Looking to upgrade my HPA Source... But, confused about my options... Thoughts?

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sharathkumar

sharathkumar

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Sep 9, 2019
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Tennessee, United States
I currently own a 100 cu.ft / 3300 PSI SCUBA Tank, and I use it to refill the 2 Airguns in my collection:

  • A Kalibr Cricket (.25 cal) ... Which can be charged upto 300 bar.
  • A LCS SK-19 (.25 cal) ... Which can be charged upto 250 bar.



My Local DiveShops do Refills pretty cheap:

  • A 4500 psi fill costs $10.
  • A 3500 psi fill costs $7.



But, they charge a pretty penny for Hydros and Visuals:

  • Hydrostatic Testing (Once every 5 years) - $50 - $60
  • Visual Inspection (Once every year) - $15 - $20



My closest DiveShop is approx. 40 miles / 50 mins away. Factor in 30 min of sitting-around-at-the-store-to-make-sure-the-kid-that-works-there-doesn't-slam-fill-my-tank - and each round trip, for an HPA top-up, takes me about 2.5 - 3 hours.



I bought the SCUBA tank back when I (only) owned a Benjamin Marauder. And since the Mrod could only be charged to 3000 psi - I got a looooooot of refills before I had to go back to the Scuba shop ... But, now that I've upgraded my Airguns - which need higher fill-pressures - I find myself needing to run to the Dive Shop more and more often!

( Right now, I'm going there about once a week! )


So, I think it's time for me to upgrade my HPA source as well !!



Off the top of my head, my HPA Refill options are:



(a) Get a 100 cu.ft 4500 psi tank + Stick with getting it filled at my local Dive Shop

I can pickup a New Omega 4500 psi / 100 cu.ft Tank from AoA for around $700 or a JB Great White for around $850.

( I'm also aware of the AceCare tanks which cost less ... But, since they're not DoT certified - my Local DiveShop won't fill em )


I've been monitoring the Classifieds for a Used SCBA tank - but when I factor in the cost of getting a fresh Hydro + Visual Inspection (Approx. $75) - It seems to me that buying a New Tank with 100% life (and no need for a Hydro + Vis) is more cost-effective than buying something that buying a used Tank, with 10 years of usable life for $500 - $650.

( I understand the argument that you can use a SCBA past it's 15 year life ... But, in my mind, that's akin to people saying you can use OJ/Food/Medicine beyond it's Expiration date ... Sure - you might be able to do that ... But, in my mind, the chances of something going bad/wrong increases exponentially after the Use-By date ... And that is a Risk I'm not willing to take with a 4500 psi metal container 5 feet away from where I sit 10 - 12 hours a day! )



Since I'll get more Shots per HPA refills with a 4500 SCBA psi tank v/s my 3300 psi SCUBA tank - given my current AG shooting needs - I think I'll be able to go 1 - 2 months per refill, making the amount-of-time-I-need-to-waste-on-the-road more "tolerable" per se!!!



(b) Get a TableTop Compressor

As I understand it, these TableTop compressors can't really fill a SCBA/SCUBA tank directly (or maybe they can, but will probably burn out in the process). But, since I only really own/shoot 2 AGs now - it might not be such a big trade-off to have to fill the gun directly from the Compressor ... But, like all of you fellow AG addicts, I mean hobbyists, know - a 2 AG collection can suddenly expand to a 10 AG collection in a years time (I know this - cause I picked up 5 new AGs last year!) 

Also, truth be told, I'm not super-enthused about the idea of having to listen to an ultra-noisy motor every other-day, for 5 - 10 mins at a time, whilst doing those refills.



I'm not super mechanically inclined ... So, I'd prefer to buy something with a (extended) warranty, so that I can have someone else fix it if something goes wrong!

Also, these don't pop-up often on the Classifieds ... And if/when they do - the Economics involved makes it a very unappealing !!



(c) Get a 100 cu.ft 4500 psi tank + A Full Size Compressor

This is definitely the best and most desirable option ... But, with a price point of close to $3000 - and with Tax season just around the corner, and the fewer-than-desirable zeros in my Bank Account (and let's not forget the missus) - This is a "HELL NO!" option at this time !!! :D 



(d) Getting a 6000 psi Nitrogen Fill Tank

I spent a few hours searching the inter-webs for suppliers in my (Knoxville, TN) area - but didn't find any useful/actionable pricing-information.

( Let me rephrase that - the only options/leads that I managed to dig up had an estimated cost of around $400 - $600 per year )

Purely, based on the price point - this option didn't seem to make a lot of sense to me !!!





Is there something else that I'm missing?

Any additional thoughts/inputs/opinions/suggestions that can provide that can help me make a better/informed decision ?





Thanks in advance! :) 
 
You have a pretty good summary.

I started with the tank and paintball shop option. Like you, a 45 minute drive got old. 

I considered the cheap compressor option. Because I wanted something that just works when I go to use it every time. I passed on that option. Many do work great. I didn’t want to deal with the worry of when it will die.

I purchased a large compressor. It was very good and convenient. The large one time cost, coupled with some unexpected bills last year forced me to sell off some stuff and take a break. I sold it, and have been hesitant to put that kind of money back in one.

