Air Compressor for the Garage - Recommendations?

Ken H

Ken H

Joined
Dec 15, 2004
Messages
493
Location
Liberty Hill, TX
Bike
2011 BMW R1200GS
STOC #
3371
Can anyone offer up recommendations for a good all around compressor for the garage in terms of amps/hp/and capacity and is there a preference of going with oiled or oil-less? I dont have a whole lot of extra room in the garage so something that is physically towards the smaller to medium end of the spectrum is what I need. Are there any preferred brands to consider as well as to avoid? I would be using it just for general purpose use but eventually hope to mount my own tires so I need something plenty adequate for that. Thanks.
 
I'd go with a good portable one. They you have the option of mounting it on the wall or throwing it in your truck.

I have a 30 Gallon Oil-Less Craftsman as well as a 4 Gallon Portable Craftsman.....if I had it to do over, I would have just purchased only the portable.

<D>
 
A couple things to think about, if you have 220 make sure to go that way. Anything you get will work better. Get the largest tank you have room for. You can always add a second tank in the ceiling or anywhere you have additional space. Go with 1/2 inch fittings and hose's will make a diff when trying to re seat the bead. These days about anything you get will last and do the job. I bought a sears craftsman 15 years ago, no probs..
 
If your looking for a small portable, take a look at this Dewalt

5127H9SCS2L._SS500_.jpg


Around $300 and you should be able to find it at Lowes, Home Depot or even Amazon. A lot of contractors like to use this one because it puts out 5.4 CFM at 90 PSI and can go up to 200 psi.

When your shopping for a compressor, keep an eye at the Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) at 90 psi spec for performance comparisons
 
I have a DeWalt exactly like GitSum's, and I think that it's perfect. I've used it to install hardwood flooring all over the house, and for framing, and for painting motorcycles.

In the garage, I store it on the bottom shelf of my rolling workbench, and have a retractable thirty foot airhose that I plug it into.
 
NoBull said:
A couple things to think about, if you have 220 make sure to go that way. Anything you get will work better. Get the largest tank you have room for. You can always add a second tank in the ceiling or anywhere you have additional space. Go with 1/2 inch fittings and hose's will make a diff when trying to re seat the bead. These days about anything you get will last and do the job. I bought a sears craftsman 15 years ago, no probs..
Click to expand...


+1, get the biggest one that will fit. I find even just blowing air to dust something off will drain the tank quickly. Heck, even filling up empty tires ( after spooning them on ) will strain the tank.

I've gotta craftsman 5gal (or is 6?), about 5 years old now - I don't treat it well, but I haven't had any issues. Other than capacity it does what I need well ( nailing, tire filling, wrenching lugnuts etc. ).


Tom de
 
You really need to know what tools you will be using before you buy your compressor. That way you can have one properly sized. But it is usually better to go bigger, it you can.

I have a Craftsman vertical 60gal 150psi 220V oil less unit (don't think they sell this one any more) that I've had about 10 years. 9.5cfm@90psi I think. Takes up about 24x24" of floor space. If you are going to be using an air grinder/cutter or a DA sander, you want as much CFM as you can get, otherwise you will be waiting on the tank to refill.

Portable sometimes would be nice, but I have enough hose to go anywhere in/on my house. I also have a small tank (old freon tank) that I can take with me to inflate a tire, if necessary.
 
I also have a craftsman upright. It works great and fits in the corner, and its not as noisy as some oiless models. I Paint my bikes with this as well as every other use. It always keeps up and is 110v.

1.6-hp running/ 3.5-hp Max Developed
25 U.S. gallon tank
induction pump design/oil free lubrication
maximum 175 psi*
SCFM** @ 40psi* 5.6
SCFM** @ 90psi* 5.1
150 lb.
 
sirepair said:
You really need to know what tools you will be using before you buy your compressor. That way you can have one properly sized. But it is usually better to go bigger, it you can.

I have a Craftsman vertical 60gal 150psi 220V oil less unit (don't think they sell this one any more) that I've had about 10 years. 9.5cfm@90psi I think. Takes up about 24x24" of floor space. If you are going to be using an air grinder/cutter or a DA sander, you want as much CFM as you can get, otherwise you will be waiting on the tank to refill.

Portable sometimes would be nice, but I have enough hose to go anywhere in/on my house. I also have a small tank (old freon tank) that I can take with me to inflate a tire, if necessary.
Click to expand...


13 years ago when my house was new I designed my back yard storage shed to house a upright Campbell Hausfeld 220v 6hp 60gal 2cyl cast iron oil type and plumbed to several places; multiple outlets in my garage, side yard and even to my front door with 1" schedule 80 PVC. It is nice not having to hear the compressor in the garage and never running out of air using any kind of air tool I want, good leaf blower too. Oh yeah, I have also used it with a solenoid valve to scare the living poo out of trick-or-treaters on Halloween, great fun!
 
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They guys at Western Tool say one of the best is a Quincy. A horizontal tank model was about $500.00 last time I looked...
EDIT..well they've gone up a little..they're now $653.00 at one of the online retailers, but still supposed to be one of the best made.
 
