I think I would find one pretty useful, but know very little about them.
Any recommendations, what to look for? useful fittings, things to avoid?
Do you want it to run an air brush or a bead blasting cabinet?
What are you going to do with it? I have a couple of pieces of equipment that require air & also use an air riveter (which is great!) but don't really use them for much else personally. For the bike I find a track pump + airshot better.
The cheap ones are all much of a muchness (apparently Aldi/Lidl ones are good) and LOUD. Silent ones way better IMO but much more expensive. Get a big tank!
I've got a Clarke one that I bought used about 20 years ago.... Very handy.
I think it's a 35L tank (not sure of the motor size) and that's the main limiting factor.
Absolutely fine for general duties (inflation, bit of spraying, cleaning, etc.) But if you want to run an air sander or impact wrench a fair bit then you'd be better looking for a meatier motor and larger tank.
Most used bits are def the tyre inflator (get one with a pressure gauge) and a simple gun for blowing stuff out.
My air ratchet socket driver was also great until I broke it. Not replaced it so can't have been that important though.
All depends on your hobbies, etc.
what to look for?
A purpose that requires an air compressor 🙂
Its very easy to buy one thats useless for anything you want to do with it - either because it won't power the applications you want, or because it will but will blow all your fuses in the process.
As above, wassit for?
I've got a small-ish 12CFM electric one, and a 140CFM diesel one. Both are good at what they do, but have very different purposes!
Mostly bike use, so tubeless setups, blowing out moisture/drying off. Would be handy for car tyres.
That's about it. I assume the big tank is so you can charge it up and use the air for a while without having to turn the thing on?
My only advice is to get a vertical tank version to save floor space.
I set mine up at the start of lockdown and I use it mainly for tyres (cars and bikes) and blowing dust off stuff. Its also great for drying bikes and clearing out the lawnmower after use. I am tempted by an impact driver too to make changing the car wheels (summer to winter) over. It is noisy though.
Oh, and the coiled air lines are crap and start to leak (unless you but prof gear I guess).
Yes, get a wall mounted retractable coil of suitable length - longer than you think you'll need. And bulk buy a load of PTFE tape and learn how to use it.
As above, an Airshot-type setup is fine for seating tyres (I favour the 9p version, though) and a track pump is all you really need but the compressor is quicker and more convenient. If it broke I'd replace it but I could live without it 🙂
I set mine up at the start of lockdown and I use it mainly for tyres (cars and bikes) and blowing dust off stuff. Its also great for drying bikes and clearing out the lawnmower after use. I am tempted by an impact driver too to make changing the car wheels (summer to winter) over. It is noisy though.
Yeah, same. I've had mine for about 5 years now. It's handy to have but it's bloody loud. I've similarly thought about an impact driver for changing car wheels but haven't bothered yet.
Bought a medium sized Stanley one a few years ago. Most used, air duster, brad nailer, tyre inflator. I've also done a bit of paint spraying with it. The nail gun was been most useful, I've used it for beading around a laminate floor, attaching some window trim and a load of other little woodwork projects when effortlessly nailing something together in seconds has been great. The air duster is great for cleaning dust and crap out of small parts, blasting solvent out of bearings during a clean and regrease, even drying the bike after a wash. Tubeless tyre installation is a doddle. I've used mine more than I thought I would and dont regret buying it.
I've got a 2.5kw/50l one from Class Ohlsen.
Pro's makes a lot of faffy jobs easy.
Con's noticeably oily so won't be any good for spraying paint without an expensive filter. Not oily enough to be a problem normally, but you can see where you've been by the slightly different color when drying bare metal parts.
Don't stick it up your arse. A suprisng number of people have died or been seriously injured doing this.
I bought this one a year ago & as blokeuptheroad indicates, it just starts getting used for all sorts of wee jobs.
Two problems are
- noise, the compressor is very loud. I leave the garage while it compresses
- storage, it is a luxury item if you’re just going to use it for odds & sods but your garage/shed is a bit packed
My tip, buy one of these or similar, and attach to the trigger inflator thing.
https://www.tweekscycles.com/topeak-smarthead-upgrade-kit-euktsh01/
I've got a little Rutlands one like this: https://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+power-tools-compressors-silent-compressor-10m-flexi-hose-kit-rutlands+xt0012#nogo
4 litre tank, "silent" (well, quiet), light enough to carry about. Great for brad and pin nailers, blowing dust off things, and OK for inflating car and bike tyres. I find I tend to grab a track pump for a quick bike tyre topup though rather than faff about firing up the compressor, and I still have an Airshot that I tend to use for getting tubeless tyres on.
