Tuxing 2 Cylinder Unboxing and test

[K.Bastien]

I have just received my new Tuxing 2 cylinder compressor, imported directly from the manufacturer in China to my home in Mexico. For anyone who is interested, I'll be posting my experiences with this machine in this thread. 

Cost on the unit was $490 USD. I do business with vendors in China regularly, so I had one of them receive the compressor from Tuxing and then send it to me via DHL. The crate it comes in is probably adequate if the people handling it had any respect for the items they are paid to move, but alas, they do not and one of the top cover plates got dented. I'll probably ask Tuxing to send me another. Other than that it looks fine - fingers crossed . Shipping was as nearly us much as the cost of the compressor, although I also threw in 2 Acecare CF bottles & valves, which added volume and weight. Nonetheless, shipping isn't cheap from China. Probably wouldn't be as bad to the USA. Photos of it just out of the box are below, as well as the 2 Acecare bottles next to my Omega bottle as well as the valves that come with the bottles.

 

[randy_68]

nice. That looks like my Hatsan Lightning with just a couple changes. I've had some issues with mine but its back up and running great again. Seems these compressors are kind of high maintenance. 

Still wouldn't want to be without one. 

 

[harrymoreland]

Always interested in compressor threads, thank you.

 

[Newmember1958]

Yes thank you for posting and I will be following your installments. I bought the Davey equivalent and in less than three hours it quit building the advertised pressure. We haggled back and forth and all I wanted was the thing to build the pressure it was supposed to 4500 PSI even though I was not going that high. All it would do was 3200 PSI. I have the texts still on my phone where they said they could not guarantee the compressor would do as advertised even though they would send me another. I decided to sent it back. I probably got a lemon. 

Keep us informed and thanks,

Marty

 

[K.Bastien]

nice. That looks like my Hatsan Lightning with just a couple changes. I've had some issues with mine but its back up and running great again. Seems these compressors are kind of high maintenance. 

Still wouldn't want to be without one.

Very much like the Hatsan Lightning. I like that it has the dual cylinder filter built in, which is something that would have cost me $200 to add. It doesn't seem to have the auto purge that the Hatsan has - the switch is there but I can't see that it does anything. I live in Cabos and despite it being one of the most popular places in the world for scuba, nobody in town has a compressor that will go about 3000psi, so buying a compressor wasn't just a luxury

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

Right cylinder looks to be a direct copy or the same cylinder head/cylinder yong hengs use. Although, tuxings to have slightly larger cylinder bore for the 2nd stage on that head.



Interested to hear how it does. Looks nice!

 

[harrymoreland]

 " I live in Cabos and despite it being one of the most popular places in the world for scuba, nobody in town has a compressor that will go about 3000psi,"

Start charging $20 a fill, those scuba folk NEED AIR let them pay for your Tuxing, over time they may even buy you an Alkin

 

[Bigragu]

These Tuxing, Hatsans, yong hengs, Daavy compressors are not putting out dive rated quality air! Even on the hatsan lightning instructions it says that somewhere! You could kill someone if not using the correct air for them to breath. Correct air meaning air NOT tainted with any traces of oil and debris. As much as these cheaper compressors can be problematic at any moment, that is a huge risk. Look at the media they use- cotton roles and some desiccant to pull last minute moisture. 

i own an Alkin that for sure says it puts out dive quality rated air but I will not ever, ever fill a SCUBA tank for anyone as I do not consider myself qualified to do so. 



I can pretty much bet all pink slips on FX and Daystate guns if We were to attend a scuba dive show in a Las Vegas convention hall(like SHOT SHOW, for example) these compressors I named above WILL NOT be on any vendors booth being sold to fill your breathing tanks with.

 

[K.Bastien]

" I live in Cabos and despite it being one of the most popular places in the world for scuba, nobody in town has a compressor that will go about 3000psi,"

Start charging $20 a fill, those scuba folk NEED AIR let them pay for your Tuxing, over time they may even buy you an Alkin

There are lots of places to fill bottles, just none that get up to 4500psi - it's all outdated gear down here, but it does the trick for diving I guess, just not airing up FX air rifles.

