Hot Rods compressor

ingersoll rand or kobalt which is best . i need a 80 gal tank that will put out about 15 cfm at 90 psi. the kobalt is 900 and the ingersoll is 1100 . i can pick up both local

 

Kobalt is a name brand and at one time they were manufactured by Campbell Hausfeld at one time but I believe the are made by Coleman Powermate now.

If I had to make the choice I would go with the Ingersoll Rand compressor/ HRP

 

I have a Kobalt and it has been sufficient for my use with sand blasting,air grinders, paint. I mostly bought it because it has the conventional motor, separate compressor setup connected by a v belt. The others I looked at had the motor/compressor as one unit that ran high rpms and was so noisy it would deafen you when it was running. I swore off that style when my last one bought the farm.
If you read the spec sheet it tells you what cfm it will put out at what psi.

 

is the kobalt very noisy ?

 

last time I looked, Tractor Supply had a great deal on an 80 gal IR.

 

I bought a Husky 60 gal at home depot, for 700.00. It was made by ingersol rand, but less expensive and it runs 15.2 cfm @ 90 psi. Like 56 don said, it has motor separate from compressor and runs less rpm's and quieter than motor in unit ones do.

 

If you read the reviews on the 5hp Kobalt compressor, they're generally horrible. Some people give things bad reviews due to a loose bolt or a scratch received during shipping or some other minor thing, but in the case of this compressor the bad reviews are for compressor lock up, burned out motors, etc. I've seen that compressor on sale at Lowe's in the past for as little as $500. On sale, or otherwise, there's no one out there selling a decent 5 hp compressor for 500 bucks. Even Harbor Freight isn't close to that price.

I-R had problems for several years on consumer grade compressors with motors burning out a few months out of warranty. They may have addressed that with better motors now, but when I looked at one recently at Tractor Supply, the motor had an appearance that was strongly Chinese.

Lowe's also sells a 5hp Quincy compressor for $1575. You can buy that compressor from Air Compressors Direct for $1350 with free shipping and no sales tax. Of the 3, that would be my choice for sure. http://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/Quincy-2V41C60VC-Air-Compressor/p855.html

Quincy lists the life expectancy of the pump on that unit at 30,000 hours. The Chinese and Indian pumps used on most of the consumer grade compressors do well to run 1/10 of that amount of time before they're worn out.

The Quincy has a 60 gal tank, but the only time when tank size makes any difference is from the time you start drawing air to the time when the compressor first kicks on. For something like a HVLP spray gun using 10 cfm, about 15 seconds difference in time to first start on a 60 gal versus 80 gal tank. After that, tank size makes no difference in the amount of air the unit can deliver under heavy use.

 

Get a two stage, they cost more but will give better service.

 

Yes, but not nearly as bad as the Craftsman one piece motor/compressor unit I had previously.

 

I have a Quincy 5 hp, 2 stage. I'll never have to buy another, it will outlast me. My last Cambell Hausfeld compressor locked up from hard use. To be fair, I got it used and don't know how many hours it already had. After letting it cool down, it worked again, but I had enough. I gave it to my dad to use in the barn to blow up tires and blow off farm equipment. It always was the noisiest compressor I ever owned. Deafening in the garage.

 

I'd probably go with the I-R, of the two choices. My 20+ yr old Sanborn 5/60 is still holding up. When it pukes I'll go two stage, probably Quincy like linked above. What ever you do, stay away from anything 'oil-less'. Unless you like the sound of jackhammers in a big ole drum, and are already deaf.

 

Good thread, from listening to the noisy sob of a compressor my buddy has in his garage right next to where you are working a well insulated room or outside room for the compressor would make life in the garage a lot more comfortable.
You still have to have easy access to drain it every day and change the oil and do other service when needed though. I worked in a dealership in Texas for three years where they shut the compressor off and blew the tank at 5 every night at quitting time and never had an issue with an air tool when I worked there. I couldn't convince the dairy farmer I worked for 15 years ago to have his milkers shut the compressors off at cleanup time at the end of the shift and drain the tanks and we constantly had trouble with air cylinders and other air operated equipment. He would buy 200.00 worth of air cylinders a week and fuss about the money but wouldn't take a few minutes a shift or day to drain the tanks.

 

any one heard of a belaire compressor? i would have to drive about 80 miles to the quincy dealer. do not mind spending the money . just need something to last the next 10 yrs of hard use.

 

I had a IR single stage that I bought in about 1989, served me well, my brother has it now. I upgraded to a 2 stage Quincy. After reading all of the different reviews, they seemed to have the best reputation. Quincy's can be ordered through your local Lowes. .

 

Just buy one of these and then they can bury you with it for what it cost. lol

 

Belaire compressors are ***embled in Rock Hill SC just south of Charlotte. They used pumps made by an Italian company that makes more pumps than anyone else in the world at one time. Don't know if they still use those pumps or if they may have gone to Chinese or Indian pumps for the lower cost.

The Italian pumps are good but if the price of the Quincy is in the same ballpark then it'd be worth the drive to get the Quincy.

If you go to Belaire's web page at http://www.belairecompressors.com/contact.html there's a phone number where you could ask them where they source their pumps and motors.

 

I have a Bellaire 2 stage and have had super luck with it. Kobalt is a Lowes brand, I don't know who makes it, but I would suspect it is Chinese made. I would steer clear of that one for sure.

 

Drain the tank??? school me drain the tank

 

Take a piss
Let the water and moisture drain out.

 

Are you kidding?
Drain the condensation out of the tank. Pet**** is the most common, at bottom of tank.
Compressor compresses air, heating it. As the air cools condensation forms in tank- don't drain it & you buy new air tools as the moisture rusts/eats out the air motors and the tank itself. Rust water from inside the tank blowing through tools is alot like sand blasting the air motors- & it puts rust water inside whatever you put the air into- ie your high dollar mag wheels.

 

just donated my "came with my 35 yr old shop" Speed Air with a big 100 gal tank - to a buddy in need....new shop has an old IR...thinking it's about 25 yrs old....both were most likely not run hard....I used the SA mainly for tires/tire machine and blowing stuff off.....

 

Have you tried Garage Journal?

 

ingersoll rand, get the biggest you can, like truck a compressor can never be to big

 

Speaking of compressors, I need better performance out of mine. The air tools are pretty weak.
I have a Ingersoll Rand model SS5L5 That says it should be putting out 18 CFM @ 90 PSI.
It has a 60 gal. tank that is piggy backed to another 60 gal tank from an old compressor. I have good pressure, so I think that my problem is flow. There doesn't seem to be any blockages or restrictions. But I do have a relatively long air line to go from the compressor on the side yard to the garage.
I'm thinking the because of the distance, I should be running a larger diameter line to the garage. What do you guys think? Anything else I'm missing?

Don't mean to hi-jack the thread.
The IR compressor has always run great if that means anything to the OP.

 

What size line do you have now? Pipe or hose?

 

It's hose and I need it to stay that way, as I need to roll it up when not in use. I need this hose to travel a good 50-60 feet. The line now is 3/8". Now that I put all those numbers together, that line does seem small. What would be a good size hose for my application?

 

You'll notice an increase with 1/2" hose because that 3/8" hose is a restriction. but I'd go 3/4" to the garage then neck it down.
Are you running 1/4" fittings on the 3/8" hose? Changing to 3/8" fittings makes a huge difference too.

 

Thanks. I believe I am running 1/4" fittings. I'll have to replace that line and fittings, and get to work!

 

3/8 fitting in your impact and you'll break bolts , in your air saw and it won't stall, on your DA and it won't quit.

 

IF you can install them. Not all tools will take 'em. :-(