buy an air tank or a new compressor?

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Jeffs55

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Sep 3, 2021
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GA, United States
I just called the local Divers Supply and they sell air tanks and charge them with air. $8 to fill any size air tank. My Benjamin Traveler just broke. I will not buy another one of those. A lot of people seem to like the Yong Heng but like all mechanical devices there is a lot of problems on this site with them as well. Air Venturi Nomad $800 and they go up from there. Yong Heng on Amazon is about $300. I am thinking a large tank. $419 for a new 149 cubic inch. They have some scratch and dents for less. My largest air tank on my gun is 580cc which is about 36 cubic inches. 149/36 is 4 (four) fills for $8 each plus gas and time to go and get it. $300 divided by 4 fills might get me 75 fills and then I go in the hole. 75 times $8 is $600. The question is and the answer on my Benjamin is that it did not last 75 uses. So what is the consensus? Buy a tank and get it filled or by a new compressor and what kind? Please note that I fill a gun and shoot it empty. So I would fill it at the house. I would not be carrying a heavy air tank anywhere. Thanx
 
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Tanks are not heavy unless you get a SCUBA tank. Those are limited to 3000 psi. SCBA tanks are 4500 psi so they have 1.5 times the air for a given volume (roughly). SCBA tanks are light and easily portable. If you only need 3000 psi a SCUBA might work but only the first fill would be close to 3000. So you'd get less and less shots. I think you want a SCBA tank - a firemans tank if you go used.

My YH is about 1.5 years old and fills my 66 cubic foot (45 minute) Scott air pak about once a month. So 15-20 tank refills so far. It is probably more than that. It works fine. I think it will pay for itself pretty easily. I use more expensive synthetic oil, however, which I think is a good idea to maximize life. There are also relatively inexpensive rebuild kits from AlliExpress if it breaks. Because I have my own compressor, I use an expired SCBA tank that cost about $100. I spent nearly twice that on a quality fill set, however. If a new tank included a quality fill set it would help close the price gap.
 
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Jeffs55 said:
I just called the local Divers Supply and they sell air tanks and charge them with air. $8 to fill any size air tank. My Benjamin Traveler just broke. I will not buy another one of those. A lot of people seem to like the Yong Heng but like all mechanical devices there is a lot of problems on this site with them as well. Air Venturi Nomad $800 and they go up from there. Yong Heng on Amazon is about $300. I am thinking a large tank. $419 for a new 149 cubic inch. They have some scratch and dents for less. My largest air tank on my gun is 580cc which is about 36 cubic inches. 149/36 is 4 (four) fills for $8 plus gas and time to go and get it. $300 divided by 4 fills might get me 75 fills and then I go in the hole. The question is and the answer on my Benjamin is that it did not last 75 uses. So what is the consensus? Buy a tank and get it filled or by a new compressor and what kind? Please not that I fill a gun and shoot it empty. So I would fill it at the house. I would not be carrying a heavy air tank anywhere. Thanx
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If it’s close to you, I’d get a tank and use the dive shop.

If it’s far away and/or you use vast amounts of air, then maybe a compressor. I’m currently 45 min from the nearest dive shop and contemplating a compressor even though I may never save money.
 
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20 miles and I use up to the 580 cc tank on the gun a month. A busy month is less than two tanks on the gun. I just did some more math and if I got 75 fills @ $8 each I would be looking at $600. If the fill price ever increased then it would be more. At least a gallon of gas per trip @75 trips is another $150 at least. I think I am talking myself into buying another compressor. Any educated opinions on this: https://www.amazon.com/GX-Compresso...dp/B0819ZH85H?ref_=ast_sto_dp#customerReviews
 
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Jeff,
Got to agree with JimD on the Yong Heng. Mine is almost same age and performs perfectly. No tanks for me, I shoot and fill six PCPs at home. The Yong Heng will outlast any water-less/oil-less compressor and inexpensive parts are available for rebuild. Best-homepro sells authentic Yong Hengs on eBay in the $250-275 price range, depending on model (Hardcover or Set Pressure Models, recommended.) WM
 
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JimD gave you spot on advice. You need to buy an SCBA tank which is carbon fiber wrapped and rated for 4500 psi fills. Make sure that whatever shop you are considering has compressors rated for full 4500 psi fills. DO NOT waste your money buying a "scratch and dent" steel or aluminum SCUBA tank. They are cumbersome and only rated for 3300 psi or some even just 3000 psi fills. They are a total waste of money and are uneconomical.
 