 

[K.Bastien]

These Tuxing, Hatsans, yong hengs, Daavy compressors are not putting out dive rated quality air! Even on the hatsan lightning instructions it says that somewhere! You could kill someone if not using the correct air for them to breath. Correct air meaning air NOT tainted with any traces of oil and debris. As much as these cheaper compressors can be problematic at any moment, that is a huge risk. Look at the media they use- cotton roles and some desiccant to pull last minute moisture. 

i own an Alkin that for sure says it puts out dive quality rated air but I will not ever, ever fill a SCUBA tank for anyone as I do not consider myself qualified to do so. 



I can pretty much bet all pink slips on FX and Daystate guns if We were to attend a scuba dive show in a Las Vegas convention hall(like SHOT SHOW, for example) these compressors I named above WILL NOT be on any vendors booth being sold to fill your breathing tanks with.

Believe me, I won't be putting air into anything except my own tanks used for air gunning.

 

[Humdinger]

Nice compressor! You can remove 99% of the dents if you take off the cover plate and use the round side of a ball peen hammer and tap away from the inside out with the cover resting on a wood surface.

What is the function of unlabeled 3rd switch on the far right? The temperature gauge is in Fahrenheit which is a nice touch. I've rebuilt an Air Venturi compressor and although the high pressure pistons are similar, they are not identical so pistons, rings, and many of the parts are not interchangeable. Please keep us informed on your experience with this compressor. The purchase price is a bargain for what's included. 

Unfortunately, shipping rates are no bargain anywhere. Even domestic shipping rates in the U.S.have skyrocketed this year from all carriers. It is curious in light of the fact that fuel costs have dropped yet shipping rates have increased. Demand for shipping has allowed transport service companies to take advantage of the marketplace.

 

[K.Bastien]

Nice compressor! You can remove 99% of the dents if you take off the cover plate and use the ball end of a ball peen hammer and tap away from the inside out with the cover resting on a wood surface. Sounds almost relaxing.

What is the function of unlabeled 3rd switch on the far right? Not sure yet, I think in the Hatsan version it's for the auto purge, which this doesn't have so they probably left it unhooked. Spare switch I guess.

The temperature gauge is in Fahrenheit which is a nice touch. This is surprising since China is, like the rest of the world, in Celsius. I'm Canadian so I can understand both . I keep my thermometer gun handy because I don't trust the digital gauge.

I've rebuilt an Air Venturi compressor and although the high pressure pistons are similar, they are not identical so pistons, rings, and many of the parts are not interchangeable. Please keep us informed on your experience with this compressor. The purchase price is a bargain for what's included. Too bad shipping is so high these days. Even domestic shipping rates in the U.S. have skyrocketed this year from all carriers. It is curious in light of the fact that fuel costs have dropped yet shipping rates have increased.

 

[K.Bastien]

Alright, where I live every Friday feels like summer, so I decided to take a summer Friday and see how this compressor performs. I decided to jump right into the deep end and start with my 68cf Omega bottle. It was as full as any of the Mexican dive shops could get it, at this point about 2000 psi, so some of the work was already done and I wasn't starting from 0 psi. Due to the bottle's regulator having a different fitting standard than the quick release fittings the compressor came with I installed the DIN300 regulator from one of the new Acecare bottles so that I could make the connection safely. It has a gauge in Megapascal (MPa) so I could have a 3 gauge comparison on the pressure and seem like a real smart guy. Fired it up and it starting building pressure with no leaks. If you want to get an idea of the volume, see video link:

I let it run for 20 minutes, then decided to let it rest for a few. The temperature gauge didn't seem accurate. Using my infrared thermometer I could get about 5 vastly different temps off various surfaces. Nothing was going even near to max temp, but everything was getting hotter while the built in gauge red 92F. Upon investigation I found that the temp probe had pulled out of the hole it is supposed to sit in on #2 cylinder. Once the gauge started to read the actual temp it was most inline with the cast iron part of cylinder #2, which was not the hottest part of the compressor I could find. Cylinder #1 was at 166F. 

