Air Venturi 4500 question

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Many will say you need "at least" a Coltri MCH6 level compressor at around $2500. The Alkin is also much discussed at around $3000. Long term standards such as the Bauer compressors are also out there but even more expensive in general. Others will say they have had very good luck with the "cheap" compressors such as the Yong Heng. I have both an MCH6 compressor as well as a Yong Heng compressor at this time but have used the Yong Heng for well over 2 years and it still works as new while the MCH6 compressor has been owned for a much shorter period but it is fast and apparently relatively bulletproof. Many seem to view the middle range compressors such as you mention as possibly the "riskiest" of all when considering quality/reliability versus cost (I do consider myself in that viewpoint camp). Read all you can and make as informed a decision as possible. Only you will be able to decide what is best for you.
 
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I started out with a Hassan Spark ($400) and frankly, it worked fine to fill the guns I had at the time (Marauder, Condor SS and a FX Crown). However it was loud, slow, and got really hot (which meant I had to shut it down for 3-5 minutes to cool, which I of course just added to the slowness). I picked up a Air Venturi 4500 10 months ago, and I have not looked back so far. I now use it to fill a 9L Carbon fiber SCBA tank to 4500, which I then use to fill my guns (2 FX Crowns, FX Impact, FX Dreamline and 2 FX Wildcats). I am very happy with it. I would say that if it comes with a full warranty that you should go for it, unless you have $3,000 lying around.

Chris
 
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Cheek these out, to help wi your decisions-

this was on page 3

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/air-venturi-4500-psi-compressor-wont-pressurize/



this was on page 5

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/air-venturi-not-starting/

and this on page 15

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/downtime-and-repairs-on-my-av-4500/



if if you so choose to go with it after going thru these treads, especially JKING’s last one, understand that it’s only a matter of time when you’ll have to roll up the sleeves, bust out the tools, contact tuxing.cn..com for parts, and perform surgery. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with performing what needs to be done to get It back up and running, just didn’t know if your into that. Some folks aren’t.

i rebuilt my hatsan lightning to better than new performance, and had fun with it. The Lighting and AV are similar in design and build.
 
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Thanks guys, that’s the info I was looking for. I have no issues working on one. I’m pretty mechanically inclined from engine rebuilds on down. I had toyed with the idea of the cheaper yong heng but after watching reviews figured I would splurge on up to the 1k to 1.5k range so the Air Venturi one was the most attractive to me. What I was most interested was if anyone had experience with the so called “refurbished models” that are currently being sold at Pyramyd. I couldn’t get much feedback from them directly other than they are factory refurbished, It mostly sounds like they were models that were damaged in shipping and / or were returned for some reason. I don’t mind stepping up a bit in price but 2k is about the absolute max I want / can come out of pocket. 
 
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Make sure PA sends you a reseal and parts kit. Once you have those in hand, identify the parts and order another set, especially the piston rings, from tuxing.cn.com. It’s always good to have a back up, or two, so you can be back up and running within a couple of hours, should the time come when it fails. 

I want to be clear, that some of these mid priced compresssors have worked flawlessly for others, and that’s what I thought with my lightning, especially since I took the utmost care for it with the best oil and coolant I could get, along with it only having like 12 hours of use in two years. Then one day, it wouldn’t build pressure. Finally happened to me. So that’s why I’m suggesting that you prepare yourself for the inevitable.



i know it’s much easier said than done, but your 2/3 of the way there with your budget. I’d invest in the most inexpensive yong heng you can find, pay for the warranty, and continue to save up for the Alkin W31, especially if you plan on being in this hobby for the long haul. You won’t regret the investment. I have yet to hear of someone regretfully buying one, lol
 
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So thought I would provide some closure on what I ended up doing. After pondering it for a bit and a couple IPAs, I ended up buying one of the refurbs and saved the extra 200. It was delivered the other day and outside a scratch on the cover, I couldn't find anything wrong with it nor signs of any actual use. I went pulled the filter, checked all the connections and best I can tell it looks new. I filled it up and ran 10 minute break-in. I filled up all my scuba bottles to about 4400-4500 (it is a little hard to be super precise with the cut off guage. Everything seems to work great. For the price I feel pleased and figure even with a couple rebuilds it should work for my needs until I upgrade. Seeing and using it in person, I am glad I went with it over the Yong Heng, it does seem like a bit of an upgrade. I plan to burn through my tanks as quick as I can to get another run at filling them just to have a warm and fuzzy, but so far so good.



Thanks you guys again for all your feedback!
 
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