Ive come up with 2 inexpensive compressors

CBennett

and thoughts or anything B4 I get one or the other.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-8-eighth-hp-40-psi-oilless-airbrush-compressor-93657.html

http://www.amazon.com/Airbrush-Depot-AIRBRUSH-COMPRESSOR-REGULATOR/dp/B0038D79DC

I want to try to order this by next week or so. Guess after ,looking they are the best 2 at a reasonable price I could find

again unless you guys know of something im missing in the same price range thats as good or a lot better...

There is no comparison between the 2. The TCPGlobal TC-20 is a much better unit with good track record. You may want to check their auction post at Ebay. You may save some shipping (free) ordering from Ebay instead of Amazon.

harbor freight for me only because im currently using it. been running it hard for the past 7 months with zero problems. 

from the looks of it they are proble the same unit with different names. harbor freight always has coupons so, keep checking. 

I bought this kit back in the spring. It was $10 cheaper then and I've never tried the airbrush. It's slightly larger at 1/5hp and works fine for me. They aren't silent but are pretty quiet. Louder than a refrigerator but quieter than my furnace. When I have the exhaust fan on in the paint booth I can just barely hear the compressor run. I do run mine to a tank from an older CH compressor and plug the airbrush into the tank.

Tony

Wingman_kz

I bought this kit back in the spring. It was $10 cheaper then and I've never tried the airbrush. It's slightly larger at 1/5hp and works fine for me. They aren't silent but are pretty quiet. Louder than a refrigerator but quieter than my furnace. When I have the exhaust fan on in the paint booth I can just barely hear the compressor run. I do run mine to a tank from an older CH compressor and plug the airbrush into the tank.

Tony

I saw both the 58 psi and the 40 psi airbrush compressors at Habor Freight. The 58 psi one seemed to have better external finishes, but they are the same specifications in the manuals, 0.5 CFM at 20 psi. This is a modest specification, but sufficient for most gravity feed airbrushes. I wish someone will test both and give some feedbacks on whether it keeps pressure and how hot the cylinder head gets.

It is revealing to read the user feedbacks. Those who got a good unit are very satisfied and there are quite a few who got bad units and rate it poorly. It is hard to predict what one may get at Harbor Freight since they often change supplier without change manual and packaging. 

On the other hand, the specification of 0.7 CFM at 60 psi and max pressure at 100 psi of the Airbrush-Depot TC-20 compressor falls into the "too good to be true" catagory for a single cylinder unit. It is probably better than the HF units, but not as good as the TCPGlobal states in the spec. TCPGlobal is not a model of customer service, but there are enough positive comments about their compressor on this forum plus the 2 years warranty to trust them a little more.

I don't read reviews keilau, don't pay any attention to them. I don't know those people, don't know if they have an axe to grind or even if they know what they're talking about.  I didn't look at the specs on this compressor. It had a slightly higher horsepower rating so that's why I bought it. I use the airbrush, the compressor runs as needed to refill the tank it's connected to. I paid $70 for it and a $10 airbrush that I'll never use. I'm not that concerned about it. I'll use it till it dies and either fix it or get something else. I've already painted 4 kits with it and parts of 3 more. Say it lasts for 20 kits, it would have added less than the cost of one bottle of MM enamel to each kit.

So, I mean no offense, don't mean to sound flippant (lol). Hopefully someday I'll be able to afford a Silentaire Super Silent that may last forever but until then, I just accept it as part of the cost of enjoying my hobby.

Tony

all brands have their flaws. it happens. even the top end brands have negative FB. 

Tony and Randy, I respectfully disagree that all compressors are created the same. People asked questions at this forum to be smarter consumer and better modeler. Enough said.

You guys do good modeling works and were lucky to get a good HF unit. Yes, if it works for you, it is a good compressor.

Im gonna order the TC-20 today I was trying to 'catch a deal" on something but in 2 weeks havent found one so TC-20 it is..and yes from Ebay with the free shipping at $79.99.

keilau

Tony and Randy, I respectfully disagree that all compressors are created the same. People asked questions at this forum to be smarter consumer and better modeler. Enough said.

