I need a compressor for checking/topping my car tires, blowing the dust out of our computers and similar light tasks.
What kind/size of compressor would be up to this job?
HF has a 1/4 hp for sale currently, for on sale for $ 67. Would that be suitable?
Practically any size unit will work to fill tires. I would recommend using canned air to blow a computer though as you don't want to blow air mixed with oil and water onto your components
The second URL below for the $ 89 unit does not work. Use Key ITEM 96087, instead. Thanks
The CFM of the second one is far better than the first. 0.7 versus 2 @ 90 psi. Personally, I'd not buy anything from Harbor Freight and spend the extra for a Porter Cable pancake compressor, but that's me.
When I bought my first compressor last year, I wanted something portable and not too loud. For this reason, I bought an oil lubed Campbell Hausfeld compressor at Costco for $99. Oil lubed models are generally quieter than diaphragm ones.
It recently stopped working when I went to fill up some new soccer balls and I thought the thing was fried until my 7 year-old found a reset switch when we had the thing on its back. So, from the point of view of "what type would I buy NEXT" (which I thought I was going to have to do, cause these things are just too darn useful), I'd opt for an even larger one on wheels.
Why? Well, like you, I've only used it for tires, cleaning the computer and...dusting the garage floor. The latter requires the thing to cycle on about every 20 seconds or so (mine is a 4 gal, twin tank) for about
15 seconds. The motor is not as loud as a diaphragm model, but still a bit hard on the ears.If you're NEVER going to do anything beyond tires and computers, then a tank of air is a tank of air, but my guess is you'll keep it for a lifetime and it won't be long before you buy a tool or two for it (I bought a crown stapler and am just waiting to put up some molding).
Just keep in mind that dusting, grinding, painting etc. require lots of airflow and I'm sure most people would agree that a large tank and oil-lubed compressor is the way to go. It will last you a lifetime.
If m> I need a compressor for checking/topping my car tires, blowing the dust out
I tend to overbuy for just the same reason. My last compressor was a 5 hp Husky. Since I got it, I went and got air tools that I had wanted. Nothing like changing tires with an air wrench. And if you want to do some big job, it isn't killing a little compressor that you have to run continuously to keep up and it doesn't.
Steve
The first one should do what you need, but it will be loud and will take some time. Since the link did not work for the second one I can't comment on it.
2) Believe it or not, if you use compressed air to "clean" you can consume a LOT of air. If you are cleaning electronics, you are better off using a household vac to both suck and blow. Again, oilless is better simply because you don't have any compressor oil getting into the air stream.
3) In theory, oilless compresses don't last as long as "oil in crankcase" compressors. Maybe so.** Posted from
I just bought one a few weeks ago and what I discovered is that once you decide to go with one that is large enough to have wheels instead of just a handle you might as well go large. I ended up with a 26 gallon vertical tank because it actually has a smaller footprint than smaller horizontal units (how often is height an issue?).
A smaller unit might still have a weight adavantage should you need to actually lift it into the back of a pickup, but as long as you are just rolling it around the one I bought moves like a two-wheeled hand cart and is no more difficult to move than a smaller unit would be. For the time being it just sits in the corner of my garage, but I could bring it in the house if I needed it closer for using a nailer or some similar project.
Having the large tank does provide a lot of advantages the most notable being the infrequency of the unit having to start up the motor. Most times when I use it the motor never comes on at all. While I haven't used it yet for spraying or other tasks that require high volume it's nice to know the capacity is there if I should need it. I realize that "bigger tank" is not synonymous with "higher volume rate", but it does factor in. I also did get the unit that had the highest CFM in the price range I was shopping for.
If you're going to spend $100 to fill tires and blow off your computer. . . . I'd spend $150 and go with this one-
This will do what you want- plus run any nail gun you can throw at it. [$15 brad/staple guns are pretty handy]; air chisels are fun; it will do little sandblasting jobs; runs a HVLP paint sprayer alright; doesn't have enough air for a die grinder.
Note the CFM ratings on whatever compressor you buy. Take into consideration that the compressor folks exaggerate high- and the tool folks give a low number.
HF makes air tools so cheap you can't afford not to try them out. [many are junk- but for $10-15 you can get a taste & see if you'll actually find them useful]
Jim
that 89.00 looks modern ...id get that one.......... fyi.. my neighbor bought hf oil bath compressor with 12 gallon tank and bought their special compressor oil . that thing kept getting hot after a few minutes and kicking off the thermal reset.. he took it back and replacement did same thing. we drained "special" hf oil and filled with synthetic engine oil. it has worked fine since.seems special compressor oil isnt good quality oil..lucas
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I'd go with the second model because of the wheels and telescoping handle. I wouldn't use it to blow dust from my computer keyboard, though. It should handle the light tasks you have in mind, too.
The Ranger
My first compressor was a Sears "5Hp" unit. After a few years, I wanted more, and finally settled on a used 5Hp 2-stage compressor from a compressor shop. This unit is quieter (no tinny rattle) and supplies whatever I need. And will last my lifetime probably. I passed the sears unit on to my father.
Running continuously isn't a bad thing. The compressor shop told me it needs a long period of use occasionally to boil off water in the oil. But this is an industrial machine.
I agree. Spend the extra fifty bucks and you'll get something you won't outgrow...most likely ever.
Rather than get a "No Name" China compressor, I went with Sears/Craftsman
Or this One with stapler/nailer & staples included:
sears is no guarantee of parts being avaliable
I got a relative cheap (less than $100) oil lubed compressor from Harbor Freight. I think it was rated at 5.6 CFM.
I got it mainly because a oilless compressor I had could not supply the air needed by a pnaumatic floor scraper I picked up from HF. The oilless would not "work" the scraper even in short bursts. The "gallon sized" air tank just wasn't big enough.
The HF compressor did the job. It wasn't up to coninuous operation but it provided wll over a 20% duty cycle.
I haven't subjected it to long term use as I not quite up to scraping all the carpet from the basement yet. I did have some problems with getting enough electric powr to it. I had to plug it into an outlet right next to the main service panel. Otherwise it would stall and the thermal overload would trip. It has a "dump valve" that takes the load off the motor when it starts but untill it can get up to speed within 1/2 second, the full load will stall the motor and cause a thermal trip.
Larger loads like that compressor really are suitable for 120 volt outlets. They really need 240 volt motors and outlets but most folks just don't have or want 240 volt outlets.
** Posted fromThe only reason not to overbuy, would be storage space, or having to haul the thing around. Sounds like you did good, with your compressor. Air tools are incredibly convenient.
Hi, One of chores I do with compressor is blowing out our sprinkler system in the fall. So I had to get a large one running on 220V with big tank. For other uses it has plenty of air for sure.
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