best badger air compressor?

I do not own an airbrush (yet), but from what I've heard, if you want a silent air source, a CO2 tank is the way to go.  I don't know about expense or how long it lasts, but it is silent and it is dry.  When I do get an AB, I will be seriously looking at a CO2 tank.

Thanks, sounds like something to look into!

wjt619

It is time I ditch my dewalt construction compressor for a quiet one, before my wife divorces me and my neighbors murder me!

What is the verdict on the best ones out there? I have to say im partial to Badger. I use their 155 anthem, cresendo, a back  up 155 anthem thats still brand new and I just got the renegade Krome! Best rush ever made for detail work btw.

So,without spending a small fortune, i heard the badger whirlwind was ok. Plus its arounf $130 bucks. What do you suggest and what do you use that dont cause problems?

I've heard of people going to Lowes and getting a small compressor but it to must be loud, right?

Give me your best shot at these answers! THANKS!!!!

A visit to the product page of Badger's web site would help. The current best Badger compressor is no question their TrillionAir 480-3 Silent Compressor. However, I don't believe you need to get their "best" one. Anyone from the Badger Silent Compressor series made by Werther International in Italy are very good and you can get by with the MillionAir 480-1 very nicely.

The old Badger Whirlwind is an old diaphragm type design. It is very underpowered. You will be much better off buying a house brand piston type airbrush compressor at lower price.  Badger sells those compressors too, but tends to price them higher.

If you are open to suggestion, take a look at the Sparmax TC-2000 at Hobby Lobby. It is around $210 with their 40% coupon.

I won't venture into the arena of recommending the BEST Badger but, that said, for a few bucks more ($176 on Amazon) you can get a Badger TC910 - I have one and like it and have used it almost daily for 6 months without a hiccup. Others here have had some problems tho. I believe the Whirlwind is a diaphragm compressor and my only comment is that it will 'walk' a lot while operating. I had the older version diaphragm one and used it for over 20 yrs before I sold it and it was still chugging away (I believe mine was made by Emerson for Badger). It' was bit noisier than the TC910 but was not objectionably so. I just like a compressor with a tank. Don Wheeler has a review of the TC910 HERE . Of course, if you've got the bucks, Badgers Millionaire or Billionaire series are probably better than my l'il 910. And there are always other brands. Good luck with your choice.

Great advice guys, very helpful in my hunt for a new compressor. @Bick, does your TC910work well for 1/32 and 1/48 aircraft detailing? Like mottleing say a BF109? How does it handle on armor, ships and everything else in the modelers giant kit stash!

@keilau, thats for your advice as well $210 is about the highest I want to pay. Thank You!!!

wjt619

Great advice guys, very helpful in my hunt for a new compressor. @Bick, does your TC910work well for 1/32 and 1/48 aircraft detailing? Like mottleing say a BF109? How does it handle on armor, ships and everything else in the modelers giant kit stash!

The Badger TC-910 should do well on everything you want and has the excellent Badger customer service support. From the pictures, it looks identical to the TCP Global T-20T with a cover. I wonder if they come from the same factory in China. The user feedback is a mix bag.

TC910 post at FSM.

An other TC910 post at FSM

Thats true, Badger has the best customer support. Last week I was cleaning my 155 anthem and popped out the needle bearing. Needless to say, after a week of trying to fix it, finally I called them and sent it to them to repair, while all I paid for was shipping! They are the best in my book.

But, alomg the lines of the TC910, why is it getting some bad feedback?

P.S. I just got the Badger Renegade Krome and it is UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! Highly Recommended!!!

I bought a Badger MillionAir 20+ years ago for about $500. Still going strong, never had a problem. Very quiet, just a hum when it's running. For $20-$25 a year, I've been really happy with it and so has my wife.

wjt619

Thats true, Badger has the best customer support. <snip>! They are the best in my book.

But, along the lines of the TC910, why is it getting some bad feedback?

