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Obviously want not strictly need! Something to sit in the corner of the garage for bike and car tyres, general blowing crap out of stuff and maybe putting an impact wrench on for car wheels. Just a Clarke job I’d from machine mart or better out there? And will an impact gun need a bigger reservoir or not an issue for the odd wheel change?
Clarke, Screwfix, Lidl, Aldi, will all be fine. At £100-150 they are basically the same thing.
After you use it for more than 10 minutes you’ll be wondering how to make a soundproof box for it to live in. Anything considered quiet will loads of money, they all knock out 85+ db.
For car wheels I use my Makita impact driver with a 1/4” hex to 1/2” square drive attachment. I obviously slacken the wheel bolts first with a breaker bar, then go steady tightening them up, finish with a torque wrench. Far less noise and not restricted by hose length.
Cheapo from Screwfix etc will be big enough for bike and car tyres and the odd impact wrench. If getting one again I'd go for a vertical tank to save space.
Also worth getting a presta/schrader pump head to put on the hoze.
Agreed with all of that. I've got a this for exactly the reason you describe.
I was a cheapskate on the hose though which I regret. A horrible stiff thing, especially in the cold. Buying again I'd buy better.
A note - two (probably more but 2 common ones I'm aware of) different hose fitting standards. Make your life easier and make sure your garage only has one type in use as it saves a lot of faffing around. Unbelievably at the point when I bought that compressor from Screwfix they did not sell (as in they did not have on their books, regardless of if in stock or not, a hose that would fit without changing the fittings...that they also did not supply).
edit - tip number 2 - don't turn it off when it is mid charging the cylinder. I borked the one at work doing this. It leaves the head unit pressurised and do it frequently and leave it for long enough and bad things happen.
Get an air powered brad nailer. Brilliant for little wood DIY projects.
I've got a Stanley compressor. I use the nailer, tyre inflator, paint sprayer to spray ACF50 on my motorbike and air gun/blower thingy for cleaning parts. Really useful bit of kit which I use more than I thought I would.
vertical air compressor, i didn't know about those. that's a cracking idea!
After you use it for more than 10
minutesseconds you’ll be wondering how to make a soundproof box
FTFY bloody hell my linky clarke compressor is loud.
I would also try to go for high flow rate if you are using it for tubeless. This one is 9cfm, if you are less than 5 it might be hard to chase any unseated beads when the bead is a bit bent. One of our plumbers told me that, and he can seal anything to anything..
flow rate is a good shout. has anyone used anything like this to inflate a kids paddling pool or similar. Obviously doesn't need to be high pressure, but would save a lot of foot pumping (have used a 12v tyre inflator previously)
also, presumably you can use them not powered? i.e totally mobile until it runs out of pressure and the pump kicks back in
totally mobile until it runs out of pressure and the pump kicks back in
Yes but that clarke one is 24litres, it doesn't last long...
I would also try to go for high flow rate if you are using it for tubeless. This one is 9cfm, if you are less than 5 it might be hard to chase any unseated beads when the bead is a bit bent. One of our plumbers told me that, and he can seal anything to anything..
Hmmm, not sure about this. I'm no uber expert but the cfm rate stated is the volume of air a minute which the motor can refill the cylinder. This is very important for long spray jobs or when you are attaching air fed masks where you are using more air than contained in the pre-pressurised cylinder and the rate the cylinder is being recharged makes a difference to how long you can continue. For something short and sharp like inflating a bike tyre all that's really relevant is the size of the charged cylinder and maximum discharge pressure. All of these diy jobbies are many times more impressive than necessary for that task.
Clarke/SGS/SIP etc are all rebranded Chinese junk and utter crap.
Look on eBay for a used JunAir - ex dentist silent swing piston compressor. Silent and rebuildable if needed.
I use them at work in industrial environments and they are brilliant.
don’t turn it off when it is mid charging the cylinder. I borked the one at work doing this. It leaves the head unit pressurised
I've always released the pressure after I've turned it off - doesn't that do the same thing?
I’ve always released the pressure after I’ve turned it off – doesn’t that do the same thing?
No. It's the tiny bit of air trapped in the motor head unit that's the problem, not the air in the cylinder. When you hear the motor charging the cylinder at the end as it shuts off you'll hear a 'phishhhhhhhhh'. That's it depressurising the head unit. Turn it off part way through and it doesn't get a chance to finish the operation.
Our problem was we had wired a remote switch outside the spray bay but the actual compressor was two rooms away for noise reasons. You couldn't tell if it was running or not when you turned it off remotely. And we didn't know it was a problem enough to care.
If doing wheel nuts is a priority get something 18V and pistol shaped, I've got all sorts of dusty air tools now that have been completely superseded by my cordless impact gun. Air tools use so much air to do sod all in comparison. Tyre inflation, tubeless and cleaning/drying things is all I use it for now.
