Portable air compressor

[Donny939]

I recently moved and couldn't take my 100-150 gallon air compressor with me. I really only need one to blow off my rc's and maybe fill my car tires. whats a good cheap one and maybe even a battery/rechargeable?

[SCREAMER]

I was recently shopping for a small take along compressor too. The problem with a blow gun is they use a lot of CFM so as soon as you pull the trigger the pressure drops fast. Filling tires is much easier because it's low volume unless you're running 37s on 15s. The small pancake types can't keep up. It takes them 5 minutes to pressurize and 3 seconds to drop to nothing. I'm still looking myself. I'd love to hear what others have to say too.

[calcagno45]

I have a Husky 8gal oil free tank from Home Depot that does pretty well. It may be larger than you want for portable but it does pressurize fairly quick and 8gal is a decent volume.

Husky 8 Gal. Portable Oil Free Electric Air Compressor-0300813A - The Home Depot

[nightcrawler48]

Originally Posted by calcagno45

I have a Husky 8gal oil free tank from Home Depot that does pretty well. It may be larger than you want for portable but it does pressurize fairly quick and 8gal is a decent volume.

Husky 8 Gal. Portable Oil Free Electric Air Compressor-0300813A - The Home Depot

I have something about the same size and I added 2 of the portable 5 gal air tanks in line on the outlet line side to increase the volume and reduce initial pressure drop. Worked okay until the pump fired and then took forever to re-pressurize. I've since added a 60 gal compressor to my shop, kept the portable for ease of moving around, and a friend took the 2 portable tanks to use on his setup.

One of the problems with the really small compressors, 2 to 4 gal, is they are mostly designed for construction tool air use, very low volume consumption. Hold an air gun full open and they drop to nothing in about 8 seconds.

[Mudman]

Haven't really found a good system unless it was really expensive. The smaller pancake types of compressors are junk (for me), I picked one up years ago. used it twice- hated it so much I gave it to a friend. Took a long time to charge up, and would run out of air super fast.

For this reason- I started looking into C02 systems. Costs money- but works much better for my application.

[whitrzac]

I have one of these https://www.amazon.com/California-Ai...FX5WHT0PJD8A3D


I can't say anything bad about it.
It's fast
It's quiet
It's built surprisingly well
It's not overrated like the hobofreight POSs


Look up the videos to see just how quiet it really is. I have it sitting in my bedroom for airbushing most of the time

[Donny939]

I just checked out cow rc jet blaster and god dam! 90 bucks or 110 for the turbo!! looks cool and portable but I dunno that seems like a lot to me

[Col_Sanders]

Originally Posted by Donny939

I just checked out cow rc jet blaster and god dam! 90 bucks or 110 for the turbo!! looks cool and portable but I dunno that seems like a lot to me

They mention the company who manufactures it in the description. IIRC you can get it from them for ~$15-20 less but it has a different power switch.

[makya]

it takes a few cycles to get my R/C's cleaned off with it, but I use my Senco pc1010 1 gallon compressor. I've had it for about 10 or 12 years and the motor is finally getting worn (I also used it for finish carpentry daily for a number of years).

I recentlyvpicked up a 12 volt compressor from the air ride system on a lincoln town car. I'm laying out a setup to use it with a 2.5 gallon tank and make it portable for airing up tires and blowing off my r/c at trail runs.

one other thing to consider, is that if you can crimp down the nozzle on your blowgun, it will decrease the amount of airflow, but increase the pressure of the flow to a certain extent. If you decrease it too much though it will restrict both the airflow and the velocity.

[Donny939]

Pancake Air Compressor - 3 Gallon, 100 PSI
thoughts?

[whitrzac]

Junk... Worst than the other 3g pancakes out there.

This is about the cheapest hobo freight compressor I would get. Anything less and you might as well drive to the gas station and use their air hose.
8 gal. 2 HP 125 PSI Oil Lube Air Compressor

I'm I fan of these. They are incredibly quiet.
https://www.amazon.com/California-Ai...T0PJD8A3D&th=1

[ROWDY RACING]

Love my cow blaster.

[pigeonfarmboy]

It doesn't fit in the "cheap" category but I can't speak highly enough of this Rolair JC10 I picked up a year ago. Ultra-quiet and meets my needs using it for a Brad nailer, car tires, and air gun.
Rolair JC10 Super Quiet 1HP Oil Less 2.5 Gallon Air Compressor | The Tool Nut

[whitrzac]

Originally Posted by pigeonfarmboy

It doesn't fit in the "cheap" category but I can't speak highly enough of this Rolair JC10 I picked up a year ago. Ultra-quiet and meets my needs using it for a Brad nailer, car tires, and air gun.
Rolair JC10 Super Quiet 1HP Oil Less 2.5 Gallon Air Compressor | The Tool Nut

That uses a California Air compressor.

$200 is about as cheap as you want to go for a compressor, any less and you start to have issues.

[maslin]

I have one of these to drag around. Fills super fast, empties fast with a blow gun though. Small volume is what it is, lasts a lot longer if you dial the output down.

It is loud, like startling when it fires off. $109 at Lowes with a little accessory pouch that gets you everything you need. I have a big compressor in the shop, but almost always just carry the little one around to where I need it.

Fini Air Compressor

[BigBaller]

Just a couple bucks over the target price, but it works.

ARB Twin High Performance 12 Volt Portable Air Compressor (CKMTP12)

[RagerRc]

I use one of these for racing rc on dirt tracks

https://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-...ywords=datavac

One of my friends has the turbo version which is significantly more powerful

https://www.amazon.com/Data-Vac-ED-5...ywords=datavac

[TacoCrawler]

For my at home use, I have one of these in my garage...
Probably around 10 years old and still operates fine.



but I believe this model is whats currently available/sold at HF...



21 gal. 2.5 HP 125 PSI Cast Iron Vertical Air Compressor

A 220v compressor is way better...
But not everyone has that voltage fed to their garage.
Not worthy of the cost to do... if yer a renter.

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For my portable needs, I'll tote around my 15 lb CO2 bottle...
The high flow/adj. regulator is a must have for CO2 use.
The aluminum tank makes it lighter.





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For portable emergency back up/tire fill, I carry this OB as well...



https://www.amazon.com/Master-Flow-M.../dp/B000L9AD2U

^ but would require a separate tank for doing blow off.

[JatoTheRipper]

This is my portable air compressor. It's aluminum and light as hell, but still good enough to push my airbrush. They are $299 now, but I got mine on sale for $99!

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.s...000826928.html