Here I go again!

At $2000 you not far from an entry level Scuba compressor that will work.

For $500 you can buy a brand new Shoebox that will run like a tank for a decade or more.

I'm about 10 fills in on my nomad 2 so far and love it. Used both the ac and car battery to power it and runs like a champ. 

....on my own, Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known 

like a drifter I was born to walk alone 

an’ I’ve made up my mind, I ain’t wasting no more time....

I have an Altaros, I think the Shoebox would do as well, it’s slowwww, but ticks along like a Seiko watch. If I ever change it will be for a Mac daddy Daystate or Nardi. I gave my $ to AirVenturi once too many. Maybe the Nomad is good to go, but I will never but another AV compressor after my first and only experience. 

The shoebox isn't fast, but I'm rarely in a rush when my tank needs to be topped off and its way quicker and far cheaper than driving to a dive shop that's 20 miles away and never actually gets my tank to 4500 PSI. I have one of the very early SB models and I have it set to fill to just under 4700 PSI. I've spent $18 and about 30 minutes of my time on maintenance on it in the last 5 years and that was when I rebuilt it a couple of months back. It takes a little over an hour to go from 3000 PSI to ~4700 and I just fire it up and let it run while I'm doing something else. My only complaint about the shoe box is the POS Lowes Kobalt Compressor that I'm fronting it with which sounds like a misfiring Indy car. I keep hoping for it to die so I can buy California Air without feeling a little bit guilty about it . Maybe I will give it to my father in law.

LOL! I got lucky and my Husky compressor died not long after I bought it to run my Altaros. Got my $ back and got a 15 Gal. Dewalt, been filling without problems ever since. 

Hope you have better luck with the FD than I did. I paid visits to 3 local stations and asked about getting my 75cu ft CF tank filled and received 3 polite na-ahs. I offered to make some kind of charitable contribution - na-ah. I paid the paintball store $35/fill a couple of times before getting a Carette from Joe B. The freedom offered by having your own air source is only as good as the reliability of that source. So far the Carette has proven to be very reliable Uj

If you have a shop compressor that will hold 100 psi go for a shoebox #10 Life will get better right away. I had the same issue with trying to get outside source to fill my tanks if you are not their buddy or not willing to pay big bucks they are not interested The shoe box is so simple it hurts. . Paint ball stores are not the way to go dive shops are not interested fire depts are slowly moving away due to legal issues. or they just do not want to. 

I’ve been filling SCBA tanks to 4500 psi with my Young Heng $250 China special for over a year now with no problems. I’ve added $200 in filters, but it’s a workhorse. Just keep clean hydraulic fluid in it and it runs great. Takes me 45 minutes to fill a 60min SCBA tank from 0-4500. I keep frozen milk jugs on hand to add to my water bucket and it keeps the temp at 45-50 degrees centigrade during the entire fill process.

"This Air gunning experience has been very frustrating and wish I never got involved. Joe"

Joe, this frustrating experience you refer to may be what is referred to as Learning Curve. I too experienced that frustration, I too know that empty feeling of buying a $500+ air tank on the word of a local paint ball place that they could fill me, only to be told after the fact that indeed, no, they would not fill my tank. So, yes, it was frustrating, but boy I'm I glad I persevered and pulled through. Airguns may not be for you, that's cool, but you are in one of the best places you can be to get the information and advice that can turn that frown upside down. 

Some of the advice you get from the folk here may be spot on, perfect, a little off, or just plain hogwash. BUT I believe with all my heart that folk here will give the best advice possible, advice that comes from that place called: Been There, Done That! If you sort through it all you will see a common thread forming in what different people tell you, that may be a good starting point. If it's confusing, just ask, someone will be happy to point you in the right direction. 

To be blunt, taking your tank to get filled anywhere is usually most emphatically not the way to go. Some people are lucky enough to be able to do it that way, and it works for them, but not the best option for the vast majority. Either rent a 6000psi Nitrogen tank, or get a decent compressor, even a booster is WAY better than driving anywhere to get filled. 

Not all airguns require compressed air source. I have a Springer that puts some folks PCP groups to shame, and I'm just a novice that only shoots at 30 yards and has a LOT to learn. 

Either way, I hope you work through it and find the joy in partaking in this wonderful hobby/sport. 

Warm Regards

Christian 

OP, your statement "This Air gunning experience has been very frustrating and wish I never got involved" is EXACTLY why I have not gotten into PCP rifles! The peripherals cost more than the rifle, so I'm VERY happy with my springers!!! Plus they are more challenging to shoot. I'm personally very glad I got into it, but I recall Clint Eastwood's famous line as 'Dirty Harry'..."A man's gotta know his limitations"...and I was fortunate enough to understand those limitations before I...mmm...pulled the trigger on PCP's!!! Good luck to ya on your quest for independence!!!

That is great news. Glaf to hear things are turning around for ya! It definitely has been frustrating at times, but also so much fun. I’m personally not done yet, I think I want a few more toys and tweek a few more things. I’m confident that once I have the ones that work for me I can settle down and just enjoy the ride. 

I keep putting off buying a HPA compressor because of the fear of it taking a crap on me. Thats alot of cash on a compressor only to have it go out in a short time. Lucky for me AoA is only about 4 miles from my house so I dont have to drive far to get my tank filled. So until I decide on what compressor to get ill just keep getting airguns. I have however been looking at the daystate line of compressors and they seem to be a reliable option.

I have the basic Omega Compressor. It is well built and dependable. I also have a small Omega 18 cu ft portable tank. AoA now lists the basic @ 1150.00. The Turbo Chargers, in my thinking are gimmicky, when you fill to fast you create more heat. At any rate, once you have a source of air, it makes things much more pleasant. Prices are coming down on air chargers. For instance I paid 1395.00 for mine in Nov 2018. So, as the competition heats up the prices will come down. Once the nervousness wears off and you get comfortable with the refilling process, you will clearly appreciate the convenience of an air charger. One of my goals is to find a solid distributor of air guns and support equipment in my area. Shipping things cross country, I believe, can contribute to issues when not handled or packaged incorrectly. These air chargers are heavy and in large boxing. They end up in non conveyable containers which requires more energetic handling than items that move through a conveyable system. I would gladly drive to ATL from Greenville Sc to pickup my purchases rather than gamble on the shipping process. Hope things work out for you.