I placed my order for the basic model, no auto condensate bleed. Joe has some of these in stock. After reading the in depth review I decided on the Carette instead of the AV. The Carette runs cooler and can run longer which I feel is more important than a faster fill. He also has a good deal on the SCBA adapter with hose. I have 3 used 30 minute SCBA bottles on the way from EBay. Joe was very helpful and pleasant to deal with. He will give forum members a discount.
Alpha-Carette compressor is here
- Thread starter Valkyrie0002
- Start date
I've had a Carette for three weeks now and it exceeds my expectations in every respect. It is truly plug and play. All you do is add coolant to the system, oil to the crankcase, hook up the hoses and filter, and from then on it's what we all have been waiting for in a stand alone compressor. It hits every checkmark I've wanted to get in a high pressure compressor.
1. Affordable
2.Plug and Play
3.Excellent fill speed times
4. Quiet running
5. 110 volts with low amp draw. Won't trip a 15 amp breaker under load.
6. Belt driven at low rpms for long term motor and cylinder durability.
7. Digital hour meter to easily monitor filter changes and oil changes
8. Ringless piston design, no complicated rebuilds necessary.
9. Low temperature operation with no overheating concerns.
10. Safety features built in such as overheating and overload shutdown protection.
11. Comes with a factory filter that is owner serviceable. Similar to Diablo filter design.
12. Weighs 66 lbs. with built in handles so it's portable.
13. Auto moisture drain can be manually set to desired times without owner monitoring
14. Auto pressure gauge adjustment can be set and compressor will shut off at desired pressure.
15. Can fill a 9 liter (97 cf) carbon fiber tank in 3 hours from empty or top off from 3K to 4.5K in an hour.
16. U.S. distributor with excellent product servicing reputation in unlikely event parts or service is required.
17. No first stage compressor or aftermarket accessories required. Set it up and you've got 4500psi air.
18. Closed circuit water cooling system with radiator and fan cooling. No buckets and external water pumps necessary.
Need I say more? I've compared all of the choices available and this one is the best value. Best bang for the buck compressor and the new sheriff in town. After owning a Bauer and seeing what high quality is I couldn't be happier with the Carette.
1. Affordable
2.Plug and Play
3.Excellent fill speed times
4. Quiet running
5. 110 volts with low amp draw. Won't trip a 15 amp breaker under load.
6. Belt driven at low rpms for long term motor and cylinder durability.
7. Digital hour meter to easily monitor filter changes and oil changes
8. Ringless piston design, no complicated rebuilds necessary.
9. Low temperature operation with no overheating concerns.
10. Safety features built in such as overheating and overload shutdown protection.
11. Comes with a factory filter that is owner serviceable. Similar to Diablo filter design.
12. Weighs 66 lbs. with built in handles so it's portable.
13. Auto moisture drain can be manually set to desired times without owner monitoring
14. Auto pressure gauge adjustment can be set and compressor will shut off at desired pressure.
15. Can fill a 9 liter (97 cf) carbon fiber tank in 3 hours from empty or top off from 3K to 4.5K in an hour.
16. U.S. distributor with excellent product servicing reputation in unlikely event parts or service is required.
17. No first stage compressor or aftermarket accessories required. Set it up and you've got 4500psi air.
18. Closed circuit water cooling system with radiator and fan cooling. No buckets and external water pumps necessary.
Need I say more? I've compared all of the choices available and this one is the best value. Best bang for the buck compressor and the new sheriff in town. After owning a Bauer and seeing what high quality is I couldn't be happier with the Carette.
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The distributor receives every Carette from the manufacturer INCLUDING a Carette high pressure filter that is repackable and includes extra filter packing material. It is a well made filter and very similar to the Diablo filter sold by AofA. It cannot use drop in cartridge filter elements like the Alpha. However, it is up to the individual to decide if he wishes
to spend extra for an Alpha filter. I chose not to and am perfectly satisfied with the factory filter. It is up to the buyer to decide how much he is willing to spend for the extras.
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When I received my Carette from Airtanksforsale, there was no repackable high pressure filter included. I did buy the upgraded model with the auto-drain, minus the Alpha filter as I had already bought the alpha filter last year.
