Air tools and equipment questions...

[Old77]

I'm looking to start acquiring some air tools and accessories and want some advice on what way to go. I'm wanting this for mostly working on the cars and possibly painting but don't need anything huge. what brands do you recommend and what size compressor would you suggest?

 

[RetroC10Sport]

For impacts, I recommend the Harbor Freight Earthquake.

 

[Old77]

really? Does harbor freight make good air compressors too? Why size compressor would I need do you think?

 

[MrMarty51]

How much You wanting to spend on a compressor ???
Here is one similar to the one I got. An excellent value for the dollar.
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-prof...p-00916477000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

 

[Old77]

To be honest I don't even have a dollar figure in mind yet. The space I have available is more of a limiting factor than price I think. The one you posted Marty looked really nice but may be too big for my garage because space is tight. I think I may need a smaller one that is more "portable" and can be moved around easily.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

Avoid HF compressors.

 

[Old77]

Will do Maybe Craftsman or Kobalt? My dad has a Craftsman compressor and seems pretty happy with it.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

They are the same, c-man and kobalt.

 

[Old77]

ahhh...did not know that

 

[skysurfer]

My impact gun and 3/8" ratchet are Huskys, and after reading good things about the HF air tools I got their 1/4" drive air ratchet. All work well.

I also have the HF 60 gallon two-stage compressor. It keeps up with my air tools and blasting cabinet without any problems. I tried a smaller Campbell Hausfeld single-stage compressor and it wasn't nearly good enough for an impact gun. The larger HF compressors are made in South Carolina in the same factory that makes Bel Aire compressors. The only issue is they use a high rpm motor/pump assy to get the rated cfm so they make more noise than low speed compressors. I have mine in a separate storage area off the garage so the noise isn't a bother for me. I also cut down the noise by inserting rubber pads under the pump portion of the unit and removed the pulley guard which rattled like mad.

You mentioned painting. Moisture is a big problem in compressed air, compressing it is just like wringing out a sponge and guys go to great lengths to get dry air for their tools and spray guns. I'm running some of the air from the first stage pump through an air-to-air cooler before it goes into the second stage. The second stage air goes through a refrigerated cooler (cooling the air drops out the moisture) then on the other side of the wall it goes through a moisture trap and finally a coalescing filter before ending up in the hose reel. I installed automatic drain valves on the compressor tank and both coolers so every time the compressor shuts off it spits out any moisture. Bit of a job to put it all together, I kept adding things until it was right.

 

[HotRodPC]

How much You wanting to spend on a compressor ???
Here is one similar to the one I got. An excellent value for the dollar.
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-prof...p-00916477000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

That is way fuggin overkill for what most of us would be using a compressor for.

As far as HF Compressors, I know the oilless ones are not all that great, but I have 2 oil compressors and they are good ones so far at about 5-6 years old. As far as a good shop or garage compressor, a 5hp.60gal should do the job well. That's what I've used for over 20 years and it's still running like new today. I do change the oil about every other year. It's an Ingersol Rand. Here is one very similar to mine.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/ingersoll-randreg;-5-hp-air-compressor-60-gal

 

[HotRodPC]

BTW, when shopping for a compressor, what you should probably make the most important spec your looking for is the CFM of air it makes at 90PSI. If you look at the air tools you'll buying, they'll have a requirement of CFM at 90PSI. Your 1/2 in impact wrench will probably be the one that uses the most air, or possibly the orbital sander. So find out what Impact gun you'll use, or orbital sander you'd sander you'd use, see what the requirement @90PSI is, and shop for a compressor based on that. You'll also want to regulate your air for your air tools at 90PSI as a general rule of thumb. You can always increase or descrease to your liking. Only time I turn mine down below 90PSI regulated, is if I'm running a hopper to shoot wall texture, sand blasting maybe, or of course running a paint gun in which case, I'm down to about 30-40 PSI. Then I also have an unregulated port for airing up tires so that I can run a full 125PSI to air my truck tires up to 65psi and it does it pretty quick where as if I use the regulated 90PSI, it takes a bit longer. And actually I only air up to 50lbs unless carrying heavy weigth, then I'll up it to the 65lb max.
14 CFM @ 90 PSI, 16.1 CFM @ 40 PSI

 

[skysurfer]

Here is one very similar to mine.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/ingersoll-randreg;-5-hp-air-compressor-60-gal

Nice looking unit, but it's only a single stage. Think of a two-stage compressor as a single-stage unit with a blower.

 

[HotRodPC]

Nice looking unit, but it's only a single stage.

Yep, it's only single stage, but operates everything I need it to.

 

[MrMarty51]

The C-man compressor I have was made by Devilbess in the USA.