Most cheap compressors are noisy as hell - enough to startle you when they refill themselves, and to wake your neighbours if you're swapping tyres late at night.
I keep thinking I need one...
I bought one from lidl for tubeless tyres. It is seriously loud!
I've only ever used for tyres and a bit of drying bikes. Its perfect.
I bought a spray kit and keep meaning to use it, then think about how crap my spraying skills are and put stickers on things instead.
I can strongly recommend SGS for good compressors, good prices but really good customer service.
Lots of different types but talk to them and they will guide you to the right one. I didn't bother and ordered the wrong one. When I did phone them 2 weeks after delivery to say I was struggling to do what I wanted they suggested I swap it for the one I should have ordered and then refunded the difference as the one I needed was cheaper. Lovely people and don't patronise idiots (at least not while talking to me).
Ignore all the above. It's all cheap rebranded Chinese crap. Get an ex dentist Jun-air. Silent, bulletproof, rebuildable ideal for home DIY/bike use.
Got my eye on this...
https://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-8216035scr011-24ltr-electric-compressor-with-5-piece-accessory-kit-240v/48089/blockquote >For minor stuff - tyre inflator, some air tools. Have no use for it other than tyre inflation but sometimes with tools its amazing how once you have one you find uses for it. I've bought several tools on a whim and ended up using them a reasonable amount. At least something like this one is portable so can use it around the home should such a need arise.
Check the duty rating on these compressors named above - none of them will be 100% as the piston rings melt when pushed. None of them are serviceable or rebuildable apart from the Jun Airs.
I had an application at work that needed a small compressor to keep a valve open - went through half a dozen various brands and non coped, swopped over to a new Jun Air and been fine since. Keep an eye on eBay for used ones.
Don't bother with the tools like Sanders etc. They use loads of air.
If not mentioned, scanned through didnt see but..
TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS Second hand compressors.
Big problem, and the one that finally kills them is moisture. Even with a water filter fitted, and you dont know how long it was used, or even if functioning over its life.
What happens is the moisture inside the cylinder rusts where it settles at the bottom, and as its a pressure container, any reduction of the walls while under pressure and it could fail, which is likely to be quite a bang, and I have seen pics of failed compressors ripped open.
This is good and it is low noise - already mentioned above how loud the cheap ones are. And with everything its really a case of you get what you pay for.
I dont know your budget, but the way things are going on ebay, sell a fork or a set of brakes and help pay towards it 🙂
This runs at 63db, and a normal speaking voice is 60db, so pretty damn quiet, built to last with quality parts.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Swan-DRS-210-30-Oil-Free-Low-Noise-Compressor/311777838741?hash=item4897684695:g:pAQAAOSwqRFexlOH
I can strongly recommend SGS for good compressors, good prices but really good customer service.
Second that. I've got a 50l one and it's sick! Comes in stealthy black too so even better.
They do vertical ones too.
I used to have a small 6l Stanley one by the way. Really not nice to be around. With such small capacity it's constantly kicking in to charge again if you do so much as blow the froth off your pint.
Louder than a Jamaican sound system, but not in a good way.
I recently bought one of these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ORAZIO-Low-Noise-Oilless-Silent-24L-Air-Compressor-750W-Free-P-P/143367947480?epid=19035024046&hash=item21616544d8:g:UusAAOSwtAhdZ7jQ
It gets good reviews on youtube, and apparently the back up from AIM tools is good. One of the youtube reviews pointed out a few flaws, and they've now been addressed.
I've used it a fair bit (framing nailer, pin nailer, etc), seems reliable so far, and it is much much much quieter than my mates cheap axminster one. You'd not want to sleep next to it, but you could certainly use it in the evening without worrying about offending the neighbours.
Edit: bit cheaper off their website: https://www.aimtools.co.uk/products/241184-low-noise-silent-air-compressor-24l?_pos=5&_sid=b82fe5449&_ss=r