The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Husky air compressor

I've been shopping around for an air compressor and saw a Husky 60 gal 3.2 hp at Home Depot for about $450. Has anyone had experience with this brand? It looks like a reasonable deal but I'd like to hear from someone with experience with this compressor. Thanks.

I think all the "department store compressors" are made by pretty much the same manufacturers and they do ok for intermittent home use.

You might want to do a search of this forum using "compressor" as your search criteria. The subject has been discussed at length in the past. If you're planning to use air tools frequently you'll need high CFM capacity.

I also looked at all of them and when the looking was over I bought an Ingersol Rand from my local Tractor Supply store.I paid $899. for it on sale. It is a 5 HP 2 stage compressor on a 80 gal.tank.An upright unit. It has served me very well.Ingersol also makes some smaller ones on 60 gal.tanks.Might wanna ck.them out before you buy.

Go with a piston compressor. Those pancake diaphram types are noisy and slow to build pressure. M.O.

It's amazing how much air it takes to run some tools like grinders, sanders and drills. I have a Kobalt 60-gallon rig (3.7 Running HP, 11.5 SCFM @ 90 PSI) that's probably very similar to yours and it works "okay"... but I must admit that I've bought some corded electric tools because I want to "save" the compressor for things I absolutely need it for, like blasting and high-speed cutting wheels.

If you are set on using air for everything you better start thinking more in the 80-gal range with more CFM. I know that's not what you want to hear but this is the voice of experience talking. I just KNEW that 60-gallon compressor could handle it... not!

I have been looking at compressors too. Most appear to be about 10-10.5 cfm rating. There is one triple head at Tractor supply, their house brand boasting 13.5cfm on a 60 gal tank for $599. Not decided that one or go for a 2 stage 80 gal tank with 16-17 cfm at around $1100-1800 depending on source. Keep in mind your electrical panel, I have seen some rated up to 40 amps. Also everything I have seen over 25 gal is 220V. I will have a QUALIFIED electrician verify my box and deal with what the house can handle. A fire due to overload will upset spouses.....
Brad

If you plan on using a lot of air, there is no comparison to an industrial type compressor such as Champion, Quincy, Kellogg. IR still makes good ones, but they have some to compete with department store compressors. Volume of tanks is also very important. We have several tanks with no compressor heads just for air during peak periods. I would sure look at 220 volt.

gotta add something else here.Buy the best one you can afford,and never worry about having too much air.

I coughed up the extra $$ and got the Ingersoll Rand 60 gallon compressor. I was planning to pour a small slab outside my shop to mount it. I have a 6' overhang on my roof that should shelter it. The owners manual says it should be installed inside the building. I've seen lots of compressors outside with minimal shelter. Is it really necessary to put this compressor inside my shop? I can do it if needed but I'd rather have it outside. Any advice will be appreciate.

If you're going to pour a small slab anyway, make it big enough that you can frame around the compressor to isolate it from the weather. IMHO if the manufacturer says to keep it out of the weather, it probably should be kept out of the weather. Also, before you fasten it to the floor, lay it on it's side and replace the draincock with an elbow & enough line to clear the bottom of the compressor then put the drain there. That is unless you like crawling around on the ground/floor to drain water off.

I saw a guy who got one of those portable toilets and put his compressor in it after removing the throne.

Talk about crap in your air lines!

TeeHee

I was at Home Depot and the clerk told me that their compressors were made by CAMBEL HOUSFIELD. Theirs are red with a different sticker than the Blue ones you see everywhere.
Food for thought...
Brad

The HD here has transitioned to all Husky branded air tools including compressors. I decided to try the Husky high-speed cut off tool because of the clear guard and it works very well... 1/3 HP and lots of torque for like $40. I also picked up their high-speed angle cut-off tool and I'm happy with it too.

I'm sure someone out there found a better tool for less money so let's hear it.

And be prepared to mop up all the oil that spills out. I took Tiny's advice when I bought mine but I left it upright... it's a good idea, but if it's got oil in it you're better off not laying it down.

Don't stuff around.
Get the very best that you can find within the budget you have.
For me this meant searching the 2nd hand market.
I ended up with a unit pretty much the same as DALE937 is suggesting.

I picked up a SIP English made compressor second hand.

Why.........'cause you can get much bigger than you could normally afford paying for a brand new unit.

I now have a top quality 25 CFM, 3 Phase 5.5 HP, Twin Cylinder, 2 Stage compressor running a 200 litre tank.

These retail for around $2 700.

2nd hand 2 year old I paid $350.

Why pay top dollar for cheap new crap.
Go 2nd hand quality equipment and you will NEVER look back!

Don't try to save a few dollars and end up with a tool that will forever struggle to live up to your expectations.

P.S. I mounted this up behind my main shed on the 2nd story and ran lines to 2 separate water trap/reels in the main shed.
This saves having to put up with a heap of noise every time you use a bit of air!

That's good advice, too bad deals like the one you got are very few and very far between.