Everything went well until I reached about 4400psi when I began to hear a leak. The outer seal where the filling hose comes out of the gold filter was leaking slightly. It's a reinforced o ring so it didn't bulge, but it was no longer building pressure like it had been. I left it running for maybe another 6-8mins just to see if I could get to 300bar. In the end, it took 48mins to go from 2400 psi to 4499psi. It did not hit the auto shutoff pressure, so I cannot verify that it works, but I think I'll probably not leave it unattended anyway. 

The noise was acceptable. Much quieter than a typical shop compressor. I probably could have been a real geek and downloaded a decibel meter, but suffice to say you would need to raise your voice slightly to have a conversation over it, but it will not hurt your ears. Much quieter than my Vitamin. From outside you could hear it but it's not offensive. 

Temps never went beyond 140F. I did find a weak link, but it's the cheapest part to replace so I'm pretty happy with it so far. If it blows up I'll post about it, but I am not an everyday shooter, so I probably won't be using it too often. I've got enough in the bottle to charge my Wildcat MkIII a few times, which is after all the ultimate purpose of this whole exercise. Despite owning it for a couple of months now I have not fired it with a full charge yet due to tlack of any high pressure compressors here in Los Cabos. This weekend I finally get to see what all the fuss is about with some .25cal 34 grain FX pellets!!!

Also note: I used "NAPA Premium Performance" SAE 30 non detergent motor oil. It took 1/2 quart. I'll change the oil now that it's run once to get rid of any junk that may have been inside.

 

[Bigragu]

Man, great post, KB! Reading thru this tread makes me miss my Lightning compressor. I truly wished to have kept it after I re sealed it but it didn’t financially make sense, and I know a compressor unused is actually the worse thing one can do. I love my Alkin, but the auto purge, auto stop, and the girls voice telling me all was good to go I miss. Also for sure the compactness, as you now can relate. 

May I offer suggestions? Use the best compressor oil you can afford. I used Amsoild ISO 100 grade 30/40 compressor oil. Went right to their website and purchased two quarts at $14 each. For coolant, I ran a mix of 60% coolant and 40% Distilled water. The coolant was a GO5 Zerex Diesel engine rated coolant. The highest temps that hatsan said to never go over was 190 degrees. I would shut things off if it reached 180, and on average during the summer months the highest it got to was 165 degrees. Fill times from 3200 to 4500 psi was at around 10 minutes when it was new, and after the re seal and new piston rings it went from 3200 to 4500 in 7 minutes. Ran a lot quieter, too. Just purred. Oh, I also adde 6 ounces of water wetter coolant additive, and I believe that also helped to keep the temps down a bit.

I don’t know where your cooling fan is located, but since your compressor looks almost identical to the Lightning, it’s probably just below the high pressure head/cylinder, and you’re going to have two hoses in and out from it. My hoses were against the cooling fans protective plate, and I knew over time the hoses against that plate would cause chaffing, so I wrapped some wire loom around the hoses. 

Also, on that cooling fan plate, it’s there to keep you from getting your fingers into the fan blades. Mine was bolted flat against the cooling fans housing. Unthread the hold down bolts and raise that plate up about an inch, and the air will flow way better.

Follow all your wiring and make sure they aren’t apt to getting melted on any hot tubing, along with chaffing from vibration. Again, on the wires I also used protective wire loom wrap.

as far as dent removal, Humdingers advice was good, and you can also try pounding it out with a beveled face sheet metal workers hammer, and the plate against a bag full of sand. Try popping out most of the dent with your thumbs pushing out first, if you can.

A final word of advice, and Humdinger can back me on this- that oil level mark you see thru that oil fill window? Do not exceed or overfill a compressor. You will damage it, as Humdinger can attest to one he had to fix for a friend because the guy overfilled it.

