What's a good belt drive air compressor?

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The motor guy

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I'm looking at getting one that's portable and it seems the biggest I can find is 30 gallons. Dewalt looks like a good one. It's 30 gallons and 1.9hp. Right now I have a craftsman 33 gallon vertical tank electric one, but it's loud as [censored] and doesn't seem to build pressure as fast as it used to. It takes like 10 minutes to fill up. I like the fact that the belt drive units have cast iron cylinders, so they will last forever.

Are they really much quieter than the craftsman I have now? Quincy also makes air compressors, they look durable but I'm not familiar with the name.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Quincy also makes air compressors, they look durable but I'm not familiar with the name.

Quincy is a top of the line product.
 
All compressor are loud by nature.
The belt driven, I heard, is a little bit less but it is loud.

It depends on how much you want to spend and how you use it (occasional or to run a pro shop).
The expensive ones are generally less loud due to probably better motor.

The Craftsman can also be rebuilt, you can check Youtube on that.
The piston usually are worn out.

Ingersoll Rand is probably top of the line in air compressor and use by a lot of pro shop.
Also Campbell Hausfeld who probably makes the other brand also.
 
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It depends on your price range. They're all good if your usage is light. Your lowest cost (new) option would be the HFT unit that is often on sale for ~$279 or so.

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If you want to spend more, the sky is the limit. I hear you (no pun intended!) on the noise. I bought the HFT 21gal vertical oil lubed unit a few years ago. It spins at 3400rpm and is obnoxiously loud IMO. The older HFT oil lubed units like my ~15yr old double hotdog model spin at ~1700rpm and are MUCH quieter.
 
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Originally Posted By: JMJNet
All compressor are loud by nature.
The expensive ones are generally less loud due to probably better motor.

Ingersoll Rand is probably top of the line in air compressor and use by a lot of pro shop.


Not quite true. The expensive ones are generally quieter because they run at lower RPM, not really because of a better motor. It's the pump that makes the most noise, not the motor.
In terms of noise level, the oil-free ones are the worst, followed by the quieter oil-splash pumps. Generally, the slower the RPM, the less noise they make. But the top shelf ones have larger cylinders and pistons to make up for the slower pumps.

Ingersoll Rand has basic homeowner grade compressors to top shelf compressors. Not all IR compressors are "industrial" grade. OP didn't mention what's his intended use but a good reciprocating pump from IR would be the T30. It has been a workhorse in many shops.

If coin is no concern, Quincy or IR industrial would be my preference. Then again it's always easy to spend someone else's coin
laugh.gif


YMMV
 
As others have said, there's a wide range out there and not all belt-drives are the same. Not all have iron cylinder liners. I will say that you can get a surprisingly good single-stage "home grade" compressor from Ingersoll-Rand or Campbell-Hausfeld at Home Depot or other big-box suppliers. At work, they had a big old 4-cylinder 2-stage I-R 3-phase industrial compressor that supplied shop air to one building. That building uses a *lot* of air (largely because its ancient air system is very leaky, but that's altogether NOT the compressors' fault). It finally failed (after 20+ years of use), and in a pinch they bolted in an unused C-H 2-cylinder single-stage vertical tank compressor from a field project that had been cancelled. The whole thing probably weighs 1/3 what the I-R it replaced weighed. It was meant to be a temporary fix... 4 years later its still providing house air in that building, and it gets worked VERY hard supporting a carpentry shop and 2 labs as well as some remaining leaks. It is sounding a bit sketchy, but I'm amazed its still holding together at all under that kind of abuse. In a home shop, I'm sure it would last decades.
 
Quincy is top shelf as is Champion, Atlas Copco and Jenny but you wont find a Champion, or Copco portable. Quincy and Jenny both make one but they cost.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Quincy also makes air compressors, they look durable but I'm not familiar with the name.

Quincy is a top of the line product.

