Garage remodel! Help me choose a compressor!

Any questions about tools or supplies. Post your compressor/gun questions here.



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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 10:11 am
Finally have a real life garage with the new house. It was in shambles but I have the inside gutted and ready to rebuild. Im getting a little anxious and shopping around for compressors. Ive narrow it down to 2 similar compressors and need help choosing which one will work better for a home body work garage.

so here we have a 5hp single stage 60gal putting out 18.1cfm@90psi $899
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produ ... _vc=-10005

and here we have 5hp two stage 80gal putting out 15.8cfm@90psi $1099
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produ ... _vc=-10005

so my from my understanding the CFM is the most important spec.. even though the bottom one is bigger and badder the top one puts out more CFM
will both of these work? one better than the other?

I will be running air tools (Da, airfiles, grinders, etc) as well as spray guns. with all the other home improvement projects I have goin id like to keep the price around $1000 for this.



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:47 pm
I have a hard time believing the claimed CFM rating of that single stage.
And of the second one those are good claims but claims are just claims Air compressors are the most over rated tools on the market.

https://www.amazon.com/Industrial-Air-I ... B00GRNUC9S

https://www.amazon.com/Compressor-Verti ... B0055OM9JQ

https://www.amazon.com/DXCMV5048055-Two ... B00EDE884E

https://www.amazon.com/Industrial-Air-I ... B00GRNUC9S

If you read all the claims from all and look at the Products you see the same Pumps pictured on different brands that's because there are only so many Pump manufactures on the market, They use different size Pulleys to turn the pumps at different speeds to get the ratings.

If you plan on doing this stuff to make money on the side or only buy one compressor that's gonna last look at manufactured name brand units and the warranty's.
The minimum I would look at for a home garage is something that Puts out at least 17 CFM FREE AIR and at 90psi the CFM is gonna drop at 100 psi and above next look at the warranty and How long they been building and selling compressors all good things to look at.

https://eatoncompressor.com/product/5hp ... ifications

My first choice for home hobby Paint and body shop units:
https://eatoncompressor.com/product/7-5 ... ifications

Or Better yet build your own the following is a Great pump.
43 CFM at 100 psi for $600 bucks pick up a 7.5 hp motor for $600 and some used 60 gal tank for cheap used put it together and be happy!
https://eatoncompressor.com/product/10h ... ifications

I have a huge Pump driven by a rather small motor turning it slow and a small air tank temporary, But I can upgrade the motor and pulley size at any time and get more out of it a lot more but in the end Turning a Pump slow is Key to long life!

You in no means need pumps as large as these BUT I do! I have struggled with too small of compressors for years even buying two small 60 gal 5 hp hooked together to try to get more air. In the end a Bigger pump was the only real solution to my needs.
This is the one I just bought used.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/INGERSOLL-RAND ... 2387576120
I am driving it with a Tiny 5 hp motor and it no likey that Big A-- pump lol it kinda struggles but it gets the job done.


https://eatoncompressor.com/product/25h ... ifications
Last edited by Doright on Fri Apr 05, 2019 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 7:14 pm
I've got the 5hp IR with the 80 gallon tank. I've had it 5 years now and it'll power anything I throw at it. I bought it for my blast cabinet, spray painting and body work. Works great with no power let down. I'd buy it again if I needed a new compressor. As a matter of fact it's probaby a little over kill but it's worth the price.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2019 9:07 am
Mine is a 240v 2 stage compressor with an 80 gallon tank and 6hp motor. Look at the specs below:
Air Compressor 3.JPG


Notice that the pump rating is much higher than the actual air delivery. The pump is rated at no load, the air delivery is what you need to be concerned with since it will always be under a load.

I have had it over 5 years now and it will handle a one man shop. Runs constantly trying to keep up with my blast cabinet but does a great job with the DA and spray guns.

Started out with a smaller compressor and hated it. Always waiting on it to catch up, DA wouldn't run more than a minute before losing power, spray guns wouldn't atomize the paint correctly, etc.

