harbor freight compressor

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anyone ever buy anything from them? I am looking for a compressor and saw one there very cheap. I am afraid it may be low quality.....what should I look for in a compressor? I have never owned one before. Any help would be appreciated. It won;t get heavy use, just occasional air ratchet, impact wrench, nailer, etc. Woulda bought a small one but it appeared to only be useful for nailing and inflating tools.
 
This time of year, you can probably find a good deal on one at HD/Lowes/Sears if you just watch the ads. I bought a CampbellHousfield 2 gallon for my father yesterday for 59 bucks, with a nailer. It only does .5cfm at 90, versus my Porter Cable 6gal pancake which will do 2.6. Either will run a nailer (I do two roofing nailers off the PC) but my impact wrench probably won't run on the smaller one. Neither will paint or sandblast.
 
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Bought one of their 3 hp, 21 gal, upright tank models a few years ago and it more than fills the bill for me. I use it for rotating tires, air nailer & stapler, blowing off the engines of my vehicles ect. At the time I bought it I believe it was $160/$170 bucks, I see they went up some. anyway it works for me, more than does the job.

Granted its made in China but the name brand ones are also more than likely, maybe by the same Chinese company!
 
I just bought the 1 gallon compressor form Harbor Freight. I needed a small portable one. I have a 30 gallon Craftmans. I used it with a Porter Cable framing nailer and finish nail. The only issue is that it turns on after shooting a few nails, but it was not a issue. For $39 bucks it was well worth it.
 
Originally Posted By: jcwit
Bought one of their 3 hp, 21 gal, upright tank models a few years ago and it more than fills the bill for me.

I bought one of those too. I use the [censored] out of it, it seems to work pretty well. The best thing you can do is buy the 2 year warranty for like $15. I already had one break - a simple check valve that I could have replaced - but I just took it back to HF, said it leaks, and they brought out a new one no problem.

At the end of my 2 year warranty, I'm just going to take it back again and say something else is wrong...(if it isn't actually)

It's kind of loud, but I put it out in the barn where I can hardly hear it. :)
 
I've had this one for about 7yrs:

94734.gif


You find the slower spinning ~1750rpm like this to be quieter and a tad smoother than the ~3600rpm models.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94734

Joel
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
You find the slower spinning ~1750rpm like this to be quieter and a tad smoother than the ~3600rpm models.

I bet, probably last longer too. They probably use the same compressor pump. I thought all the cheap direct drive models were around 3600.
 
Does anybody know how many scfm and PSI you would need the compressor to be rated at to be capable of running an impact gun?
 
Originally Posted By: 7055
Does anybody know how many scfm and PSI you would need the compressor to be rated at to be capable of running an impact gun?
as much as possible!!!! . I do not have it memorized but I have an 11 or 14ish? cfm? made in USA from Home depot and I feel that is minimum . The work vans have around 12 HP gasoline engines and have 25cfm and 175 psi and work the wrench much better. The type on impact wrench also has much to do with the pleasure of operating an impact wrench, the $39.00 made in China specials aren't worth the $$$ the Ingersol Rand tools are the way to go and they last with proper oiling.
 
Originally Posted By: Steve S
[quote=7055 The type on impact wrench also has much to do with the pleasure of operating an impact wrench, the $39.00 made in China specials aren't worth the $$$ the Ingersol Rand tools are the way to go and they last with proper oiling.


This is true but some folks "like me" have to take into account how much and what we'll use it for. My, and I'll admit it, cheap impact wrench has worked fantasic roating my tires on my 2 vehicles and taking off my mower blade 3 times during this last year with no problem. And at my age of 66 years I'm sure it will outlast me. And the compressor I mentioned earlier handles the wrench just fine.

Moreover the Ingersal Rand is way out of my disability budget. But hey if you're young and can afford it go for it.
 
My impact wrench is a Kobalt from Lowes, was 29 bucks for 350 ft/lbs. It takes everything off, brake jobs, wheel rotations. Best 30 bucks I ever spent, plus another 20 on an impact socket set.

It says 5.4 cfm, my compressor does 2.6 @ 90 and that's fine. It's a 6 gallon tank and it'll take off three tires before the compressor kicks on.

So yeah, follow Steve S's recommendation. Sell your car, and you can buy all the stuff he recommends you buy.
 
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