Best Source To Order Alkin

I am finally ready to get serious about placing my order 🤙

If Im not mistaken, all the Alkin compressors are freight shipped directly from the manufacturer regardless of who I order it from and the prices are all preset by the manufacturer as well… so I suppose it doesn’t make much difference which authorized seller I choose to do business with as far as attempting to find any “better deals” is that about right?

Is there any source you know of that actually keep inventory in stock? I kinda wish I would have been able to finalize my purchase prior to 2023, as apparently Alkin no longer offers the manual shutoff version which could have saved me enough to pay for a JB Great White! 🫤

Where do you guys recommend I place my order through? I’m in California near Sacramento if that affects the recommendation - Thanks!
 
I could be wrong, but it has seemed that all Alkin are drop-shipped from NJ. Being in CA that'll be a hefty freight charge.

Very interestingly I ordered an Alkin back in late Nov as I had called Alkin and they gave me a heads up on a min 10% price increase. I ordered the manual version and it must have been right as they were cutting over the models to no longer have a manual shutoff. Mine came with the auto shutoff and I didn't realize it. At first I though I was blowing the fuse on the unit as it got close to 300bar. Took a while to figure out it has the auto-shutoff.

I didn't think it would matter not having the auto, but in the long run it's a really nice feature to have.
 
I didn't think it would matter not having the auto, but in the long run it's a really nice feature to have.
I agree it is a very nice feature indeed, no argument there! It’s just the extra $750 up-charge that makes my butt pucker a bit… I liked having a choice between the two versions, but unfortunately that has been taken off the table.
 
I suppose I should do some additional research, I am still open to considering other options... thanks for the recommendation.
In May it’ll be 3 years since delivery of the mch-6. I paid about $4500 shipped to Sacramento. It has all the bells and whistle and I haven’t had a single issue with it. Fills my 97cf tank from 200bar to 300bar in 8mins or so.
 
In May it’ll be 3 years since delivery of the mch-6. I paid about $4500 shipped to Sacramento. It has all the bells and whistle and I haven’t had a single issue with it. Fills my 97cf tank from 200bar to 300bar in 8mins or so.
@cfs916 In 2020 you paid $4500, including shipping, for a compressor shipped from Southern California to Northern California? Is that a typo? If not, how on earth is that a better deal than paying less for an Alkin compressor? They were not $4500 in 2020. Did you pay for additional features or something?
 
@cfs916 In 2020 you paid $4500, including shipping, for a compressor shipped from Southern California to Northern California? Is that a typo? If not, how on earth is that a better deal than paying less for an Alkin compressor? They were not $4500 in 2020. Did you pay for additional features or something?
I checked my original post here back in 2020, it was $4300. I had additional options (auto stop, auto drain, extra filters, and oil). It looks like it maybe cheaper now!

 
Your business to trust/distrust as you see fit, won't try to talk you out of it. Sometimes you just get a bad vibe about a person/company etc.

I will say this though - it ain't hype if the product performs like advertised, and in this case it does.

Doesn't mean it's a better choice than the Coltri at this point in time, but we clearly have different ideas of what "hype" is.
 
@Hangtown-Shooter - Baker Airguns used to cover the first $300 in shipping costs when you purchase, and had the same price as other retailers. Might check their website to see if that's still accurate. Still a long way from California.

Have to agree with some of the posts above though, worth looking into the MCH-6 at the closeout pricing, looks like a pretty good deal.
 
It’s difficult to deny the clearance price on that Coltri certainly seems like a bargain… it would save me around $1500 compared to the Alkin W31 Mariner

The 3-phase electric version is intended to run off 220v? That’s probably the way I would go if I were to order on
Are you running your compressor at an industrial location? I'm not an electrician but homes only have single phase current available. 3 phase 220V motors are not made for home usage. If I was in California I'd opt for the Coltri MCH-6 from Nuvair in Los Angeles as opposed to a buying from a dealer in New Jersey. If you ever needed service that coast to coast freight bill would be quite expensive.

I always found anything from Alkin suspect. Their distribution network, when I bought my Coltri, was goofy. Which is why I bought Coltri...
Now? Who knows. I do think Alkin has done a good job of hyping their product on this board. At the end of the day, though, who supports Alkin (other than Alkin?)

There used to be another person who posted that trusting Alkin was bad...chickenthief, maybe? I do not want to put words in their mouth, though.

