Home Shop Air Compressor
 

Trying to decide on an air compressor.

One from Lowes and one from Home Depot.

Both are oil lubed, cast iron pumps, 120 volt, belt driven, uprights.

The Kobalt brand from Lowes is rated 5.7 @ 90psi and has a 30 gal tank.

The Husky brand from Home Depot is rated 5.8 @ 90psi and has a 26 gal tank.

I'm leaning toward the Husky from Home Depot, but, should the 4 gal tank
difference compel me to get the Kobalt from Lowes?

Am I better off with the 5.8cfm and the smaller tank or..
the 5.7cfm with the bigger tank?

Use of the compressor will be automotive air tools and wood tools like
nailers. I don't see using it for spray painting at all nor heavy sanding.

Thanks for any advise.

sdm

"Scott D. Magee" wrote:

....
The Kobalt brand from Lowes is rated 5.7 @ 90psi and has a 30 gal tank.

The Husky brand from Home Depot is rated 5.8 @ 90psi and has a 26 gal tank.

I'm leaning toward the Husky from Home Depot, but, should the 4 gal tank
difference compel me to get the Kobalt from Lowes?

Am I better off with the 5.8cfm and the smaller tank or..
the 5.7cfm with the bigger tank?

Use of the compressor will be automotive air tools and wood tools like
nailers. I don't see using it for spray painting at all nor heavy sanding.

Never heard of either...who actually makes them or are they what they
sound like--no-name imports? Might be ok, might not, I've no data. I
thought Lowes had been carrying DeVilbiss??? My experience w/ them has
been they are adequate for home use (and they are US-built (or at least
were)).

5.7 vs 5.8 cfm is no discernible difference. Larger tank in general
would be better. I'd be looking at warranty information trying to figure
out if one might possibly have an indication of longer lifetime...

look at the tools you are planning to use, find out the required air needed
to effectively run them. 5.8 doesn't sound like much at all, sounds to me
like if you use the air tools this compressor will be constantly running. I
have an IR with 60 gal and 11.3 @ 90psi and when I get goin this thing still
runs a good bit. But the IR is rated for continuous operation 24/7. You had
better decide on the tools you will be using and go from there. An air
compressor is a great thing and once you get to using it you will want even
more air tools. Get one that will grow with you.

Searcher1

"Scott D. Magee" wrote:
Am I better off with the 5.8cfm and the smaller tank or..
the 5.7cfm with the bigger tank?

You won't be able to tell the difference. The bigger than will last longer,
but the bigger tank will also take longer to get up to pressure.

What do you plan to do with air? If your needs are a nail gun, fill an
occasion tire, either will do just fine. Run an air sander, spray paint
trucks, neither is going to come close to filling your needs.

As for the brand, they are probably made in the same factory in China by the
lowest bidder. I have no idea how they stack up to others.
Ed

I'd go with the 15% larger tank. Of course, if you are going to lug
it around a lot, a lighter unit might be better for you.

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 18:10:38 GMT, "Scott D. Magee"
wrote:

Trying to decide on an air compressor.

One from Lowes and one from Home Depot.

Both are oil lubed, cast iron pumps, 120 volt, belt driven, uprights.

The Kobalt brand from Lowes is rated 5.7 @ 90psi and has a 30 gal tank.

The Husky brand from Home Depot is rated 5.8 @ 90psi and has a 26 gal tank.

I'm leaning toward the Husky from Home Depot, but, should the 4 gal tank
difference compel me to get the Kobalt from Lowes?

Am I better off with the 5.8cfm and the smaller tank or..
the 5.7cfm with the bigger tank?

Use of the compressor will be automotive air tools and wood tools like
nailers. I don't see using it for spray painting at all nor heavy sanding.

Thanks for any advise.

sdm

From the specs you described I wouldn't favor one over the other. I'd
look more at price, warranty, portability if important to you, sound
level, or other features. The tank size and CFM are so close as to be
unimportant.


--

Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland

One from Lowes and one from Home Depot.

Both are oil lubed, cast iron pumps, 120 volt, belt driven, uprights.

The Kobalt brand from Lowes is rated 5.7 @ 90psi and has a 30 gal tank.

The Husky brand from Home Depot is rated 5.8 @ 90psi and has a 26 gal
tank.

