I dealt with a guy named Franz but spelled like Faranz i think. He was pleasant and accrately answered my questions. I decided to get auto condensate drain. Lol.
Joe B has an old Bauer Oceanus that he now uses as a backup....told him if he ever is going to sell it I will buy it! They are indestructible!That one is fully loaded... Wow! Getting up there in Bauer territory.
Big difference between hand pump and the Alkin, lol.....that first fill had to be heaven lol............I have never seen even one person on here or elsewhere have a regret on buying that Alkin.....its getting delivered this week, so I am looking forward to my first tank fill with it!Farren is a font of knowledge and very helpful. I called him on a Friday night when I couldn't figure out that I had to install the final filter (that was included) when I first fired it up. He answered and solved my problem. My full cost was 4200, but I got the manual drain with the auto shutoff. I went straight from a hand pump to the Alkin and an older Venturi tank. No regrets ...
@Ta-Ta Toothie I’m thinking around 100 hours, but I’d have to consult the manual.What's the average hours of operation before major maintenance is required, like rings seals etc.
Guess you need to add that all in for the overall cost. Just kicking things around. Currently I fill my tank for free at work, but having a backup would be nice.@Ta-Ta Toothie I’m thinking around 100 hours, but I’d have to consult the manual.
Guess you need to add that all in for the overall cost. Just kicking things around. Currently I fill my tank for free at work, but having a backup would be nice.
Can't answer that specifically, but generally for high quality scuba compressors, and alkin is probably the "lowest" quality that gets to be called high end. Back in the 1980's I knew a rescue/commercial diver very well, he tried to convince me to get into it so he would have a buddy to dive with locally, he was also certified to teach anything and everything including commercial hard suit deep diving, and would qualify me for free to deep dive without gas mix, can't remember limit on depth before you have to mix gases. He used an old Bauer for his personal compressor. It had over 5000 hours and had never been taken apart in it's life, and was sampled and tested quarterly. Do the normal maintenance(oil/filter changes) on a high end compressor not used in a harsh environment, don't do stupid things like not run it for cooldown with all valves open after each use, and they can last crazy hours before needing anything beyond normal use maintenance. For someone using it for personal pcp's probably a lifetime, even if you shoot big bores.What's the average hours of operation before major maintenance is required, like rings seals etc.
At one time or another I've owned all three of the brands referred to as high end compressors. Based solely upon design and build quality regardless of price I rank them in the following order. Bauer best but most expensive, Alkin a close second and best value for money, and Coltri is third and more than good. All three are perfectly acceptable for long term use by a PCP owner. Bauer Junior II and the Alkin W31 are both heavier duty and sturdier than Coltri MCH models. To use automobile brands as an analogy, Bauer is a Rolls Royce, Alkin is a Mercedes, and Coltri is a Honda. Owners will be well served by all of them.Can't answer that specifically, but generally for high quality scuba compressors, and alkin is probably the "lowest" quality that gets to be called high end. Back in the 1980's I knew a rescue/commercial diver very well, he tried to convince me to get into it so he would have a buddy to dive with locally, he was also certified to teach anything and everything including commercial hard suit deep diving, and would qualify me for free to deep dive without gas mix, can't remember limit on depth before you have to mix gases. He used an old Bauer for his personal compressor. It had over 5000 hours and had never been taken apart in it's life, and was sampled and tested quarterly. Do the normal maintenance(oil/filter changes) on a high end compressor not used in a harsh environment, don't do stupid things like not run it for cooldown with all valves open after each use, and they can last crazy hours before needing anything beyond normal use maintenance. For someone using it for personal pcp's probably a lifetime, even if you shoot big bores.
I never took lessons from him to get certified, scuba diving to me was just too expensive for something I really wasn't passionate about.
I'm familiar with Bauer, we have them at the fire stations. If money is not an issue, that would be my choice.Can't answer that specifically, but generally for high quality scuba compressors, and alkin is probably the "lowest" quality that gets to be called high end. Back in the 1980's I knew a rescue/commercial diver very well, he tried to convince me to get into it so he would have a buddy to dive with locally, he was also certified to teach anything and everything including commercial hard suit deep diving, and would qualify me for free to deep dive without gas mix, can't remember limit on depth before you have to mix gases. He used an old Bauer for his personal compressor. It had over 5000 hours and had never been taken apart in it's life, and was sampled and tested quarterly. Do the normal maintenance(oil/filter changes) on a high end compressor not used in a harsh environment, don't do stupid things like not run it for cooldown with all valves open after each use, and they can last crazy hours before needing anything beyond normal use maintenance. For someone using it for personal pcp's probably a lifetime, even if you shoot big bores.
I never took lessons from him to get certified, scuba diving to me was just too expensive for something I really wasn't passionate about.
Baldor seems to be keeping up the quality, but of course at a cost.I might add, the electric motor on any of them these days is probably the weakest point of any high end compressor. They simply don't supply them with the same quality motor that they would have 40+ years ago. Up until my barn burned down, I had 3 pieces of equipment that had commercial use at a general electric locomotive plant in PA in the 50's and 60's before dad got them, at the time he was an electrical design engineer at the plant. They were used every week by dad in the 60's-80's and very light use by me since I moved them from the parents last house in 2010. They needed new brushes a couple times in their lifetime, cheap and easy to replace, I had to replace rubber bushed bearings on one, cheap and easy to replace(although I guarantee those new bearings would not last like the originals did), and they all ran like the day they were made. You can buy motors like that today, but for a 2hp-4hp 220v high end motor these days, the cost will make your eyes bleed and pretty much made to order. I've seen a heck of a lot of burned out/ruined motors in the last 30 years on "high end" equipment, pretty much a non-issue before the 1980's on any quality equipment. Back in the day, you just replaced a brush or worse case a bearing and your as good as new.
I count capacitors as normal wear items, never think about them, they are just a normal everyday wear item. Just like brake pads on a car, no need to mention them as replacement wear items, it's a given.And you're most likely to lose a capacitor before a bearing on a decent single phase motor.