Compressor...air cooled or water cooled?

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Grey-Kiwi

Grey-Kiwi

Member
Feb 25, 2022
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Richmond, New Zealand
I'm waiting for my first PCP rifle to arrive, and am figuring out what type of compressor is best for me.
Will be filling direct to the gun (200cc cylinder on it).
My first thought was a GX CS4...but sadly too dear as anything over $NZ1000 imported the NZ Govt and Customs add on another 15%GST tax, plus Custom's fees, plus more tax on top of all that.
OK...the next best is the GX CS3 (or the CS2?), or maybe the Yong Heng.
The CS3 would do the job, but I'm told the CS2 is the same pump but 'naked' (no fancy outer case).
The Yong Heng? Will it last longer than the CS2/CS3 as it may run cooler?
I'll only be topping up the rifle cylinder once a week and the air cooled jobs look more 'simple' for my use, but don't want to buy one and have it die in a year because it's not as good as a water cooled job.
Either choice will still cost over $NZ700 shipped (but at least it stays under the $1000 trigger point for tax, tax, and more tax).
Thanks.
 
Thanks guys.
At 77 (in July) I'm fairly sure a hand pump won't do me much good!
I do like the look of the GX pumps but reading on this forum about new pumps being pulled apart and finding unattached bits has me a tad scared.
I would go with a dive cylinder and have it filled but locally no-one goes above 220 Bar (which cools down to 210 bar)...and my rifle goes to 200 bar...so not too many refills in a 12 litre tank.
 
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Grey-Kiwi said:
Thanks guys.
At 77 (in July) I'm fairly sure a hand pump won't do me much good!
I do like the look of the GX pumps but reading on this forum about new pumps being pulled apart and finding unattached bits has me a tad scared.
I would go with a dive cylinder and have it filled but locally no-one goes above 220 Bar (which cools down to 210 bar)...and my rifle goes to 200 bar...so not too many refills in a 12 litre tank.
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My time with a CS4 is very short (<3 hours so far, and 2.0 of that was a break-in run), but after running it straight for 30 minutes to take my 97cu ft tank from 220 to 245 bar, I have confidence in it. I have been following the yong hengs, shoe box, and other compressors for a few years, and never felt confident enough to pull the trigger on one. My last fill (30 minutes) took the coolant and head temps from 75.0/74.9° to 112.0/114.2°. (Ambient was around 70°).
 
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WorriedMan said:
To be clear, I'm a big fan of the Yong Heng, reasonable price, triple-cooling system, powerful and fast. Owner can boost cooling with ice and extra fans, repair parts are inexpensive, readily available. In your case, however, the GX-CS series seems a more logical choice. WM
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IMO, it requires too many mods to work well. I love the simplicity of the CS4. Granted, the HY was at the top three years ago.
 
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WorriedMan said:
Guess, at least on this topic, we don't agree. WM
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No worries buddy. if it works for you, then that is all that matters. By NO means am I advocating for throwing away a YH just to purchase a CS4. But when yours fails, give it a thought. Hopefully by that time, we will be on CS7, which can pump up an air rifle in 45 seconds, clean the living room, and make us an espresso. :D

Your posts indicate that you know what you are doing, so i am not gonna try and tell YOU what to do.

Having seen many pictures of YH compressors with copper wire wrapping and home depot buckets of ice water, I'll try to make it work with one stand-alone pump that will put out 5800 PSI, with 5 hours of running time. Unless you can point out a YH advantage over that, I shall continue to operate in my own personal void.
 
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F6Hawk said:
No worries buddy. if it works for you, then that is all that matters. By NO means am I advocating for throwing away a YH just to purchase a CS4. But when yours fails, give it a thought. Hopefully by that time, we will be on CS7, which can pump up an air rifle in 45 seconds, clean the living room, and make us an espresso. :D

Your posts indicate that you know what you are doing, so i am not gonna try and tell YOU what to do.