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All the pros regarding the compressor (so far) are very good. However, the reason I will not be buying one is while confirmed by other that have purchased either direct or from US distributor saying the same, that the basic unit does (or did) come with a filter, recently the repackable filter has been for some reason omitted (mysteriously) and it just seems in favor of making a purchase of a better one.
The economy unit having no filter has also been confirmed in the vendors section on another forum and never disputed by the distributor.
Basic model has no filter. That is +$300 for whatever that gets you. Now that is the big CON and what makes it not a good deal for me.
The economy unit having no filter has also been confirmed in the vendors section on another forum and never disputed by the distributor.
Basic model has no filter. That is +$300 for whatever that gets you. Now that is the big CON and what makes it not a good deal for me.
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The AV does not have a filter or an auto condensate vent so I felt the Carette was the way to go.
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I was an earlybird buyer who received my Carette directly from the manufacturer so I assumed all Carette's include one since the factory ships them with all Carettes. I agree with Valkyrie00002 that I'd still choose a Carette over an AV because it's a better value in any configuration. There is no doubt that an Alpha filter has benefits that justify its additional cost. It should be an optional upgrade instead of a required purchase. The factory filter is a very effective well built filter and should be included from the distributor in the price of the compressor if that's all a buyer can afford to spend.
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I checked today and got things clarified.
The base Carette without PMV and autodrain is $1399 + shipping.
However, IF AND ONLY IF YOU MENTION THE FORUMS while ordering, they will include the PMV and autodrain for $1399 + shipping.
Being a forum member really helps out.
Also, the current shipments of compressors arriving at JB's do NOT have the Carette filter with them. That was supplied by the manufacturer just for the early birds.
The base Carette without PMV and autodrain is $1399 + shipping.
However, IF AND ONLY IF YOU MENTION THE FORUMS while ordering, they will include the PMV and autodrain for $1399 + shipping.
Being a forum member really helps out.
Also, the current shipments of compressors arriving at JB's do NOT have the Carette filter with them. That was supplied by the manufacturer just for the early birds.
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I have mine for 4 weeks now and also very happy with the quality. The air filter was also in the package.
I opted for the base version but I have added my own PMV valve. The price difference in Europe here is huge between the base and auto-drain version, like 600 dollars!
Mine is mainly for topping off a 10L tank from 220 bar to 300bar.
Here is a FLIR image of the cylinder at the end of a fill, the cylinder heads themselves stay very cool. The only thing getting somewhat warm is the first cylinder wall.
other FLIR are availabe here
I opted for the base version but I have added my own PMV valve. The price difference in Europe here is huge between the base and auto-drain version, like 600 dollars!
Mine is mainly for topping off a 10L tank from 220 bar to 300bar.
Here is a FLIR image of the cylinder at the end of a fill, the cylinder heads themselves stay very cool. The only thing getting somewhat warm is the first cylinder wall.
other FLIR are availabe here
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Carette arrived about 9pm Friday. FEDEX delivered it upside down with the crate sides pulled free from the bottom. Some scuffs and scratches but seems to work fine. I called Joe Sat. morning to report the damage. The only operational issue I have is the female QD on the compressor hose leaks.
I filled 3 SCBA 30 min. bottles Saturday. Took about 9 hours altogether with me setting it up and getting familiar with the machine. Need to take your time and be sure to get all the air out of the coolant lines. Tip the unit on all four sides repeatedly to work the bubbles out.
The compressor ran at least 8 hours pretty continuous without a problem. It's not loud at all. I could barely here it upstairs in the room above my basement work area.
I filled 3 SCBA 30 min. bottles Saturday. Took about 9 hours altogether with me setting it up and getting familiar with the machine. Need to take your time and be sure to get all the air out of the coolant lines. Tip the unit on all four sides repeatedly to work the bubbles out.
The compressor ran at least 8 hours pretty continuous without a problem. It's not loud at all. I could barely here it upstairs in the room above my basement work area.
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If some type of small fluid holding container is connected to the the coolant hoses, it allows all the air to be quickly purged from the cooling system and allows for heat expansion. This is what I did shortly after getting my Carette. Now if I need to drain and refill the cooling system, I just pour the coolant into the container, turn the machine on and tilt the machine slightly rearward. Within in a few seconds all the air in the system is purged into the container.
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