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.

In article , pe wrote:

Avoid Craftsman, buy a recognized brand name in the compressor business.
There are other things to consider. Noise.
What tools does he plan to operate. Is portability important or the amount
of space it takes.
The choices are MANY. You need to narrow down your son's needs.
I have a small noisy high output Eagle that meets all my needs perfectly.
I would have preferred a huge quiet beast standing in the corner....

I've got an older Craftsman that's about 10 years old and it is REALLY noisy --
I usually run it in the garage with the door CLOSED and a hose coming out from
under the garage door and use it outside where I can get away with no hearing
protection. We had a contractor come over to install some doors one time and
he had a really nice pancake style (twin smaller tanks) made by a company that
I no longer recall (but a very reputable company as I recall -- it just wasn't
one you would initially think about for other tools -- I believe they only made
compressors). Anyway, it was REALLY quiet and had enough power to use for
nail guns and what-not (which are not really demanding as something like an
air-ratchet or similar that uses constant air instead of a quick "puff" like a
nailer does). Sorry for being long winded..

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
--
------
Mr. P.V.'d (formerly Droll Troll), Yonkers, NY

Stop Corruption in Congress & Send the Ultimate Message:
Absolutely Vote, but NOT for a Democrat or a Republican.
Ending Corruption in Congress is the *Single Best Way*
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The Solution is so simple--and inexpensive!

entropic3.14decay at optonline2.718 dot net; remove pi and e to reply--ie,
all d'numbuhs

"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.

Susan Thomas wrote:
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.

People don't respect the Sears Craftsman brand anymore. Ingersoll/Rand
is a brand of compressor that I know people do respect. Here is a link
to a compressor in your price range from a well known supplier:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...ne&rotate=none

The tools and tasks your son are planning will determine the type or
size of compressor he needs. compressor output is measured in cubic
feet per minute or cfm and air tools are rated the same way. that not
the final word however since the size of the storage tank greatly
influences the work you can do. You can't have too big of a tank.
That's why I reccomend a compressor with a medium sized tank. It's big
enough to increase it's usefulness yet is still portable (on wheels).

Best of all is a stationary unit. Them things are so noisy so you
just put it where the noise bothers you the least, maybe in another
room. Beware of putting it outside or in an unheated room because my
compressor won't run when the temp goes below zero.

The cool thing about compressed air is that you can run as much hose or
pipe as you want, anywhere you want, and there is no loss of power.
More pipe also means more storage and one place where I worked ran lots
of pipe back and forth just to increase storage.

For that amount of money, get a 2 hp, 4 gallon oil-lubricated
compressor by Hitachi, Rol-Air, Ingersol-Rand. It provides 4 cfm at 90
psi and will do many things while weighing under 70 pounds.

It will NOT run tools like impact wrenches, air sanders and die
grinders. It WILL inflate tires, run pneumatic nailers and be very
portable. If he needs a bigger unit, give him a gift card for $300 and
let him add more money to buy that $800+ compressor.

On Thu, 9 Nov 2006 13:37:02 -0500, "Susan Thomas"
wrote:

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.

Just avoid the oil-less direct drive units. They are junk. Not to mention,
they are so loud they'll run you out the room.

--
Steve Barker



"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.

Buy a bigger compressor than you think you will need. Soon you will be
using it for things you never thought you would. If you buy too small, you
will soon be in the market for a larger one, and lose money in the exchange.
Go with a top name like IR or such. They last a lot lot lot lot lot longer.

Steve

Steve B wrote:
Buy a bigger compressor than you think you will need. Soon you will be
using it for things you never thought you would. If you buy too small, you
will soon be in the market for a larger one, and lose money in the exchange.
Go with a top name like IR or such. They last a lot lot lot lot lot longer.

Steve
I STILL have my Sears cast-iron air compressor from 21years ago...it's
still chugging. I was going to replace it recently when the pressure
switch went bad. Found a replacement at Graingers for $15. Reason I
didn't junk it: I couldn't find a comparable one for under $250. The
cheapies from China have poor CFM capacity.
My advice: look for one with at least 5 CFM at 90 psi. That will allow
for auto painting and much more. However, if you need to use air tools,
you'll need one with 10 CFM at 90 psi capacity.

Over the years, I've lost all respect for Sears. I'd even prefer
something from Harbor Freight.

If you get one which is splash lubricated, get a good brand of oil.
Cheap oil is more costly in the long run. And change the oil after 10
or 25 hours, what the book says. New units wear rapidly in the first
few hours.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"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.

On Thu, 9 Nov 2006 13:37:02 -0500, "Susan Thomas"
wrote:

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.



Do not buy an oiless.