Jump to content

Cheap compressor recommendations... are there any?


Hobby Paul

Recommended Posts

In need of a cheap compressor that works... if any exist.

Why cheap?

 

Well it's not going to get that much use... so don't want to be spending a fortune on one for it to sit in a box for weeks at a time.

What's my price?

 

No idea... obviously not a £10 item but also not £80... somewhere in the middle would be nice if possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Hobby Paul said:

In need of a cheap compressor that works... if any exist.

Why cheap?

 

Well it's not going to get that much use... so don't want to be spending a fortune on one for it to sit in a box for weeks at a time.

What's my price?

 

No idea... obviously not a £10 item but also not £80... somewhere in the middle would be nice if possible.

Options. One with out an airtank. Air is not so reliable in PSI ie pressure can vary. Motor is on all the time.

 

Option two. A compressor with a storage tank. Tanks is filled and you will get a constant flow of air. When

the tank is full the compressor motor stops then resumes when the tank needs replenishing.

 

This one is an option two (option one is cheaper as no tank). This one is Chinese and probably90% of model

makers use this type. The one below is about the same price as those with out tanks. A real bargain. Also

Amazon prime so free postage

 

Laurie

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional-Compressor-airbrushing-decorating-customised/dp/B00JAJTKWQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1507855039&sr=8-5&keywords=airbrush+compressor

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keep a look on Evilbay for a reasonable quality second hand one. I got an Iwata Smart Jet Pro for about a third of the retail price and it had barely been used.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be honest, a really cheap compressor is just that. How ever often you use it, it will never perform that well.  I would agree with the above comments that a second hand quality compressor would be a much better buy. It's one area where you really do get what you pay for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Steve Noble said:

To be honest, a really cheap compressor is just that. How ever often you use it, it will never perform that well.  I would agree with the above comments that a second hand quality compressor would be a much better buy. It's one area where you really do get what you pay for.

Think that is perhaps somewhat dismissive Steve. I have had a Chinese type now for 6 years and I have not had any problem.

A couple of years ago this question came up on another forum. One member had had his Chinese type for over 10 years. It

certainly, performs OK as pressured air is pressured air whichever machine produces it.

 

Also add that when I bought mine I looked at a number of compressors. Interested to find that throughout the ranges of more

expensive types that details of certain parts looked exactly like the cheaper Chinese types. The heads of the compressor were

exactly the same except they had been painted. Regulators the same. So it goes on.

 

Sparmax also produce for others in a different livery and at a rather impressive higher cost than their own. Some are so

expensive that you could buy 3 Chinese types for the same cost.

 

Secondhand depends on how much use it has had. Plus no gurantee.

 

Laurie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

55 minutes ago, LaurieS said:

Think that is perhaps somewhat dismissive Steve. I have had a Chinese type now for 6 years and I have not had any problem.

A couple of years ago this question came up on another forum. One member had had his Chinese type for over 10 years. It

certainly, performs OK as pressured air is pressured air whichever machine produces it.

 

Also add that when I bought mine I looked at a number of compressors. Interested to find that throughout the ranges of more

expensive types that details of certain parts looked exactly like the cheaper Chinese types. The heads of the compressor were

exactly the same except they had been painted. Regulators the same. So it goes on.

 

Sparmax also produce for others in a different livery and at a rather impressive higher cost than their own. Some are so

expensive that you could buy 3 Chinese types for the same cost.

 

Secondhand depends on how much use it has had. Plus no gurantee.

 

Laurie

Hi Laurie,

 

I take your points on board. But I'm basing my opinion on personal experience. I started out using an old tire as my air source back in the early nineties, progressed to air cans soon after, then bought a really cheap air compressor. I found it incredibly noisy and I was constantly waiting for the air to build up as the compressor couldn't keep up with my spraying. I persevered with it for over a year until finally I bought a new Premi-air with air tank built in and almost totally silent operation. This was around 1993. That compressor is still going strong today with only a yearly oil and filter change being all it's ever cost me. It's quiet, smooth and reliable and most of all gives me a constant air pressure that never drops. Just switch on, start spraying and forget it. I think I paid around  £220 for it back in 1993, but I've certainly had many years of service from it, so I see it as money well spent. Just my personal experience.

Edited by Steve Noble
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
On 13/10/2017 at 1:44 AM, LaurieS said:

Options. One with out an airtank. Air is not so reliable in PSI ie pressure can vary. Motor is on all the time.

 

Option two. A compressor with a storage tank. Tanks is filled and you will get a constant flow of air. When

the tank is full the compressor motor stops then resumes when the tank needs replenishing.

IMHO, if you're going to go for a cheapo compressor, you almost have to get an Option 2 variant. It pretty much negates the issue that the cheap ones don't supply a particularly consistent airflow, and also helps with their duty cycle life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...