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Oiless or oil lubed compressor?

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3K views 22 replies 20 participants last post by  Bluepine38 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
So, I haven't hade much time lately to finish setting up my shop and use my new Grizzly table saw. I have been at a friends helping with some renovations. But I am going to have a little money and want to get a compressor. I would like one that has enough capacity to feed a spray gun, but I am unsure what kind to get. My question is, if i buy an oil lubed compressor do I have to worry about oil getting into the spray gun and ruining my finish? Am I better off getting an oilless compressor? I was looking at this Campbell Hausfeld as a possibility or a similar one from Harbor Freight. Any info or opinions are appreciated!
 
#3 ·
I've got a Porter Cable pancake style oil-less compressor and while it does a fine job (finish nail gun and staple gun) it's mighty freaking loud. I plan on building a rolling cabinet for it to curb the noise, or maybe even build a shed outside my garage to tuck it away into… I regret not getting the other kind but it would have cost twice as much and I dont use it that often…

There's my 2 cents on the matter.
 
#4 ·
Brenda T.

I'm some what new at this fourm thing, but I've been woodworking off and on for about thirty years. I am still on my original oil lubed compressor that runs about twenty hours a week. I doubt that an oilless compressor would stand up to that type of use. Reguardless of which type of compressor you get you should install a water/oil trap (filter) on the discharge from the compressor to trap any oil or condensation caused by the warm / hot air in the tank cooling off and forming water in the bottom of the tank, and causing it to rust out. The amount of condensation is mostely dependant on the humidity. If Bodega Bay is very dry, such as Palm Desert or Phoenix, AZ. then you shouldn't have to worry about condensation very much, and would need to drain the tank once a week, if you are using it every day. On the other hand if it's rainy most of the time like it is here in Washington state, I drain my tank every day completely when I'm done for the day. Hope this helps.
 
#5 ·
It's my opinion that all compressors need oil. The ones that don't use it will eventually wear out because the lack of a lubricant. I have a small 30 gallon oiling compressor that I got from Lowes and it seems to handle everything I throw at it. There have been a couple of times when I had to stop working to let the compressor catch up but not many. The ones that use oil are quieter than the oilless ones. I also am NOT a fan of Campbell Hausfeld.
 
#6 · (Edited by Moderator)
Brenda...My $.02 here too…..An oil less system is loud for sure…A small capacity compressor like what you have posted might get you by if you have a HVLP sprayer ??.....Too small of a compressor capacity may be cumbersome during finishing …Other than capacity there's PSI…. And another important factor to look at is the CFM… What is the PSI and CFM requirements of your spray equipment and your other air tools…...I think no matter which compressor type you chose, you will want to look into a air dryers that include dual pre-filters (particulate and coalescing) to remove contaminates, water and/or oil from the lines….or even a more elaborate desiccant dryer system….
Again this is my $.02….Maybe someone will post more helpful info
 
#8 ·
Thanks everyone for your replies. I was leaning to the oil lubed type anyway. I know that the maintenance guys where I live use one of the porter cable pancake types, and it is loud. But the price is very good on the smaller ones like the Porter Cable.

I hadn't thought that the oilless would need a dryer, but PapaJohn and KDC make a good point that I should get a dryer/trap regardless.

KDC, I checked out HVLP spray guns and they seem to need about 45 CFM at about 40 psi so that is my criteria. I can't go with too large a compressor due to cost and space.

I guess my search is on for an oil lubed compressor!

Thanks everyone!
 
#9 ·
I have an oilless compressor that is at least 20 years old it gets used 5-10 hours every week it is loud but still works very well, I just have it in another room and then the noise doesn't matter.
 
#11 ·
I've got a 10yr old 33gal Craftsman oilless compressor and indeed it is loud. I bought it when all I had for it was pumping tires and a rare need for an air-ratchet. Now it gets used daily. What I did not know then is that this thing has 6hp peak BUT 2hp RUNNING. Fill times are longer so that means the loud noise lasts longer as well.

If I had it to do all over again, I would have gone with an oil lubed type and higher hp. This was my first compressor and it has lasted for my needs, however… woulda, coulda, shoulda…
 
#12 ·
Oiled. Quieter and lasts longer.