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Note: Apologies to those tired of looking at this picture, it does seem to help those new to the Yong Heng.
Jeff,
Here's my air station set up in my Florida garage. The water bucket and green ice bottles are removed after use, the other parts remain. Paid $272 for the YH in June 2021 and $60 gold filter, later added $125 copper-colored coalescing water filter to deal with excessive Florida humidity. Black filter came with YH and blue one was left over from early hand pumping experience. Search best-homepro or Yong Heng in archives for more info. Hope this helps, WM
IMG_20220322_203924.jpg
 
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I got my YH from Amazon due to their excellent return policy (they will take things back for no reason and pay return shipping if you take it to where you want (typically UPS or a store near you). I do not ever buy the added warranties and did not on the YH. It might cost me money some day but I am so far ahead at this point it doesn't really matter. Looks like they are about $300 now. You might save a little from ebay or alliexpress although I checked the latter and they were more if you factored in shipping. If you go this route, I recommend you order some Nuvair 751 oil at the same time so you don't have to wait too long for the oil. There are other reportedly good oils but I would only use one made for high pressure compressors. I'd also get an extra air/oil filter and some color changing desicant beads. I also put a computer radiator on mine but that can wait and you may not want to go that far with it. Frozen pop bottles work well to cool the coolant. I use distilled water with water wetter (sold for cars coolant) in it.

I think the CS portable compressors are decent based upon the reviews I've seen. But I think they will take about 10 times as long to charge your guns and they are not really practical to pump up a bottle. I would contact Target Forge about whether you should get a CS2 or CS3. He seems to like the CS2 and has made an adapter for DeWalt batteries for it and a solar setup. He's trying to get set up to offer OEM parts for them.
 
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Look for Smarketbuy (seller) on Amazon. REAL Yong Hengs for around $270. Mine just passed the 2 year mark & still runs strong & efficiently. If you baby it (look up Biohazardman's YH "bible" on this forum) & not push it's limits it will not disappoint. MOST of us YH owners are glad we got it. I have 4 SCBA tanks & my compressor has more than paid for itself a couple times. I got the 4 year coverage for $44
 
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I didn’t read every reply word for word, don’t forget, unless you buy a Bauer, Alkin, NuVair or some others, they don’t come with driers, which you definitely want. Also, most dive shops require an up to date VIP sticker on the tank. VIP on the right side of USA is a yearly scuba industry imposed inspection of the inside of your tank, regardless of what it’s used for. Prices vary widely for that service and how long you have to wait for it. And don’t leave out hydro testing cost. The dive shop I worked at would not fill anything without those two requirements being up to date.
Buy an Alkin. You can always sell it if when you quit airgunning.
 
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Check with your local dive shop to make sure they fill to 4500psi. I called mine, about 3 miles away, and specifically asked if they fill to 4500psi, they said yes. I bought a made in the USA Omega 75 cu. ft. Patriot with HP3 valve from Rich at Airguns of Arizona and figured I was all set forever. Well, I took the cylinder to the dive shop and the owner said the max they can fill to is 3800psi and that his employee misinformed me. That sucked! But as I have a Omega Trail Charger, I thought, ok, fill it to 3800psi for $8.50 and I'll top it off with the TC as needed. But to fill the cylinder from 3600psi to 4500psi it took a couple of 20 minute run, 20 minute cool down cycles. Yes, I know the run time on the TC is 30 minutes and a 20 minute cool down, but I don't like overworking anything I own. I'm old and not that patient and my wife wasn't happy with me, so she said by a bigger compressor and stop whining. :) So I called Rich and purchased an Omega Turbo Charger and we are a happy couple. :) I'm thinking I should sell the TC as I don't see myself ever using it again, but I'm not sure about shipping in the cold or if there's a market for a very low use compressor out there. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
 
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