Shopping for air compressor

03silvaevo

New member
The sears in my area is having a sale of air compressors this weekend. I saw 2 that I'm debating on. Both are under two hundred bucks. These are Craftsman brand of course and I read the reviews on the sears web site and saw positive and negative reviews. Although there were more positives, I'm still worried about leaks overtime and motors burning out. Should I get it or get a different brand? Don't want to spend too much money on an air compressor.



Here's the link: Sears.com
 
I have the horizantal version of that same machine...I have had it for a few years...No problems whatsoever.
 
I've got the 33 gallon version ... its a little loud but other then that its great. You can't go wrong with Craftsman.
 
Ive got the craftsmen 33 gallon. Ive had it for 5 years with no troubles at all and it gets used just about everyday for hours on end. The only complaint i have is it is loud as all hell. Im not a pansy so i dont care :lol
 
I've got 2 different ones. I've got a small 15 gallon Craftsman that I've had for years (the one on the left of the sears page, my friend also has 2 of the ones on the right that have had no problems) and I've got a 60 Gallon Kobalt that I bought back in January. Never had a problem out of the craftsman other than it was only good for using nail guns and a few other tools that didn't use much air. The Kobalt I had a problem from day one. Pulley worked it's way off and they sent me replacement parts that I had to replace myself. Also the motor is leaking oil into the tank and the company said they would not warranty it and it was 2 months old when the complaing was filed. Definately don't deal with kobalt. Probably the best one you can buy is going to be ingersol rand but they are very expensive but top notch. Try to find one that it belt driven. They are quieter and have more cfm. Hope this helps.
 
Make sure if you get one of those Craftsman ones you DO NOT use it with an extension cord. It will fail. I went through 2 before I was told of this.



Other than that they are good, a little loud, and a little on the weak side. But even for the avid garage handyman, it's more than enough. Only be worried if you run grinders or paint guns.
 
I got my Ingersoll Rand compressor a few years back when I was installing trim in my house. It has worked flawlessy with out any problems. Check the oil every now and then and you should be good to go with most brands. I thought about the Dewalt compressor but I got a good deal on mine through E-bay (heck he tossed in a small brad nailer in the box with the compressor). If you look at most road work sites, they've got Ingersoll Rand for their compressors. Mine was a portable 4 gallon double tank model.
 
I am just using my Ridgid shopvac that is a 2 in 1. Works perfectly fine. For 108.00 after tax I got a 6.5HP vacuum, and a blower that works wonderfully. I will be looking into getting a air compressor though because for interiors the small wand that comes with a compressor and the power it has it a better choice for interiors. Works alot better. I just use this for Blowing off the engine after a detail, side mirros, stuff like that.



Bryan
 
I've got a porter cable pancake compressor that I got a couple years ago and love it. It's one of those red ones, you can't miss them in stores. I'm sure craftsman would be great too, they're a pretty good brand name.
 
DSMu4ia said:
Make sure if you get one of those Craftsman ones you DO NOT use it with an extension cord. It will fail. I went through 2 before I was told of this.



Other than that they are good, a little loud, and a little on the weak side. But even for the avid garage handyman, it's more than enough. Only be worried if you run grinders or paint guns.





I have the Craftsman 33 gallon and use it with extension cords and paint guns all the time :think:
 
You can use it with an extension cord as long as it is a heavy duty one (12 ga or better) The compressors pull alot of amperage and you can strain the motor and burn it up or burn the extension cord up. That 10 ga wire coming out of the compressor is for a reason.
 
I know the Home Depot by me is selling off their DeWalt air compressors at great prices. They are made by Emglo (used to be blue) and oil lubed. I have had an Emglo compressor for like 7 years never a problem. Used to use it for running framing and roofing nailers all day in the summer heat never quit. Taken care of they will last for ever. Easy to move around. Depending on what you want to use them for (CFM) they are a great price.

They have a 2hp 4 gallon portable compressor with two finish nail guns for $199. If you don't want the nail guns you could sell them on ebay for $50 easy making it an even better deal.
 
Get a makita hotdog, very quiet, small and powerful, oil filled motor, will last a long time 150$ on amazon. I love mine, very well built.
 
Go ahead and pass on Harbor Freight for the compressor. If it has buttons or switches, needs to be accurate or last a long time, then I recommend against HF. Sandpaper, gloves, paintbrushes, fittings, drill bits, etc. are great items to buy there.
 
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