You guys do good modeling works and were lucky to get a good HF unit. Yes, if it works for you, it is a good compressor.

if you understand the industry then you would know most are made by the same factory. companies buy them and stamp their names on it. i know that higher end brands like badger,iwata and what not do not do this and actually build their units. 

look at the low end paasche compressors. "D500R" they are identical to the harbor freight and TC global compressors. 

i never said all are created the same.

i stated that all brands good or bad will have some type of negative FB. 

keilau

Tony and Randy, I respectfully disagree that all compressors are created the same. People asked questions at this forum to be smarter consumer and better modeler. Enough said.

You guys do good modeling works and were lucky to get a good HF unit. Yes, if it works for you, it is a good compressor.

Yeh whatever

randypandy831

if you understand the industry then you would know most are made by the same factory. companies buy them and stamp their names on it. i know that higher end brands like badger,iwata and what not do not do this and actually build their units. 

No, Neither Badger nor Iwata build their compressors. Badger used to sell Thomas (built in USA) compressor under their own brand, but is now sourcing their Badger compressors from China. Iwata has used Sparmax in Taiwan as their manufacturer for many years and built a good reputation for reliability.

The many Mom and Pa factories in China are another story. They may look similar on the outside, it is the inside that counts. The cylinder wall coating and piston rings of oilless compressor need to be manufactured to tight tolerance to keep noise low, heat minimal for a long service life. Fenghua Bida has steadily improved their compressors in recently years, but not necessarily the other Mom & Pa shops. Fenghua Bida is rumored to be the Airbrush-Depot and Badger supplier, but not confirmed.

Ordered and is en route to me should be here in 3 days or so. Thanks for all the help guys. I did a few more reviews/searches and found this even though a bit less expensive to be a decently reviewed compressor and not many problems. I will let ya know whan I start using it...I intend to start on the JagdPanther shortly after Christmas as im on vacation that week.

keilau

 

randypandy831:

 

if you understand the industry then you would know most are made by the same factory. companies buy them and stamp their names on it. i know that higher end brands like badger,iwata and what not do not do this and actually build their units. 

 

 

No, Neither Badger nor Iwata build their compressors. Badger used to sell Thomas (built in USA) compressor under their own brand, but is now sourcing their Badger compressors from China. Iwata has used Sparmax in Taiwan as their manufacturer for many years and built a good reputation for reliability.

The many Mom and Pa factories in China are another story. They may look similar on the outside, it is the inside that counts. The cylinder wall coating and piston rings of oilless compressor need to be manufactured to tight tolerance to keep noise low, heat minimal for a long service life. Fenghua Bida has steadily improved their compressors in recently years, but not necessarily the other Mom & Pa shops. Fenghua Bida is rumored to be the Airbrush-Depot and Badger supplier, but not confirmed.

thanks for clearing that up. sad to hear that badger units are made over seas when they boast that their products are "made in the usa" but,

what else is new. 80% is made over seas. 

randypandy831

thanks for clearing that up. sad to hear that badger units are made over seas when they boast that their products are "made in the usa" but,

Why is it sad? They are an airbrush company and all their airbrushes are made in the USA.

Not sure about the lower end compressors but the higher end compressors from Badger are, as are Silentaire and some others, made in Italy and have been for many years.

Badger is not a large company with multiple employees to make all the other products they sell as well.

GreenThumb

randypandy831:

thanks for clearing that up. sad to hear that badger units are made over seas when they boast that their products are "made in the usa" but,

 

Why is it sad? They are an airbrush company and all their airbrushes are made in the USA.

Not sure about the lower end compressors but the higher end compressors from Badger are, as are Silentaire and some others, made in Italy and have been for many years.

Badger is not a large company with multiple employees to make all the other products they sell as well.

Badger and Silentaire both import the supersilent compressors from Werther International in Italy. The Werther compressors are available in other brand names in the US too. They are pricy, but a well established brand.

Werther International SpA in Italy is a leading manufacturer of automotive service equipment in Europe.

For what's it worth, I have been using that Harbor Freight compressor for 18 months with zero problems.

To me thay look like the same compressor, but sold under different names.

iraqiwildman

For what's it worth, I have been using that Harbor Freight compressor for 18 months with zero problems.

To me thay look like the same compressor, but sold under different names.

exactly what i said. mines been working great for the past 7 months.