Buying an air compressor is not as complex as you think. At the same time, it is not as easy as buying an outfit. Compressors comes in different sizes having different capacity range. Some AC are meant for mega industries, some are for garage and workshop owners and some air compressor are built for home users. It is easy to put yourself under any category. One of my favorite blogging page Air Compressor Agency has discussed the topic in details. You can check below.
If you need an air compressor or compressed air systems for personal use, make a list of jobs for what you need an AC. To operate brad nailers, frame nailers and staplers you need not go for big and expensive one. An AC that comes with 2-6-gallon tank will do the job perfectly.
Do you need a compressor for spray painting? Make sure you pick an oil-free air compressor. Oil-lubricated air compressor delivers oil also when spraying that you don’t want at all. Professionals always prefer oil-less AC when it is painting job.
If you have variety of jobs including painting and your nature of application require an oil-filled air compressor, it is doable. In that case you have to buy a filter which will protect oil from mixing with paint. If compressor is required only for spray painting, don’t waste your time putting yourself in a dilemma between oiled or oil-less device. Buy oil-less air compressor.
Garage and workshop owners need to go further when buying an AC. You should consider PSI rating, CFM, tank size, duty cycle, power source. These are the basic to consider for professionals.
PSI stands for Per Square Inch; it refers to the pressure that an AC tank has inside. Usually small air compressors come at 90 PSI. For garage and workshop, you need a compressor having more than 120PSI.
CFM is the acronym for Cubic Foot Per Minute; this one is very important buying factors when you want to operate air tools like hammer drill, grinder, framing nailer and other big tools. These tools require more than 2 CFM. If your air compressor can deliver highest 2 CFM, sadly none of the above-mentioned tools will be operated by your AC.
Like an air compressor all air tools have required CMF rating that is always mentioned in the tools body and in user guide. So, what CFM do you need? Find out the most CFM hungry tools in your garage. For example, air impact wrench under 100$ requires 4 CFM to run. If this is the top CFM required air tool in your workplace, go for an AC that has at least 5.5 CFM rating. You need to add extra 1.5 CFM for smooth operation. Now it is clear, isn’t it?
Tank size is the second important issue after CFM. It is a common sense that a big tank can store more air than a small air tank. Then who need big tank. Automotive body repair shop or carpenters need big tank to power their tools continuously. If the tank size is smaller than your need, you won’t be able to maintain a good professionalism.
In brief, for home use buy a small compressor and for professional purpose go for a big one.
