Thread: Disposable tools Compressors etc

I dunno, it's horses for courses I suppose.

Whether the GMC would last five years would depend on the amount of work it gets. If a tradesmen was using it everyday, maybe it would only last 5 months.

Craig

Cheap Vs Expensive, the eternal debate...
Sometimes its better to get cheapies, other times the more expensive ones are better. Depends on frequency of use if you ask me, and the particular tool in question. I've got a few cheapies that are going the distance for me so far.

As for the compressor, change the oil every 6 months at least, or if you use the compressor more frequently, check the qualty of the oil regularly and replace as needed.

Most compressors of any size are noisy enough
The bigger ones with larger tanks tend not to have to fire up as often as the smaller ones (unless you are using continuous air-fed tools like sanders, sprayers etc). The bigger ones do of course, take longer to fill at the start.

With the smaller compressors going for $99 these days, the replacement parts would probably cost more than the unit itself, so in a way, they are somewhat throw-aways, however, unless the motor blows, you can probably get away with only having to replace o-rings and check seals for a few years if lucky

Quite a lot of the cheapies are now oilless. They use a sealed 'big end' bearing and a type of ceramic piston. They run pretty hot and are very noisy. How long they last.............I guess you pay your dollars and take your chance.

In years gone bye, the best compressor heads came out of Italy. They were renowned for quality and endurance but at a price. Maybe because of all the cheap n nasties on the market nowadays they have also gone west.

Cya

Joe

Have fun.....................keep turnin

Hi,

I can tell you a bit about compressors as I have a company that has been selling and servicing them for 30 years. We currently import both name brand Ingersoll Rand belt drives as well as our own house branded direct and belt drives, all coming in from China. The IR machines have a full range of parts available, the pumps are solid cast iron, and they will last for years. The Chinese direct drives are lightweight, built to a price and have a few dodgy things about them.
The motor details are very optimistic. Ignore stickers on the side saying 2.0 HP or 2.5 HP, that is just for suckers. The stated air capacities are inflated by about 100%. Don't even think about using a real spray gun on one (they need at least 9 cfm of actual air to work properly). At most the $99 specials will last about half a dozen heavy use sessions, and are putting out about 2 cfm. They are very much for the DIY market where they can sit quietly under the bench for months at a time. At that rate they will last for a long time )
Despite all that, we have sold thousands of the Chinese direct drives without a lot of grief. We also warrant them (off our own bat) and take the trouble to import parts for them, but only complete assemblies (motors, compressor ends, gasket kits, pressure switches etc.) I don't think a lot of the bulk importers bother. They treat them as disposable and just do a swap if one fails during warranty.
A decision on what to buy should be guided by what you want to use it for. Nail guns will work fine on small direct drives, so will tyre inflators and duster guns. Beyond that, forget it. Real spray guns need at least a 2.5 hp decent compressor with a minimum 50 litre tank. By the way beware of some of the Chinese tanks. Make sure they have an Australian compliance plate. A lot don't and busted tanks are a common failing of the cheapies, apart from being bloody dangerous. If you want to spray, invest in a good quality filter regulator to catch the condensed water and oil that comes out of any compressor and which will spoil your day if it reaches your spray gun. Non-lubricated compressors help here, but because they use O-rings for piston rings in many cases, they don't last long.
Hope that helps

Hi Kevin,

Any change of you making specific suggestions as to what make, model, and price you suggest for use as:


Home Handy Man:

Braders

Finishing Nailers

Framing Nailers

Paint Sprayers

Professional:

Braders

Finishing Nailers

Framing Nailers

Paint Sprayers

Hi Barry,

There are a number of reputable brands of air compressor in the market, but regrettably none of them are sold at discount outlets like Bunnings. To be honest, trade quality compressors are costly. An 8 cfm belt drive real compressor is going to set you back in the order of $700. For that reason they haven't really been a DIY or hobbyist item until the recent spate of Chinese cheapies arrived. Ingersoll Rand, Atlas Copco, Pilotair, McMillan, FIAC, FINI, ABAC Glenco and Swan are the main brands, and quite often they are packaged under trade brand names as well.

As to a recommendation, I can only say (a bit of a cop out I know) that any of the recognized brands will probably see you and I out and still be on their original crankcase full of oil. They rev slowly, are fully rebuildable, use cast iron for construction in the important areas and are fitted with quality compressor duty motors.

Buy the best one you can afford. It is the heart of any pneumatic tool system and a noisy, fast revving, overheating jigger made from recycled beer cans is going to give you the screams. Especially when it grinds to a halt and there are no parts available, no one interested in trying to fix it, and it is a week out of warranty.

For home handyman use, I am afraid that a reality check will kick in and one of Bunnies little beauties will be on the horizon. By contrast to the opinion above re compressors, I can happily recommend some Chinese nail guns, be they bradders, finish nailers, framing guns, staplers or whatever. Our own range of BIG CAT nail guns is about one quarter the price of the Senco, Paslode, Bostitch etc professional guns, and work fine. There are many others, mostly name branded, being sold through hardware chains. Don't buy the cheapest. They are rubbish. A decent finish nailer should cost you about $75 -$100, staplers and bradders about the same, and finish nailers $200 - $250. If you are talking the established names like those above, you will pay around $300 for finish nailers, bradders and staplers and between $500 -$700 for a framing gun. It shouldn't be necessary to spend that much for DIY use.

For heavy dity use, I can't go past a ~$700 belt drive professional compressor, coupled with good quality Chinese or name brand nail guns from the above three makers. A full kit will set you back in the order of $2000.

Spray guns come into the same category as nail guns. The Chinese have conquered the quality problem here and are producing excellent HVLP (High volume low pressure) guns that give perfect finishes. These are available at a fraction of the price of Devillbis, Binks Bullows and even the established Taiwanese brands like Star. You can get a good Chinese gun for $75 - $100, whereas you can pay twice that for the European and American models.

I hope this is some help Barry. It is hard to be precise because there are many variables, such as the size of fasteners you want to use, the type of spray gun (gravity feed, suction or pressure pot), etc. If you would like some specific prices, you can email me on [email protected] and I will send you some detailed information.