My old small, loud, and leaky compressor is on it's way to the curb. I've studied and have narrowed my search for a replacement to two:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...?keyword=16778

...or...

http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/to...roductID=15014

On the Sears page, click on "specs" to see the SCFM ratings, etc.

I'll be using the AC for an air ratchet, smaller rotary tools, etc.

These are about the biggest I can run on 110v. They're both priced about the same,..$375~

Which of the two would you choose? Anybody have experience with either?

Thanks!,
Wes

 

Read the reviews on the Sears unit and I think you will choose the Dewalt. The Dewalt say's it has 78db noise lever which is not to bad.

I would go the Dewalt route.

 

Ok I know you gave two choices and some is going to do it so it may as well be me...I would not go with either one. Reason is I never liked the unitized pump/motor set up. Lowes have a nice upright with cast iron pump and sepert belt driven motor. I beleive it is a 25 gal and in the same price range with a heavy duty tank. I don't recall the brand just the color is black. May be Camble Hausefield (sp). Take a look before you buy.

If I had to go with your two choices I would go with the Craftsman. DeWalt is over rated and over priced. Did you notice the difference in capasity. 15 gal will not run air tools long.

 

He said it first, but I have to agree. Niether unit delivers much flow which will limit you down the road as you find more uses for it. If you can, spend a little more money and buy a unit capable of 17-20CFM. This will likely put you in the $800+ range, but will be well worth it. Have a look on line for the Eagle Units.

Good luck

 

To me neither is very good. the oiless compressors are waaay to loud. A good compressor will last 15-25 years, don't skimp.
60 gal., 5-7 hp, 220V. 2 stage, I got mine from Menards (came with Mobil 1) on sale for $400.00

 

I don't have 220v in my garage. Again, I'm limited to 110v options.

Thanks!

 

I've got my 60 gal 220V Porter Cable in a Rubbermade tool shed. The shed is made for garden tools and goes against the house. The plastic insulates the noise from the house and neighbors.

BTW - Dewalt is a good brand, they back the product and all my contractors use them. I personally have not seen one fail.

 

If you only have single phase power in your garage, go with the Craftsman unit (over the DeWalt). If you have a breaker box in your garage, it likely has 220v going into it and you just haven't set up a duplex breaker, wiring and outlet for the 220v plug. That's pretty easy to do, and I would go to that trouble, if you want a good quality compressor. Just some additional discussion to consider.

 

It really depends on what you want to run and how long you want to run it. I personally ended up going with a 60 gallon from Sears so I can run my grinder all day long and my blast cabinet. If you have tools that eat a lot of air like a die grinder you need something that can supply them and not have to work very hard to do it.

 

My 220V compressor has about twice the output of those two models, and I can keep it running continually by just using my cutoff tool on big jobs. The tank size is really immaterial, it's the compressor output that counts. This link http://www.truetex.com/aircompressors.htm was on a recent thread here on the forum. It has some very good information, especially 120v vs. 220v horsepower ratings, that may help you decide what to do.
Cheers,
Pete

 

2-1 Dewalt. Any other opinions of the two choices?

Thanks for the responses.

 

I have that same craftsman compressor which I use at work, does a great job for what I put it through. I maintain a fleet of 53 vehicles and having to change tires, inflate who knows how many tires day, plus air ratchets, etc.. it has never gave me a problem, and with our warehouse being confined, there is not that much noise that echoes through. my work area is about 20 yards from the customer service offices and they never seems to complain about the noise..

 

I have the Sears compressor and have used it heavily for years. I don't have any experience with the deWalt. I just know my Sears has worked well for just about everything, including painting, sandblasting, bodywork, etc.

 

i've got a sears diaphram type compressor similar to the one pictured. it's ok for ratchets and impact guns, but won't run a grinder or drill for more than one or two minutes. if i had it to do over again, i'd get a 220v unit.
jeff

 

One thing I realized early is when it comes to compressors for tools, size really does matter.

bigger is always better. My 33 gal sears pro (whoopee) hardly keeps up with my cutoff tool. But works ok for Impact and ratcheting.

get the biggest one you can afford.

 

I made the mistake in buying a Craftsman oil-free. Almost have to leave the garage when it fires up. I have a 2-story house and can even hear it upstairs! Go with a belt-driven.

 

Good info,..thanks.

Since the Sears is a 26 gallon and the Dewalt is a 15, wouldn't the Dewalt work the motor harder with more frequent 'cut-ins'?

 

If you really can afford it I was at Home Depot the other day they had a 2cylinder 2 stage unit with a 60gal tank for less that $900 bucks. Have not seen one any cheaper. The one I have at home is even a little bigger but was alot more and does have some problems when we use the big blaster outside. The 220 issue should not be a big deal if your breakers or fuse box is nearby. I would buy one of the automatic dumps for the drain which will prolong the life of the tank and help keep the moisture out.

 

I agree... If you can manage the money for the compressor and it's not going to be too expensive or difficult to run 220 into your garage get a 220 volt compressor.

Six years ago I bought my first compressor using the same thought process... it was all I could afford (wanted to spend) and I did not have 220 in my garage. I bought the same Craftsman Compressor you are looking at. Yes oil free compressors are louder than the others, however the Craftsman Professional Series (Black) is much quieter than their Non-Professional Series (Red) model of similar size. The Craftsman Compressor has worked great for using it with my: Impact Gun, Air Wrench, Chisel Gun, Filling Tires... But as soon as I went to use it with a Palm Sander I figured out it wasn't up to the task for any Body & Paint Tools.

So I went out and bought a Campbell Hausfeld 80 gal 220 Upright Compressor which works GREAT! Easily up to the task, even when the pressure in the tank gets low enough for the pump to start again it easily keeps up with my DA Sander. If you don't know already DA Sanders take more CFM of air than almost anything else you are likely to use.

I still have my Craftsman Compressor with no plans to sell it. There are some tasks that it works fine for and there's no need to run up the big compressor for it. However if I had it to do over again. I would have bought the Campbell Hausfeld in the first place.

 

NEITHER - I have had two oil free compressors in the past doing very common tasks, air tools, tires, some sandblasting. I wore out two Craftsman ACs in one year.

They are very noisy. You can't hear yourself think when using them, let alone talk to someone without both of you yelling at each other.

Check out Harbor Freight, they have a variety of AC in various price ranges. I have had one of theirs for 2 years now and no complaints.