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One of my riding buddies in CO had recently bought a new Craftsman oil-less for his garage. He hauled it up to my house and asked me what I thought about the awful noise it was making after plugging it in--it was one loud mother! I asked him to listen to my "antique" oiled unit (Craftsman, w/ a 19-gal. tank), and he was amazed at how quiet it was and how quickly the tank filled and the unit shut itself off. He took his new oil-less back to Sears and traded for a new oiled unit.

I'd buy the largest, 2-stage unit I could afford if I were in the market right now. It's nice to have enough air to blow all the crud off of the shop floor every so often without having to wait for the pump to catch up (fill the tank). And when you're trying to seat the beads on your ST's tubeless tires, having a lot of volume is a necessity.
 
Just a word..........
About 18 years ago, my brother-in-law had a friend in the compressor business, and they changed out a fleet of tire service trucks that had 2 stage compressors. Picked up one for $150.00 and installed a 5 hp electric motor. works great runs at 540 rpm and you can stand next to it and carry on a conversation,have never run out of air-wwith tools or running 3 nail guns during construction

Ed
 
My immediate uses for a compressor would be for filling tires. Eventual uses would be for when I get set up for changing my own tires and being able to to inflate them. What would be the minimum recommended spec in terms of HP, cfm and tank capacity for those tasks?

And just for grins, what would be the minimum recommended spec if I eventually procured an impact wrench to facilitate removing and replacing auto tires if I eventually wanted to use it to rotate my own tires.
Thanks.
 
The Dewalt others have talked about looks like a nice choice for tires and is a quality unit.

There are no solid specifications, but air tools start at 4 cfm at 90 psi and need a 30 gallon tank for decent run time before the compressor starts back up. This is a minimum constant delivery at the tool which is more like 6+ cfm and at least 100 psi at the compressor. Air has a tremendous loss due to the diameter and length of the hose that is used.

It sure seems like the less expensive compressors have inflated (pun intended) cfm and HP numbers compared to the better brands. A decent 3-5HP 30 gallon tank should take care of any of your garage requirements. The quality belt driven compressors are hard to beat for noise and longevity. I would think $400 minimum plus hose, tools couplings, etc.

An undersized compressor will run air tools, you just get very little run time before you have to wait for it to recharge and the compressor takes longer to refill the tank. This effectively makes using air tools useless. Vertical tanks take up less storage space than horizontal tanks.

One possible solution - buy the Dewalt for tires, etc and then buy an electric impact. Best of both worlds.

Buying tools is almost as good as buying motorcycles...
 
I have this one also. I am a contractor and I use it for everything including things in my garage. It is great to be able to roll it around, and take it to the job. Good luck.

GitSum said:
If your looking for a small portable, take a look at this Dewalt

5127H9SCS2L._SS500_.jpg


Around $300 and you should be able to find it at Lowes, Home Depot or even Amazon. A lot of contractors like to use this one because it puts out 5.4 CFM at 90 PSI and can go up to 200 psi.

When your shopping for a compressor, keep an eye at the Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) at 90 psi spec for performance comparisons
Click to expand...
 
I have a 12 gal Coleman oil-less unit. It works fine, but if I had it to do over again I'd get a larger oil-lubricated one. The one I have runs too often when using pneumatic tools and is very noisy. It does get the job done though.
 
Craftsman guy here. I think they are about the best bang for the buck. Started out with a oil type 1 hp 12 gallon 30 years ago and sold it to a friend for a more powerful 3 hp oil less 12 gallon about 12 years ago. Then added a 5 hp 26 gallon at my place in the country 5 years ago. Never had a problem with any of them but like one of the earlier posts said, the oil less type are alot noisier.
 
I bought a Ram Air 5hp 2cyl, from Snap-On some 21 years ago, about $2,500. 17.9cfm @ 175psi. with an Upright 80 gal Tank. I think It will run a car dealership. Works my Glass Bead Cabinet and my Pneumatic Motorcycle Lift just Great! I have the Shop Plumbed with 1" Threaded Galvanized Steel Pipe and Pull-Down Retractable Hose Reals. What can I say, I'm Lazy. :D
 
ckhkjh said:
My immediate uses for a compressor would be for filling tires. Eventual uses would be for when I get set up for changing my own tires and being able to to inflate them. What would be the minimum recommended spec in terms of HP, cfm and tank capacity for those tasks?

And just for grins, what would be the minimum recommended spec if I eventually procured an impact wrench to facilitate removing and replacing auto tires if I eventually wanted to use it to rotate my own tires.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

If you even think you are going to pick up an impact in the future, do as others have suggested and get at least a 60 gallon tank with a 2 phase (220 VAC) motor. The compressor can be a single stage.

I have one of the direct drive small Craftsman units in the garage. It's great for nail guns and checking tires. Good for about 1 & 1/2 lug nuts with a half inch impact. Then wait for it to fill back up. I like the Craftsman because I can wheel it into the house if I am doing some trim work.

On the side of my garage, I have a 80 gallon, 2 phase/6 Hp, 2 stage Ingersol Rand. That bad boy can run 2 impacts all day long.

The bigger the better if you can justify it. Sure makes drying the ST a snap after washing. Gets all the water out/off!
 
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