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I hope some of you guys can help me. I’m looking for a lightweight quiet compressor for finish work. I’m tired of lifting heavy tools out of the truck in my old age. Also, if they are heavy, you are more tempted to leave them on the job site overnight. The Makita Mac 500 would be a good choice but is very noisy. I have heard that the Thomas T-617 HD is quiet if a little under powered, but I got no response from Thomas Industries to an e-mail request for the name of the local distributor.
Any comments would be appreciated.
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I have the Thomas st2820(I think that's the designation). It's a stacked hotdog(2 two gal. tanks) and 2hp.They have the same thing in a side by side hotdog(I think WT) I had to track this one down. The 150 model is similar, yet rated louder in a mag. article I read. The st2820 was more expensive also, but I wanted a comp. quiet enough for indoor residential work while customer is home, and a comp. powerful enough for the odd framing nailer and roofing gun. Had it about a year, and it works great. The 800 number gave me a few places to call and that's how I found a dealer that would give me a price on this model. Come to think of it, I don't know if it was an 800 no., or if I called the factory direct!I may have called direct, because I try to buy reconditioned first.(Which they don't offer!)I built shelves around it in the van, and half the time I run an extension to it and the hose out, and leave it in the van.Still, not too heavy, fairly quiet and plenty of power for one or two guys. Jeff
*I bought a little Hitachi which is great, but it is NOT very quiet.
*Glenn, I just bought a Bostich CWC100 1HP compressor. For small jobs It's just the ticket. I have a Emglo 1.5HP double tank wheelbarrow type compressor that I use for framing or roofing, but it doesn't like to run on a 15 amp circuit (especially on a cold day), it's loud, and it's heavy. The Bostich will start right up on a 15 amp circuit, it's quiet enough to run in the room I'm working in, and light enough to carry back to the truck at the end of the day. I bought it at my local lumberyard on the spur of the moment for $290.00, but I probably could have done better if I had shopped around. Good luck. Scott
*I also have a Hitachi EC-12. Its a twin stack 2 HP compressor that weighs about 60 lbs or so. I've run 2 nailers off of it at the same time with no problems. To solve the jobsite problem of loading and unloading, I took an old garden hose reel and removed the garden hose hookup and replaced it with some 1/2" black pipe fittings and a male quick connecter on the end opposite the handle, I wrap 3, 50ft air hoses onto the reel, and attach the compressor to the reel with a 6ft whip hose. It not only eliminates loading and unloading the compressor, but it also makes it quick and easy to roll up at the end of the day without tangling up hoses. The Hitachi EC-12 is probably not the quietest, but it surely is not the loudest, and it recycles quickly at about 18 seconds. MDM.
*We have a Speedaire 4 gallon pancake style compressor. I don't know who speedaire is! Anyway We remodel and use it for some framing and trim. It is quiet and efficient and i would recomennd it. I believe it is a model 222 with a one hp. motor. Seems like the main consideration is what you are going to use it for. Good luck Skip
*Not one to overlook the obivious, How about using more hose and eliminate the noise. The other thing is capacity by putting a tank inline say 20-30 gallons will cut the number of start ups by 50%, and weighs very little. Another might be switch over to the impulses/bammer,others and never drag a hose agian.On most jobs, we do a run in the floor and walls of copper and stop/tee on each floor and distribute from there. Once done, we cut flush and cover, Extremely handy on keeping things clean and the compressor never gets past the garage/mechanical room. Every one loves this during construction. I have even left a few for the homeowner.
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He Glen I recently bought the Thomas T617-HD and I have found it not to be under powered for pickup work. I would not use it for production work but you can't beat its size and port ability for those quick jobs.
*Frank:Thanks for the info. Would you mind telling me what you had to pay for the T617 in your area. I found a place in Salt Lake City that would order me one for $362.19..Way over priced it seems. For some reason I thought the street price was around $150. The list price in FHB issue #113 was $250.
*We just got the 2 hp Hitachi EC-12 from Tool Crib of the North. It is surprisingly quiet, only 73 db at 3.5' according to the manual. The compressor is quick to recharge and it doesn’t make a lot of noise. At $250.00 it is a bargain.
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Whatever you do I wouldnt buy the Craftsman pancake model. It is nothing but junk, I swear it breaks or wont turn on every other time we use it. Sears cant figure anything out with it, its only 5months old aswell.
*Anderson,Could you explain or describe in more detail your copper system in the walls and floors? This sure sounds like a great idea but I'm having trouble seeing it in my mind. Thanks in advance.
*Hey Anderson that seems like such a great idea I can't believe I haven't seen it done anywhere. Will pursue it the next job we get that is big enough to require totin'. Skip, down on the coast
*Glenn:I use the little Thomas 617 and like it a lot. It draws only 15 amps,is VERY quiet and can be run off an extention cord. It works very hard to keep up when I am at my fastest doing repetitive tasks like caseing doors or nailing off baseboard. I like it because it is VERY light and quiet. I do put it to the test some times just by myself so two carpenters is out of the question. I got mine for about $240.00. There is a cheap DeVillbis (sold at Costco for about $175.00)out there that is light but not as quiet. The Thomas is of far better quality and is worth repairing in the future. Some of the cheap compressors out there are disposable, I speak from experience on this. I like Thomas and Emglo in general. The Thomas 617 HD is a sweet little compressor.
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Glenn: In the Seattle area I checked around and found it for $239 at a couple of locations. I also have a larger Thomas compressor that I am very happy with for framining. Another point is that it is oiless.
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Sorry for being so slow on replying, I didn't subscribe to this earlier.
Run just like a water line, Label it "Air" for inspector, I use coiled copper pipe 1/2" to eliminate fittings when I can and use drop ear tees and fasten at each distribution point and attach couplers/fittings. I tend to follow or lead the same paths as water lines go and tee in the areas where lower cabinets are to be placed and will be able to be leave the line in place until completion. This also goes into the attic crawl space and stops. Be sure to use a length of rubber hose from the compressor to eliminate vibrations, also secure a length of hose so those guys who just pull hoses to disconnect can't harm the line or themselves. I have a assortment of brackets to hold couplers/fittings solid, but a short length of 2X4 with a hole in it or a conduit strap does well . I always test line unregulated and then put a regulator inline. Note: We don't use a oiler inline, this makes all the finish/trimers/painters happy. Also use as a vaccum source on occassion. (Venturri)
My espense is probally $20 that gets left behind. It seems cheap to me
*More info: Anderson 3/7/00 11:02am
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I hope some of you guys can help me. I'm looking for a lightweight quiet compressor for finish work. I'm tired of lifting heavy tools out of the truck in my old age. Also, if they are heavy, you are more tempted to leave them on the job site overnight. The Makita Mac 500 would be a good choice but is very noisy. I have heard that the Thomas T-617 HD is quiet if a little under powered, but I got no response from Thomas Industries to an e-mail request for the name of the local distributor.
Any comments would be appreciated.