Better off asking at rec.crafts.metalworking
'Course, they'll proly tell you much more than you'll want to know.
But, there is stuff you *should* know.
Two ends of the spectrum:
cast iron head, belt driven, oil-lubed style, either horizontal or vertical.
Or direct drive oil-less aluminum head types.
Most shop heads prefer the former, which also has generally more cfm and is
quieter, much more reliable, last longer, etc.
Altho in some situations the latter can be preferable.
If going w/ the former, I got a GREAT 26 gal vertical jobby from HD, a
Husky. Excellent, QUIET compressor head, almost identical to what came on
my friend's very quiet SpeedAire. That's how I knew to buy it. Floor
sample for about $160, from $299.
You can sort of bump up the capacity by adding add'l tanks, in parallel.
Problem is, these HD-related companies mix and match so much crap together,
you can never be sure you'll get the same thing next month. I happened to
see my 26 gal jobby in a HD just the other day, and the head looked a bit
different.
And not all HD carry compressors all the time.
Most on rcm will tell you to avoid Craftsman (Crapsman) like the plague.
But otoh, it might suit your purpose, altho it would be nice to catch a
sale--no real bargains over there.
If posting on rcm, better to describe what your son is going to be using it
for, in as much detail as you can.
Eg, "shop air" for simply blowing crap out of parts, or for a sand blaster,
or for pneumatic (air) tools for autobody/painting, or other tools that
require lesser amounts of air for other miscellaneous functions.
Or mebbe just to fill tires/basketballs with.
Etc.
HTH
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"Susan Thomas" wrote in message
...
Am looking to buy an air compressor for my son for Christmas somewhere in
the $200-300 range. I have looked at several Craftsman models but unsure
about which would be better.
Any recommendations?
Thank you for your reply.