Hi all,
Has anyone had experience using the small very portable compressors (1 to 2 gal. units?) I know several manufactures have them: Bostitch, Senco, even Campbell Hausfeld. It would be nice to have a small compressor when I have to do a quick trim job or a fast repair. All input welcome.
Thanks
Jay
Replies
I just bought a Campbell Hausfeld 2 gal. I was intending to use it for instances where I was just going to trim a window or door. I figured I wouldn't have too many hours on it so a cheap compressor would work.
Haven't tried it on a job, but I noticed it goes to 100 psi max and then doesn't kick on until the pressure dropped to 80 psi.
I am concerned it might not sink brad nails at the bottom of the cycle.
I looked at that the other day and thought the same thing. It is a nice looking unit and the staple/brad gun looks handy, probably not production or crew friendly. But what the hey do you want for $79? They would have had a winner if the boosted the pressure off/on about 20psi.
I have a small hotdog that I got at Sams years ago, it is loud but will not die. Will even do big old Bostich coil frame nailer if not in a hurry. Use Paslode impulse now anyway.
JayM
I'll go you one better!
I bought a small chineese made air compressor over 2 decades ago.. the price was so cheap I just had to take a chance..
I'm sure glad I did, that thing has saved my bacon so many times. Best $50.00 I've ever spent..
I have the Campbell Hausfeld 1 gal compressor and wonder how I did without it for all those years. It's my "main" compressor for all casing and trim work. It's lightweight so it's no biggie to schlep it from room to room or up and down stairs. My only complaints are that it's a little noisy and the coil hose needs to be 2' - 3' longer. (I tip it over sometimes when I reach up to nail a head casing).
I bought it for one fast job and figured I could sell it if I didn't like it - or give it to my SIL. I had to help #2 daughter (and aforementioned SIL) rebuild two sections of redwood fence at their house and took it along just to see if it would handle a framing nailer. It worked just fine - even when we were nailing up the fence boards. I held them up and #2 daughter shot them as fast as I could get them in place.
I wouldn't try to use it for a serious framing job, but it's great for what I use it for.
Oh yeah, I got mine for $39.95 at the local ACE Hardware store. A couple of weeks later, they had a new shipment at $89.95. - lol
Edited 5/8/2007 7:26 pm by Dave45
Bought a 1 gal at HD or Lowes about 3 years ago for about $80. Goes to 100 psi. Works very well with a 15 ga trim nailer, and yes it will work with a Rigid framing nailer ... but don't expect much speed.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Here is a summary of some stuff I pulled together on small compressors:
I've done some research on some popular trim compressors mentioned here (Thomas 617HDN, Dewalt/Emglo D55140, Bostitch Trim Air CAP1516, Senco PC1010, Makita MAC700, & Campbell Hausfeld FP2040). They can all do the job (most around 1.0 CFM @ 100 psi)...so it comes down to these criteria:
Weight, Noise, Price and Longevity/Reliability.
Weight (range from 18 lbs. to 52 lbs.):
CH is the lightest at 18#, followed closely by Bostitch & Senco (20#), then Dewalt (24#), Thomas (26#), and Makita dead last (twice as heavy as the others).
Noise (range from 60 db to 80 db)
Thomas is the winner here @ 60 db with CH FP2040 a close 2nd (FP2048 is 10 db louder), then DeWalt and Senco @ 69 db, Bostitch @ 75 db and Makita last again @ 80 db
Price (range $99 to $316):
CH is cheapest ($99), then Senco ($130), Makita ($156), Dewalt ($179), Bostitch ($182), and Thomas is most expensive ($316). The factory recon Bostitch is $120.
On longevity, Most of these are new on the market...so we shall see. Thomas has a good pedigree (made in WI even), Makita is an oiled unit, and Dewalt/Emglo looks well built. Bostitch is available reconditioned already (is that a bad sign?), and Senco has been bashed here already. At $99 the CH is almost disposable.
My conclusions:
Top tool...Thomas (super quiet, light, & good quality with price to match).
Best Buy...CH FP2040 (cheapest, lightest, and only Thomas is quieter)
Dewalt & Bostitch & Senco are in the middle (all are light & fairly quiet at low prices). Dewalt looks more rugged and well designed compared to the others...worth a look.
Worst (IMO)...Makita (twice as heavy and many x's louder).
All of these are much quieter than my old PC pancake (noisy beast @ 87 db) and only the Makita is heavier.
Since the decibel scale is a logrithmic measure of sound energy, I have read that a 10 dB increase is 10x's the sound energy (this may be innacurate)...Wikipedia suggets we hear a 10 dB as a 2 fold increase in noise level. It follows that the MAC700 would then sound half as noisy as "most compressors." It also means the Dewalt and Senco trim compressors sound half as loud as the Makita...the Thomas and CH half as loud again.
I bought the Dewalt and it has been great. It gets steady use every day, sometimes running two trim guns.
So you took the plunge. I bought the Senco. It was sure nice for the pressure test on the boiler system a month ago. Thanks for changing my mind about the Makita.
