Posts tagged air compressor
Recommendations
Jan 26th
No matter what you need it for, find the best portable air compressor right here!
Basic inflator (12 V): Campbell Hausfeld RP1200. This inflator is quick, powerful, and plugs into your cigarette lighter. Priced around $20-25. Campbell also offers at 120V option if you need more power, which is priced ~$55.
Most portable options:
Pancake tank – Powermate 1-gallon Pancake Air Compressor. This is a very user friendly model that requires minimal maintenance and only weighs 16lbs! Priced $70-80.
More powerful options:
Pro-Force 10 Gallon, Oil Free, Air Compressor – This model offers much greater power while still being mobile enough to use around the house or garage. Priced ~$250 it is a great investment for any novice homeowner. *A professional or semi-professional contractor along with homeowners that attempt advanced household projects may want a more powerful option.
Ingersoll Rand Garage Mate 20-Gallon (Belt Drive) Cast Iron Compressor – This model is one of the best options that provides as much power as you would need for any consumer pneumatic tool and still is portable enough for any shop or garage. Runs on 120V and priced ~$600. Great mix of quality and affordability.
All the above options are electrically powered and thus a great option for any homeowner. If you are just using it around the house I would definitely recommend using an electric option, as gasoline powered options often come with a much larger maintenance burden. However, if you are interested in a portable, gasoline powered option than check out:
EMAX 17-gallon, 8HP Single Stage Portable Air Compressor w/Honda Engine. This is a great mix of quiet and power. Great for any job site as it is tough and durable while still portable enough to roll around on flat surfaces with relative ease. Priced ~$1,800-2,000 it is definitely only recommended for professionals.
I will reiterate that the average homeowner only needs a small pancake or hotdog tank to do small tasks like blowing up a tire, stapling, or air brushing. If you need to use any other air powered tools than I would recommend upgrading to a vertical/horizontal tank model (See ‘Pro Force’ above) or the Ingersoll Rand model described above if you will have extended periods of use with larger tools.
Working with Air Tools
Jan 22nd
The biggest advantage of using air powered tools is that they have much more power than traditional electric powered tools. If you need to secure the tire back on to your car, then only an air powered ratchet will provide the safest, tightest fit. However keep in mind that in this case you will need a good, solid T-wrench and a lot of elbow grease to get it off by hand. You may want to consider keeping a T-wrench and extension (any hollow pipe that increases your lever arm) in your trunk for an emergency.
If you are looking for a compressor to power your various tools then you should become familiar with some abbreviations that are essential to understand. The first is CFM, which means cubic feet per minute and the second is PSI, which means pressure per square inch. Both these terms describe the air flow and power that the compressor is capable of and knowing how muh of them you need will tell you what kind of compressor to buy.
Most household tools only need 5 CFM and 80-90 PSI, however some larger tools may need as much as 10-12 CFM and 100-130 PSI. You will need to check tools that you already have or want to buy for their requirements. There is nothing wrong with buying a compressor that is too powerful, besides of course that it will probably cost more. If you have some old air tools and you aren’t sure what they need than here is a general list from my experience:
(CFM estimates assume 90PSI)
| Angle Disc Grinder – 7″ | 5-8 |
| Brad Nailer | 0.3 |
| Chisel/Hammer | 3-11 |
| Cut-Off Tool | 4-10 |
| Drill, Reversible or Straight-Line | 3-6 |
| Dual Sander | 11-13 |
| Framing Nailer | 2.2 |
| Grease Gun | 4 |
| Hydraulic Riveter | 4 |
| Impact Wrench – 3/8″ | 2.5-3.5 |
| Impact Wrench – 1/2″ | 4-5 |
| Impact Wrench – 1″ | 10 |
| Mini Die Grinder | 4-6 |
| Needle Scaler | 8-16 |
| Nibbler | 4 |
| Orbital Sander | 6-9 |
| Ratchet – 1/4″ | 2.5-3.5 |
| Ratchet – 3/8″ | 4.5-5 |
| Rotational Sander | 8-12.5 |
| Shears | 8-16 |
| Speed Saw | 5 |
One final number that you will often see talked about no matter what you need the compressor for is tank size. Many models boast large tank sizes as a big selling point, but really it is not that important. In fact, I would say that if you need the air compressor to be portable than just get a small tank (2-5 gallons). However if you plan on working with air tools extensively than a larger tank is nice because the unit will not have to run as much, and they are usually loud. Also, if you are using a tool consistently for a prolonged time (i.e. sander) than it is good to have a big tank to maintain the proper pressure the whole time you are working.