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Tue Jul 28, 2015 8:57 am

jpeters wrote: Anyone have any good recommendations for a 110v 60-80 gallon compressor? Budget isn't really an issue, but I'd like to be under $800 if possible. Mostly just needed for paint gun and impacts. Probably less for sanding, etc, but might use it for that if it can hold up.

I've read this thread several times over the last several years. Just wondering if anyone has any recent experience.

jpeters wrote: Anyone have any good recommendations for a 110v 60-80 gallon compressor? Budget isn't really an issue, but I'd like to be under $800 if possible. Mostly just needed for paint gun and impacts. Probably less for sanding, etc, but might use it for that if it can hold up.

I've read this thread several times over the last several years. Just wondering if anyone has any recent experience.

First off - you really ought to look at 220V compressors. 120V compressors may not put out as much air as you want. I don't know that I have ever seen a 120V 60 gal compressor. You could buy a 220V compressor and install a 120V motor (some motors are dual voltage, just wire them to match your wall socket).

I added a 220V wall socket and circuit for cheap. Parts were less than $75.

Mine is a refurbished compressor. It started out life as a Campbell Hausfeld commonly sold everywhere (including as a Kobalt). The rebuilder brand is called "Morgan Compressors".

The version sold new at the hardware stores is right around your budget. The refurbished version was about half that much ($325).

So far so good after several years of use. My Dad bought one too and no problem with his either. The inventory on these compressors seems to come and go. You could call Morgan and see if they have a batch being retailed anywhere. Mine came from Northern Tool.

I'll steer you away from rotary compressors (not enough CFM, perhaps lower durability). I'll also suggest a smaller hotdog compressor if you can't find the big tank compressor you want. My father built 5-6 custom cars with his old hotdog compressor from Sears over 30 years ago. His had a 220V motor and a piston pump. Bought it used. His needed some time occasionally to catch up b/c the CFM was lower than what some of his tools needed.

A quick glance shows that Sears has what you are looking for and so does Lowe's Hardware. You'll have to look to see if they are 120V or 220V.

Thu Feb 23, 2017 2:09 pm

All the good deals on large industrial compressors are 240v three phase units. I built a 10 hp phase converter to run my Champion 5hp upright compressor, this is piped with black pipe up and across the shop into a filter/reg/ coalescing setup and then into another 60 gallon tank.

CL is a good source for project compressors.

Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:01 am

I have a similar compressor at work in a machine shop I manage. Two stage, 80 gal, 3-phase motor Ingersoll-Rand compressor. Nice machine.

You can't outrun it with a cabinet sandblaster or air grinder like you'd find in a home shop. It'll stay ahead of your tools. Great duty cycle. Would last forever in a home shop.

I'm not sure I have enough capacity in my home electrical service to accommodate a VFD or old school phase converter that big.

To whom it may concern :D : If you can't afford to buy something this nice, don't do without an air compressor completely.

Just buy what you can afford and understand it will last years not decades and you'll have to wait for it to catch up occasionally or let it cool down.

Save your money and watch for deals that would be an upgrade for you. People close to me got by with 20-ish gallon hot dog compressors for years and years.

That old balancing game: CFM output (sometimes inflated by advertising departments) vs your tools' consumption vs your budget. :wink:

Tue May 23, 2017 12:52 pm

I was given a 120gal Speed-O-Air external tank without the motor or compressor. The house I just bought has a 30x30 shop with 3 phase power! Someone had a large compressor in it before because there is a small egg crate padded room off the side of the shop for a compressor tank.

What motor should I get?

What pump should I get?

Items Ill be using air for;
Lathe and Mill machining
Powdercoat gun
general pneumatic tools
grinder/sander/impact
paint

Ive got around $800 to spend and the shop is already plumbed with some airlines.

Thu Oct 05, 2017 9:44 pm

Eastwood tool company is releasing a new air compressor that looks like a home run.. I've been watching for it for over a year now since they started announcing prototypes.

http://www.eastwood.com/scroll-compressors

They are starting out at $1300 as of the pre-order announcement, which is in line with a decent two-stage 60-gallon piston type compressor (the Quincy QT-54 is one similar specc'd unit).