I'm leaning toward the Husky from Home Depot, but, should the 4 gal tank
difference compel me to get the Kobalt from Lowes?

My inclination would also be to go with the Husky brand. Both units are
close enough that the size of the tank and the difference in cfm are not
going to be very noticeable. I'd be more concerned with duty cycle ratings,
acoustic ratings, and warranty coverage.

"Scott D. Magee" wrote in message
om...
Trying to decide on an air compressor.

One from Lowes and one from Home Depot.

Both are oil lubed, cast iron pumps, 120 volt, belt driven, uprights.

The Kobalt brand from Lowes is rated 5.7 @ 90psi and has a 30 gal tank.

The Husky brand from Home Depot is rated 5.8 @ 90psi and has a 26 gal
tank.

Husky is Home Depot's private label of Campbell Hausfeld air compressors.
Not sure who makes Kobalt for Lowes. The Husky is a CH with a different
label on the tank. CH does not build spec compressors for retailers, they
simply private label their production products.



I'm leaning toward the Husky from Home Depot, but, should the 4 gal tank
difference compel me to get the Kobalt from Lowes?

Am I better off with the 5.8cfm and the smaller tank or..
the 5.7cfm with the bigger tank?

Mox-Nix. Neither one is offering any measurable advantage over the other.
Both ares low output, small storage compressors which can serve light duty
useage quite well and won't take up a ton of room. I would be concerned for
the 5.8cfm rating though. You're going to be very limited in what you can
do with this compressor. The key is that these will support light duty.


Use of the compressor will be automotive air tools and wood tools like
nailers. I don't see using it for spray painting at all nor heavy
sanding.


What kind of automotive air tools? Impact wrench? 5.8cfm will probably do
the job for short spurts which is how you typically use an impact, but that
is really on the low side for any impact gun. Most want closer to 10cfm.
Depending on the max pressure, you may not be able to break lug nuts though
that have been torqued to factory specs. Die Grinder? Forget it. DA?
Forget it. Air Ratchet? Maybe, but you can tax a low delivery system like
you're talking about with an air ratchet. Air nailers? Should be more than
enough. They are very small bursts, and it should keep up with them very
easily.

I have a 100% duty cycle commercial compressor now that delivers just
over18cfm and I can get it to run a lot, depending on what I'm using.
But... before I got it, I had a small Sears 5HP(?...) 33 Gallon compressor.
Talk about overworking a compressor! I used it for everything. I painted
cars with it (I know all the secrets for dealing with water in lines based
on over-running your compressor now), I air wrenched the crap out of things,
etc. The only thing it really would not do was run the DA. But... this
compressor delivered 12cfm@90psi. Much higher delivery rate than you're
looking at. Point being - it would not be the recommended compressor for
most of those jobs, but it did the job. It would run continuously
sometimes, and that made for premature wear, and lots of water build up, but
it was a trooper and it did the work. Used it for over 10 years. It's now
doing much lighter duty work for my brother in law.

So - you can get more out of a compressor than you are supposed to. You'll
pay a price in wear, but you can do it. I would recommend buying more
compressor than you think you'll ever need, because you'll keep buying air
tools and sooner or later one of those is going to require some air. 5.8cfm
is really a very low delivery rate.

--

-Mike-

"Mike Marlow" wrote in message

So - you can get more out of a compressor than you are supposed to.
You'll
pay a price in wear, but you can do it. I would recommend buying more
compressor than you think you'll ever need, because you'll keep buying air
tools and sooner or later one of those is going to require some air.
5.8cfm
is really a very low delivery rate.

One of the best posts on _practical_ compressor advice I've seen in the wrec
.... a keeper.

Thanks.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 11/06/04

I don't think the size of tank or output is a real big deal for general shop
use. I don't know who make the Cobalt but I believe Campbell Hausfeld (sp?)
makes many of the Huskys. We helped our daughter buy one of the Huskys for
her husband for christmas and the tag even said Campbell Hausfeld.

In article ,
"Scott D. Magee" wrote:

Trying to decide on an air compressor.



Me too.

I'd try to get the quietest one. There is no reason for a compressor to
be as noisy as they generally are. Quiet would mean quality, IMHO.

