False economy of buying cheap and over accessorizing for performance

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Humdinger

Humdinger

Member
Jun 3, 2015
1,059
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Charlotte, NC, United States
I can appreciate the ingenuity of people who incorporate ways to improve the performance of their compressors in ways that make them more user friendly. However it reaches a point of absurdity in many situations. There is one guy on a different airgun compressor forum who wins the prize for "Rube Goldberg-itis". Google "Rube Goldberg" if you want to know what that means. This guy started with a Shoebox when they still sold for a grand. He has so many plumbing, air filtration, and other contraptions hooked up to his system that it is now more expensive than a Coltri dive compressor would have cost. It is now an overpriced, plumbing monstrosity, slow filling Shoebox.

Guys, stop and think. There is no free lunch. You can buy a Gamo pcp, but no matter how many mods and accessories you add it to make it better, you now just have an overpriced Gamo. It isn't going to transform into a Daystate by accessorizing. The fallacy of cheap chinese compressors and some overpriced Chinese compressors is that they are built to minimum operational standards, use inferior metallurgy and components, and most are over-reved in order to make them attractive to buyers.

The point that guys who opt for cheap forget is depreciation and resale value. I know some guys survive compressor Russian rouloutte buying el cheapos that survive and others enjoy accessorizing with all the filtration and cooling add-ons they need to buy. It makes more economic sense buying a good used Bauer, Alkin, or true dive compressor for convenience, reliability and speed. The most important factor is that they are no more expensive than cheap compressors long term. A Gamo is a disposable pcp and a chinese compressor is a throwaway because they have no resale value and a much higher failure rate. I can operate a dive compressor trouble free for years. I already sold one after 3 years for more than it cost me to buy. Don't forget resale value of a quality compressor when you make your choice. Buy once, cry once.
 
I could buy 10 EL CHEAPO compressors and get 20ish years of use vs. a $2500 "good" one... Hmmm I'm all for quality tools and equipment but this one is a tough pill to swallow. I have been into the PCP game for 2 years now and knock on wood, my el cheapo compressor that got me into the game is currently keeping me in the game! Cheers!
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Would you buy all 10 at once?
 
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I can appreciate the ingenuity of people who incorporate ways to improve the performance of their compressors in ways that make them more user friendly. However it reaches a point of absurdity in many situations. There is one guy on a different airgun compressor forum who wins the prize for "Rube Goldbergitis". Google Rube Goldberg if you don't know what that means. This guy started with a Shoebox when they still sold for a grand. He has so many plumbing, air filtration, and other pricey contraptions hooked up to his system that make it more expensive than a Coltri dive compressor would have cost him up front. Now it is just an overpriced plumbing monstrosity slow filling Shoebox.

Guys, stop and think. There is no free lunch. You can buy a Gamo pcp, but no matter how many mods and accessories you add it to make it perform, you now just have an overpriced Gamo. It isn't going to transform into a Daystate by accessorizing. The fallacy of cheap chinese compressors and some overpriced Chinese compressors is that they are built to minimum operational standards, use inferior metallurgy and components, and most are over revved in order to make them attractive to buyers.

The biggest omission guys who buy cheap forget about is depreciation and resale value. I know some guys have played and survived compressor Russian rouloutte buying el cheapos that miraculously survived and others enjoy all the filtration gizmos and accessorizing they must spend money on. It makes more economic sense buying a good used Bauer, Alkin, or true dive compressor for their convenience, reliability and speed. The most important factor is that they are usually no more expensive than cheap stuff in the long term. A Gamo is a disposable pcp and a chinese compressor is a throwaway because they have no resale value and a much higher failure rate. I can operate a dive compressor for years and have already sold one after 3 years for more than it cost me to buy. Don't forget resale value of a quality compressor when you make your choice. Buy once, cry once.
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Many have been well served by the Yong Heng compressors, myself included. It's good that you are happy with your non "el cheapo" compressor. Others are happy with their choice. Your choice (and opinion) is no more valid than theirs.
 
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No way if you know what you are doing.You have to keep things in check.AND many people that buy expensive "things" modify them to suit their needs or likes.....I think it is BS to generalize in such a way,some people do not Have the money.....yea maybe it would be better off and save,butt why wait...the itch is there....

I have always been a customizer ,I get satisfaction of making it mine....I do not care about reseal value,I care about My value on what I own.

Never should generalize...another thing,I hear less about problems with 'CHEAP"Chinese stuff than expensive stuff and guess what, most "stuff" is made by the same people!

That said, sure I would like to have an "expensive" thing or PCP,butt ,my "cheap" PCP is accurate and Fun and satisfies my needs.

