I thought I saw a post on this in the past but when I searched I couldn't find it.
I remember in it that volume seemed to be the key point but what type of motor is best? I will only be needing it for myself at home so I dont need overkill but I do not want a POS.

 

I got a decent one at sears a couple months back. http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...ession.new=Yes
It is twin cylinder, belt driven and oil lube 25 gallon tank. Oil lube will last longer then an oilless. And the belt drive will gear it up so the motor doesn't have to spin as fast as compared to direct drive unit, there fore lasting longer. To me this is about the perfect size. I it has enough volume to run most air tools and it is portable so I can take it places with out to much trouble.

 

I'll extend the question a little further.

1) What is a good QUIET air compressor, for home mechanics use? Mine will be used in an apartment and I'd like it if it didn't wake the neighbors.

2) What tools do you suggest? Impact? Ratchet? Air hammer? Grinder? What do you guys use all thetime, and what kinda SCFM do they use up?

 

I agree I would like it to be a quieter one if possible.

 

I think something like whitez71 posted would be worth looking into, it's an oil lubed compressor which makes less noise then a oil-less compressor. As far as tools I would get a good air ratchet and a air impact wrench, if you want a grinder I would suggest you just get something like a DeWalt 4 1/2" electric grinder instead of a air grinder.

Al

 

What is with the difference in cfm and how much does that matter for us working on the cars? For instance the one that Whitez posted has a rated cfm of

SCFM Delivery:
SCFM Delivery At 40 psi 8.6 SCFM
SCFM Delivery At 90 psi 6.8 SCFM


Now check this link

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00918419000

This is a little more money and it is not portable but it is rated at

SCFM Delivery:
SCFM Delivery At 40 psi 12.4 SCFM
SCFM Delivery At 90 psi 10.2 SCFM

I do want to have a powerful compressor but if that is overkill I would rather get the portable one.

 

They one I have is quite enough you won't disturb the neighbors. An oil lubed is much quiter then the oiless ones. For CFM you need to look at what you are going to be using. An impact or ratchet use at 4-5 cfm at 90 psi. The general rule of thumb is psi rating of tool x 1.5= air compressor rating. So with 6.8 cfm compressor air tools should be around 4.5 cfm rating. I would get the bigger one just for the fact it is bigger. When buying something like an air compressor it is better to get the bigger one then wish you got the bigger one a couple months later. And also the one that you posted is 240 volt so you have use a 240 outlet. I use my compressor at other locations then just at home so having a portable with 110 volt is a must.

 

hmm thanks for the info, I guess i'll go for the bigger one.

 

Hey white after looking further I think I am gonna go with the one you got. Seems like a good price and it should be able to handle everything I am gonna do. I am no master mechanic so anything more i think may be overkill. Thanks for all the input.

 

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00916555000

This one is 30 gallon, 6hp, same ratings as the one Whitez71 posted, but its probably oil-less. It also comes with a cheap impact and ratchet, and hose, all for $299. I think this will probably be what I get....I dunno how a cheaper ratchet/impact would hurt me, but for that price point it probably can't hurt to find out for myself.

 

that is a good deal I was looking at that myself plus you get 5 more gallons with that one. Hmmm decisions decisions.

 

I have seen that one also. It is a good choice. I still say go with the oiled. It is a lot quiter and will last longer.

 

I wonder if sears would be willing to crank up both in the store so I can hear the difference between oiled and oil-less.

Also, can you spray paint with oiled? Does the oil ever get into the air?

 

At my local sears they wouldn't fire up the oiled one because it did not have any oil in it. The oil-less is about 2 times louder. You don't get any noticable oil in the air for running tools, but might when you paint. You can paint with an oiled. You just need an in-line filter/ water seperator.

 

Well I ended up getting the one that whitez pointed out
I tried to get the salesman ( 2 different ones) to give me the same tools that come with the one that JMX pointed out but they would not . JMX they even had a 33 gallon one that was 299 with the tool kit. Only difference is that it was horizontal instead of veritical.

Now to browse these other threads for the right ratchet and impact.

 

I have this model of compressor and it is EXTREMELY LOUD! Works well, but the first time I plugged it in, I thought the house was going to shake off its foundation.

 

My dad just got the Craftsman 60 gallon two stage oilless 175 psi max compressor.
It is MUCH quieter than our old single stage vertical twin cylinder one.

Looks to be a quality unit too, made by DeVilbiss in USA.
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00916561000

 

Well guys, i went to sears and saw the same things you guys did...a 30 and a 33 with tools, but due to the recommendations on here, I passed on the purchase. I'll just wait till I have the cash to buy a oiled system and a set of tools...looks to be like a $600 package.

Thanks for the advice, maybe next x-mas I'll get one

 

I own an oil-less compressor and while it is extremely useful and works great... Holy smoke is it LOUD!!! You cannot put oil-less compressor and QUIET in the same sentence! The oil-less seem to be a bit cheaper, but they probably won't last as long, but for home use either will be fine.

The noise is a big issue though. Even if you don't care about the neighbors, when you are working late at night in the garage using an air ratchet or something that doesn't use much CFM you can go a while before the compressor cycles, but I guarantee you when that compressor kicks in, you WILL have a heart attack! LOL. I usually wear earphones when I fire up the compressor in my garage for the first time - it is that loud...

I plan on eventually building a storage shed in my backyard and putting my compressor out there and then running some pipe to my garage. Then I will have it good - virtually silent air compressor!.

On the subject of spray painting, I would think an air-less compressor would be better because you would not have any excess oil in the airstream, with an oiled compressor you would have to fool with filters to block the oil from the airstream.

 

I have the 30 Gal Craftsman with the tools that came with it. Besides being VERY loud, I ran into another problem -
It supposedly draws 15 Amps, but from day 1 it will barely run with a 20 Amp breaker. I rent this place and don't really want to wire in a heavier breaker, but I may have to. Besides those 2 problems, it's a great compressor though.