Lobster wrote:

I love the idea of buying one of these for "blowing the dirt off
things"... I fear SWMBO might require a little more justification than
that... ;-)

One of the more demanding uses for a compressor is to use an air/water
gun for high pressure car washing. Compared to the Kärcher type of
electric pressure washers these guns are cheap and effective. They need
a lot of air though, I can only use the one I bought for washing the
tractor with the largest compressor that I own.

I note that the prices of all these things have rocketed recently. My
diesel compressor cost about £400. Current versions are around £1600. I
presume this is the rising cost of steel and the falling value of the
pound at work.