I still find anything from Alkin, suspect. Flame me, burn, me, tell me I am the most evil person in the world...I will still tell you there is something wrong, with Alkin.
Please share instances of anything about Alkin that is suspect. Satisfied owners including myself have posted about their excellent service and communication from Alkin U.S. in New Jersey. I've yet to see anyone post of having a W31 failure or any issues with service from Alkin. If hyping a product means posting about excellent performance and quality service there is lots of Alkin hype.

What is the point of saying the only place to get service for Alkin is Alkin? The only place to get service for Coltri is Coltri. Alkin has parts and service in the U.S. Bauer is the only compressor brand with an extensive dealer network in the U.S. The problem is that Bauer prices have made them equivalent to Ferrari luxury cars in the price for performance equation. Even Bauers occassionly require repairs and they are very expensive to service or repair.

I'm as disappointed as everyone else that Alkin has discontinued sales of manual models and only offers a $4,150 automatic option. I think this will become apparent to them as their unit sales decline. However, I have not purchased any item in this hobby that was as well supported by the manufacturer as Alkin compressors. They are easy to reach and willing to discuss any issues relating to their compressors. Most of us who have bought others know that that can't be said for several compressor importers. I think Alkin is an extremely reputable compressor manufacturer and the very opposite of suspect.
 
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What is the no frills unit mean/come with?
The MCH 6 I bought has two manual valves you open to release built up moisture, and you shut the motor off when you reach your tank fill pressure.

The Alkin everyone references has an auto shut off feature and an auto purge feature. Both unnecessary in my opinion as I (like most users) am not going to walk away from a compressor filling a tank and rely on the shut off feature. and opening up a valve every 10 mins to purge moisture is simple and easy.

Once a tank is full, you will rarely drop below 3000 psi. Filling from 3000PSI to 4500PSI will take 6-8 mins. Nothing wrong with those features, but for every complication you add, there is room for issues. I want a simple compressor that I can fill my tank to 4500PSI with reliability.

I was convinced that the Alkin was the way to go based on input here, but I could never find any issues with the Coltri 220 v unit (The 110v units AoA sold under the Daystate branding) were problematic due to the electric motor working the pump harder.

Alkin decided to keep all the Auto features and now the price is $4200 before shipping (add another $400-$500 to that based on location)
 
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Early March of last year I paid $3580 including shipping for my manual Alkin. This is a fantastic compressor for my use, and although perhaps overkill, it’s a great thing to have more than you’ll need when it comes to this type of machine. If I were shopping today, I believe the sale priced Coltri would be in route to my house. Baker Airguns was who I dealt with, and they were awesome!
 
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I thought I would update this thread for anyone who may be interested in, or considering purchasing an Alkin W31… the prices are pretty much the same at all distributors because they are set by Alkin. After looking around at every distributor I could find, I ended up placing my order through Mike @ Baker Airguns out of Ohio. All said and done, they had the best “to my door” price because they don’t charge out-of-state sales tax and on top of that they also covered $300 of the freight charges, so their total price ended up being several hundred dollars less than any other source I checked with!
 
I thought I would update this thread for anyone who may be interested in, or considering purchasing an Alkin W31… the prices are pretty much the same at all distributors because they are set by Alkin. After looking around at every distributor I could find, I ended up placing my order through Mike @ Baker Airguns out of Ohio. All said and done, they had the best “to my door” price because they don’t charge out-of-state sales tax and on top of that they also covered $300 of the freight charges, so their total price ended up being several hundred dollars less than any other source I checked with!
Met Mike on the Ohio field target circuit last year, & bought a Wolverine from him (well, Baker Airguns)... he's good people & a heck of a shooter! The money toward shipping is a great idea to get an overall price advantage over the competition without skirting the manufacturer's set pricing.

Hope you enjoy using yours as much as I do mine!
 
I thought I would update this thread for anyone who may be interested in, or considering purchasing an Alkin W31… the prices are pretty much the same at all distributors because they are set by Alkin. After looking around at every distributor I could find, I ended up placing my order through Mike @ Baker Airguns out of Ohio. All said and done, they had the best “to my door” price because they don’t charge out-of-state sales tax and on top of that they also covered $300 of the freight charges, so their total price ended up being several hundred dollars less than any other source I checked with!
I had the same experience, with Baker being the best deal by a fair amount.
 
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I have an Alkin W31 upright with all the bells and whistles and have never had a problem with it. One recommendation I would give you is look into a used SCBA tank rather than a Great White. I bought 3 SCBA tanks that were new but out of date for what the Great White cost. If you decide to go that route remember you have to order your Alkin with the SCBA fitting. You can buy the gauge, hose and Airgun fitting really cheap on EBay that fits on the tank after you fill it.