--"So you took the plunge."Yep. My apprentice of 1-1/2 years has the little Bostitch. He had been bringing it to work. It was so light and quiet and kept up with our trim work no problem. That got me to completely rethink the nature of a "jobsite compressor". After the apprentice took a better paying job with benefits this Winter...I really missed his compressor (actually missed Cory too <g>).The Dewalt seemed to have the best combination of features for me and I really like it.--"I bought the Senco. It was sure nice for the pressure test on the boiler system a month ago."Your little Senco has got to be great...light, quiet, and at a nice price.--" Thanks for changing my mind about the Makita."To be fair to Makita, it does have the highest output of that group and would last longer than the others...a lot of bang for the buck...just too heavy and loud for my needs (or yours).Here in the humid lands, the compressor doubles as a dehumidifier...be draining daily <g>.
Just to be fair to Makita here, let me tell you about mine. It's a Mac 500 (oiless), the 700's older version. I've had it 21 years, my only compressor, it's never needed repair.
I've trimmed with it, framed with it, filled tires, and blow out my sprinkler system with it every year.
It's 35 lbs., a little noisy when it cycles, and honestly runs as well as when I bought it.
I can grab it , some hose, and a couple of trim guns with one arm and walk up a few flights without killing myself.
Nice compressor...buic
I was looking at the Mac real hard, but the portability/weight issue decided it. I have the stout compressor at home for spraying finishes and blowing out the sprinklers, but i've been inveigled into some actual work lately - sometimes even for money, of all things - so i wanted one just for punch-list stuff. Basswood talked me out of the weight and Mike talked me into the Senco. It hasn't been tasked hard so far, but i'm happy enough with it, and here's hoping it's still compressing long after all i'm doing is pushing up daisies!
I'm sometimes still surprised at how much a small compressor can do.
Good luck with yours...buic
I rented a little guy from Ace Hardware to staple down luan plywood, and it worked great, leaving no proud staples. Just don't go too fast, as it hasn't a lot of backup. Stapling to disco music will overwhelm the compressor.
"Stayin' Alive" in Wisconsin.
I'll remember to stick to Patsy Cline for all my Senco jobs. ;^)I built a new lathe/plastic greenhouse door last night from wood i salvaged from the original door to my house, 1-3/4" VG fir. I resawed the stiles, assembled the thang with biscuits and staples, stapled on some grizzly bear cutouts left over from another project, attached a huge Art Deco metal knob. It wasn't set to disco, but talk about immediate gratification!I could probably dig up some Victoriana to add even more ambience to my seedlings' lives...
I have the Campbell Hausfield 2 gal. I like it for brads and staples, same gun. Very handy for inflating tires too. Only problem is that, after a few years of occasional use, it takes a fairly long time to pump up to 100psi. Fortunately the larger tank makes it possible to rapidly bang out 60-75 brads/staples before it kicks back on again.
we have the small Senco.. that's the one everyone grabs for the one-gun jobs
I have the small Craftsman. Got it for $89 2 years ago. It doesn't see daily use but will run a framing gun for a small job.
One of the most useful things I've seen for doing small trim jobs is a large CO2 bottle. These can be gotten from an auto parts store or welding suppy house. The bottles don't weigh much more than a compressor and are completly silent. You just have to buy a regulator and fitting to go to your hoses. They usually hold enough pressure to run a brad nailer or finish gun for several small jobs and when it runs out you exchange it for another bottle.
Don't tell Al Gore that you're belching all that CO2 into the air!! - lol
Where would someone find a regulator and fittings for a CO2 bottle?
I also have access to old(er) used steel firefighting airpack bottles, ones that have been taken out of service because we've bought new carbon-fiber bottles. I can recharge them with our station's cascade system, and at 2200 psi, they've got to be good for a few shots with a nailgun.....
Lowes has the CO2 system for sale, they might sell the parts separately.
I can't imagine 2200 psi. I've got a 5 gallon air tank with regulator. I fill it to 135 psi, hook up my 15 gauge finish nailer, and get about 60 shots off before the pressure's down to 90.
I'd love to know how far 2200 goes...buic
I know this is an oldish thread so I don't know if I'll get any answers, but does anyone know anything or have firsthand experience with the Hitachi EC 79 6 gallon pancake? I saw it for $150 at Lowes the other day and was wondering if it might be worth a shot.
I wanted a light and quiet compressor. FWW did a test a while back and they rated the Thomas near the top in those two catagories. I like quiet. I like light.
I modified the feet and where the hose came out of the unit. I didn't want it falling over. That might be a different regulator also. I can't remember.
By the way they are made in Wisconsin. A state I like. Lived there for a while and miss it. I worked in a factory there and it was by far the best factory job I'll ever have. Nice folks.
I have installed a couple hundred square feet of oak t&g flooring with a Bostitch floor stapler and the little Senco.
Twice.
Do I win???
And yeah, I had to slow down occasionally, but since I was working alone, it kept up pretty well since I was doing all my layout/cutting on the fly.
In the May JLC (I think) there's an ad for a small compressor made by Max. Based on my experience with their nail guns, I'd take a serious look at one of those. That's not to say that some items in a great company's product lineup may be dogs but, so far, I haven't heard of it from Max.
I got the baby senco.
it struggles with my 15g senco ...
but will shoot 18's all day long.
great for anything smaller than the 15 ... loves my narrow stapler too.
third floor attic trim out?
no problem ... little compressor in one hand ... 18g case and FlexEel hose in the other ... like walking with empty hands.
I even have the worlds cheapest miter saw ... a little POS Delta ... 8.5" ...
so cheap there's not even a locking handle to swing the miter table ...
but ... with a good blade ... it'll cut base, shoe and simple casing all day long.
both the compressor and chop saw gotta be under 20 lbs each.
with strategic planning ... I can even carry all at once.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa