Air Compressors

Has anyone got any experience with Central Pneumatic air compressors? Harbor Freight has a couple on sale and I think my current craftsman is on its way down and out. The harbor Freight price sure is attractive, but I don't want to buy a piece of junk that doesn't last. My Craftsman is 18 years old and has been a good one. Any advice sure would be welcome. Thanks.

>Has anyone got any experience with Central Pneumatic air
>compressors? Harbor Freight has a couple on sale and I
>think my current craftsman is on its way down and out. The
>harbor Freight price sure is attractive, but I don't want to
>buy a piece of junk that doesn't last. My Craftsman is 18
>years old and has been a good one. Any advice sure would be
>welcome. Thanks.
By another Craftsman and enjoy another 18 years of service.

Hi Terry,

Know the craftsman is good quality. Looking for info on the Central Pneumatic compressor. Got a Central Pneumatic HVLP gun a couple of months ago and it seems to be pretty high quality, too. If the Central Pneumatic air compressor is any good, it's about $75.00 cheaper.

Regards,

I like mine.

Hi Scott,

How long have you had yours? The one they have on sale is a 2 hp, 115 psi, 8 gallon model. It is rated at 6.0 scfm @ 40 psi. Should be plenty of scfm for continuous spraying. The Harbour Freight website has is at $120.00, but a local flyer I have has it for just $99.99. Thanks.

Regards,

It was on sale here, too. I went to HF the other day just after it closed. A nice little fellow was standing there, nose against the window, lusting after the same compressor. We discussed it awhile, which led me to look through a tool catalog at similar compressors. deWalt, I think, has something like it for more money. It attracted me because it uses no oil. Oil causes eyes of fish in paint. Does the HF compressor use oil? My Craftsman is tango uniform also.

Hi Howard,

Yeah, the HF compressor uses oil. It is a piston compressor. My craftsman is a diaphram. I never thought about the oil getting into the paint. I suppose you could get a filter.....Maybe should just get another craftsman like Terry suggested. Thank very much for your comments.

Regards,

Just my opinion, but the oil-type compressors are MUCH quieter. The really good ones (Champion, Eaton, Quincy and a very few others) are so quiet you can stand next to them and conduct a conversation at normal volume.

Of course, you're no longer talking about a $200 compressor, either, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase; your grandkids will enjoy it, too. A good water/oil trap is under $50.

I use both types of compressors, I can tell you from experience that the oilless variety do not last like a piston type. They are noisy and all in all I would not recommend them. I have a small piston type compressor that I did buy at Harbor Freight and have been using on the job for about 2 years with no problem at all. It is a Central Pneumatic, very handy to be able to throw in the back of the truck because it's light and has plenty of flow for trim guns and light work. At 99 bucks, I think it is a good value and that it would work great for you, just my openion, Dave Markley

Thanks all,

Now I guess I just have to make up mind what I need and what I can afford. Thanks for your input.

Regards,

I second the oilless variety will not hold up as well as a piston compressor. I would chose a cheap piston over a Sears oilless.

i had a sears oilless one when they do crap out they destroy the pistons and all the only thing left that was worth saving was the tank. now i ahve ingersol rand or however you spell it and they are nice.

The Sears of today is not the Sears of old. The compressor may very well be the same one with a different coat of paint. Sadly the bean counters have struck at Sears.

Keep in mind that an air compressor should be size according to the job it is going to be used for. A 2 hp 8 gallon compressor is large enough to run impact wrenches, paint sprayer, air hammer, pneumatic grinder and sander, etc. I have a 2 hp compressor with a 5 gallon tank and a 1/2 hp compressor with a 3 gallon tank. A small air tank pumps up quick and is great for small jobs. A larger 8 gallon tank will hold a lot of volume which is good for larger jobs. One advantage to a large volume tank is you can pump it up then turn off the compressor and use the air in the tank for several days on small jobs without having to turn the compressor on again. I personally do not like listing to my air compressor run for hours so I keep it turned off and use the air out of the tank. I can sometimes us the air from the tank for several weeks before I have to turn the compressor on again. Keep in mine too that a small compressor is more portable than a larger compressor. If you put your air into a tank then use the air from the tank you will not have trouble with oil in the air line causing fish eye problems in the paint. The oil will be trapped in the air tank as long as your air line is attached to the top of the tank and not the bottom of the tank. You can always put a filter on the airline if you need to. Piston type compressors have oil in the crank case which is excellent for spray painting.

Hey guys,

I decided to do a little more research on the compressors. Did a search on the brand names Ralph suggested. Came up with what I think will be a good set up for my purpose (mostly spray painting and filling a tire once in a while, etc.) at a reasonable cost.

Eaton has a "Contractor model" at a very good price. See web site:

http://www.eatoncompressor.com/catalog/item/733537/450646.htm

Called Matt at Eaton and he gave me some good advice. The contractor model puts out about the same as my old craftsman (5 CFM @ 40 psi), but only a four (two two gallon tanks). Right now, Eaton is selling these models for $99.00 plus shipping. Matt suggested I get two and tie them together. Two should provide more than enough flow for what I need. Got a "T" fitting and should be a simple fix to tie them together. These are regular oil type. Two will give 8 gallon capacity and about 11 CFM @ 40 psi. Shipping is about $45.00 for two. Total cost less than $250.00.

Thanks to all for your input on this. Helped a lot in making a decision. Once I get them and get a chance to try them out, I will write product review.

Regards,