"Tominco"I recently ordered one and it's on the slow boat to me now.
I'll be using it with a Ridgid shop compressor rated at ~4.9 SCFM at 90psi very similar to
this one. From what I understand, you really want to have a shop compressor that runs at 5 SCFM at 90psi or more. Otherwise, you're shop compressor will struggle to keep up.
For those of you who are on the fence about which compressor to buy...
Justification: Here's why I chose the Altaros over the Shoebox or a stand alone high pressure compressor...
Price - Always a driving factor in any purchase. It's hard to beat a price of just over $600 for a high pressure booster compressor. Additionally, I'll be buying an in line desiccant filter for ~$150-200. That makes the price more like $800 which is still way below the 1150 price on the shoebox.
Utility - Someone may still have to spend $200-400 and up on a shop air compressor if they don't already have one. But, those of us that do own a shop compressor already have surely learned how valuable they are. So, for the price of a shoebox, you could have a setup that allows you to also use air tools and fill tires.
Also, It comes in a tool box. I like that a lot. It allows me to treat the compressor a little more rough because I'm not overly concerned with accidentally hitting a fitting or scratching the nice painted metal. If the toolbox does happen to break, it's easy and cheap to replace The pockets on top allow me to put all my smaller sized excess high pressure fittings in one place.
Moving parts - The Altaros moves slowly, which reduces friction. Ultimately, when you break it down to the smallest level, friction is the enemy of longevity for most, if not all, machines. Other high pressure compressors use motors to spin gears or pulleys which then move some type of plunger up and down at high speeds. This creates friction, which creates heat.... on and on.
Noise - I've heard others run in person or on videos. They all have varying levels of noise but, they all seem to be annoying enough to drive someone out of a room or find some way of blocking the noise level. My shop compressor is like this. It'll scare the bejesus out of you when it comes on and then, it's so loud that you want hearing protection. Ultimately, I built a plywood box (with holes) for it and stuck it in a different room - MUCH better. The Altaros hisses. And even that can be lessened by using some foam blocks inside the box.
Pressure bump - I like that it automatically shuts off when the pressure is reached. Most compressors will do this. But, the Altaros will turn itself back on if that pressure is lost. What was that rotisserie cooker slogan? "Set it, and forget it!" lol!
The downside... It's a booster, not a stand alone compressor. So, you'll need a decent shop compressor, some hose, and a desiccant filter would be wise as well. This stuff takes up room and makes a lot of noise. If space was an issue, I'd probably have saved up for an Omega and then shoved it in a closet.
It's not made in the USA. Parts, if needed, could take a while to get to you.
It's not putting out breathing air like the Daystate does. Why is this important. IMO - if it's good enough for me to breath, it should be excellent for my rifles!
Happy Shooting,
Tom
