Air compressor experiences
Question:
I have a specific need for a small air compressor and a small budget. The duty cycle will be light and require not more than about 80 psi as wel as being portable (I have a 120V AC source on my truck). I have looked around and Harbor Freight ahs one that seems to fit my needs. I generally have been satisfied with HB orders, bt have never purchased a compressor from them. The item in question id their "Central Pneumatic" pancake compressor for $99. Can anyone provide FIRST HAND experience with this compressor ? Any and all replies are appreciated.
Response:
I would not buy "Central" anything from HF. That is the cheapest of the cheap house brands made in taiwan. I have made that mistake before and so have some people I know. None of us has EVER been happy with a "Central" power tool. My "1/2 HP HGrinder" is so weak you could probably stop it with your nose safely. Central Forge, Central Hydraulic, Central Electric, etc. All that stuff seems to suck bad. At amazon.com you can get the Hitachi EC10SBS 1.5 HP pancake style compressor for $149 and free shipping. If it was me I would wait until I could afford the difference and go for that. Just my $0.02 AndyB
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a specific need for a small air compressor and a small budget. The duty cycle will be light and require not more than about 80 psi as wel as being portable (I have a 120V AC source on my truck). I have looked around and Harbor Freight ahs one that seems to fit my needs. I generally have been satisfied with HB orders, bt have never purchased a compressor from them. The item in question id their "Central Pneumatic" pancake compressor for $99. Can anyone provide FIRST HAND experience with this compressor ? Any and all replies are appreciated.
Response:
Taiwan’s actually where the nice stuff comes from. Most of HF’s junk is Chinese. I have a cheap Chinese drill press (not HF) that had about 1/8" of slop in the quill. And for the original poster: I would stay away from anything complicated from HF. Air compressors are one thing you don’t want to be a throwaway buy. Get something from a big name that’s oil lubricated. It’ll last as long as you need it to. GTO(John) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I would not buy "Central" anything from HF. That is the cheapest of the cheap house brands made in taiwan. I have made that mistake before and so have some people I know. None of us has EVER been happy with a "Central" power tool. My "1/2 HP HGrinder" is so weak you could probably stop it with your nose safely. Central Forge, Central Hydraulic, Central Electric, etc. All that stuff seems to suck bad. At amazon.com you can get the Hitachi EC10SBS 1.5 HP pancake style compressor for $149 and free shipping. If it was me I would wait until I could afford the difference and go for that. Just my $0.02 AndyB
Response:
Hi, I agree with the others about HF. but for the same money you can get a similar commpressor at walmart( will power a brad gun) $99.a name brand with a USA Warenty.
Response:
You might want to take note of the fact that they have a few "chinese" people on Taiwan. It is, after all, called the Republic of China. So I guess the tools there are "made in China". OTOH, they "generally" make better consumer tools on the island than they do on the mainland.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Taiwan’s actually where the nice stuff comes from. Most of HF’s junk is Chinese. I have a cheap Chinese drill press (not HF) that had about 1/8" of slop in the quill. And for the original poster: I would stay away from anything complicated from HF. Air compressors are one thing you don’t want to be a throwaway buy. Get something from a big name that’s oil lubricated. It’ll last as long as you need it to. GTO(John) I would not buy "Central" anything from HF. That is the cheapest of the cheap house brands made in taiwan. I have made that mistake before and so have some people I know. None of us has EVER been happy with a "Central" power tool. My "1/2 HP HGrinder" is so weak you could probably stop it with your nose safely. Central Forge, Central Hydraulic, Central Electric, etc. All that stuff seems to suck bad. At amazon.com you can get the Hitachi EC10SBS 1.5 HP pancake style compressor for $149 and free shipping. If it was me I would wait until I could afford the difference and go for that. Just my $0.02 AndyB
Response:
I got a small Cambell-Hausfield on sale for $79 at K-mart. Good for a brad nailer or filling a tire but not an air mattress Mark
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a specific need for a small air compressor and a small budget. The duty cycle will be light and require not more than about 80 psi as wel as being portable (I have a 120V AC source on my truck). I have looked around and Harbor Freight ahs one that seems to fit my needs. I generally have been satisfied with HB orders, bt have never purchased a compressor from them. The item in question id their "Central Pneumatic" pancake compressor for $99. Can anyone provide FIRST HAND experience with this compressor ? Any and all replies are appreciated.
Response:
. Air compressors are one thing you don’t want to be a throwaway buy. Get something from a big name that’s oil lubricated. It’ll last as long as you need it to.
