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Alkin or Cheaper compressor
- Thread starter Lucky Lefty
- Start date
Choose your compressor wisely. And please don't take me seriously. Just making a little compressor humor. lol
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What about the Alkin makes it "better" than....say a Coltri or Omega?
Sincere request for info here.
Sincere request for info here.
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Can't speak to the Coltri MCH-6, never having owned or used one. At the time I purchased, the manual W31 price wasn't much more. While Coltri had a good reputation, it wasn't quite as spotless as the Alkin (in fairness, most of the negative Coltri stuff I saw was directed to the Daystate branded compressors, which were (are still??) a different model). Therefore went for the Alkin.
I did briefly own an Omega Air Charger & then another brand around the same price- memory files are failing me, but believe it was some flavor of Air Venturi, actual manufacturer unknown. This was some years back, so bear in mind that some changes may have been made since then.
Both of those units had multiple major issues out of the box, & I never got a complete tank fill from either before sending back. Fortunately, the vendors took both back & issued full refunds. These were anomalies to some degree; have seen a number of owners report trouble free service for several years. Have also seen tales similar to mine. This speaks to the QC, now to the design & materials.
Cliff's Notes version- Nearly everything about the Alkin is beefier/stronger/more robust than the Omega etc. This, & some design aspects, is likely to yield a longer, more trouble free operational life.
- Better water separation & filtration built in
- Faster fills, not super important for our purposes but it sure doesn't hurt
- Runs cooler than Omega/AV units I had. May be related to the next two points
- Better inter & after cooling of the compressed air
- Better lubrication system (oil splash vs. turning the grease knob every so often). Admittedly subjective, but at the very least it's a step the Alkin doesn't require.
- Major parts are beefier/heavier, & better suited to withstand the vibration inherent to compressors
- Beefier, higher quality small bits (connectors, pipes, seals, even the nuts & bolts)- this one really stood out to me during the first inspection after unboxing my W31.
One thing I'm not sure belongs on the list is priority valves after each stage, making it safe to start/stop under pressure (no chance of pressure moving backwards through the system). I can't remember if the Omega/AV had this so don't want to dock them points unless someone can confirm they don't.
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If you are going to be filling several tanks in succession the Alkin is better because of the duty cycle. You will never wear a MCH-6 out filling like we fill. The only problem I have ever heard with the Coltri is fluid leaking from a couple of gauges. I have had no problems. For what Nuvair is selling them far you can take that fourteen hundred or so and put it on a gun or scope, etc.(or piss it away on your wife) I don't think at the sale price they come with auto shut off. It looks to be an option. If you are ADD you might want it. If you are paranoid you won't need it because you will ne looking at the gauge the whole time. When I fill I don't open the tank valve until the compressor pressure is equal to the tank. The one sold by AoA is not a MCH-6with a 110 motor. It is a MCH-4 with a 4500 PSI safety valve. Nuvair sells them with a 3200 valve. That is what MCH'4 is. The AoA also has no tower for a desiccant filter. These are the ones people had trouble with. I don't know why people will put three grand in a gun, but not in a compressor that will last a lifetime with dry air.
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Got the Alkin @ home , just ordered the gas MCH6 for my truck/on the go unit . Having just recently aquiring the big bore I learned it was buy a bunch more tanks or a portable compressor !
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Big bores & "dive" compressors = peas & carrots!
Maybe we'll see combo deals in the future. Coming soon at AOA, "We The Airhogs" packages, big bore rifle & your choice of Alkin/Bauer/Coltri compressors.
See this is why I don't work in marketing
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My Omega failed after 17 hours. I took the case off to see if I could rebuild it-nah, too complex. Shipping it back and forth to AOA would have cost $260 and rebuild cost was $600 as it was just out of warranty. I sold it cheap to someone looking for a project. While I have a Yong Heng, it's about ready to die, but I consider it expendable. If you have the bucks, buy the Alkin. I would myself, but I'm getting too old.
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I made my choice, Alkin, you priced yourself out of the running. My MCH-6 will be here in a few weeks. I'll post pics in the Coltri thread I started.
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Yong Heng is Chinese for Corpse, just sayin'. Now I'll get nailed by the YH fan club. It's a joke people a joke.
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Alkin. Nice compressor. Already had the compressor for Scuba so it wasn't an added expense.
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Agree… I am in St Louis (South County) and used to get my tank filled at the Scuba Shop, but the dude that was doing it passed away. An now that same shop refuses to fill my JoeB tank since its not scuba related!… that was not a direct quote, but that is how I took what the lady said! So have been looking for a compressor, just cant justify since I cannot shoot as much as I once did. Need to find someone like yourself to charge me for a fill once a year!
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I find myself with the problem of not finding a place in St Louis (South County) to refill as-well. Used to not be like that, which sucks. Need to find someone like yourself to charge me for a fill once a year since i rarely shoot, at least reserve myself so i don't run through the air I have!
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Not supposed to be used for more than 1 liter tanks. Probably why you have to rebuild so often.
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