Subject: Decide between stationary & portable Author: ans1956 : member since January, 2005 : 187 posts Posted on: 2008-01-22 16:54:27

I now have a portable oil-less HUSKY and it's OK but not great. My next compressor will probably be a 220v 60 gal stationary unit. Think of the compressor as having 2 main sections; the compressor itself and the storage/air tank. Just like a small hot water tank, you will quickly run out of supply if you have a small airtank and the portable tanks are usually no more than 25Gal while a fixed compressor is usually 60+ gal capacity. Unless you have a very large fenced property, you might be better served by a fixed 220v compressor in your garage and a 100 foot airhose to paint the fence, especially since a lot of the HVLP spray guns require airflows of ~10 cfm.
My preferences:
1. oiled over oil-less compressor since oiled are much quieter and are more durable.
2. upright vertical tank over horizontal - uses less floor space
3. stationary over portable for most 'garage' work.
4. more bang with a 220v over 110v motor
Some places you may want to look at include LOWES for their Kobalt brand (3 year warranty) around $350 for 110v 30gal portable and $399 for 220v 60 gal stationary and Northern Tools which carry their own brand at similar prices to Lowes as well as Ingersol-Rand which many people like (30 gal 110 v garage-mate portable is ~$550 and the 60 gal stationary is $579 if memory serves me correctly). You should be aware that there is a lot of spec "inflation" especially among consumer brands so that you must be very careful when comparing brand A to B. Lastly, please avoid Harbor Freight for anything that has moving parts. I had one compressor from them that looked like a 'deal' but after going thru 3 units in 4 months, I came to the conclusion that their manufacturing processes and quality control were pretty, ahem, sketchy. Hope that helps.

• Air compressor recommendations? - panalu 2008-01-16 11:47:10 (509 views)
  • I can, This puppy is sweet, I love mine (pic) - Blue740i 2008-02-15 08:10:39 (495 views)
    • Can you provide the specific model number? - panalu 2008-02-15 14:15:17 (415 views)
  • You should be able to find a very Decent Compressor for Home/Hobby use... - wabiker 2008-01-16 20:06:20 (416 views)
    • Decide between stationary & portable - ans1956 2008-01-22 16:54:27 (494 views)
      • I have an earlier model of this one- ditto what ans1956 said + (url) - bmw635 2008-02-16 03:36:57 (481 views)
      • Much appreciate the info, ans1956 - panalu 2008-01-22 19:44:38 (423 views)
    • Thanks for the insights (nt) - panalu 2008-01-22 12:30:48 (424 views)