The guy is looking for an air compressor: 1 small air compressor and a small budget. 2 duty cycle will be light 3 not more than about 80 psi 4 as being portable An expensive big name oil lubricated is OVERKILL. Be serious. That’s like the soccer moms who drive 4 wheel drive safari-mobiles to the supermarket — unless, of course it’s raining. Bob Methelis Bob-in-NJ on IRC "He would be wood, if he could, but he can’t" Visit my web site: http://www.jungle.net/bob
Response:
Geez, I wasn’t telling this fellow to buy an Ingersoll-Rand Type 30, just something slightly above bottom-of-the-barrel. Air compressors are unique tools that require a certain amount of design/build quality. I’d rather pay ~$200 for a compressor that’ll last a few years than a $99 model that’ll conk out after six months. Also, having high-current 120V in your truck usually denotes a professional nature. Most small air compressors are light, portable, pump to 110-125 PSI, and are for low use. The big difference is how long it’ll last within those parameters. I’ve heard horror stories about low-price HF-style compressors. GTO(John) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -The guy is looking for an air compressor: 1 small air compressor and a small budget. 2 duty cycle will be light 3 not more than about 80 psi 4 as being portable An expensive big name oil lubricated is OVERKILL. Be serious. That’s like the soccer moms who drive 4 wheel drive safari-mobiles to the supermarket — unless, of course it’s raining. Bob Methelis Bob-in-NJ on IRC "He would be wood, if he could, but he can’t" Visit my web site: http://www.jungle.net/bob
Response:
The item in question id their "Central Pneumatic" pancake compressor for $99. : : Can anyone provide FIRST HAND experience with this compressor ? : : Any and all replies are appreciated. I can’t speak for that particular compressor, but… I will speak up for the Central Pneumatics air tools. I have several CP air tools (a couple of ratchet drivers, a cut-off, a brad nailer and a crown stapler) and am quite pleased. Each of the air wrenches I have is a replacement for a C-H brand tool that was returned as being unsuitable to task (*any* task). Based on my experience with the CP tools, I wouldn’t hesitate to have that compressor on my short list (if I was in the market). I bought a Porter Cable CPL6025 compressor several months ago and am thankful I bought as potent a unit as I did. Mine’s on the big(ger) side, but still transportable — and I use it a lot more than I initially thought I would. If you’re only going to have one compressor, it’s truly worth some consideration to get a much larger unit and maybe a "buddy tank" to fill the portablility needs. You might well be surprised at the ways you’ll find to use a compressor. A "pancake" strikes me as good *second* compressor to have; not a first or only. Either way you choose to go, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. — Steve www.ApacheTrail.com Mesa, AZ
Response:
Taiwan’s actually where the nice stuff comes from. Most of HF’s junk is Chinese.
Isn’t it ironic how things change? When I was growing up, the cheap stuff came from Japan. Now they product top notch stuff. Then is was Tiawan, but they’re improving. Now the cheap stuff comes from China. Where next? Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services ** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY ** http://www.usenet.com
Response:
"Peter Teubel" writes: Isn’t it ironic how things change? When I was growing up, the cheap stuff came from Japan. Now they product top notch stuff. Then is was Tiawan, but they’re improving. Now the cheap stuff comes from China. Where next?
Try Stainless steel from India. — Lew S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland) Visit: <http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett for Pictures
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The item in question id their "Central Pneumatic" pancake compressor for $99. : : Can anyone provide FIRST HAND experience with this compressor ? : : Any and all replies are appreciated. I can’t speak for that particular compressor, but… I will speak up for the Central Pneumatics air tools. I have several CP air tools (a couple of ratchet drivers, a cut-off, a brad nailer and a crown stapler) and am quite pleased. Each of the air wrenches I have is a replacement for a C-H brand tool that was returned as being unsuitable to task (*any* task). Based on my experience with the CP tools, I wouldn’t hesitate to have that compressor on my short list (if I was in the market). I bought a Porter Cable CPL6025 compressor several months ago and am thankful I bought as potent a unit as I did. Mine’s on the big(ger) side, but still transportable — and I use it a lot more than I initially thought I would. If you’re only going to have one compressor, it’s truly worth some consideration to get a much larger unit and maybe a "buddy tank" to fill the portablility needs. You might well be surprised at the ways you’ll find to use a compressor. A "pancake" strikes me as good *second* compressor to have; not a first or only. Either way you choose to go, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
Congratulations to Steve!!!! Of all the replies, yours actually provides some information pertinent to the original post : FIRST HAND experience. It did not provide for the compressor, but to the CP FIRST HAND experience. Your suggestion that this be a second compressor is exactly what I am doing. You may gloat with self satisfaction. A close second goes to the gentleman who attempted to get posters back on topc – by analyzing my needs precisely. The rest of the posters need to read the original post, answer the question – Do I have FIRST HAND experience with such a product? If the answer is yees, then reply, if NO go the the next post. I don’t mean to demean anyone, it’s just that I spend so much time reading replies to posts that don’t specifically apply to the original post, and lead to discussion of things not germaine to the topic. If anyone disagrees with this statement, I’m sorry, but life is too short to end up with Indian stainless steel when the original topic was a HF air compressor.
