Buying a compressor, what is best choice...

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Really need more info. Budget, how much air you use, does fill time matter......but I can recommend the Shoebox compressor without any reservations. It's not fast, but it's reliable as hell, easy to work on and inexpensive relative to a lot of other choices. It has a long track record of performance and great customer service. Feed it with a California Air Tools Ultra quiet compressor and you have a winner. I have one of the early Shoebox units which is not as fast as the current F10 models. I usually top off my Tigershark tank at about 3500 PSI and run it up to 4700 PSI. Takes about 45 minutes. I just hook it up, turn it on and let it go until it shuts off. I do whatever else needs to be done while it's filling. I bought mine used for $300 and have re-built it once in 6 years which was just recently in less than an hour and for less than $20. For my money it's the best airgunning money I've spent since I got into the habit :)
 
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Hi Brettl, 



This is the single most valuable resource out there, in my opinion anyway, when it comes to picking a compressor:

[so apparently this forum now will eat your post if you post ANY link, even an internal one, so you'll want to go to the home page and then click on "Air Tanks, Pumps, Compressors, & Filters" from there it is the 6th thread down titled "Compressor survey results"]

In your price range, assuming you mean the big AV unit, there are a couple options. The most notable is the Omega Super Charger. 

I will say I got the Air Venturi Nomad II compressor, and was incredibly disappointed with the compressor itself (it died fairly quickly), however PA/AV's customer service was excellent and they provided me with a full refund. That is the extent of my personal experience with AV compressors. 

There are really quite a lot of different options out there. Having extensively dug through that survey, the conclusion I reached was the Altaros booster. I've only had it for about a month, however so far I'm very happy with it. I don't want to suggest that it is a universal solution, or is even the best solution for you necessarily, however its simplicity, reported reliability, ease of use, and ease of service are what attracted me to it over the various other options. I think it bears at least a quick glance, and also is in your price range. This is my thread on the subject:

[so apparently this forum now will eat your post if you post ANY link, even an internal one, so you'll want to go to the search bar at the top right hand corner of the forum and click on that. Then input "Altaros Booster/Compressor" and click search. It'll be the top result]


Unfortunately compressors are expensive enough, and have an high enough expectation regarding reliability/longevity, that most people only have experience with maybe one or two. That makes any one individual's opinion, including or maybe especially mine, not particularly useful. :/ 

I hope this was helpful though. Again, the best advice I can give is to really spend some time sinking your teeth into that survey. It really is the best tool we have to compare compressor reliability/satisfaction. 
 
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Hi Brettl, This is the single most valuable resource out there, in my opinion anyway, when it comes to picking a compressor: https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/compressor-survey-results/ In your price range, assuming you mean the big AV unit, there are a couple options. The most notable is the Omega Super Charger. I will say I got the Air Venturi Nomad II compressor, and was incredibly disappointed with the compressor itself (it died fairly quickly), however PA/AV's customer service was excellent and they provided me with a full refund. That is the extent of my personal experience with AV compressors. There are really quite a lot of different options out there. Having extensively dug through that survey, the conclusion I reached was the Altaros booster. I've only had it for about a month, however so far I'm very happy with it. I don't want to suggest that it is a universal solution, or is even the best solution for you necessarily, however its simplicity, reported reliability, ease of use, and ease of service are what attracted me to it over the various other options. I think it bears at least a quick glance, and also is in your price range. This is my thread on the subject: https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/altaros-booster-compressor-review-ongoing/ Unfortunately compressors are expensive enough, and have an high enough expectation regarding reliability/longevity, that most people only have experience with maybe one or two. That makes any one individual's opinion, including or maybe especially mine, not particularly useful. :/ I hope this was helpful though. Again, the best advice I can give is to really spend some time sinking your teeth into that survey. It really is the best tool we have to compare compressor reliability/satisfaction.
 
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I currently have a Carette but even though I haven’t had a major problem I couldn’t recommend it as it’s only available from one place and I don’t like only having one source for resolving and issues. I would buy the 110 volt Daystate which is made by a major company in Europe it is one of the few belt driven units that more efficient at a lower speed the compressors where the motor directly drives the compressor puts more wear and tear on the system.
 
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The local air gun shop where I get my tanks filled has had to return his Daystate twice for repairs with less than 40 hours on it. The back up compressor he uses(now the primary), the Omega Turbo Charger has been running for many more hours and it's running great. He said it does what it supposed to when it's supposed to without fail. I don't own one or know much about it except every time I pick up a tank he complains about the problems he's had with the Daystate and raves about how well the Omega runs. 