Mike Marlow wrote:


Husky is Home Depot's private label of Campbell Hausfeld air compressors.
Not sure who makes Kobalt for Lowes. The Husky is a CH with a different
label on the tank. CH does not build spec compressors for retailers, they
simply private label their production products.



Interesting post. When I read it, I was surprised by this comment
because here in Canada I thought that the Husky label referred to
products made by Husqvarna (Sweden). I did a web search and found the
following that seems to say that Husky is a brand name of Stanley (which
might also own Campbell Hausfeld??)

The interesting part (but OT) is the back in '99 the FTC was suing
Stanley for misleading claims that their tools were 'made in the USA'.
Hard to know where anything is made I guess.

http://www.ftc.gov/os/1999/06/stanleyworkscmp.htm

Yeah, I see now from the Home Depot web site that the Husky is made by
Campbell Hausfeld. Still not sure about the Kobalt brand from Lowes.

I do know the Husky's are rated for 100% duty cycle. I'm pretty sure the
Kobalt from Lowes is too. Not positive though.

As far as auto tools. Just as you mentioned. Impact wrenches, 3/8, 1/2...
Ratchets, 1/4, 3/8... small die grinders, 3/8 drill, cutoff tool, impact
hammer. What's a "DA"?

And in the future, maybe a dual action sander. I've seen specs for a sander
that say "avg. 4 CFM". Is this misleading? I guess it's a spec for the
average between load and no load. What would the CFM be during load?
Though the compressor may be running continuously, would it be able to keep
up with a sander like that?

Thanks,

sdm

Mox-Nix. Neither one is offering any measurable advantage over the other.
Both ares low output, small storage compressors which can serve light duty
useage quite well and won't take up a ton of room. I would be concerned
for
the 5.8cfm rating though. You're going to be very limited in what you can
do with this compressor. The key is that these will support light duty.

I think the key is 120v vs 220v. The compressors mentioned by the OP are
about average output for 15 amp units. Since both units he was looking at
were 120v units, I'm assuming he doesn't have 220v available.

Actually I could set up a 220v system. It would be a little more work, but
doable. I was concidering the portability of the compressor though. But
thinking about it now, I guess it would not really be a huge factor for the
compressor to not be on wheels.

I did read somewhere that you really should not use an extension cord to
plug in the compressor. I guess you want the shortest power cord possible.
This would basically eliminate the portability of a compressor on wheels if
there was no convienent outlet where you needed the air.

What is the advantge of a compressor running on 220v?

The only other problem with going to a compressor that uses 220v is, it's
almost a little to big for the space I have. But again, could be doable.

The next compressor up from the Husky I was looking at, is a 60 gallon 10.2
@ 90.



"mp" wrote in message ...
Mox-Nix. Neither one is offering any measurable advantage over the
other.
Both ares low output, small storage compressors which can serve light
duty
useage quite well and won't take up a ton of room. I would be concerned
for
the 5.8cfm rating though. You're going to be very limited in what you
can
do with this compressor. The key is that these will support light duty.

I think the key is 120v vs 220v. The compressors mentioned by the OP are
about average output for 15 amp units. Since both units he was looking at
were 120v units, I'm assuming he doesn't have 220v available.

Scott D. Magee wrote:
Snip
What's a "DA"?

And in the future, maybe a dual action sander.

Hey, Dual Action! DA! I guess you hafta know a body man.

Hope it helps.

-Phil Crow

Yes it does, thanks,

sdm


wrote in message
oups.com...

Scott D. Magee wrote:
Snip
What's a "DA"?

And in the future, maybe a dual action sander.

Hey, Dual Action! DA! I guess you hafta know a body man.

Hope it helps.

-Phil Crow

Scott D. Magee wrote:
Actually I could set up a 220v system. It would be a little more
work, but
doable. I was concidering the portability of the compressor though.
But
thinking about it now, I guess it would not really be a huge factor
for the
compressor to not be on wheels.

I did read somewhere that you really should not use an extension cord
to
plug in the compressor. I guess you want the shortest power cord
possible.
This would basically eliminate the portability of a compressor on
wheels if
there was no convienent outlet where you needed the air.

Air hose is cheaper than extension cord...

What is the advantge of a compressor running on 220v?

