air compressor

[ramac1972]

hey guys im the market for an air compr.wanting to know what i should look out for.not much money maybe about 200.-300 bucks i wanna spend.found one but not really sure its a 25 galloni need it for ari ratchets stuff like that mostley sanding somebody told me about c.f.m its a 7.4 cfm is this good for sanding? sorry about the long question

[indyracer]

I really hate to rain on someones parade, but if you are talking about running a DA sander that thing will never keep up. I had a Craftsman 40gal 6HP (yeah right) compressor and it wouldn't come close to keeping up with a DA. I would get about 20 seconds of sanding then have to wait about 5 minutes for the compressor to pump up. It was an oil-less unit and would never shut off so that created lots of heat and lots of water in the lines. My new compressor does 17 cfm and if I hold my DA wide open while the unit is running it actually pumps up. You really need to get as much cfm as you can afford to get. The one you are looking at should be okay for running air guns and airing up tires. Anything that is on for a few seconds and off for awhile should work fine. If you are using something that is on for a long time, like DA sanders, air drill, die grinder, cut off tool, sand blaster, it will never keep up.

I know you probably didn't want to hear it, but spend a little more now and save yourself the regrets later. Also, shop by CFM and not tank size. Stay away from oil-less and keep electrical in mind. Speaking of electrical, get a 220v unit and not a 110v unit. It is my belief that you will never find a 110v unit that will do anything but the basic air needs.

[msgross]

don't bother looking at the 120V models then.... Plan on spending $500+ for a good 2-stage 220V unit that pushes 11cfm+. Then you can paint, blast, sand and do air tools without any delay (not all at once though)...

I wish I would have saved up and bought a unit like that too, hindsight is always 20/20 ya know. If you want to do basic air ratchet then a small 20-30 gallon unit will work, kinda. We also have the 175 psi Craftsman unit and it can do air ratchets and chisel ok but can't run a blaster more than 25 psi! It's a 2 stage unit too! It runs a cut-off tool for about 1 minute then it slows down...

[ramac1972]

wow that sucks, what about and electric sander,you have any info on that?thanks by the way guess not getting that one i mentioned

[centsless]

I have a Husky compressor from Home Depot. I can't remember the exact specs, but it is a 220v upright and was about $320. It is about 3 years old and has not given me a bit of trouble. It will keep up with a D/A sander, and some small spray jobs. I did the spray in bedliner in my truck, and it did great. I will go out in a bit and get the specs on it.