Poll: Compressors

[deeph8]

Just curious. How many of you have your own compressors? What brand and what size? What accessories do you have?

[1985 300SD Sady]

About 3 years ago, when I was only 12, my grandfather gave me his old beater compressor, which we spent a couple of hours sanding and re-painting, it turned out to be real nice. It did have holes in the bottom because someone didnt let the air out, which condensed forming water that rusted out the bottom, so it was leaky. Then one day my dad was topping off the tires in the car with the compressor, the regulator was set, and the motor tried to kick back on, which caused it to burn out... So, there wasnt a use in fixing it.

I mentioned this to my uncle who used to work on cars, he lives in an apartment in minneapolis/st.paul now. He said that he had an old compressor that I could have, with all the tools, all Id have to do is pay to ship it, which was a bill of over $100, but its still a steal. It arrived a few days later, I dont know what he was talking about when he said "old" this thing looked fresh out of the box, I changed the oil in it and used it that day. Thats what I have now, it is a black campbell/hausfield cast iron, its not direct drive like some of the nicer oiless ones out today, I have an impact wrench, a regular air rachet, an angle grinder, a blow gun, and a tire filler. Also, when I went to do the work on the car (engine swap) i went out and bought a hoist, which is both hydraulic and pneumatic, so I use the compressor with that too.

I love the little compressor, and its a workhorse, I love it to death.. it is very nice.

EDIT: the impact wrench is a snap-on that my friend found in the middle of a major street around here, he asked me what it was, and I didnt tell him until i bought it from him for $5!

The other accesories are the same brand as the compressor (campbell/hausfield)

[leathermang]

I bought a 220 volt 5 hp Sears compressor in 1979... have replaced the motor once and put new rings in once...and last year broke a reed keeper and got all new valves for it...
Flanger/hole punch, air chisel, paint gun, air wrenches, sand blaster, air grinder, inline sander, water palm jitterbug, more but can't remember them....

[Mike123]

I am a general contractor, so I have several small portable compressors to operate nailers, staplers, etc. The operate on 120v and are very portable. I own two larger compressors, one a six horse oil-less that puts out about 125 psi maximum and 9.6/6.4 cfm at 40/90 psi. The other unit is a very stationary ten horse Quincy. It puts out about 175 psi maximum and about 20 cfm at 90 psi. It is more of professional unit that I have had for twenty years or so. The other units go back from ten to thirty years. I've made repairs that I consider maintenance on the small portable units (reeds, seals,etc.) , but have never had to make any repairs to the Quincy or the six horse Devilbiss unit. The six horse is only about twelve years old. It is a lot easier to move around than the upright Quincy, but does operate on 220v like the Quincy.

I have the usual nail guns, staplers, floor staplers, pin nailer, brad nailers, finish nailers, ratchets, impacts, air hammers, air chisels, abrasive cutter wheels, air over hydraulic jack, grease guns, blow guns, degreaser/pressure gun, butterflies, d/a, jitterbug, etc.

I have owned many over the years but have only two today, both are Sears.

The one nice one I had was an Atlas Copco that had a 14 hp Kolhler gas engine and a Sweedish or German made compressor. It put out a lot of air, but cant remember what the cfm's were. The compressor looked like an aircraft engine and was all aluminum and was quite reliable. New it cost $4500 back in the early 80's BB

[1985 300SD Sady]

He just double posted, accidentally, I would think.

[turbodiesel]

I have a craftsman 6 horsepower, 25 gallon horizontal compressor. Comes in real handy.. I have an IR impact gun, air wratchet, a blow gun and a tire adapter. Well worth it

[JimmyL]

I have a 5 hp Sanborn and have been very pleased with it. Not much to go wrong, though. I certainly prefer the seperate motor/cylinder type that are belt driven. MUCH quieter than the direct drive.

[Carleton Hughes]

Old Craftsman 220v 2 cyl job from the '70's that parts are still available for.A friend gave it to me 10 years ago.

Restoring cars as I do,painting,sandblasting,variety of tools etc, I find 10 CFM {cubic feet per minute} to be more than adequate to stay ahead of whatever tool I'm using,this is often neglected or misunderstood when choosing a compressor.
My 1950's vintage Devilbiss spraygun for instance consumes about 8 CFM when I'm shooting color,sandblasting about the same.
I'm not familiar with the latest HVLP technology though.

[Wodnek]

I have a 1946 Ingersoll 2 stage V head 120 gallon. It came out of a closed factory and was in a sealed tool room all its life. It looks very good. One of these days I'll put a single phase 220 motor on it so i can use it!! paid $150.

My other compressor is a 8 gallon 1.5 hp portable campbell hausfield. It built my 30 x 30 garage, my 10 x 36 deck, 3 arbors and tons of car work. paid $125 and got my moneys worth.

[Mercedes Man]

1975 Craftsman 2 HP compressor. This is a 220V, 2 cylinder belt drive compressor. I bought it 2 years ago for $50, and it was filthy. After a lot of cleaning and an oil change, it became a very nice looking compressor. The only problem is that the regulator has a tiny leak, and the safety valve pops for no reason every so often.

Someday, I will put in an all new regulator/pressure switch.

[devildogdoc]

6 hp 33 gal. Craftsman oil-less Christmas present from the wife.....life is good, replaced my 2 hp 6 gal. pancake that wept every time she saw me in the garage....

[JamesStein]

I just bought a Power Pro 2 HP 4.6 Gal twin tank compressor from Pep Boys.. Well I bought it the day after thanksgiving for $79.00. Then I bought a tool pack from Sears the same day. Impact Wrench, air socket, gravity paint sprayer, several blower attachments, tire inflator and a grinder. In all I think I spent $200 for the compressor, tools and hose and fittings for the hose. The compressor didn't come with a hose... go figure.

[dmorrison]

Craftsman 6HP 33 gallon tank, and all the tools. BUT alas the poor Yorick needs an overhaul. A Mustang rebuild and all the sandblasting we did has pretty much worn it out. so I need to rebuild it.

Dave

[kmaysob]

a craftsman 20 gal. that is older than me. got it for free from my friends dad and got it working again. i own a harbor freight impact wrench and air ratchet. i also have an old binks spraygun my grandpa gave me. works good but im gonna be getting a hvlp gravity feed soon