What is a better option for a pre-gun filter

the disposable bulb shaped ones like this

http://www.harborfreight.com/disposable ... 68224.html

Or the reusable ones like these

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/ ... 68246.html


they both claim to capture dust and moister.

OR do I even need one of these? I own both and I once hooked up the clear oil/water separator to the end of my air hose and ran a few on/off compressor cycles of air through it and never saw 1 drop of water in it, so I might not need anything before the gun. I have a good filter setup before the air enters the hose and I doubt between the filter and gun new dust will be introduced.

I'd say just leave those contraptions off your gun. If you have clean dry air there is no reason to use them - and even if you did have an issue the real answer is to solve it upstream.

That second unit you linked, if it did collect any water you'd be in for a nasty surprise if you tilt the gun while spraying.

Yeah, I'd agree with Chris on those things.... if your system is laid out correctly your problems should be eliminated "upstream." I do consulting to set up compressor systems for guys that run wood shops and I see this over and over. They all want to immediately get the air out of their compressor tanks and start using it. If you research old threads on here and just do even simple internet searchs you will come up with diagrams showing that running enough pipe to cool the air back down can almost eliminate moisture/contamination problems.