Compressors

[GregWeld]

I'm a firm believer in buying good tools -- particularly the type that you'll buy ONCE and use forever... I consider these "investments". A good compressor is worth every dime you spend on it every time you use it -- and will be worth as much as you paid for it - 15 years from now.

It's like buying a Snap-On wrench -- you only buy it ONE TIME and use it 'til you die. I'm thinkin' that's a pretty good buy.

[bdahlg68]

Greg - agreed. I don't want to buy twice. But, I also don't want to buy more than what I need. I'm willing to buy a good product and pay for it. I'm not willing to buy a $5,000 compressor that spits out huge CFM as that doesn't appear to be what I need. I haven't seen a tool that I would use that requires over about 6 CFM at 90 PSI. Most of those also won't run 100% of the time so as to not run into duty cycle problems.

Any experience with Quincy compressors? Seems I can step up CFM without stepping up noise or cost. 12.4 CFM and 50% duty cycle seems like it would cover my needs.....

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...9713_200479713

[GregWeld]

The Quincy compressor specs are FAR better than the original version you asked about -- and Quincy is a good brand name.

It's still "not enough" compressor -- but will work... and the price is certainly cheap. I will stick by my guns though and say -- for large items like this -- it pays (in the long run) to buy a REAL version you can grow with. But I also understand people have budgets to live with too.

I bought a lift from EAGLE -- that I thought "was good enough".... and was about 1/3rd less than the Rotary Lift I really wanted. 6 years later I gave the Eagle lift away for less than half what it cost... and bought the Rotary. Saved a bunch of dough on that deal....

[Fluid Power]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

The Quincy compressor specs are FAR better than the original version you asked about -- and Quincy is a good brand name.

It's still "not enough" compressor -- but will work... and the price is certainly cheap. I will stick by my guns though and say -- for large items like this -- it pays (in the long run) to buy a REAL version you can grow with. But I also understand people have budgets to live with too.

I bought a lift from EAGLE -- that I thought "was good enough".... and was about 1/3rd less than the Rotary Lift I really wanted. 6 years later I gave the Eagle lift away for less than half what it cost... and bought the Rotary. Saved a bunch of dough on that deal....

EXACTLY. Nothing short of an industrial compressor is satisfactory. Nothing from the big box DIY stores or northern tool etc. Call somebody that deals in compressors.

Here is who we use:

http://www.aircompressors.com/produc...tlas-copco/kt/

Buy a KT5V80. Shouldn't be more than $1500.00. Whisper quite. Last the rest of your life. I went thru 2 Craftsman compressors before this.

Buy it once.

Darren

[GregWeld]

Okay -- this is going to be a bit risky to post... and I'm sure it will also be controversial... but here goes nothing.


A buddy of mine does everything on a budget... he has a two car garage and didn't want to take up a bunch of foot print for a compressor.

He used several 10 foot lengths of schedule 80 thick wall 6" PVC pipe plumbed together in a series as his "tank" -- he stuck these up in the attic crawl space.... and his "compressor" was a real good commercial motor and pump that produced plenty of air. His regulator controlled the "tank" psi to 125.

Schedule 80 pipe is good enough to hold 125 lbs (our working pressures)... but Google the ratings because this varies depending on the diameter of the piping and it's rating goes DOWN with diameter!

My guess is -- he spent as much on all the pipe and fittings and pump etc as he could have just gone out and bought a good compressor!

[bdahlg68]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

Okay -- this is going to be a bit risky to post... and I'm sure it will also be controversial... but here goes nothing.


A buddy of mine does everything on a budget... he has a two car garage and didn't want to take up a bunch of foot print for a compressor.

He used several 10 foot lengths of schedule 80 thick wall 6" PVC pipe plumbed together in a series as his "tank" -- he stuck these up in the attic crawl space.... and his "compressor" was a real good commercial motor and pump that produced plenty of air. His regulator controlled the "tank" psi to 125.

Schedule 80 pipe is good enough to hold 125 lbs (our working pressures)... but Google the ratings because this varies depending on the diameter of the piping and it's rating goes DOWN with diameter!

My guess is -- he spent as much on all the pipe and fittings and pump etc as he could have just gone out and bought a good compressor!

I thought about piecing a system together but figured sort of the same... at the end it'd cost just about as much but take a lot more of my precious time. Maybe I'll win Powerball tonight and this is all moot. Alternatively I can do nothing and maybe outsource more work rather than spend the money on equipment.

Greetings from smoggy Shanghai.... the land of not quite right.

[clill]

Food for thought. My big deal for a compressor has always been for impact wrenches,air drills etc.Now i find I use a cordless impact, drill etc all the time. I don't do body work so I don't need a compressor for that. In my clean barn I have a 5 hp compressor and in the wall I ran about 150' of 2" schedule 80 PVC . PVC is pretty cheap but if it bursts it makes shrapnel that can't be spotted with X-ray. It's either old age or the advent of all the cool rechargeable cordless tools but I find my biggest use these days for the air compressor is to air up tires and to blow out the shop.