Air Comprssors

[Big]

I am needing to get a new air compressor as my little pancake is only producing about 40lbs at best and is extremely noisy. My dilemma is that I am a novice when it comes to tools and the quality of tools. So, is something like a Kobalt from Lowes going to be on par or as good as say the approximate equivalent from Sears in the Craftsman line? I will also be shopping for a good Shop Vac and am looking at the one at Lowes that is a 16 gallon 6.5 peak model but is pricey at $179. Recommendations and comments very welcome as I defer to your expertise.

 

[snyiper]

Kobalt tools seem to have a pretty good warranty and we don't see many come back due to defect. Craftsman is similar the only thing being the manufacture that gets the bid in both choices. As far as the wet vac you may get what you want cheaper if it is for dust collection as Lowes sells just the Head to put on a drum that may be a cheaper route if you do not need it to be portable.

 

[knowltoh]

Makita MAC700 is $199 on Amazon. I am very pleased with it and it is much quieter than the pancake compressors.

 

[JD Combs Sr]

Caught this one on sale at Tractor Supply about 3-4yrs ago. Replaced one those head banger ones with it. No problems to date. YMMV Be sure to compare warranties when shopping. Also what you plan on using it for can change what your looking for as well.

 

[DonWood]

Shop Vac

Well, I would recommend Shop Vac. I can't say enough good things about them. I bought the large Shop Vac from Lowes I know over two years ago. It is in constant use as I use it as my dust collector. Well, the motor went out. So, I called Shop Vac directly and explained how long I thought I had used the vac and the fact that I did not have the original receipt and that I figured I would be dead in the water. And they said "Oh no, you're just fine" and they sent me a new motor free of charge.

Excellent service!!!!!

 

[Big]

Thank you all so very much for the information and advice, it will truly help me in my quests for what I need.

 

[elkhorn]

When my Home Depot pancake compressor went out (couldn't repair it) someone on IAP recommended the California Air Tools Ultra Quiet. I got mine on Amazon (here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/California-Air-Tools-CAT-6310-6-3-Gallon/dp/B00889ZYPQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419959906&sr=8-1&keywords=california+ultra+quiet+air+compressor

At the time they had the best price and I got free delivery. The compressor has been incredible. Extremely quiet and enough capacity for my son to spray the front of his car. Check out the video on how quiet it is.

Good luck!

 

[jttheclockman]

I am needing to get a new air compressor as my little pancake is only producing about 40lbs at best and is extremely noisy. My dilemma is that I am a novice when it comes to tools and the quality of tools. So, is something like a Kobalt from Lowes going to be on par or as good as say the approximate equivalent from Sears in the Craftsman line? I will also be shopping for a good Shop Vac and am looking at the one at Lowes that is a 16 gallon 6.5 peak model but is pricey at $179. Recommendations and comments very welcome as I defer to your expertise.

Oilless air compressors are always the noisiest. You have to ask yourself what you are going to be using it for. If you are going to use it for spraying paints and finishes than one with a larger reserve tank is a must. If you are looking to just step up in pressure you can find small compressors that will fit the need.

Shopvac as they are called are noisy because of the universal motors used. Home Depot always runs a Christmas sale for $40 Ridgid. Great vac. Have 2 and they are workhorses. Also have a sears and it too has held up well for 15 years now. Just remember you get what you pay for it and it will never replace a true dust collector system. You could always go to those converter dust turbine systems that you can stick on top of a bucket too.

 

[Charlie_W]

As for air compressors, buy to fit your usage, air tools require more cfm. If you are just blowing off the bench or pumping up a tire, most will work but you may want one with a bigger tank to give you more air longer before the pressure drops too much. Check out "California Air Compressor"...they are super quiet!

Shop vacuums....suction, filtration and noise. You want very good suction, super filtration..hepa filter. You don't want stuff going through the filter and into your lungs. Quieter is always better.

Good luck! Sometimes, the better levels cost more....you get what you pay for....just like pens!

 

[Fish30114]

I'll echo what has been said re: compressors, the California Air Tools one mentioned has a drier in line which is nice, and as stated it is pretty quiet, + it's a nice size.

I recently bought the Rigid shop vac from Home Depot, they have a lifetime warranty and are of good quality--not great but good. My 16 gal capacity one ran $159 and it comes with a HEPA filter included. If you are looking for seriously quiet you probably have to go to something like a Fein or Festool brand. They are a pretty good jump in price though-but they are way better than the HD vacs or the Lowe's vacs. If I was gonna buy another shop vac it would probably be a Fein. None of the models from HD or Lowes is quiet enough that they aren't obnoxious if you want to run them full time for dedicated DC while you are turning...

Good luck with your purchases!

 

[GaryMGg]

As for vacs--I burned up two of the Lowe's Shop Vac branded 12 gallon units in a week and returned them for refunds.
I purchased a Ridgid 12 gallon unit instead and it's been trouble free except for the rocker switch -- 3 years later.
One call to Ridgid and they're sending a warranty replacement part.
Lifetime Waranty. $79.

Food for thought.

 

[robutacion]

I am needing to get a new air compressor as my little pancake is only producing about 40lbs at best and is extremely noisy. My dilemma is that I am a novice when it comes to tools and the quality of tools. So, is something like a Kobalt from Lowes going to be on par or as good as say the approximate equivalent from Sears in the Craftsman line? I will also be shopping for a good Shop Vac and am looking at the one at Lowes that is a 16 gallon 6.5 peak model but is pricey at $179. Recommendations and comments very welcome as I defer to your expertise.

Well mate, I know that any air compressor that is rated/tagged as "silent", is more expensive, I use the compressor every day and all of the time, particularly with the air blower and I needed to be able to do some work late at night and my biggest problem was the noise of the compressor so, I decide to invest on one of these .

This is the first time I use an air compressor with these type motors/technology, the max pressure is 120PSI and they are quite, my is nor 3 years old and is going good...!

Cheers
George

 

[shastastan]

I have a porter cable 6hp, 26 gal. Got it at amazon. Have had it for over 10 years with nary a problemo. It's one you add oil to, but I have hardly ever had to. I always put a few drops of tool oil into the input on the tool. I like having the compressor on wheels so I can use it around the yard and house rather than just leaving it in the shop.

Just went to Amazon and didn't see my model there anymore plus similar ones are too expensive. I used to have a little double tank Emglo. Gave it to a contractor friend years ago and he told me it's still working great. Here's a url for one:

Amazon.com: Emglo E810-4V 4-Gallon Heavy-Duty Oil-Lube Stacked Tank Air Compressor: Home Improvement

 

[log2lumber]

the quietest is a rolair at around $200. can barely hear it

 

[stonepecker]

Harbor Freight has them on sale right now.

I have never hear any 'quiet' compressor in my life.
Alway wear hearing protection.
I didn't .......now I am 70% deaf.

 

[smik]

Here's another for the MAC700.

 

[Timbo]

I purchased my shop vacuum about 6-7 years ago so I'm not sure what the common features are on todays offerings. I wanted to be able to plug my portable power tools into the shop vac, and have it automatically start when I turned on the tool, then turn off when I turned the tool off. Its a great feature I use all the time with my routers and sanders. At the time Fein was one of the few brands that was relatively quiet and offered this feature, so that's what I bought. Just something to consider.

 

[Wingdoctor]

My old Craftsman gave up recently, it was loud too! I replaced it with the pancake from Porter Cable from Home Depot. It is pretty quiet and pumps to over 100 psi. For my uses it is big enough and I like it a lot.

I use a Fein vacuum and it is pretty quiet compared to some. A bit pricey but the quality is there. Woodcraft is one supplier of Fein.