You are right CZECHMAN,

But they are there if you are prepared to sit back and watch the trading posts and papers for a few months before handing over your "Hard Earned"

I do this with EVERYTHING that I buy.
Scour the market, pick the cream and strike only when you are happy that a no better deal can be found.
This has done me proud for years and seen my shed equipment match most commercial shops.........but for a 1/4 of the price.

I'd say 3.2 HP is under powered for a 50 gal. tank. doc bob makes a lot of sense, you can get more bang for your buck if you're willing to shop the resale market. Also, if the advertised CFM is 9 or 10, remember that's probably the best it can do under ideal circumstances and more than likely cannot sustain that level for more than a few seconds. If you're going to spray paint, die grind or sand, get as high a CFM as you possible can afford.

A lot of good advice here.True if you can find a good used unit at a reasonable price that would be darn good. I have found that a lot of the used erquip. is just about ready for the bone yard. If you can find a good used unit go for it. On the other hand when looking for a new one look for a good brand name,and the highest CFM you can afford. I purchased an Ingersol Rand two years ago and it has performed really well,I just hope it keeps it up.Course even a good name piece of eqip.can take a dump at any given time.When I bought my house there was an old Champion air compressor in the garage.It dates back to 1956,and it still works OK. But it does take a long time to pump up from zero PSI to 140PSI,then it leaks off a little bit.And yeah you guessed it there are no parts available for it,way too old, so I bought the new IR unit.If there were parts available I would rebuild the old Champion.

I still have a couple of old 200 gallon Champions in our systems for storage in our systems that came from our service stations of the 50's
. Parts are still available. I buy them from Sanky Equipment in San Antonio. They have large tanks and I have them plumbed into the system for extra storage capacity. I have a 7 1/2 and a 10 horse set to kick in at about 160 and the two old champions to kick in at about 150 so they run very little. I also have a couple of Curtis tanks in the system for extra storage. I found the Curtiss pumps to be a disappointment. But then again there has been times when the magnetic starter went bad on one of the bigger ones. When we are changing truck tires and have several 1" drive air wrenches going and inflating tires at the same time, as well as air grinders, it takes a lot of air. We run the whole system through a large refrigerated air drier which really helps. And then we use a dissicant drier on top of that to paint and use a plasma cutter. The electric company wants $20 thousand to put 3 Phase in my shop. Our shop is several hundred yards behind a truck stop that has three phase. I am toying around with a 25 horse three phase compressor there and running a 1 1/2 inch pipe back to the shop. What I call department store compressors are build for price competition and are for very limited use. IR has even gotten into this.

That's a point. I didn't think of that because my IR didn't have the oil in it until I put it in. No oil no mess. I didn't think that some might come with the oil already in them.

One thing that helped me make up my mind when I bought a new compressor a couple of years ago was delivery. The HD was a little cheaper than the Sears unit I was looking at but Sears had delivery. The big compressors are several hundred pounds and not something I want to haul in my pickup.

Every compressor I own has the petcock removed and replaced with a heavy hydraulic type el. I attach a couple of feet of Aeroequip hose to the el and put a petcock on the end. Makes draining a lot easier.

Hey crenwelge how do I get in touch with Sanky Equipment. I still have the old Champion sitting in the shop. I would consider rebuilding it if parts are available THX./. Dale 937.

brsdb3381, That IR sounds like the one I bought on sale a couple of yrs. ago for $899,at tractor Supply. You might wanna check with them and see if they have any sales coming up. At the time I bought mine the listed price was $999. and when I bought it it was 10 percent off.Course by the time you pay the sales tax theres another $60.

crenwelge........

We are very lucky in this country that all our standard household power is 220-240 volts.

On top of that, the 3 phase power was run along the same domestic power and costs very little to connect to your property.

I have been lucky that the acreage I bought has an old LimeStone processing plant on it from the 1950's and had the 3 phase already connected.

At the same time, this makes buying big quality equipment alot cheaper as people advertise it for about half the price of of standard single phase gear.

This is because bugger all people have access to 3 phase at their houses and have a limited buyer's market.

dale937
Tractor supply has 2 big IR compressors. The one I am looking at is $1899 25cfm, 7.5hp, 32-34a @ 220v. The other I believe is like yours, $999 about 16cfm, 5hp & 16a @ 220v.
Either would be adaquate, but I do not like running out of air, so I am holding out for the bigger unit.
My blood money is almost to the smaller one and should have enough for the big one around Christmas.

Note-blood money= $95 a week at my local plasma bank. Thats how I intend to finance the whole project.

Brad

>>7.5hp, 32-34a << is a 7.5 HP motor
>> 5hp & 16a << is really a 3 Hp motor

A real 5 HP compressor motor will be rated 24-25 Amps and it will be at 1725 rpm. Toy compressors use 3450 rpm motors and use peak hp ratings. "Department store compressors", that's a cute name. Be sure and compare CFM at the same pressure.

3 phase motors are a lot cheaper if you can get the power to you.

I bought the 5 HP 2 stage compressor on an 80 gal. tank.A couple of yrs. ago it was on sale for $899.It has worked out very well for me.Ingersol Rand at Tractor Supply.