Which air compressor to buy?

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I have that exact compressor. Works good for $40, but for cleaning /blowing dirt off the RC car, you get about 30 seconds of good pressure, then another 30 seconds of ok-but-not-great pressure, then you get to wait 10 minuets for it to fill up again.

Also, the outlet regulator went out on it after about 10 minutes of use. Not a huge issue, as I just got a second $10 HF regulator and added it to the outlet. But, just shows how crappy the quality of HF stuff is.

When I had a new fence put in last year, they fence guy had one of these:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-4...wered-Silent-Air-Compressor-3320445/305026725
Was pretty quiet, and cycled up to pressure pretty quick. When my HF compressor dies, or when I get tired of it, that is the next one I will buy.
Welp, guess I'm not buying it now LOL. I wish I could use something that big but I live in an apartment and space is at a premium sadly.
 
I have that exact compressor. Works good for $40, but for cleaning /blowing dirt off the RC car, you get about 30 seconds of good pressure, then another 30 seconds of ok-but-not-great pressure, then you get to wait 10 minuets for it to fill up again.

Also, the outlet regulator went out on it after about 10 minutes of use. Not a huge issue, as I just got a second $10 HF regulator and added it to the outlet. But, just shows how crappy the quality of HF stuff is.

When I had a new fence put in last year, they fence guy had one of these:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-4...wered-Silent-Air-Compressor-3320445/305026725
Was pretty quiet, and cycled up to pressure pretty quick. When my HF compressor dies, or when I get tired of it, that is the next one I will buy.
I can agree, I got a rebadged version of it, the time it takes to fill and the amount of air pressure you get is terrible. I use a leaf blower instead.
 
I don’t really need an air compressor but it’d be nice for cleaning out the RC cars. My point is that it would only be used for that.

What do you have and would you recommend it? Noise level is a primary criterion. Thanks.

I got a Harbor Freight Fortress 2 gal compressor, the thing is very quiet (while pressuring up) And FAST -less than 2 minute to fill up to full pressure and keeps it there easily. Use it for cleaning RCs and has Plenty of other uses too.
It uses a fairly large brushless motor to run dual compressors.

Fortress-2gal-compressor.jpg

Fortress-2gal-compressor_BackView.jpg


I didn't believe how quiet it was until I had the employee power it up in the store. Impressive.
I highly recommend it.
 
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I have that exact compressor. Works good for $40, but for cleaning /blowing dirt off the RC car, you get about 30 seconds of good pressure, then another 30 seconds of ok-but-not-great pressure, then you get to wait 10 minuets for it to fill up again.

Also, the outlet regulator went out on it after about 10 minutes of use. Not a huge issue, as I just got a second $10 HF regulator and added it to the outlet. But, just shows how crappy the quality of HF stuff is.

When I had a new fence put in last year, they fence guy had one of these:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-4...wered-Silent-Air-Compressor-3320445/305026725
Was pretty quiet, and cycled up to pressure pretty quick. When my HF compressor dies, or when I get tired of it, that is the next one I will buy.
Yeah, the HF is pretty crappy with the amount of time you get before it has to recycle. You definitely get what you pay for. I bought it mainly to air up all the toys in the garage and driveway. Yesterday did 2 cars, 2 motorcycles, trailer, and it wasn't too bad. Won't buy again for the reason you stated.
lol I love the search feature and this forum. Thank you for posting this! think i'm going to try it out.
For $40 it's ok but it takes awhile to recycle after constant use, you get what you pay for.
 
Just looked at those Husky compressors.. Their compressor motors look exactly like the ones off the HF Fortress models.. How funny.
 
Just looked at those Husky compressors.. Their compressor motors look exactly like the ones off the HF Fortress models.. How funny.
A lot of companies don't make their own parts but buy from the manufacturer and rebrand them. May be what's going on there.
 
For just RC use, Get any cheap 5 gallon Pancake compressor. 5 gal. Minumum is just right.
I also use a portable leaf blower at times. Mostly out in the field to blow off the heavy stuff to transport my rigs back home.
But great to have a compressor if you are so inclined. A very big time saver. Just be careful with all that pressure near the BB's. It will actually push dirt into the BB's. No good.
A lot of companies don't make their own parts but buy from the manufacturer and rebrand them. May be what's going on there.
+1
 
For just RC use, Get any cheap 5 gallon Pancake compressor. 5 gal. Minumum is just right.
I also use a portable leaf blower at times. Mostly out in the field to blow off the heavy stuff to transport my rigs back home.
But great to have a compressor if you are so inclined. A very big time saver. Just be careful with all that pressure near the BB's. It will actually push dirt into the BB's. No good.

+1
+2
Craftsman Pancake, 160psi 6 gallon, but it will rock your house on wood floors :oops:
 
These guys are supposed to be very quiet. 60 decibels is fine for an apartment, makes as much noise as a dish washer.
https://www.californiaairtools.com/...actor-grade/1-0-hp-air-compressors/cat-2010a/
Nice find there. I'm feeling that for sure.(y)(y)
I live in a home, but I like to wrench at night, I wake everyone up here. So it's problem. Even my cat freaks out.:(
I have a Campbell Housefeld 5 gal Pancake. A workhorse, super quick recovery. But dam it shakes the house!

20220123_143741.jpg

BTW, best to store your compressor with no pressure AND the Tank Drain Left Open to air out. Or the tank will def. rust out from moisture. You will get rusty dirty wet air blowing out. I even use a water separator, helps just bit though. Depends how humid the air is on a given day.
For Air Brushing use, a water Separator and an Inline Air Regulator is almost a prerequisite.
 
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A clean dedicated paint brush along with some air is all you need for the most part. Even a shop vac using the blower end is all you need. Many of us have shop vac already.
 
^^^ yes, and there is the good stuff out there too.(y)
 
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