Air compressor ratings (not horsepower)

Jan 22, 2010 3 Replies

When a lawsuit a few years ago caused air compressor manufacturers to quit exaggerating their horsepower ratings, did it also affect the way they advertised CFM air flow ratings? Because my old, pre-lawsuit



120VAC oilless Campbell Hausfeld WL600602 is rated for 6.1 CFM @ 90 PSI, while the biggest oilless they currently sell is rated for just
3.8 CFM @ 90 PSI.

Shouldn't as they're independent measurements if actually are measured; of course, if they weren't... (Note I didn't say the hp is independent of what the compressor is capable of only that measuring them air output isn't the same measurement as the engine/motor hp).

That's what I thought, so this really puzzles me. But back when all companies were grossly inflating their HP ratings, the HP ratings kept going up even when the CFM ratings stayed the same or even dropped. For example, a "5.0" HP Campbell Hausfeld was rated for about 1.5 CFM @ 90 PSI less than my slightly older "3.5" HP model. Both of these were oilless, single-stage, and made for 120VAC, 15A. Inconsistent fraud?

"larry moe 'n curly" wrote in news:8995eaed- snipped-for-privacy@g1g2000yqi.googlegroups.com:

Can't answer that intelligently but there is also a rating of SCFM, the S being Standard. Something tells me this tells more about comparing apples to apples.

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required