Keep an eye on the color of your coolant and oil. If your oil ever starts getting dark like really quick after an oil change, and your coolant starts getting dark right away after a coolant drain and refill, your compressor is starting to get blow by thru the piston rings, and from there comes pressures not being met during a tank top off. If your compressor came with a rebuild kit, order two more kits from tuxing.cn.com, especially if you plan on keeping this thing. As long as it takes to get parts, it’s better to have extra on hand,

 

[K.Bastien]

Update on the compressor:

The leak I found coming from the fill hose port on the filter housing does not take a little white O-ring spacer inside, just the outer seal. I tried, there isn't enough room. They seem to use the same seal method with the hose that goes to the gauge (see photos). The problem is that it is impossible too keep that seal centered between the filter housing and the fitting - as soon as you tighten it the torque just makes it go off center because the space between the threads and the fitting head (the shank or the shoulder?) is narrower than the threads, so it slops around. Trying to find any info about this from the filter manufacturer or users IRL. Seems like a flawed system, but it's working on other ports on the filter housing.

As far as the other advise goes, appreciate the discourse. Some I'll take, some I'll take with a grain of salt.

The oil quality, yes I get that good oil is important, but this is Mexico, and Campbell Hausfeld is premium down here. I went into AutoZone yesterday asking about compressor oil and the guy took me to the brake fluid aisle  When I get a chance I will def upgrade my oil.

Coolant; I don't think that's as important. Coolant/antifreeze isn't so much about "cooling" as it is about preventing corrosion and "not freezing". These compressors do not get hot like an internal combustion engine does. Mine barely got to 145F, so keeping it cool isn't a huge issue here, IMO. I could easily touch the reservoir with my hand. Not even hot enough to make tea!!! I think antifreeze actually boils at a lower temp than water anyway. I happen to have a home water distiller (it's Mexico, water is an issue) so I will use distilled water, although the water here in Los Cabos has very little mineral content, especially compared to the rest of North America. When I clean the boil tank it's almost completely clean after 6 weeks of service.

 

[K.Bastien]

Update: 

Decided to fill my cute little 2L CF tank and see if the hose seal fitting leak happened again. 23 minutes took the tank from 0psi to almost 4500psi when I heard a hiss. Spraying the hose fitting didn't make any bubbles. Took me a while but found what I thought was a leak was actually the 300bar relief valve. The seal on the hose fitting held. Didn't quite get to 4500psi again, but close enough for today. I like that the Acecare bottle has a "bottle pressure" gauge, and another gauge on the regulator. Good to know where the bottle is at. Not sure what to do about the relief valve - it's technically relieving at less than 300 Bar, at least according to the 3 other gauges. Sort of makes the auto shutoff irrelevant - it just starts dumping pressure at 299bar for you . Its obviously not adjustable, but it's effectively stopping me from getting above 4450psi. Heat got to 139F during this session. It reaches that temp relatively quickly and holds there.

 

[vdwb]

I don’t quite understand the compressors maximum pressure, 300 bar (relief valve rating) is 4351 psi so how can the compressor obtain 4500 psi (310 bar) output with the stock relief valve?

 

[skohl]

300 Bar = 4351 PSI so your compressor is actually working as it should. I have the HPDAVV version of that compressor and the digital gauge on mine shuts off exactly at 4350 PSI. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HKJ4SCP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Our club has a Bauer Junior and the service cycle extends by about 30% if you only fill to 4350 instead of gong to 4500 PSI.

 

[K.Bastien]

300 Bar = 4351 PSI so your compressor is actually working as it should. I have the HPDAVV version of that compressor and the digital gauge on mine shuts off exactly at 4350 PSI. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HKJ4SCP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Our club has a Bauer Junior and the service cycle extends by about 30% if you only fill to 4350 instead of gong to 4500 PSI.

Good point!

 

[K.Bastien]

First time shooting update: Wildcat MkIII's seem to be relatively accurate