Even cheap is better than nothing,one thing to remember ;many of us cheap guys have it in the back of our minds to some day be like the big boys and own an expensive "something"and in the meantime we are enjoying our cheap things.
 
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There was a brand new Cadillac with the dealer sticker still on the window. It was dead on the side of the road a couple days ago. Guess he should have bought a better car. Sorry I don’t follow your thoughts. Price doesn’t mean it’s better. Don’t get me wrong, I like nice things too. I have a dozen PCPs and 2 (cheep?) Shoeboxes. Maybe not top shelf, but they work fine for me. 
 
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Some people take great pride in buying inferior products and then modifying them to get them to perform at the level of high-end gear. It's part of the hobby for them, and they are most likely aware that there will be additional cost and time involved.

I've done similar with cheap power tools from Harbor Freight (bandsaws, drill presses, bench grinders, etc.). It's rewarding to take a $200 tool and get it to perform like a $1000 tool. Even if there is time and cost involved.

To each their own.
 
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More often than not you'll get a better product when you spend more. But usage should always be considered, because there will come a point of diminishing returns. Tools from Harbor Freight will usually perform acceptably in the short term, but I wouldn't expect them last a lifetime or survive the same level of use and abuse as the top name brands.
 
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I've owned two Shoeboxes, a Max and an F8. They are an excellent product, especially the F10 at current retail which is $499, down from $1,200 original retail. However, it only becomes an issue for me when someone starts over accessorizing one with multiple or oversized moisture filters, plumbing, and expensive first stage feeder compressors. Add up all the components and it means you should have gotten a dive compressor in the first place.

There is also a convenience factor not dealing with the water buckets, extra fiitration required, and the anxiety hoping you'll get a fill each time you start a $200 special. Just read the posts and anyone can see that there is a reliability correlation based upon the build quality and price point of high pressure compressors. The rapid breakdown rate of cheap compressors is substantially higher than for dive compressors. A quality compressor will have a good resale value, whereas the guy who keeps replacing broken $200 specials gets back nothing.

If your budget allows options, quality is more economical and easy to operate in the long run. If you can afford quality PCPs, you should invest in a quality compressor to fill them. Should you buy a Bauer to fill your Gamo? Of course not. For me, I'd prefer to buy one Daystate than eight Tuxings or Yong Hengs. If a $200 compressor is all you can afford, I hope you are the lucky buyer who gets one that survives longer than most.
 
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"If your budget allows options, quality is more economical and easy to operate in the long run. If you can afford quality PCPs, you should invest in a quality compressor to fill them. Should you buy a Bauer to fill your Gamo? Of course not. For me, I'd prefer to buy one Daystate than eight Tuxings or Yong Hengs. If a $200 compressor is all you can afford, I hope you are the lucky buyer who gets one that survives longer than most."

Budget is the operative word here for many. Your basic premise about quality being easier to operate is certainly correct. Less complicated, more reliable, and better filtration all come with a much higher price so the "more economical" part is not necessarily all accurate for anyone but you. Like you, I would rather buy one Daystate than eight Yong Hengs. But I've bought one Yong Heng and it's worked reliably for over a year topping off a Great White to 4500. Your opinion on what someone else "should" do is just that, your opinion. Certainly as valid as any but no more than others. My YH is well over a year old and I regularly top off a Great White to 4500 with it-a pretty darn good return on investment if you ask me. And if people top off a little lower it could last even longer. Less convenient? Sure. How much less? Not much and all relative to the individual and their view is the only one that counts on that. How much of the original cost of a "better" compressor would I lose after more than a year? Probably not a huge percentage but it would have to be less than a few hundred dollars lost to equal the value of the YH I've received even with no residual value left in it. And you still might have to pay to ship any "better" compressor to an interested buyer. Again, all cost relative. Certainly the cheaper ones have little to no resale value but they cost very little to begin with and have worked fine for many so they are a viable option for many people. Are they "as good" as the compressors you clearly prefer? Quite simply no. But do they cost MUCH less and are they are they all SOME people need? Quite simply yes. And there have been reports of failure in the Daystate class as well as top quality dive compressors on this forum alone if I recall correctly, even though such is certainly much less common than with the small Chinese compressors.

I've recently ordered an MCH6 that will arrive soon. Hypocritical, considering the above? Not at all. My Yong Heng is still working fine and if my budget didn't allow comfortable purchase of the "better" compressor then I would still be fine with the Yong Heng. Will I "worry less" with the better compressor? Don't know since I haven't been "worried" yet. But I will be much less likely to experience a failure, as you correctly note. Hopefully these won't be famous last words. And if the MCH6 did fail, I've still got the YH to fill with.

As others have said, it's good to have options but only each person can decide what is best for them.
 
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