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Hello,

I’be been looking to upgrade my compressor for a while now. I use it primarily with the Venturi from LMI for clamping bridges. I also use it to blow off the dust on surfaces in the shop and to blow up my kids basketball.

My local sears is closing. Right now the prices are 30% off, but maybe will go lower as it gets down to crunch time.

Looking at this one: http://m.sears.com/craftsman-33-gallon- ... 916572000P

The reviews are mixed but seem positive in the recent listings.

Anyone have good or bad experience with a Craftsman compressors (recently, not your trusty rusty one from the 70’s )

Brad


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I bought an oil-filled craftsman a few years ago.
It is so loud I stopped using it.
Embarassing loud.
See if you can find a spec on loudness rating.

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Brad, I've had several Craftsman, and I've had my last. I could not wait for the last one to die, so I shot it myself, to put it out of it's misery... and mine. I was the loudest, most water-generating, over-heating, tank leaking, under-powered piece of junk on earth. If all you want to do is air up bike tires, they are fine.
I bought a Kobalt at Lowes for $450 that has been fine for the past 4 years. And quiet.

If you want a great compressor, you can't beat an Ingersoll Rand. Oh, I do work for IR, so I'm biased.

Thanks, guys. That’s enough for me. I already hate the piercing noise from my pancake compressor, so last thing I need is to upgrade to a larger noisier POS. Thanks for the feedback!

I’ll look up the IR. If you have a recommendation I’ll take it.


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I’ve been using this little guy for spraying lacquer.
I can spray an entire coat before it needs to recharge.
A complete recharge takes about three minutes.
Very quiet.

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Also look at Quincy - made in the US and for the models you'd be looking at, 30,000 to 50,000 hour pump life versus about 5,000 hours for Chinese units. Like IR, quiet and durable. For light use, a basic splash-lubricated 2 hp 20-30 gallon unit should cover your air needs and avoid the noise and shorter pump life of oil-free compressors.

If the only air use in your shop is for vacuum, perhaps replace the compressor with a vacuum pump...Veneer Supplies has a selection of Gast, Thomas, and chinese units for $100-$300. You can also find used units on Craigslist which might require a rebuild, but are 1/3 the cost of new or less.

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If you want an upgrade to a quieter compressor I have to recommend California Air Tools. It isn't silent, but it can be running in a small shop while you are talking next to it and have no problem being heard.

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+1 on California Air Tools, one big plus is you can call and talk to a knowledgeable person if you have a problem. I had a couple of the compressors like look a lot like the craftsman branded version. They were noisy and did not last.

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I've had a few Oil-less compressors, which tend to be cheaper than those that require oil. They are also, as already mentioned, loud.
And what I would consider a consumable item (as alluded to already)

I got a 30 gal (or is it 25?) Husky from HD (just because it was cheaper than a Quincy or IR), and I wanted to try a non-oil-free compressor, and see what, if any issues I would have. When I was spraying, I put a dryer after the filter, worked well (I have a Fuji turbine now).

Not unlike you Brad, I use it for my venturi. I also use it for resawing (as seen in the vid on your other post), and blowing out the shop of course.

I have had a 60 gal IR for 14 years. Works fine, but I have had to replace the pressure switch twice and it is not easy.

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