc?
I'll try and help you decide what would be best for you if I can.

Mike

How much money do you have to spend on a compressor Joe? How dedicated are you to using a compressor? How much noise can you tolerate? To me silence is golden and I do not like to buy compressor so I bought have two that will last me a lifetime and more. I use an oil compressor, the Silentaire Super Silent 20A that is, literally, whisper quiet at 30 dB. I also have a slightly noisier Medea Whisper Jet II oil-less compressor. The Silentaire will last a lifetime and the Whisper Jet a long time. I wouldn't have any problems running the Silentaire all day and the Whisper Jet will run long enough to get my modeling jobs done without working up a sweat. Some people will recommend the cheaper garage compressor but I don't like hiding from the noise and scaring the neighbors when those compressors fire up. Scaring me when one of those compressors fire up makes me and my airbrush spray paint all over the place...not good for my models.

The more money you spend the quieter and more reliable the compressor will be. I would recommend the Silentaire but not the Whisper Jet. The Silentaire is still currently sold and the last time I saw a Medea Whisper Jet sold was in mid 1980's. It is so old I can't even find the Whisper Jet on a Google search.

Silentaire is not the only quiet compressor I would recommend. There are many other quiet compressors around.

How dedicated are you to a compressor?

Billy,

The reason I mentioned the industrial compressor was because he said his wife needed a compressor too for her fabric dying and painting.
If she needs a compressor that puts out a lot more air than the average airbrush needs for modeling then something like the Silentaire 20A won't live long. That is a great compressor for it's intended use but if you go spraying at 60 psi for a few hours a day it will burn up as it was not intended for a duty cycle that rough. If she only needs it about as often as he does and at lower pressures then a silent compressor would work fine if they can afford it.

Mike

True, Mike, I stand corrected. The Silentaire I have at the higher pressures would severely shorten the compressor's life. A bigger silent one MIGHT work at longer and higher pressures but they are too much money to experiment with. A BIG TANK compressor, noisier, would be longer lived.

I agree.
The Silentaire's made for T-shirt airbrushing would work but they are upwards of $800 and more. Let's see what Joe and his wife require first as maybe I was too hasty in assuming he needed a compressor with that much CFM capacity.

Mike

JCon,

If you are going to use the compressor for more than just airbrushing, then you might as well get an industrial air compressor. Right now I'm using 110V, 3/4 hp oilless compressor rated @ 2 CFM @ 90 psi. Its mounted on a 7 gal tank (but I've increased the reservoir capacity to about 50 gal by plumbing in extra tanks). Works great for airbrushing, but when I hook up my orbital sander, I'm in for a long day (it needs 90 cfm). It only takes about 10 minutes max to lower the air pressure low enough for the sander to quit working and takes 20 to 30 minutes for pressure to build back up (and the compressor is rapidly wearing out).
Have you considered putting the compressor somplace other than in the house? If you have a garage or shed attached or near the house you might consider putting the compressor there. Plumb it to the locations you want with pvc pipe. Works great and can be installed with simple hand tools. (DIY project) My compressor is currently in the basement and I installed 1" pvc pipe to three locations and out to the carport (including moisture traps) and had it all up and running in less than a day. When I upgrade, the compressor will go into the shed at the end of the carport (which wasn't wired until a week ago) and put the on/off switch in the basement.
Another question. Do you really need a brand new compressor? If you check your Yellow Pages I'm relatively sure you can find a supplier who can supply you with a perfectly good used compressor (some even with a warrenty) for a lot less than a new one will cost you. Also (if you live in or near a fair sized city) check the Classified pages of the local paper.

Hope I have given you some food for thought, let us know what you decide.

Gentlemen, thanks so much for the speedy reply! It sounds like the money would be better spent on an industrial air compressor that I could keep in my woodshop (what's a little more noise compared to a 3 3/4 hp router, ha ha!) I could then use it in my cabinet building for finish work as well. Price wise I figured up to $300 for what we need...guess I'll shop around. If I go with the industrial one would I need to get a special regulator to tone it down for a small airbrush? Up to now my modeling has consisted of paint brushes and pastels & I'm ready to tackle something new. As you can tell I am really new at this end of the spectrum! Thanks, Joe

Joe,

Yes, you would need a regulator/moisture trap for running your airbrush off the compressor. I believe there is a regulator on the compressor itself so if you don't mind adjusting it there every time then all you need is a moisture trap installed as close to the airbrush as possible.
I know this is a little more than you wanted to spend but if I were to buy an industrial compressor I would definitely buy the Sears Craftsman Professional 25 gal tank, 6 hp model like this one:


Here is the link to the page Sears has it on also:
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00919541000

This compressor sells for $370 but is worth it over the other oiless compressors that they sell. This compressor will last you a lifetime with care and is not near as loud as the direct-drive units that most people buy from Sears. I have a friend in the automotive airbrushing business and he swears by these compressors and will not buy anything else for his shop.

Mike

Yea Mike makes a good suggestion.



I picked up one of those craftsmen professional series compressors.... the twin hotdog configuration some people call it. Roofers sometimes buy em for the portability. I think its got 5 gallon capacity and 4hp. I forget the spec's but its more than enough to do the job of supplying air for an airbrush. Mine looks a little bit like the one in this picture.

It is noisy but it only runs a couple times when I"m painting. It fills up and then I can shoot for roughly an hour and then I need to fire it up again.

And I can use it for other things so its flexible.

The nicest thing though is it was on sale for like $220 so the cost was modest compared to some compressors.

Kumakichi,

Those are good compressors too but they are oiless and won't last as long as the oil-filled type will. Of course an individual's budget also comes into play in a purchase, so if $200 or so is all you can or want to spend on a compressor then the oiless models will be fine, they are just a little too loud and tend to live shorter lives.

Mike

I guess mileage will vary and it all depends on what a person wants. I honestly didnt' have a budget when I bought that. I've had it for 6-7 yrs now and its running like new. But I tend to take good care of my tools too.

Noise-wise its as loud as any other compressor with the exception of those silent compressors meant for airbrushes. If I had a dedicated room just for modeling and airbrushing I'd buy a silent one. Right now my compressor is in the basement even though I don't airbrush down there.

Kumakichi,

I did the same thing with my Sears 1-1/2 hp 12 gallon tank compressor.
I put it in the shed in the back yard and ran an airhose to the garage which is about 30' away. It is real quiet that way.

I now have a Jun-Air silent like this one and no longer need to use the Sears compressor:



Mike

hmm.... how do you figure out what airbrush compressor to buy? I was just browsing some of the ones at BearAir and they have a bunch. Some of them are pretty expensive too. I wouldn't mind a quiet dedicated compressor to replace my Sears one but on the other hand I'm not sure I want to spend $500. Besides that I need to save some of my budget to build a spray booth

I bought mine used for $200 from a guy that had it on Ebay.
I was just going to build one with a refrigerator motor until I saw this one on Ebay so I just decided to build it as I knew Jun-Air to be among the best silent compressors made. If you can find a used one in good condition then that is the way to go as these compressors will last at 15-20 years before they need a rebuild. I have seen some real good buys on Ebay so keep an eye out.
I use mine for T-shirt airbrushing too so that is why I wanted a 1/2 hp model.
The smaller ones are also good for modeling but they won't be able to keep up with the demands of T-shirt airbrushing which calls for 60 psi for longer periods of time.

Mike

I think the problem with buying a compressor is the confusion in buying a compressor. No one has done a straight and unbiased comparison on them. The only information you get is from the company and the company is always going to make their product look the best. The companies emphasis bigger, more power, bigger air tank and we tend to think bigger is better. Companies do not say anything about longevity of the machine, how big or small a machine you happily need, reliability, noise levels or customer comments/complaints. So it is up to the informed buyer to ream out information for an intelligent decision. Research what you need and you will find the answer. In a compressor I gone so far as to research who makes the motor, thickness of the box (I use a Silent Compressor) and who makes the parts. It is hours of searching to find out the quality of the machines. I’ve even emailed to companies to get information. Figure out what you need and see if it is made.

You might want to keep your eye out on this unit as it might be able to be repaired for a fairly good price: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2591024269&category=11768&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWA%3AIT&rd=1

Mike

Good points Billy.

I have been told on good authority that most of the silent compressors out there all have their motors made by the same Italian company, except Jun-Air which manufacturers their own in Denmark.
The models made by Silentaire, Badger, Iwata, Medea and Jun-Air are all good units. I think if I were to buy a new silent it would probably be a Silentaire as they build great products and have a great staff for repairing them and answering questions.

Mike

One cheesy tactic I've seen Campbell Hausfield do is to hide their real motor falsely. A CH compressor with tank at Wal-Wort is advertised as small and quiet and it looks big enough to use in a garage. It was cheap with a sale price of $89.95. I debated getting the unit until the box 'accidentally' fell open. I checked out the motor and the cooling fins to find it was not a motor at all but a plastic box shaped to look like a motor; the real motor was well hidden under the box. Looking at the picture of the compressor on the box I would have swore the plastic motor was real. I don't know what is underneath that 'plastic motor' but I can infer that what ever is under there is smaller and cheaper looking than the fake motor box. The hidden motor cannot be cooled very well inside that sealed plastic housing. Cooling, good parts and clean oil is the key for a compressor motors long life. And I suspect whatever is under that plastic box is a really cheap, underpowered and overworked, short-lived motor.

While the compressor is fairly quiet (not is the same league as a silent compressor) I read later on the Net that the same CH compressor is now known for quickly breaking down. Apparently there are lots of cheap parts under that plastic and after a while I assume a bearing overheats and the compressor starts making awful part-to-part clanking sounds. After the sounds start it is not long before the compressor motor freezes.

You get what you pay for and some companies try to fool you with making cheap equipment look better than what it really is.

Here is a picture of the CH FP2040 with the cheesy plastic motor housing.

Gentlemen, once again you have given me a wealth of information! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions and debate which would work the best for my given needs. I haven't been on here for a few days as I have been remodeling our kitchen. I'm thinking Mike was right and I'll shoot for the Sears Craftsman Professional 25 gal tank, 6 hp model to meet our crafting/hobby needs! God bless each one of you and happy modeling, Joe

Joe,

Glad we could be of help my friend and God bless you too.

Mike

roosterfish,

I agree 100% on your post about that C-H "Silent Compressor" they sell.
I know quite a few T-shirt artists who bought them and thought they would fill their need for a fairly quiet compressor. They soon found out that they do indeed die short lives when used at 60 psi for 8-10 hours a day.
Some had died within the first week while others lasted a couple months.
I think that Sear model that Joe is considering is the only way to go out of the industrial type units for his purposes.

Mike

You guys are awesome and have saved me tons of leg work and searching the net for the info I need! Thanks, Joe