Cheap compressor , Not going to work.

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airgunmike56

airgunmike56

Member
Aug 4, 2018
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Odessa,Texas, United States
I read with great hope that the new compressors are going to work trouble free, But I think the 100,to 500 dollar range ones are hopeless. Now that's just what I think.

Now I lucked out about six years ago and bought a Sheldon compressor , I do not even remember what I paid for it , maybe 1,600 bucks, Its been trouble free, I guess the point is I have seen some great changes in our sport in the last eight years, 

I do think with the new cheaper and dependable compressors coming out will help the PCP sport grow like crazy, You just can not cheap out on this part of the sport.

Mike
 
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Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion especially

an opinion attached to first hand experience such as yours.

I feel happy for you that you have it all figured out with

a reliable set up, unfortunately lots of folks don't have

$1600 available to spend on a compressor and may take

your post the wrong way.

Don't let Cherokee hear about this one...



CA
 
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Wow, I am sorry guys, I did not know the 100 dollar compressors were working,

I will eat my hat here, I just hear all the negative about the new China compressors ,

You guys need to chime in here and fill us in on the works of the new compressors ,

And please list cost, As I said I think the home compressor will help grow the sport by leaps and bounds, I did not mean to piss in anyone's back yard, 

I did not mean to knock the chip off your shoulders , 

But for me six or so years ago I had to buy a compressor , It was costing me 60 miles, 2 to three hours, and 35 dollars to fill the great white up to 4500 psi and only to have 4000 psi or so when I got home, No they would not wait to refill, 

Mike


 
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I have no problem with this post. I have 2 yung Hengs, and a Karette, and have been looking for something even better myself. My Karette (Carette knock off) works fine, but once it reaches 3500 to 4000 psi, takes another 30 to 45 minutes to get to 45000 psi, and there are a lot of new guns out now that want 2.5 bar or more fill. Not quite ready to drop 3, 4 or 5 thousand for a REAL suca compressor, but looking at all the options.However it appears that Sheldon Compressors may be retired.
 
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I have heard good things about the YH. They are cheap but parts are available. If you don't mind maintenance and repairs it seems to be a good way to go for the price. The owner responds to a lot of questions about his products on eBay and he seems like a guy that wants to stand behind his product. It will break but most of the time it can be fixed... I's not a Bauer but it is about $3800+ cheaper also
 
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I think all the negative reviews are from people that buy a chinese compressor and expect it to work great forever without ANY sort of fiddling lol. I bought one of the Vevor compressors for $200 and while it hasn't been trouble free (I knew it wouldn't be) it is still working fine and filling my guns with some tlc. These compressors are great for those who don't mind a little tinkering now and then (kind of like owning a Hatsan). They are so simple and easy to work on and parts are plentiful online.
 
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I have a yong heng compressor, think I paid 240$. Changed the fluid after the first few runs, replaced their air gauge with one from pa. Had one blow out and replaced the oring/washer and up and running in 5 min. Lots of fills to my 90 tank so far. I think there are some yong heng knock offs and this is where the problem comes in with the reliability issue with some. There will always be the occasional lemon in any device though. Totally worth the money for me as otherwise I’d have to drive 100 miles round trip for air. That makes it 30 bucks every time I fill including gas in my vehicle. Didn’t take long to pay for itself. Family first, sports later. So I guess we all have to weigh the cost of what we are willing to part with in terms of cash at the moment. One of those 12 volt/110 volt compressors would be the ticket but ... that will have to wait till another time. 
 
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I don't think Mike had any intention of coming off personal to those that purchased a cheaper compressor but I think he's probably somewhat right when comparing the high end stuff to the Chinese knock offs in the long run. Personally I have a Air Venturi 4500 that's currently in Ohio getting worked on😥. Not high end but not on the low end either. Definitely Chines made though. I don't have the money to buy a Daystate or something better right now or I might. I might actually considering a Yong Heng if mine fails to the point of no repair one of these days. They have a pretty good following so if there's help needed if I did encounter problems maybe someone could bail me out or I could just scrap it and but another one.

Jk
 
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Mike, what do you gain from pissing on other people's parade? You have a pressor that makes you happy? Great! 

Why talk down to people who have something different? You can keep your negativity and your $1k+ tool to yourself. If it ain't right for you, don't worry about it.
Click to expand...

Jim, You have made this comment twice but after reading his first post, not sure I came to the same conclusion. The point I take home is the cheaper compressors do infact open the airgun field to many more shooters but like anything else, you get what you pay for. Buyer beware on theses cheaper units. I do think they will improve over time especially as companies like Airgun Depot are selling them. They all will work but in the end, the life of the compressor may be determined by price. 

As an owner of a Sheldon-Kidd compressor, if you can get one of these, understand these are military grade and usually can always be repaired. FYI to all that own one, AJshoots had to replace his shaft and I have a slow leak in mine. Even the best will need maintance or repair. 

Before I purchased a compressor I did extensive research( at the time) into almost all the available units out there and this was my conclusion.

The best compresser out there is a Bauer. It's price tag is around $4000. This is a life-time compressor. 

