Garage air compressors

[curtislow]

Does anyone have an opinion on the harbor freight 29 gallon oil lubricated vertical air compressors? My 33 gallon craftsman bit the dust and I'm trying to get something comparable but possibly a little better and quieter.
I think I paid 299 several years ago and this one is 349. Anyone tried one?

 

[e9999]

I don't have the 29 gallons but I have the 21, also oil lubricated and vertical. May be a different compressor setup, though, I don't know, but mine has chugged happily for many years. I did have to replace the switch, once, though, early on, but that was $10 for a generic one. I do have to add also, though, that I bought the compressor for a song at one of their parking lot sales because it was "frozen" (although apparently new) - probably a return. Took it apart, put it back together, don't know exactly what I did to get it running again, but it hummed nicely ever since. So, I guess that there may have been issues when new (poor quality control? (That was all about 10 years ago, if that matters with HF.) but that the design was ultimately fundamentally sound. It really is very simple technology, actually, so not too much to go wrong once you work out the teething problems.

Sooo, at the end of the day, I'm happy with mine (21gals) but it was not exactly a completely hands-off process.

I will say that if I buy another compressor, it will be oil-lubricated again. That seems to me to make so much sense and to be such a big advantage.

 

[curtislow]

Thanks for the response. Yeah it seems like being belt driven and oil lubricated would be much better, my craftsman was so loud it was obnoxious. It took forever to recover also.
Hoping for a couple more positive responses before I grab it. I usually only buy smaller stuff at HF.
Thanks again.

 

[e9999]

mine is a direct drive. Even with oil, it is not quiet. I do put earmuffs on when it's running and I'm next to it. And my hearing is not the best.
Maybe this is an item worth buying the extra warranty for?
20% coupon?

 

[curtislow]

20% coupon isn't accepted for this compressor, unfortunately.

 

[e9999]

One other thought is that one potential disadvantage of an oil-lubed compressor is that you may end up with oil in your air discharge if your separator is not very good (and if the tolerances are not that great, which would not be a big surprise with HF). Not a problem for me for most tasks, but I suspect may be a problem for some water-based paint spraying. Don't know much about oil-free units but I imagine those must be better for that.

 

[e9999]

In case that helps, just saw that HF has a 15% storewide (= no exception?) coupon now till the 1st plus another 10% if you open an account...

 

[Hack]

I have the HF 29 gallon compressor in my lake house garage. It doesn't see a lot of constant use, but it is quieter than my old 30 gallon oil less Craftsman (now in my son's garage). I swapped out the smaller fittings, as I run the larger ones on all my air tools. I've used it for miscellaneous things like blowing out my sprinkler system, filling tires and water toys, and running air nailers. It works good, and holds air for weeks on end without loss. Definitely a good buy when it's on sale.

It is, however, a real mess to change the oil. I would recommend using a suction device through the fill hole, rather than trying to drain it using the drain plug.

 

[curtislow]

Thanks everyone.I bought it at 369.00 and just used it to blow out my sprinklers and spray fluid film under my truck. It's definately way quieter than my old 33 gallon craftsman non-oil compressor.
I don't think i did the best on price but I needed it. Hope it lasts a while!

 

[Hack]

Thanks everyone.I bought it at 369.00 and just used it to blow out my sprinklers and spray fluid film under my truck. It's definately way quieter than my old 33 gallon craftsman non-oil compressor.
I don't think i did the best on price but I needed it. Hope it lasts a while!

I paid a bit over $380 (tax included) for mine back in 09/2017. So you did good. Probably could have done better with one of their 20% off Super Coupons, but you need to wait around for those to pop up. Especially the coupons without exceptions. And I also needed/wanted one at the time.

As you probably noticed, this thing is heavy. I don't move mine around much.

Like I posted, it's a PITA to change the oil (without making a mess), but I would highly recommend you do so. A suction tool will get the bulk of it out, then you can opt to pull the drain plug to get the last bit. Use a quality air compressor oil. I think I put Royal Purple in mine. Also remember to drain the tank every now and then. I need to drain mine before winter.

 

[curtislow]

Yes, much heavier than the old craftsman. Going to put it in it's place and not move it again.

 

[e9999]

I do drain my tank just about every time I use it. Always a bit of water coming out, but thankfully never rusty looking.
One thing I did to make that easier on mine is to extend the drain plug to the side so I can open it without having to tilt the compressor as I had to originally.
Another good thing about extending the drain is that the water will collect in the extension rather than in the tank if set up properly, so less chance of rusting the tank too...