<snip>

The feedback that I referred to was related to 1) regulator malfunction and 2)  pressure gauge problem. Otherwise the compressor was functioning as advertised. And, while I'm wrestling with mottling right now it's not a problem with the compressor but with me. I've used mine with various AB's, and nozzle sizes with no problem; as KeiLau stated it should handle any modeling task you want.

wjt619, go to Lowes/HomeDepot or similar. Look at Campbell-Hausfeld in 1/2h.p. range. They have 'pressors with a tank set up that run only when needing to refill the tank. I have a C-H 1/2h.p. tankless I've used since '90. I have all the filters,regulator,gage & Q.D.'s I need all plumbed in. Yeah, it's NOT silent but doesn't wake any neighbors or walk around on it's stand.

A 'pressor with some h.p. can be used to air up tires on your car,lawn mower, basketball etc. & drive a nailer in case you want to put up some crown moulding in the house(good sell point to the wife).

When you're looking, tell them you want a demo & judge for yourself. If they want to make a sell, they'll do it!!

I personally would stay away from a CO2 tank. Once you start to use from it, the pressure does nothing but drop, then you have to get it refilled when it's empty. Ever run out of propane during a cookout?

Hope this helps.

I just bought a TC910 and I guess I will get to see how good their customer service is on their compressors. The second time I fired it up the pressure switch quit working. Everything is holding pressure just fine and it takes about 5 minutes for the tank to reach 60 psi, but the pressure switch never turns the compressor off. Other than that I like the compressor, it is quiet and keeps up just fine with a Badger Renegade Velocity and my anchient Binks Wren single action. I did put a little rubber tape around the "pull ring" on the pressure safety valve so that it won't rattle against the tank when the compressor is running. I am a bit dissapointed with the pressure switch problem, but for the price won't be really upset unless they don't want to make it right. Given their reputation and my past experience with them I am not worried. When I first got my Renegade I had a question about cleaning (had been away from the hobby for about 30 yrs) and sent them an email. A guy (sorry I can't remember his name) responded promptly and apologetically said he communicated a lot better via phone and gave me his number and work hours. The next day he spent about 30 minutes on the phone with me answering questions and providing great advice. I will try to get an email sent tonight regarding the compressor and see what they say.

Gil,

Sorry to hear of your problem with the TC910. Just a point of reference, my TC910 only takes about 90 seconds to reach ~60 psi (57 advertised) so 5 minutes is quite long. Just curious though, because I don't know what the MAX pressure is that that little pump can put out, does your motor just stall, get hot, or ? when it doesn't shut off?  If the pressure switch is not working somethings gonna happen - either tank and pump pressure equalize and the motor can't run (stalls, will hum and get hot and burn out) or the piston leaks or something else. Also, I don't know (manual doesn't state) what pressure the safety valve is set for and, if it isn't popping out, the tank is not exceeding its max working pressure. Just curious. I'd feel quite sure Badger will make things right for you though. Hope all gets sorted out quickly.

Bick thanks for the info. 90 seconds is a big difference compared to my 5 minute time. I did email Badger and heard back promptly. They suggested checking for leaks and returning the compressor if I found no evidence of leaks. I had already done a quick check for leaks but have not had time to do the "soapy water" test on the fittings. I have not heard the safety valve pop off, the compressor just runs without cycling and does it's best to maintain the 60 psi indicated on the gauge. I did some airbrushing but not for long given the fact that the compressor obviously heats up very quickly. I did place a small fan so that there was good airflow across the compressor while it was running. Anyhow I suspect I will be returning it for repair or replacement. By the way I did take the time to clean the drain valve on the bottom of the tank and it appears to be sealing properly.

Back to the bench

Bick thanks for the info. 90 seconds is a big difference compared to my 5 minute time. I did email Badger and heard back promptly. They suggested checking for leaks and returning the compressor if I found no evidence of leaks. I had already done a quick check for leaks but have not had time to do the "soapy water" test on the fittings. I have not heard the safety valve pop off, the compressor just runs without cycling and does it's best to maintain the 60 psi indicated on the gauge. I did some airbrushing but not for long given the fact that the compressor obviously heats up very quickly. I did place a small fan so that there was good airflow across the compressor while it was running. Anyhow I suspect I will be returning it for repair or replacement. By the way I did take the time to clean the drain valve on the bottom of the tank and it appears to be sealing properly.