I switched to Nitrogen this fall and am extremely happy. You need to call. Nothing on the web for actual costs really, and the guesses I was making based on their price list was way off. You do have to buy a valve, but I’ve seen a few for cheap lately used. The cost for me is $75 per year tank rental and $75 per fill. I am happy with that cost. 
 
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Depending on what you do and with two guns, do you really need a tank at all? I own multiple guns and no tanks. I use an Omega Air Charger to fill my guns ($1150 AOA). When I go hunting or pesting I take two guns with which I can easily get well over 100 shots. That's more than enough for my days out. I've had the Omega for over two years with zero problems.
 
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Compressors are expensive and they require maintenance. They are noisy and slow .

Depending on how valuable your time is you COULD buy two 100 cu ft 4500 psi tanks and it might be all you need 

Everyone try’s to figure out the cheapest way to do this. I’m telling you from my experience it’s a wash.

In stead of trying to figure out what’s the cheap way come at it from the stand point what’s the most convenient. 

If you buy two tanks you’ll have $1700 in it and pretty much guaranteed no problems for ten years. 

The cost will be time and car expenses plus a little for the fills. Figure out how many trips you might need to make. Probably wash as compared to buying a compressor depreciation and repairs over the years . Or a nitrogen tank 

The cost of nitrogen tank as compared to a compressor is a dead heat. Everyone thinks nitrogen is expensive but they are not factoring in the cost to maintain buy and depreciation a compressor 

if you have to make too many trips to the fill station and that’s not CONVENIENT then I would go nitrogen tank just because it’s clean dry quick and easy (convenient again) 

if I was going to go compressor and if I was young enough to justify I’d try to buy a good used breath air quality compressor that was way over kill thinking this other paint ball air gun stuff is relative junk compared to the “good” stuff 

my opinion and I know it’s a extreme one. These nomads and daystate units don’t handle 4500 psi well for extended periods of time. Those that haven’t broken WILL

the Chinese compressor are probably good bang fo the buck but I’m not interested in fooling with water cooling. Again convenience

Just for some back ground. I bought a daystate 110 compressor thinking I had it covered. A year in it broke . For the money I was disappointed. Right now I’m using nitrogen and it ain’t cheap but I think it’s a wash for the money and like I said for me it’s the most convenient .

Good luck no right or wrong way to do this

if I could get clean dry air from a dive shop or fire house or paint ball store I’d gladly spend the time. But I’m retired .
 
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@hawkeye69 - I think what you're suggesting is Option (b) BUT instead of using a table-top compressor, using a full-size compressor ... Right ?

Not a bad idea at all 👍
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Correct. The Omega Air Charger is a good deal and just using it to fill your guns, it should last for many years. I don't have much faith in the portable units, but that's open to debate.
 
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sharathkumar where do you do your shooting? If on your property you may find you don't need a large tank at all and can sell the one you have to help fund the HPA source. I use a 90cu-in tank because I shoot in my yard and to bubblerboy64's point which I agree with "daystate units don’t handle 4500 psi well for extended periods of time." which is why I have not upgraded the capacity. The 90 cu-in fill is 2 minutes warm up, ~3-4 minutes (if that) fill to 4500, ~2-3 minutes cool down. I can get about 3-4 fills on my Brocock Commander and quite a few fills more on the Concept Lite. Unlimited air is a really nice thing to have. Some days I only shoot 10 rounds, other days, I may be out with the kids plinking for 2 hours/2,000 rounds.

In the end bubbler was spot on, it's about what works for you. One thing I would hate is having to constantly forecast the future or have a really nice day for plinking and no air. Now, speaking from experience, the "buy once, cry once" and "go big" mottos are spot on. You'll save more money in the long run by purchasing quality up front.

Hope this helped
 
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I was in the same boat. I have a Huben which eats alot of air and pellets. I fill it to 300-350bar. I have a big oxygen tank it's stands about 5ft tall, it looks like a welding tank which I purchased for $275. My supplier only charges $15 to fill it. It works fine for awhile but then starts running low due to the high pressure fills.

I now use my Vevor(Yong Heng clone) to fill my Huben. Takes about 3 minutes. It works great. I didn't break the bank buying it. Just make sure you use the long yellow filter with it. I like mine. 
 
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Can someone please explain to me how the booster/shop compressor works? I was told that I’m only using about 30% of the air in my tank when I feel my texan cf, so I’m starting to feel like I’m missing out on a lot of shots Bc of this and pushing towards buying a compressor to fill myself at home.
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Apparently, boosters use a shop compressor as the first stage then take that pressure and further compress it to tank pressure. Seems they are quite reliable but very slow. Research Altaros (europe) and Shoebox (usa) for info. Shoebox F10 seems to be loved by owners.
 
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If you can hold out a couple months, JSAR might have a Xisico version 2 compressor at some point and Umarex will have a new computer controlled unit by Summer. Both should be under $500 and be of the very slow fill with hi reliability models. If you need high speed or want to make money filling for friends, There is a new Hill ec3000 around $1000.
 
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If you can hold out a couple months, JSAR might have a Xisico version 2 compressor at some point and Umarex will have a new computer controlled unit by Summer. Both should be under $500 and be of the very slow fill with hi reliability models. If you need high speed or want to make money filling for friends, There is a new Hill ec3000 around $1000.
Click to expand...

The Hill wouldn't be a candidate for making money filling for friends as it is only designed to fill guns directly.
 
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