Leon - I typed out a detailed response, but it went to cyberspace. Somewhere. Here 'tis again.
For the compressor, take off the cap on the tank regulator (not the pressure regulator to the gun). It may or may not have a diagram inside the cap; the diagram will show the adjustment screw between the exposed switches (at this time, the compressor should be unplugged!!) with some arrows pointing with labeled with detailed instrcutions like "hogher" and "lower". Sometimes the adjustment screw in on the side, but most of the time it is in the middle. Adjust the tank pressure gauge up and it will maintain a higher pressure in the tank, but more importantly raise the pressure at which your compressor will refill the tank. You can usually only get ten pounds or so out of the deal, but with a framing gun it is worth every pound. Brad guns - who cares.
As for the hose vs. electrical, unless you need more electrical cords buy hose. You can buy a good 50' rubber hose (most flexible no matter what the weather, but little abrasion resistance) by Goodyear at HF for something like $24. It is good to have this one behind the gun as on a cold day it will easily flex. DO NOT buy a rubber hose from anywhere but the US. I found out the hard way they don't cure the rubber the same.
I use the poly reinforced hoses, and they are available everywhere. They will take a helluva beating, are extremely abrasion resistant, punture resistant, and they are cheap. The only knock I have is in the dead of a cold winter they will not unroll. Buy your fittings at HF, as they have pack of 4 males and one female fittings and couplings for about $2.50, or about half the price of one fitting at HD. They are on sale for this about every other week. They are solid brass with stainless internals. I have had no luck with steel fittings as the plating gets scratched off from dragging them around on the jobs (slabs, asphalt, roofs) and they rust. HF fittings last well and cheap enough ot keep a couple of extra sets around.
I wouldn't use 14 ga extension cords, no matter what the length on anything but a weedeater. No matter what the manufacturer says, remember he is giving you specs that are based perfect lab conditions, and that just isn't so out in the field. Many house operate at less than optimum voltage due to bad wiring, low input, too much attached to the panel, or at peak times of population use it can even be low at service box.
Use heavier cords as a matter of course, and it seems to help the tools when they surge or draw more power than the lab specs. There is a really noticeable difference in using a 14 ga cord and a 12 gauge cord when using even my smallest saws. The final pointer for cord determination came to me when I had a compressor that wouldn't run more than 30 minutes without overheating at most houses on regular
110v with a 50' 12 ga extension which was well in manufacturer's specs. Jumped to a 10 ga, and it ran all day everywhere I went.
Substituted a $15 hose and $2 worth of fittings for the $65 10 ga cord, and plugged the compressor straight into the outlet. Best solution yet. Every tool is happier with the least amount of extension cords. So the compressor was happy being plugged straight into the outlet, and I didn't have that expensive cord in the truck.
And yes, believe it or not, if you get enough hose on the compressor it will make a difference. Quicker minds than mind could determine how many cubic feet extra a 3/8 or 1/2 hose would carry under pressure, but I found that out when I used to put 300 or so feet of house on my compressor when framing houses. I am not sure what one hose would do, and it certainly won't make up for a large tank, but you could get some extra mileage out of a couple or three hoses on the machine.
Anything else, leeme lone. Just kiddin... let me know. ;^)
Robert