If you have a leak as bad as taking 5 minutes to fill a 3 litres tank, you should be able to hear the leak.

A good airbrush compressor should not heat up much even when running continuously. My rule of thumb is that you should be able to put you hand on the compressor head/case without feeling burnt after 30 minutes of running. Heat is the worst enemy to the durability of a small oilless compressor.

Can you exchange for another one from the seller before requesting a return authorization from Badger? You will have to pay the shipping to Badger yourself. At the end, good customer service is no substitute for good quality control in the factory.

It sounds like the unit has a weak motor;

On first charge the motor easily fills the tank, then on recharge it labours slightly, doesn't manage to get up to full puff, almost gets to the pressure switches cut-off point, but then continues to run like this until the motor cuts out (probably thanks to motor protection rather than the pressure switch)? 

The compressor relies on the pressure initially created inside the cylinder to close the pistons intake valve & if the motor runs slowly this valve wont close efficiently, compression becomes weak & the compressor can't generate enough pressure to overcome the resistance in the non return system that's being pressurised from the other side by the air tank.

The motor starts under load on the recharge, but doesn't on initial charge.......

keilau and Milairjunkie, thanks for the additional info on compressor basics. Sorry for the delay in responding my schedule has been hectic lately. Unfortunately I can't return the compressor to the supplier (Amazon) since the allowable return time has elapsed. My fault not theirs, I just got very busy and did not have a chance to fire the compressor up until a couple months after I received it. Dumb on my part, but sometimes life gets in the way of hobbies. I have replied to Badger and asked how to proceed with the return process. I will let you know how it goes, and thanks again for the info.

I got my repaired (?) compressor back and all seems to be working fine. I have a question mark after the word repaired because they said they could not find anything wrong with it. The badger repair guy ran it for a day or so (if I remember correctly) and could not duplicate the problem where the compressor would not shut off. I know I was not imagining things because the last thing I did before I sent it back was run it with no hose or fittings other than a sturdy quick release at the gauge output and it would run continously. But as I said it seems to work fine now, takes 2 minutes to reach 60 psi and shuts down and runs again if the pressure drops to 46 psi. Takes less than a minute to reach max pressure from 46 psi. All fittings, hoses etc are the same pieces I was using before the return. Overall I am happy with the compressor but feel Badger has some quality control issues with this particular product (especialy based on the other posts on this forum). When I got the unit the first time all of the feet were loose and one was missing the nut that was supposed to hold it on. Not a big deal but not OK on a new product. The repair was free and as usual Badger was very cooperative but it did cost me $36 for shipping both ways (my fault since I waited past Amazon's return date limit). So like I said it runs fine now and I am happy with it, but Badger needs to sort out some quality control issues with this product.

wjt619

It is time I ditch my dewalt construction compressor for a quiet one, before my wife divorces me and my neighbors murder me!

What is the verdict on the best ones out there? I have to say im partial to Badger. I use their 155 anthem, cresendo, a back  up 155 anthem thats still brand new and I just got the renegade Krome! Best rush ever made for detail work btw.

So,without spending a small fortune, i heard the badger whirlwind was ok. Plus its arounf $130 bucks. What do you suggest and what do you use that dont cause problems?

I've heard of people going to Lowes and getting a small compressor but it to must be loud, right?

Give me your best shot at these answers! THANKS!!!!

 

 

Bought what I thought was a badger compressor today but when it arrived no badger name or branding and it was made in China having contacted Badger to query this the company's response is we dont manufacture any compressors and why would you think that we do ? So I believe the company is deliberately misleading people into buying third party products even though on their website they have compressors on the website branded with the Badger logo so I would advise anyone fo think carefully about buying from this company