Having seen many pictures of YH compressors with copper wire wrapping and home depot buckets of ice water, I'll try to make it work with one stand-alone pump that will put out 5800 PSI, with 5 hours of running time. Unless you can point out a YH advantage over that, I shall continue to operate in my own personal void.
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Picture worth a thousand words. Here's my trouble-free three-year-old YH, everything in picture, except AGT Uragan on upper shelf, cost less than $400. Bucket, stool, water-pump/hoses are set up and broken down each fill session, all else remains in place. Dump water in washing machine on laundry day, green ice bottles to freezer. Not portable and loud but fills guns in minutes, never going over 50 degrees C, providing clean, dry air. WM
IMG_20220322_203924.jpg
 
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Here's mine. A little pricier, since it's 3 years after yours, but no bottles, bucket, stool, and nothing to break down after each fill, whether it be a 7-8 minute gun fill or a 3-hour 97cu ft fill. $658 for pump and 1 filter (hoses excluded, as they seem to be in your post). Takes about 8-9 minutes from 150 to 250 bar, and is VERY quiet. Hasn't gone over 41° C/105° F yet. Might do so when summer is in full swing. (This setup is outside, not inside).


1708842877458.png
 
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F6Hawk said:
Well, your YH has already proven itself over the test of time. Now let's see if ours are up to the task! (do you do any large bottle filling off yours, or just guns?)
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No tanks, just PCPs, 250 and 300BAR. Rotate my collection on backyard 50 and 66-yard targets. Select two, or three, shoot few mags, next day, weather permitting, several more, also a few mags. After 3, or more, are at, or near regulator drop-off, set up YH and refill. Best guess is one YH refill session every 3 to 5 days, runtime per hour meters @ 38 hours. Gauge started leaking @ 20 hours, using liquid-filled one from my Chinese HPA handpump, doing fine. WM
 
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WorriedMan said:
No tanks, just PCPs, 250 and 300BAR. Rotate my collection on backyard 50 and 66-yard targets. Select two, or three, shoot few mags, next day, weather permitting, several more, also a few mags. After 3, or more, are at, or near regulator drop-off, set up YH and refill. Best guess is one YH refill session every 3 to 5 days, runtime per hour meters @ 38 hours. Gauge started leaking @ 20 hours, using liquid-filled one from my Chinese HPA handpump, doing fine. WM
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WM, you know my story. Got 3.5 years of great service from my YH topping off nothing but tanks! Never even tried to fill my guns with it (having 4 tanks, always ready for action). BEST part was getting a full refund (from the extended warranty I had the foresight to purchase) when it finally died. Theoretically yours should last even longer. I hope so.
 
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Gerry52 said:
WM, you know my story. Got 3.5 years of great service from my YH topping off nothing but tanks! Never even tried to fill my guns with it (having 4 tanks, always ready for action). BEST part was getting a full refund (from the extended warranty I had the foresight to purchase) when it finally died. Theoretically yours should last even longer. I hope so.
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Know your story well, probably the best success around, 3.5 years usage, full money back! The GX-CS series seems to be a solid platform, guess we'll have to wait for long-term dependability results, so far, so good. For me, I'll keep riding the YH train, see where it takes me. WM
 
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WorriedMan said:
Know your story well, probably the best success around, 3.5 years usage, full money back! The GX-CS series seems to be a solid platform, guess we'll have to wait for long-term dependability results, so far, so good. For me, I'll keep riding the YH train, see where it takes me. WM
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Same here as far as "wait & see". Hopefully, as with our airguns themselves, technology will keep getting more efficient/affordable. For now this monster that I was gifted when the YH died has been performing WAY above expectations & prior experience!
20240225_150642.jpg
 
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Gerry52 said:
Same here as far as "wait & see". Hopefully, as with our airguns themselves, technology will keep getting more efficient/affordable. For now this monster that I was gifted when the YH died has been performing WAY above expectations & prior experience!View attachment 439381
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Hmmmm, that looks like a Centercut Rube Goldberg monstrosity…. 😂
 
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The tax and Customs system here puts the CS4 out of my reach.
The CS2 and CS3 are OK, and the YH too.
I can just scrape in with that twin cylinder Tuxing as well.
Now...the CS2 and CS3 are the same exact thing except the CS2 is naked and the CS3 has clothes on (a steel outer case).
Is that right? So no need to buy a CS3 unless I want a glossy red outer case?
Am I being fair there?
Which has me looking at the YH and the Tuxing more than the plain old vanilla CS2.
But as I haven't spent the money yet I'm happy to hear good or bad stories.
Thanks..and great photos of your rigs guys.
 
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