A compressor is a big investment and you should get the biggest and best you can afford however anything less than 5 hp and 15 cfm output at 100 psi will be a big disappointment and waste of money IMHO.
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2019 9:44 am
I don't think I've ever read or heard anyone say..... "Darn, I've got way too much air for my air tools." Most new guys come on here to tell us all about their great new project starting with their.....wait for it..... 3 horsepower 30 gallon.......that then leads to this...... :cry:
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 08, 2019 7:06 pm
Look at the Harbor Freight 60 gallon. Smaller tank but for $799 for a 5 hp 2 stage with a rating of 15.8 CFM at 90. Pump is made in Italy and other parts are made in the US. Make sure you get the one with the pump from Italy. They sell another 60 gallon that is not.



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PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2019 6:37 am
DarrelK wrote:I don't think I've ever read or heard anyone say..... "Darn, I've got way too much air for my air tools." :


exactly what i was thinkin!
this seems to be something i hear and read with
insulating a shop
building a shop
lighting a shop
buying spray guns
buying product to spray.


all of them i havent ever read or heard,
i shouldnt have insulated so much
shops too big
too much light
spray guns too good
too high quality of product so now i wont be able to do it again.

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:45 am
tomsteve wrote:
DarrelK wrote:I don't think I've ever read or heard anyone say..... "Darn, I've got way too much air for my air tools." :


exactly what i was thinkin!
this seems to be something i hear and read with
insulating a shop
building a shop
lighting a shop
buying spray guns
buying product to spray.


all of them i havent ever read or heard,
i shouldnt have insulated so much
shops too big
too much light
spray guns too good
too high quality of product so now i wont be able to do it again.


:goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: Ain't that the truth!
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 7:17 am
@doright - dang man.. that's a nice rig you have there! Im no where near needing that much compressor haha. Its crazy the price jump between 5 and 7hp though. I feel like im buying a new car.. looking at 100s of compressors trying to find one that fits me.

@Inxs2 - you have the one I linked? I went to the store yesterday to get some chicken feed and took a peek at the compressors in person. the 80gal one I posted the link to is currently $999 in the store instead of $1,099.. lookin real tempting now.

@coronet - OHHHHHHH.... I see I see.. those tricky a-holes... yea I don't have a blaster or anything at the moment. so mine will mostly be sanders, sprayers, cut offs etc... from what ive read I think the minimum of 5hp 15cfm like you said will do just fine for me.

@DarrelK - hahah hey I was that guy! kinda… I started my learning process on a small compressor but DID NOT try to justify it.. I quickly found out my compressor was not going to get the job done.. so I did everything manually (which was still a good learning experience) and then bought a turbine to spray paint. Didn't want to spend the money and time to upgrade the wiring for a big compressor because I knew I was moving within the year. The new house has the wiring and box installed already so im all for upgrading and seeing what its like with an actual practical compressor haha but with all the other money im throwing at the house..I cant justify spending 2k+ on a compressor if a compressor priced at 1k will work just fine for me.

@Hades02 - I used to live 1 mile from a HF …id go check it out if I was still living there... now the closest one to me is 3hrs away... im trying to go with TSC because its right around the corner and I can pick it up myself.

@Tomsteve - hahah hey, I am gonna go crazy with the lights too! tired of turning on a light in the garage and not being able to see anything! "are the lights even on?"
And I have the insulation all ready to go once I finish cleaning up the mess from the demo. I will probably be back for help with a decent gun though... I used a turbine on the last car so im going to have to do some serious research on these fancy shmancy compressor guns.

thanks for all the info! always learning!



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 12, 2019 12:27 pm
Yes, I have the 80 gallon 5 HP listed. It's at my Minnesota house and I paid $999 or a little less many years ago, no regrets. As a matter of fact, I'm looking at getting the same one for my California house. It has all the air and cfm I need. I have a modified Harbor Freight Media blast cabinet and haven't run out of air at all. It will cycle on and off but it doesn't run all the time (I blast between 60 to 90 psi depending on the media I use).
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