Response:
Lighten up Jim, after all it’s the internet. You have to accept the bad with the good and weed out what you need to use. Just MHO. — Emmanuel Inland Empire Community web, newsgroups and ftp http://4.40.44.70
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The item in question id their "Central Pneumatic" pancake compressor for $99. : : Can anyone provide FIRST HAND experience with this compressor ? : : Any and all replies are appreciated. I can’t speak for that particular compressor, but… I will speak up for the Central Pneumatics air tools. I have several CP air tools (a couple of ratchet drivers, a cut-off, a brad nailer and a crown stapler) and am quite pleased. Each of the air wrenches I have is a replacement for a C-H brand tool that was returned as being unsuitable to task (*any* task). Based on my experience with the CP tools, I wouldn’t hesitate to have that compressor on my short list (if I was in the market). I bought a Porter Cable CPL6025 compressor several months ago and am thankful I bought as potent a unit as I did. Mine’s on the big(ger) side, but still transportable — and I use it a lot more than I initially thought I would. If you’re only going to have one compressor, it’s truly worth some consideration to get a much larger unit and maybe a "buddy tank" to fill the portablility needs. You might well be surprised at the ways you’ll find to use a compressor. A "pancake" strikes me as good *second* compressor to have; not a first or only. Either way you choose to go, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Congratulations to Steve!!!! Of all the replies, yours actually provides some information pertinent to the original post : FIRST HAND experience. It did not provide for the compressor, but to the CP FIRST HAND experience. Your suggestion that this be a second compressor is exactly what I am doing. You may gloat with self satisfaction. A close second goes to the gentleman who attempted to get posters back on topc – by analyzing my needs precisely. The rest of the posters need to read the original post, answer the question – Do I have FIRST HAND experience with such a product? If the answer is yees, then reply, if NO go the the next post. I don’t mean to demean anyone, it’s just that I spend so much time reading replies to posts that don’t specifically apply to the original post, and lead to discussion of things not germaine to the topic. If anyone disagrees with this statement, I’m sorry, but life is too short to end up with Indian stainless steel when the original topic was a HF air compressor.
Response:
Steve doesn’t have any firsthand experience when it comes to your question. If you were looking for people who owned Central Pneumatic tools, I have several. They’re cheap, but they do the job I need. I’d recommend them for home use. But, you asked about air compressors. Last time I checked, Central Pneumatic compressors were not made by the same company as the tools. Everything Harbor Freight sells is made by whoever they can buy it from. The quality varies widely from tool to tool. The Chinese consumer compressors I’ve seen were not something I’d put much faith in. GTO(John) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Congratulations to Steve!!!! Of all the replies, yours actually provides some information pertinent to the original post : FIRST HAND experience. It did not provide for the compressor, but to the CP FIRST HAND experience. Your suggestion that this be a second compressor is exactly what I am doing. You may gloat with self satisfaction. A close second goes to the gentleman who attempted to get posters back on topc – by analyzing my needs precisely. The rest of the posters need to read the original post, answer the question – Do I have FIRST HAND experience with such a product? If the answer is yees, then reply, if NO go the the next post. I don’t mean to demean anyone, it’s just that I spend so much time reading replies to posts that don’t specifically apply to the original post, and lead to discussion of things not germaine to the topic. If anyone disagrees with this statement, I’m sorry, but life is too short to end up with Indian stainless steel when the original topic was a HF air compressor.
Response:
I don’t mean to demean anyone,
Sure you do. it’s just that I spend so much time reading replies to posts that don’t specifically apply to the original post, and lead to discussion of things not germaine to the topic. If anyone disagrees with this statement, I’m sorry, but life is too short to end up with Indian stainless steel when the original topic was a HF air compressor.
If life is so short, why did you take the time out of it to tell everyone that you were bothered by their trivial off topic (to you) postings? Why? So you can demean them and show your superiority. Ed
Response:
I agree with Ed. If conservation of precious time was a concern then the long winded "reprimand" would never have happened. It’s ok to complain about something, but take responsibility and admit that is what you are doing. Besides, many of the posts that weren’t EXACTLY what you asked were still atempts to be helpfull. A little grattitude for the effort wouldn’t have been a "waste of time" either. AndyB
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I don’t mean to demean anyone, Sure you do. it’s just that I spend so much time reading replies to posts that don’t specifically apply to the original post, and lead to discussion of things not germaine to the topic. If anyone disagrees with this statement, I’m sorry, but life is too short to end up with Indian stainless steel when the original topic was a HF air compressor. If life is so short, why did you take the time out of it to tell everyone that you were bothered by their trivial off topic (to you) postings? Why? So you can demean them and show your superiority. Ed
Response:
wrote something ……and in reply I say!: I don’t mean to demean anyone, it’s just that I spend so much time reading replies to posts that don’t specifically apply to the original post, and lead to discussion of things not germaine to the topic. If anyone disagrees with this statement, I’m sorry, but life is too short to end up with Indian stainless steel when the original topic was a HF air compressor.
And maybe life’s too short to help people, even if not directly, when you are "not allowed" to have a discussion about a subject, because the person _seeking help_ finds it time-wasting. You want the right info first time, buy a book and pay for it. Nick White — HEAD:Hertz Music ….damn spam !! <") _/ ) ( ) _//- __/ man continues to experiment because he will not feel
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