LRod, help me out here g, but I think that running on 240 volts is
that your compressor will draw half as many amps.

The only other problem with going to a compressor that uses 220v is,
it's
almost a little to big for the space I have. But again, could be
doable.

My uncle has a compressor with a tank somewhere in the neighborhood of
250 gallons. The pump and motor are inside, the skid tank sits
outside. Just a thought.

The next compressor up from the Husky I was looking at, is a 60
gallon 10.2
@ 90.

As long as we're talking about it, why not just go for the gusto? I'm
in agreement with Mike in that you should buy a bigger comprressor than
you'll ever need. I saw one at the Borg with a 2-piston pump bigger
than a Ducati motor. If I were going to buy a _serious_ compressor,
I'd start from there and work up. I mean, it's only money, right? g

Good luck.

-Phil Crow

"Scott D. Magee" writes:

I did read somewhere that you really should not use an extension cord to
plug in the compressor. I guess you want the shortest power cord possible.
This would basically eliminate the portability of a compressor on wheels if
there was no convienent outlet where you needed the air.

What is the advantge of a compressor running on 220v?

The only other problem with going to a compressor that uses 220v is, it's
almost a little to big for the space I have. But again, could be doable.

The next compressor up from the Husky I was looking at, is a 60 gallon 10.2
@ 90.

Get the bigger unit if you can swing it. HD lists both as 7 peak HP, but
the bigger unit has a much bigger motor.

The price difference between the two is minimal.

You will not be able to run the smaller unit on an extension cord unless
you get a good 12 gauge one that isn't too long. My father's small
Coleman compressor won't start at all on a lot of extension cords.

Brian Elfert

LOL, well if it were your money... right... heh heh


If I were going to buy a _serious_ compressor,
I'd start from there and work up. I mean, it's only money, right? g

Good luck.

-Phil Crow

Actually I could set up a 220v system. It would be a little more work,
but
doable. I was concidering the portability of the compressor though. But
thinking about it now, I guess it would not really be a huge factor for
the
compressor to not be on wheels.

Do you really need portability? And for what purpose? As someone else
mentioned, you can run long lengths or airhose without a problem. If you
have an occaisional need to use a nailer in other locations then perhaps a
small 10 gallon air tank or a cheap pancake compressor would do.

I did read somewhere that you really should not use an extension cord to
plug in the compressor. I guess you want the shortest power cord
possible.
This would basically eliminate the portability of a compressor on wheels
if
there was no convienent outlet where you needed the air.

What is the advantge of a compressor running on 220v?

It's not so much an advantage, but the ability to run larger compressors
that are 220v only. The first two compressors you mentioned are about the
max you'll get out of 110v. Anything larger will require 220v.

The only other problem with going to a compressor that uses 220v is, it's
almost a little to big for the space I have. But again, could be doable.

The next compressor up from the Husky I was looking at, is a 60 gallon
10.2
@ 90.

This would allow you to run a wider variety of air tools.

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 22:59:12 -0500, Robatoy wrote:

In article ,
"Scott D. Magee" wrote:

Trying to decide on an air compressor.



Me too.

I'd try to get the quietest one. There is no reason for a compressor to
be as noisy as they generally are. Quiet would mean quality, IMHO.

you got that... my next compressor will be quiet, or I won't buy it..

I find that I don't use air tools as much as I'd like, because of the noise of
the compressor... if it was quiet, then it wouldn't be that important how often
it ran to keep up..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

In article ,
mac davis wrote:

[snipperified]

you got that... my next compressor will be quiet, or I won't buy it..

I find that I don't use air tools as much as I'd like, because of the noise
of
the compressor... if it was quiet, then it wouldn't be that important how
often
it ran to keep up..

When I semi-retired, the shop I left behind had a 5HP Webster cast-iron
twin with intercooler (I'm guessing a 100gallon+ tank). It came with the
building 15 years prior.
Only when it started did you hear a squeel from the 3 belts. Then it
settled in a locomotive style thumping that was almost pleasurable to
listen to. You could stand next to it and carry on a conversation.
One of us would blow it down daily, and I changed the oil every 6 months.
Kept the spray booth going, air drills, and the air logic and servos on
the edgebander... never missing a beat.