The next in line (which are not a close 2nd) is the Coltri/Daystate and the Airtec/ Alken compressors. These compressors are rebranded in other names. These are long-term compressors but after many years of use will need to be "rebuilt". This is what I would strive to purchase today for dependability.......if you have the funds. The Airtec is a large unit so remember this when having to ship out for repair.

After this it's a crap shoot. AOA, Pyramid, Airgun Depot have several different units that are all Chinese made. I personal think these units will get better or these distributors will drop them. Having Air Venturi and Hatsan backing these units helps also. As long as these companies back these units, if funds are tight, I would go with one of these.

At the end of the line are the cheap Chinese-made like the Chinese Yong Heng. As I said before, buyer beware. I guess these could be worth a try but I personally would not recommend these units. I have read several have exploded. Remember these thing function at 3000-4500 psi, you could injure yourself or someone you love. I understand money being tight and if this is all that fits your budget go for it. (I may be a dentist now but I grew up on a hobby farm with 7 siblings and a father that was a factory worker)

Two other units that go in a category of their own are the Shoebox and the Sheldon-Kidd

If you want low cost and reliability, the Shoebox is tried and true and made in America. It is simply made and can be repaired by most owners. The downfall is speed of fill. There are some faster units now but much slower than the cheap Chinese units. I believe these are tanks.

If you can purchase a Sheldon-Kidd compressor you may have it for life. The down side is, these are are no longer available to the public ( they are still being made) and if you have problems, hopefully you can get parts to repair it. Sheldon is either in his 80's or close to it. He states he will have someone take over his business but.......... I picked my unit for around $1800.00. It is too bad the US government is now selling these to our allies (or future enemies) or I would put this unit up with the Bauer.

You are free to disagree or add to my statements. I did a 6 month research about 4 years ago. I am sure I have missed a few but hopefully this categorizes the choices for all of you in the compressor market and helps you make an informed choice.

Doc
 
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Well, for one, I am upset with the moderator ........again! for closing Mike's Thread on cheap compressors not working out well. It was timely and valid. Mike was absolutely correct. These cheap compressors are a bad investment. They will not work for a long time, but they are better than a hand pump. You get what you pay for. It is not rocket science.

The issue with any gas compressor is always heat dissipation. If you squeeze a gas 300 times its atmospheric pressure a great deal of heat must be dissipated. It is basic physics. The best compressors do it with very large surface areas, multiple cylinders and many, many of meters of air cooled piping. This works, but it is expensive to make. The same issues exist for the inexpensive compressor. They make these less expensive by using less cylinders, surface area and piping and ultimately rely on water cooling. What they supply for water cooling is not adequate and if any kind of durability is to be realized, the water cooling needs to be greatly enhanced. Now that is a subject that deserves its own thread. That enhancement will not be for free and will ultimately double the cost of the compressor or more.

I could care less if a reader was offended by this thread. There is far too much PC sensitivity in our society and that needs to change. That kind of oversight should not be practiced here depriving the readership of valuable and timely opinion.......jus sayin.
 
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I would add that running the piston's crankshaft directly from the motor's shaft without any reduction in RPM isn't ideal. Compound that with a Chinese motor designed to run at 50 Hz running at 60 Hz in the USA multiples the problem by 6/5. I believe the 2 pistons compress air in phase. This is the worst design possible for a 2 piston compressor. The pistons should compress air separated by 180 degrees to best utilize the motor's torque. 




 
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I do not care one way or the other, Back seven years ago there were just very few top dollars compressors out there, Nothing from China, And if you look at my time and cost just to fill a great white, I almost dropped the sport,Sure I had a hand pump, But what a pain in the ass, Rice and beans for me when I dropped the money on my sheldon compressor ,

But it opened up the sport to me, BIG TIME, Unlimited air, Fill my tanks in less than 15 minutes , I just felt so blessed , The sport of PCPs just opened up to me, I was in it big time.

I am just hoping the newbie sitting there with his hand pump with his entree PCP 

Drops the money on a good 4500-6000 psi compressor , That will OPEN the sport up to him like never before, The Vulcans, Veterans, and other super high end guns will be on his door step in know time.

Or even the guy that can go down the block and fill his gun to 4500 PSI for five bucks.

I want nothing more than to encourage and grow the sport as in the end we will be all winners of the growth .

We all want the same thing.

Mike
 
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Mike,

Here is another angle, if a newbie has a budget of $2000 and got hooked on Ted or Matt’s channel for an FX wildcat for example. Would you recommend a noob a $1600 compressor and a $250 pcp with pellet/ammo? Or let the noob get his dream Wildcat mk2 and a yong heng with pellet? To each his or her own choice. Reducing/removing options of tanks and hand pump because they can cost more or equal to a YH compressor. Just my 2 cents. 
 
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Fred,

This is exactly the kind of discussion we all benefit from. To your question, the newbie spends his budget on the air gun, of course. The newbie can always find a way to recharge the gun, perhaps with inconvenience, but he can do it. The next priority should be a large bottle. Only then, with an adequate budget, should a compressor even be considered. At that point the decision is strictly economic, but to do that the true real cost of these inexpensive compressors need to visible and much of their cost is very well hidden. Bringing those hidden cost into the light will make that decision better.
 
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