I have a 20 gallon Quincy and it's junk.f or starters they shipped it on a pallet then put a box overit but did not strap it down so it got beat up.

It's very loud and slow to build air.i would not buy another Quincy
 
Size a compressor that covers the demand you have for Pressure and volume. the tank size is more just a reserve volume. I would rebuild that craftsman if there is a kit. For most any electric motor you can change the RPM it runs at High/Low. Under the back cover are some wires to set it. If you dont have a large volume requirement you could slow it down by ~1/2 speed without issue.
 
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Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Quincy also makes air compressors, they look durable but I'm not familiar with the name.

Quincy is a top of the line product.

I have a 20 gallon Quincy and it's junk.f or starters they shipped it on a pallet then put a box overit but did not strap it down so it got beat up.

It's very loud and slow to build air.i would not buy another Quincy


Picture of the damage? Did Quincy ship it or a retailer?
Why did you accept it in that condition or call Quincy CS, they have a good warranty and CS dept.
 
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What is the main purpose of the commpressor and what are your needs? Without that info no recommendation can be given
 
I went through this last year and found Puma and NorthStar can't be beat. They're the same compressor, just different colors and name. Northern Tool sells NorthStar and Air Compressors Direct sell Puma. I went with Puma because ACD had free shipping and lift gate service but should have gone with NorthStar because Northern Tool gives a longer warranty. My Puma sits right next to my sand blaster and is very quiet compared to any other.
 
Originally Posted By: dave123
What is the main purpose of the commpressor and what are your needs? Without that info no recommendation can be given


I just it for an air impact wrench, inflating tires, blowing off equipment with air. I occasionally use a paint sprayer and my compressor pretty much runs the whole time using it. Never runs out of air, but it stays running the entire time just about.

It's an oiless craftsman vertical compressor. 33 gal 8.6 cfm at 40psi and 6.4 at 90.
 
The problem is 30 gallons is about as big as they come in a portable unit. Maybe i'll just wait until I get a house and put a 60 gallon IR in the garage and wire it up with 220.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
The problem is 30 gallons is about as big as they come in a portable unit. Maybe i'll just wait until I get a house and put a 60 gallon IR in the garage and wire it up with 220.
I think that is your best bet now that I see u want it for painting and I bet you wanna do a little blasting. 60 gallon 5hp great unit go right for a 175 psi commpressor usually built more for commercial use buy one and last a lifetime. I lean twords a Quincy but that's my preference many good units out on the market Champion is another.
For my personal use I run a 7.5hp 80 gallon no way I go smaller I do what ever I want I believe for longtime blasting and painting it's a must.
 
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Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
I occasionally use a paint sprayer and my compressor pretty much runs the whole time using it. Never runs out of air, but it stays running the entire time just about.

It's an oiless craftsman vertical compressor. 33 gal 8.6 cfm at 40psi and 6.4 at 90.


A full sized gun even a RP is going to need 10CFM HVLP can run 13 CFM plus, you knocked yourself out of that game with a portable for anything but a small touch up gun.
I would wait until you can setup a Quincy or Champion 5-7 hp 80 gal 2 stage compressor.
 
I have the same craftsman 33 gallon and painted a whole car with it recently. No problems with the compressor, just my lack of painting experience haha! The compressor is pretty
Loud, but I leave it in the garage and run the hose out to the carport.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
The problem is 30 gallons is about as big as they come in a portable unit. Maybe i'll just wait until I get a house and put a 60 gallon IR in the garage and wire it up with 220.


If you're painting regularly, this is the way to go.

If just spraying small areas, a smaller compressor should do just fine. My little 30 gallon oiled compressor keeps up for spraying Fluid Film yearly, and use every few months running air tools. It's quiet enough. Earplugs still recommended in the garage, but it's barely audible just inside the house. Likely with some street elbows to bounce the sound up toward the ceiling and some quieter filters, it would be even quieter.

This is the compressor: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/porter-cable-portable-belt-drive-air-compressor-30-gal
 
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