Air compressor choice

Go ahead and get what you need overall. That 15 gallon will allow you to fill the cars tires as well as possibly run an air impact gun for a few seconds should you need it to remove wheels, etc. Besides that, with a 15 gallon tank you could fill the tank up till it stops and turn the compressor off and airbrush for several minutes with the air in the tank alone and no noise.

Mike

martys;
I agree with MikeV, I made the mistake of buying a smaller size compressor suitable for air brushing and found out in times of high use the presurre would drop below the level I wanted.
I now have a larger capacity compressor, never run out of air during airbrushing sessions and can use it for many other purposes.

My main rig is a 7 gallon tank hooked up to a fridge compressor. Once the tank is full to 110psi, I can paint for quite a while before the compressor cuts in again. 15 gal sounds like a pretty big tank, which likely will take up some real-estate. If you've got the room, it's likely the most versatile for any future use you may have. You might also want to get them to fire them all up to see how they sound. Sometimes the smaller ones are louder than the big ones...

I have a seperate 3 gallon compressor that I use in the garage for filling bike tires and powering small air tools (nail gun, etc). It does a fine job for any household needs.

Murray

Thanks guys for the responses and advice!!!. I'd like to run one more thing past you. Looking at Harbor freight website, http://www.harborfreight.com/ there is a 21 gallon vertical compressor on sale for $169.00!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! It also includes shipping for FREE!!!! I may go this route since it is a vertical and will take up less space in the shop. I will be able to do everything I want to with this compressor. Might be a little noisy though. Guess the wife will have to get used to it!!! Let me know your thoughts. Take a quick look at the website first. Thanks and Happy Modeling!

Martys,

Sounds great, but make sure you check the voltage requirements; a lot of the larger comps require 220v.

martys,

What kind of warranty does it have? If it dies on you right away you are going to pay big shipping costs to send it back.
That's something to think about since the compressors from Harbor Freight are not known for their quality.
For that price the old adage of "You get what you pay for" comes to mind.
My advice is to spend a little more and buy a Craftsman at Sears as they are very reliable and can be serviced all over the country.
This one is a 22 gal with a 5-1/2 hp motor for $229.88 and it blows away that one from Harbor Freight.
http://www.sears.com/sr/product/summary/productsummary.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1939885988.1063675193@@@@&BV_EngineID=cchfadcjgigeikjcehgcemgdffmdflk.0&vertical=SEARS&bidsite=&pid=00916722000

Like I said if you buy that one for $169 and it quits you are going to spend another $50 or more to send it back. Add that $50 to the price and you could have bought this Sears one.

Mike

Harbor Freight FYI - I have gotten LOTS of tools from HF, (luckily, there is an outlet near me) and it seems to me their stuff is factory seconds; cosmetic, mostly - but they all work great for the intended application. And the one time I had a problem, they replaced the tool at no charge - and didn't even ask for the first one back.

Thanks to all! MikeV I think you just prevented me from making a big mistake! I will purchase the SEARS unit. Makes sense now when I think about it. Thanks Mike!!!

Martys,

Glad I could be of help my friend.

Mike

Sears makes a nice compressor. I bought one of there 2 HP professional series setups with the 2 hotdog tanks. Its the kind of setup roofers sometimes like to use.

It works great and I have the watertrap/regulator/pressure gauge on it. I with the gauge was better at measuring low pressures since I typically shoot at 10-22 psi.

But I use the compressor for others tools so its versatile.