The Eastwood scroll specs:
12 CFM at 90 PSI and 40 PSI both
220 volts AC on a 20A breaker
100,000 hour pump life guarantee (this is a major difference from other compressors by the way)
69 decibels! Their videos are extremely impressive, showing it in use with blasting cabinets, outdoors pressure blasting, D/A sanding, HVLP painting, and compared to a standard 60gal piston compressor for noise level. You can stand right next to this thing and carry on a conversation.

I have no ties to Eastwood and will not benefit in any way from posting this information. I do like their tools and believe they are generally a great deal for home hobbiests like most of the people I've talked with here on the samba. Their MIG 135 welder has been a staple tool in my 1971 bus repairs.

My thought on this compressor is that most of us probably want a good compressor to run our equipment and last a lifetime. That means spending at least a grand, for most people, and if you're going to spend that kind of money, why not make it quiet money!?

Sat Jan 13, 2018 2:47 pm

I thought I had posted a reply in this thread, but I guess not. I've got a Cambell Hausfeld Cast Iron series 7.5hp V4 80 gallon compressor that I bought from TSC. I paid a grand for it back in 1998. My buddy who helped me haul it home and unload it from his truck thought I was nuts for buying it, but like I told him I don't plan on buying another compressor in my life time. While it might be over kill to some, it's been just right for me 20 years later. It will keep up with my air tools, and run the sand blaster (controlled air leak). It'll paint 1 side of a vehicle before kicking on to top off the tank. I've probably misused and abused it more than I should have, but it's done everything I've asked of it. Yes, I've had the electric motor serviced twice now in all those years (mainly bearing replacement). I even went as far as building a large dog house for it to sit in (keeps the dust down that the electric motor ingests), as it took up a good 2.5 square feet of floor space in the garage. But that thing just keeps on going.

My buddy who helped me out back then, just bought a 7 hp 80 gallon Ingersol Rand compressor for his shop this past summer. He told me that after seeing what mine did all these years, he decided to follow suit and get a "real" compressor for his own shop (he had 1 of those 5hp 30 gallon stand up Sears oil less air compressors that was noisy as all hell). He also bought his at TSC (same store), as they had it on sale, and they were getting ready to move locations. I got to use his for a couple of days last month (doing some work for him), and it was working fine.

I guess the biggest thing to take from all of this is; buy the biggest compressor you can afford.

Fri Feb 11, 2022 10:47 am

I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a new compressor. I am looking at an 80 gal two stage 230v single phase vertical compressor. The two I am looking at are the same price. What brand name would you all recommend a Quincy or an Ingersol rand?

Fri Feb 11, 2022 10:48 am

RIX70Bay wrote: I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a new compressor. I am looking at an 80 gal two stage 230v single phase vertical compressor. The two I am looking at are the same price. What brand name would you all recommend a Quincy or an Ingersol rand?

I have an Ingersol Rand here at work (80 gal, 220V, two stage).

Been working well for a decade or more.

Not saying any bad about the Quincy but I don't have any experience with them.

Wed Feb 16, 2022 9:27 pm

Quincy makes a better air pump than almost anyone else, and even their "cheaper" models aren't lesser quality models geared towards homeowners. Everything they make is top notch. Many models have an oil pump for the crank and rods, where most ingersoll rand are splash lubricated.
Some of the Ingersol Rand stuff is made overseas, and not very good. Some is made here, so quality is hit or miss. I'd go Quincy given the choice.

Thu Feb 17, 2022 10:09 am

Thanks, Busbodger and esde for replies and opinions. They were helpful and encouraging. Reading the customer reviews, the I/R had a few bad reviews, whereas the Quincy only had one bad review which was due to shipping. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Quincy air compressor. I am looking forward to its arrival.

Sun Mar 24, 2024 5:13 pm

My 2hp twin cyl. 220v, with 20 gal. tank puts out 9.3 cfm at 40 psi and 7.7 cfm at 90 psi. Painted tons of cars with it ,spraying ar 50-65 psi. Bought in 1980 at Sears. Big bucks at 400.00. They all got sued for the false HP #s in later years. A one hp compressor is 746 watts. Mine cannot be converted to 110. CFM is the key and stay away from 110 v.