Hmmm, not sure about this. I’m no uber expert but the cfm rate stated is the volume of air a minute which the motor can refill the cylinder.
Me neither but the point is the last tyre I inflated was a bugger with leaks everywhere and before it got all the way there the motor kicked back in. I think if the motor is not on as you empty the flow rate decreases.
Clarke/SGS/SIP etc are all rebranded Chinese junk and utter crap.
My SGS 50 litre job is brilliant.
For something short and sharp like inflating a bike tyre all that’s really relevant is the size of the charged cylinder and maximum discharge pressure.
For something like inflating a bike tyre there's probably enough air compressed into the hose alone
Me neither but the point is the last tyre I inflated was a bugger with leaks everywhere and before it got all the way there the motor kicked back in. I think if the motor is not on as you empty the flow rate decreases.
That would have to be a very leaky tyre! Regardless - what sir needed in that case was a larger cylinder. The cfm rate was still not very relevant.
Avoid 2nd hand. Air contains water and this rusts the inside weakening it.
Plenty of horror stories about them exploding,but an honest review here.
Personally I'd go 3HP belt drive with a 50 litre tank or bigger. Belt drive is quieter, runs slower, generates less heat & the pump will definitely last longer than direct drive. The windy gun for the wheel nuts is great but for half inch sq drive a good electric impact gun takes a lot of beating. Air powered impact guns need a lot of air delivered through tubing is big enough not to restrict the flow. Remember to drain the water out of the receiver every other day as corrosion can be a problem. Kaboom
I just ordered a Hyundai hy7524 24l yesterday. Send to get good reviews. If anyone has a recommendation for a presta inflation gun please let me know. Only one I can find is the park tool version at £100!
recommendation for a presta inflation gun please let me know. Only one I can find is the park tool version at £100!
I just got a cheap car one from Toolstation, cut the head off and fitted an SKS track pump head. Works a treat.
recommendation for a presta inflation gun please let me know. Only one I can find is the park tool version at £100!
Same - chopped the supplied head off and replaced with the Decathlon head I linked to earlier.
For seating tubeless it's the size and length of the pipe that are the important factor, try inflating a super single with a 10mm airline and you are going to be in for a long day no matter how big the tank. When inflating mountain bike tyres I always remove the valve core then unscrew the nozzle from a blow gun and push the revealed hole over the valve stem and let it have it, once seated replace the valve and inflate in the normal fashion.
I just bought a Draper schrader pump attachment and then a little presta to schrader adapter similar rto below
Wiggle | LifeLine Presta to Schrader Valve Pump Head Adaptor | Pump Spares
Oh, and oil compressors are quieter but need a bit more maintenance.
oldnick
Full MemberIf doing wheel nuts is a priority get something 18V and pistol shaped,
Yup. Like oldnick I have air tools, I never use them though. My compressor just inflates stuff and blows dust off stuff now, everything else I use cordless for. Hoses and noise are a pain in the chuff when you're going basic and it really doesn't take much hassle before you decide you're better off just using hand tools. Meanwhile DIY level cordless finally got really good a few years ago and absolutely kills air for convenience and ease of access.
(pro level setups are a bit different- if you're dealing with a big workshop sized air compressor, fitted air lines with well placed connections for tools, etc then it's a totally different experience from a DIY compressor and hoses everywhere)
If I was you and i really wanted a compressor for tyres and an air duster, I'd get something specifically for that job and not worry about tools. Or possibly a tyre inflator and a couple of aerosol air duster cans.
Probably talking about a bigger overall spend though, to add a decent 18v impact and charger etc to that- you can get reasonable performance these days from entry level kit (*) but if you're a DIY sort of a person then getting into a quality battery/charger/tool ecosystem with a full range of tools is totally worth it. First tool costs a fortune but the second one's cheap and that's a real eye opener, like "I wish I had a leaf blower, oh, I can get a makita compatible one for £16". I went with Makita 18V but there's a few good options.
(* I had one of these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cordless-Electric-Impact-Wrench-Rattle-Nut-Gun-300Nm-Li-ion-Battery-1-2-Driver/303641756837?hash=item46b27584a5:g:tNgAAOSw~spfKFnc. Comes branded as Draper, Vonhaus among others and is really not bad. Heavy, bulky, not as powerful as my makita 285, but then the tool batteries and charger combined cost about as much as the batteries and charger for the makita and no tool, so...)
Air tools use so much air to do sod all in comparison.
Just what I came on to say. Air tools use a lot of air and you need a big compressor to run them. Nailers are ok but anything rotating, reciprocating or spraying anything more than touching up requires big tanks and big compressors.
It's also an expensive way to run tools. There is a drive in factories to reduce air usage as it costs so much. On low duty cycle actuators to some are trying linear electric actuators. Less good for higher duty cycles though.