76Frankenstein

I've never owned a compressor, but I'm finding it would really help out if I had one for my 76 project. My local Sears store has on sale a (I think) 6 horse, 30 gallon compressor that uses 115/15A. It comes with an impact wrench and ratchet for 300 bucks. Anyone have any experience with Sears compressors? Good deal or not? TIA for your valued opinions.

mrvette

AS with everything else from Sear these days, i'ts made in Taiwan,....and as such may have a poor track record....note I said MAY.....dunno....

my compressor is an American made thing from HD some 6 years ago for 350 bux...and been fine so far....BTW....5-6 hp REQUIRES a 220 volt source...any statements of 115 volts is a JOKE.....

5 hp is 3700 some odd watts.....divided by 115 volts is 32 amps.....nuff said...

now it should be obvious that motor an be re hooked for 220 volts, say off the electric dryer circuit.... so the currents are only about 17 amps, much more reasonable....but you gotta check for sure....

second off, at that price the tools are mostly for sure made in Asia somewhere and as such have NO power/efficiency or reliability....
the only good tools I have ever seen are made on this continent....

GENE

norvalwilhelm

I agree with mrvette, You can not get 5 horse from 110 volts. I know they mean equivalent too. What does that mean? They run the heck out of the unit to try and equal a equivalent 22o volt unit.
Get a decent compressor. It must run on 220 volt and have the largest reserve tank you can accomadate.
I had a 5 horse twin 60 gallon tank for years but when my son needed a compressor being a good dad I had to give it to him and get myself a 7 horse, cast iron triple with 80 gallon tank.
What a good dad I am. :) :) :)

hauk

I have a 5 HP from Sears that requires 220V to operate,I have had it for over 10 years and I use it with air tools that came from Harbor Freight (Taiwan) The compressor has never given me a problem and the tools have all worked well,Perhaps I have been lucky.


[Modified by hauk, 4:06 PM 8/2/2003]

Turbo-Jet

I recently bought a 6 hp (effective :rolleyes: ) 33 gallon Craftsman Professional compressor that came with a few tools. I am happy with the purchase.

RJR99SS

i just bought a 30 gal 5 horse, 110 v compressor from sears. Even with 110 volts i had to hook it up to an unused circuit, and use a pretty hefty extionsion cord. I'd agree that you cant get 5 hp from it, it really does take long to run up to 135 psi. But hey, i dont have a 220 outlet besides the drier, and i'd get alot of hassle for hooking an air compressor up to it. So what can you do? the dinky one i have now works fine, and i actually use it alot, i basically do everything with air tools.

As far as craftsman air tools, they're the only kind i'd buy. Snap-on, mac, etc air tools are actually more powerful and have more extra features and all that but they're at least twice as expensive. But the main reason i like craftman air tools is because they're QUIET! I cant stress how much a quiet tool means to me when i have to use it all day at work. The mechanic who works next to me uses a mac tools 1/2 impact gun and that thing is almost deafening even when i'm staninding 15 feet away from it.

Larry B.

" I cant stress how much a quiet tool means to me when i have to use it all day at work. The mechanic who works next to me uses a mac tools 1/2 impact gun and that thing is almost deafening even when i'm staninding 15 feet away from it."


Don't even Consider buying a oil-less diaphram compressor unless you want to go crazy.

tersian

I have one of the larger Craftsman oil-less 115V compressors. It works fine for a personal garage but is loud. I am planning on building it a little house outside the garage so it can annoy the neighbors and not scare the poop out of me on a regular basis with its infernal racket.

The_Dude

:withstupid: I just bought the same thing. It seems decent to me and has a pretty good warranty.

stpman

I have an old Sears 2HP (almost 20 years old) its been a good compressor but as was stated above 1 Hp = 746 watts 6 Hp = 4476 Watts. At 120 Vots that would be 37.5 Amps and draw 56 Amps when it started. (My 2 Hp is rated at 15 Amps 240 Volt) you might want to check they have started advertising the compressors as MAX HP so what you are looking at is probably just a 1 or 2 HP. the bigger number to look at is the CFM rating.

Steve :steering:

RMS73

Mine is 15 years old and never had a problem with it.
Roger

Mike Mercury

I have a 110v compressor and it's always provided great air flow.

In a business environment where there would be multiple users... then I would agree with the 220v models.

tnt76vette

I'm on my 2nd Sears Compressor......Sombody else liked the 1st one so much, they STOLED it. This one is nailed down with cement anchors...... :banghead:

Cookwithvette

My dad and I recently got a 15 gallon Craftsman. If you plan on painting large things... look for one with a higher cfm @ 40 rating. I painted much of the deck with it and it works but get used to it running constantly. We needed a fairly small one for portability. For air tools, it's a beauty though. This is our first air compressor.... MAN what we've been missing out on. It is worth mentioning too that this one is kind of loud.

RJR99SS

i dont think i've ever heard an air compressor that isnt loud. Mine is an oil lubricated type, and i still need to put on ear protection if i'm working around it. I hear the oil-less type is louder, but i dont think i've ever heard one.

The one we have at the chevy dealership isnt really an air compressor per say. It's more like some kind of huge air pump mounted on the floor and then routed to a giant tank in another room. It's so loud that the walls are lined with that sound deadening material you see in radio studios.

ddecart

Not sure how they are now,but they were pretty decent a coupe decades ago. I just borrowed my parents compressor this spring when I painted the interior of the Vette. I've done a good bit of spraying with it int he past, too. For the life of me I can't recall the size, but it's gotta be pushing 20 years old and still runs strong. It hasn't been abused or over used in that time, either though.

SharkAttack

I have owned a 5hp / 25 gallon 220V Craftsman for several years with no problems, but as the old saying goes "they don't make 'em like they used to". If you plan to use it regularly, don't even bother with a 110V model. My $0.02.

MotorHead

I have the Sears Proffessional 2 Stage 175psi compressor with a 25 gallon tank, works great no complaints here, I have a small sandblasting cabinet that I use and the compressor keeps up but I do take breaks so I don't overwork it.

The impact gun you would get as a extra with a compresspr probably wouldn't take off your lug nuts though, gotta spend a few bucks there Ingersol Rand or Chicago Pneumatic ( cheaper but still very good ) :D

RJR99SS

yeah, unfortunatly sears does sell junk too. I saw one "impact gun" they were selling that looked like some kind of plastic toy, it only had 2 settings, reverse and forward. So obviously dont buy the cheap p.o.s they got.

I'm totally happy with the professional 1/2 impact gun i got from the, i've been using it daily for about 2 years and it works great, and like i said before its QUIET!

76Frankenstein

norvalwilhelm - Like many here, I have listened at yout virtual knee to some great fatherly advice, so I sorta feel like a son....No?...ahhh well...it was worth a shot :jester

Thanks for all the info guys. From what I'm hearing, it sounds as if the Sears stuff might be ok for the light use I'll be giving it, but I'll do just a bit more looking. Hey, if it doesn't work out, it'll only be one more in a line of expensive lessons learned. It's all good!