That said, for spraying, even with an oilless you'd still need a water/oil filter.
The pros at car shops and similar places use compressed air for spraying, but after using a compressor system for a couple of years, I recently switched to a turbine for spraying (fuji mini-mite 4) and wish I had done so when I first started spraying.

Depending on the gun, you'll need a very beefy compressor. For me, to run a full size gun (the qualspray QS-600WB is a great gun sold by homestead finishing) I would need a good sized compressor, which would cost almost as much as a turbine unit.

The pros for the turbine are no filters needed and compact size. A 4 stage will spray most anything.
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
Be aware, there are two types of oil lubed compressors; a direct drive type and a belt driven type. The latter is the one to get. The former is almost as noisy as the oil-free types. I think you are going to have to pay at least $250 for a belt driven type compressor.
If all you want a compressor for is painting, I would go with a HVLP type compressor.
 
#15 ·
I retired an oiled compressor after 30+ years. I needed a replacement, so I found a deal on a Craftsman oiless. It was so loud that I am giving it to a son (he will only use it to fill tires etc) and bought myself a oiled 60gal unit. Now I have a quiet compressor with enough capacity for almost anything I want to throw at it.
 
#16 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have an oil-less compressor - which I bought because it was cheap. I regret the purchase because it is the most annoying (too loud for what it does) power tool in the shop. I will outright recommend spending more on a oiled compressor. AND - don't go by name brands or deals, go by owner reviews of particular models.
 
#19 ·
I appreciate everyone's opinions and am definitely going for the oil lubed compressor. Right now I am leaning toward the Makita MAC5200. It is more than I wanted to spend, but it seems to be the least I can get and still operate an HVLP gun. I was mistaken when I thought I saw a gun that operated at 4.5 CFM as the ones I looked at recently seem to want about 6 CFM.

My other option would be a smaller compressor (cheaper) and buy an HVLP spray rig with a turbine. Still trying to decide on which way to go there, but if I get a smaller one it would be oil lubricated.

I have looked for a belt driven unit but they all seem to be > $350 to $400 and larger than my space will allow.
 
#20 ·
You'll like that Makita and will likely not regret spending a bit extra for the extra capacity. I almost bought that same compressor, but ultimately went with a oil-lube Senco. The Senco is good, but I often wish I went with the Makita for the extra capacity and HP.
 
#21 ·
Oilless compressors are for children and hybrid drivers. They are cheap, loud and don't withstand moderate use.

Buy a oiled compressor. Buy bigger than you think you need (motor and tank size) and get a good quality filter. It will last you many years.
 
#22 ·
Brenda, that's what I did.
I did spend a good amount of a turbine (~$900 for the spray system and a bunch of accessories), but that was for a 4 stage unit. You can get by for less by going for a 2 or 3 stage unit. 3 stages will spray most coatings, but some will need thinning. 2 stage will need a more thinning that a 3 stage. The earlex 5500 is a nice starter sprayer, but fuji and apollo make good entry level units for only a bit more.

For a compressor I like the rol-air JC10. I don't use it for anything but nail guns and for blowing dust out of the way. It's portable, light and very quiet. In my small shop, the compact size and light weight are big advantages.

Disregard the comment about oilless compressors being cheap/loud etc. Oiled are generally better, but there's quality oilless models out there too. Thomas are some of the best compressors (though I'm not sure if they're still in business) and they're oilless. The rol-air JC10 is oilless and operates at 69db.
 
#23 ·
Almost any compressor you buy will only have a drain plug in the bottom that is hard to reach, and you do not want to take this out with pressure in the tank. When I bought my first compressor, I bought the pipe fittings
and a ball valve so the valve was easily accessible. I put a clear hose on the valve and ran it outside. You can
see the water coming out of the compressor when you open the valve. You will still need an in line water
trap, but this will cut down on water in the compressor. As a young wrench bender, it was one of my chores
to blow the water out of the big shop compressor every morning. Just make sure the hose is not aimed at
the wrong person or item when you open the valve, and yes it can be loud.
 
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