Stoti
 
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The local air gun shop where I get my tanks filled has had to return his Daystate twice for repairs with less than 40 hours on it. The back up compressor he uses(now the primary), the Omega Turbo Charger has been running for many more hours and it's running great. He said it does what it supposed to when it's supposed to without fail. I don't own one or know much about it except every time I pick up a tank he complains about the problems he's had with the Daystate and raves about how well the Omega runs. 

Stoti
Click to expand...

I guess maybe having the Carette is not that bad. I hadn’t heard anything bad about the Daystate before maybe I should save for a Bauer.
 
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First off let me say I agree with everything everyone has said. I just "bumped" myself from the Omega Trail Charger to the Omega Air Charger based on economics and use parameters. From what I have seen here on AGN almost every compressor line will have problems. Buy the best you can afford that provides the best customer service. I'am just saying that AOA has always treated me well. Good luck and happy PSI....LOL
 
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Bri, there was a review of the Daystate a while back and it sounded good. One person chimed in talking about problems with it but I didn't say anything. At that point the owner of the store I was speaking about was waiting to get his compressor back from the importer. He got it back and ran it for about 3 hours before it broke down again. Although it might just be one bad apple, I wanted to make people aware so they can make an informed decision. Not mine, like I said but the shop owner who does own the Daystate is about to lose his mind. On the other hand, the Omega just seems to run and run and run for a lot less money. There seems to be so many great reviews and positive things written about the Omega. It seems we're always hearing of some compressor taking a dive, maybe it's incorrect set up, maintenance or just the nature of the beast. I really don't know but that's why I haven't bought one yet. I'm kind of afraid to drop 2K and get a bad apple.

Stoti
 
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I have the Daystate LC110 and it’s been flawless for about a year now. It has about 13 or 14 hours run time, and takes around 15 minutes to top off a 45 minute SCBA tank (66 cubic feet) from 3200 to 4500 psi. Both I and @humdinger have had these and used them for a while now and they have run flawlessly. Quiet, fast, reliable. What more could you want from a high pressure air compressor?
 
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Centercut, that's the same one the shop owner has. Maybe a bad apple, I don't know. It was his primary compressor because it's fast and he fills a lot of tanks, unfortunately he hasn't gotten a whole lot of use before it began having problems. I really don't know much about it other than what I wrote. Glad yours is running well. That's the compressor I had my eye on but now I'm a little gun shy. I'm going to hold off a while until I grow a pair!

Stoti
 
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I received my LC110 a few weeks ago, and after 5 hours on it I'm happy with my decision.

The only thing I dislike about it is the DIN connector that necessitated me to buy an over priced adapter. I also have a problem with the goo coming out of the gauge, but it's faster than I anticipated.

I fill 2 60 min tanks, 1 45min tank, and a 400+ cf storage tank.
 
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Another avenue if your up for a little treasure hunt, government auctions. Search the term, SCBA or SCUBa. Every so often, you’ll find a baur gas/diesel compressor that has 50-4000hrs on it. Pick it up for 400-600usd and then rebuild it. I missed out on one here in my state, only about 40 miles away. It went for 550usd. I was super sad. It said it worked, but the engine kept dying. Lol they’re powered by a Briggs & Stratton. It was either a fuel filter or clogged/dirty jet. Lol
 
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High brettl I've been working with and on all types of air compressors since I was 17 here's something to keep in mind when searching no matter what air compressor you buy you'll always need a filter oil coalescer and dryer at the outlet filters work by removing saturated vapor(small water droplets) from the air the lower the micron the better the filter and more expensive oil coalescer same deal with alot of little pockets and channels to trap oil droplets then a dryer refrigerated (cools air to its condensation temp forming and removing more water droplets) or a dessicant tower(absorbs water through capillary condensation slower process the more dessicant and longer the air contact with the dessicant the more it's effective) to dry the gas that hasn't vaporized, all are selected based on psi and cfm that being said the lower the micron the higher the price the higher the outlet pressure the higher the price the higher the cfm the higher the price of these components so if you buy a high pressure air compressor don't be fooled by the 400.00 filters they sale to dry and clean the air going into your tank or gun it's a filter not drying air just removing already formed water droplets and if you check the micron its probably not even rated (5to1 micron is a high quality filter) its not a coalescer so the vaporized oil passes right through eventually taking out your orings and building sludge in you gun Imho bypass any high pressure air compressors get a booster buy a shop compressor and some affordable high quality filters and acoalescer you may not be able to afford a dryer but you'll have a 90% cleaner and dryer gun in the end .
 
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