Hey all, need some advice choosing an air compressor.

There's heaps available and I know 100% for sure that a POS GMC $99 from supercrap won't do.

Generally, I want it to do light shed duties (inflating tyres, basic non-continuous tools) but on occasion I want to use it continuously for, let's say a die grinder without loosing it's huff and having to pause for a couple of minutes while it catches up...

So my question is, what would suit me? What CFM? Tank size? HP?

Would a 2.5hp 40L compressor do?

Cheers
TnP

I just brough a 2.5hp 40 l tank direct drive from supercheap for $100.

It will do basic shed duties fine and I have fitted a $70.00 regulator/water trap to it as well.

But it will not run the die grinder. You will need to look at a 2 or 3 cylinder belt drive compressor to run most die grinders or simular. These units start at $650 and go up. They usually start with a 50 litre tank.

I have a 60 litre twin piston belt drive unit I brought for the workshop at school and Its brilliant. Does everything you would ever want. But at 950.00 how much do you want to spend?

Terry,mine's a 3 HP 50 litre twin direct drive,i think about $500.00 several years ago.It's bloody noisy,but can keep up with all of my air tools(just)I would'nt go any smaller cause you'll kick yourself if the grunt stops half job...and you'll also need a water trap,plus all the usual accessories,extra hose fittings from supa crap autos etc.

How much do I want to spend?

I dunno - that's why I'm asking.

Die grinding isn't a top priority so I'm willing to sacrifice that.

2.5hp 40L for $100? that sounds really cheap...
I've only seen them for about $200+ even at Supercheap.

I will be using a rattle gun often, but that's not continuous use obviously.

What is the limits you can push a 2.5hp 40L? What can't you do with it?

Cheers again,

TC

Thanks Rob,

Yeah I don't wanna go tight-arse and regret it later if I can help it

Cheers,
Terry

Sorry it was $135. Jump onto supercheap auto website and have a look at page 10 of their catalogue. Mines yellow not black but exactly the same.

They rate it at 112 litres per min.

Yet to start using it so not 100% sure on how it will go. Thought the extra $$$ was worth it over the $99 GMC unit from Bunnings. For basic stuff and the amount of work it will do it's a bargan. When it packs up I will fit a belt drive motor and compressor I have got in the shed. Was going to build one but cant get tank and bits for $100.00

The only prob I have found with direct drive is they are noisy compared to some belt drive units. And you should drop the oil after about 6 hrs as they shed a bit of metal when running in and this leads to early failure. They usually come with 2 bottles of oil for this reason.

I wouldnt worry about hp.
Look for free air delivery (FAD) and pump displacement (PD).
Match the (FAD) to the tool you have that will use the most air.
Then make sure the (PD) is more than the (FAD)
Both (FAD) and (PD) are measured in CFM or L/M at a given PSI
My compressor can supply 10cfm (FAD) with a pump that is 13cfm (PD) and my only complaint I can have with it is the price.
I would budget $800 - $1500 but look to the higher side to be happy.

Thanks Steve.

The cheaper places don't bother stating those specs and go in favour of HP & capacity, which when you think about it, doesn't tell you much about what the compressors capable of...

I now have some homework to do... Cheers fellas!

Go for the biggest that can afford. If you are limited to single phase, then it seems that the biggest output you can get is a 17cfm unit.

Thats more than enough for me, but the biggest issue is tank size. The bigger then tank, the longer it will go before it needs to run the pump again.

So the biggest tank you can get, followed by the biggest CFM you can get.