Compressor shopping

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So all three of those compressors you mentioned have a failure rate. Different people can/will weigh in on which of their specific models blew, after how long, and why, but I suspect a lot of it will simply come down to how many sold in what volume. 

I purchased a Nomad II. It didn't last me for very long before making the dreaded "hammering" sound. I called and spoke to AV and a very nice tech gave me a few things I could try, but ultimately told me I couldn't really tear into it to figure out why without without voiding the warranty..... so I didn't. Not long after that something in the powertrain broke completely so it'd hum when turned on but not pump. AV did take care of me, refunding my compressor purchase, but I sure wouldn't recommend anyone buy one. 

I would highly recommend you take a look at this resource when considering compressors:
https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/compressor-survey-results/



What compressor you ultimately go with depends on how much you're willing to pay, and how much air you want it to produce before it breaks/needs a rebuild. I will say that, given what I've learned talking to people and digging through SCUBA forums, it doesn't matter how much you pay every compressor will break/need to be rebuilt at some point. With that in mind, I wanted something with the minimum number of moving parts which was easy to rebuild and preferably would put the wear on something cheap. The other nasty little thing I discovered is that, when you're looking for someone to spend your money, the recommendations flood in for snazzy new units often by people who don't own or have relatively few run hours on their machines. When you post that your compressor died though, the one compressor name which comes up all the time from loads of people who've had them for years is shoebox. So that is something. I was close to buying a shoebox, but ultimately I landed on an Altaros Booster compressor. 

I explain my reasoning and experiences in great detail in this thread, but the short version is that a basic oiled shop compressor is a cheap thrill, is very reliable, and runs this booster which is also very reliable and simple to rebuild. It also, by all accounts, doesn't need to be rebuilt as frequently as the shoebox, I haven't needed to rebuild mine yet. 
https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/altaros-booster-compressor-review-ongoing/

It is all food for thought/my little data point. I hope it helps. I was in the same boat as you, got the Altaros, and haven't looked back. Please keep in mind this is just my experience, the above linked thread which has loads of data on these machines is the best resource you have. 
 
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I did a few months of research on compressors, here, YouTube and anything else I could find. Ended up with the Omega from AOA. I am fully satisfied after numerous tank fillings, My thinking was I could spend the $600-1,000. on an unreliable unit that needs fussing with and replacement, or step up to a quality compressor and just make air rather than learn how to be a compressor expert. The Daystate was my other choice, but lacks the adjustable shut off and is not water cooled. As a side note I shoot a lot more now that I can make all the air I want. A better investment than another high end gun.
 
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Your compressor is much better than what I've been running our Altaros Booster on for the last 3 or so years. Never have needed to touch the included rebuild kit and the company does odd thing like email to see if your happy after purchase and outstanding factory video's for rebuild, filling from He bottle,other. If researching the company stop and glance at any info you can find on their M24 rifle. 

Boosters might not be for everyone but it was the best airgun accessory I've ever purchased.



John


 
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I went from a hand pump to a Shoebox then because of the long runtime if my shop compressor trying to fill four 1 hour SCBA tanks I bought one of those $250 Chinese compressors... It died after about 7 hours of total use (I kept it cool and paused pumping all as per the instructions). Bought a different type of $250 Chinese compressor and within 6 weeks, 4 times of filling, it died.

So I bought a $600 twin cylinder Chinese compressor which is the same as the working parts of the AV one. At $14 a bottle fill at my local paintball field it paid for itself in the number of fills then as I would have been filling for 'free'.... It died by having a cylinder actually crack in half.

Finally, in disgust, I have bought from Neilsen Specialty Ammo a Alkin Mariner W-31 scuba compressor and THOSE have an excellent reputation filling scuba and fire station scba bottles for years and years being bulletproof.

Yes, it cost a lot but I can fill an 88 cuft bottle from 3000 to 4500 in eight minutes.

Knowing what I went through, I would have saved money by buying a good compressor right from the beginning [ Learn from my mistakes ]

And a group of guys could get together and chip in the same as a cheap compressor would have cost them individually and have a 'fill club' too.

I sure shoot a LOT more since I have unlimited air, the purchase was totally worth it! 👍😁😎
 
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The Altaros uses most of the air from the first stage compressor to power it instead of a motor like the Shoebox. Porter Cable pancake compressors are extremely loud when running and an Altaros requires it to run nearly continuously which will wear it out in short order. The Porter Cable pancake is not a good fit for the Altaros. The best choice is a compressor with a large air tank, oil lubricated, and motor with belt drive to achieve decent fill speed from the Altaros. A more economical alternative is a Shoebox F10 driven by a first stage compressor like a Rolair JC-10, California Air Tools, or Harbor Freight Fortress. An Altaros mated with a Porter Cable pancake compressor is as compatible as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a running mate with Donald Trump. 
 
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I went from a hand pump to a Shoebox then because of the long runtime if my shop compressor trying to fill four 1 hour SCBA tanks I bought one of those $250 Chinese compressors... It died after about 7 hours of total use (I kept it cool and paused pumping all as per the instructions). Bought a different type of $250 Chinese compressor and within 6 weeks, 4 times of filling, it died.

So I bought a $600 twin cylinder Chinese compressor which is the same as the working parts of the AV one. At $14 a bottle fill at my local paintball field it paid for itself in the number of fills then as I would have been filling for 'free'.... It died by having a cylinder actually crack in half.

Finally, in disgust, I have bought from Neilsen Specialty Ammo a Alkin Mariner W-31 scuba compressor and THOSE have an excellent reputation filling scuba and fire station scba bottles for years and years being bulletproof.

Yes, it cost a lot but I can fill an 88 cuft bottle from 3000 to 4500 in eight minutes.

Knowing what I went through, I would have saved money by buying a good compressor right from the beginning [ Learn from my mistakes ]

And a group of guys could get together and chip in the same as a cheap compressor would have cost them individually and have a 'fill club' too.

I sure shoot a LOT more since I have unlimited air, the purchase was totally worth it!
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Amen. It is hard to convince people that cheapest isn't the best option in the long run. I've gone through 5 compressors before settling on a Daystate LC-110 which meets all of my requirements. It has been trouble free for the first year of ownership and hopefully will outlive me. Alkin is a durable, well built compressor and should last you forever assuming you do normal maintenance.
 
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In my experience, with the Altaros, the drive compressor doesn't have to be belt driven, but it sure would be good if it were oil lubricated. Oilless compressors, like what Shoebox CLAIMS theirs requires, should be considered disposable compressors. Without lubrication, their PTFE piston rings just wear out quickly, and are expensive when it comes time to source a rebuild kit. The frequency of the rebuilds combined with the oilless compressor requirement is what turned me away from the Shoebox, as well as their "unique" purchasing system, although it was a close call between the two. My Altaros fills at about the same speed as my Nomad II when run off a cheap 2hp 125$ harbor freight compressor. I have the plumbing to attach two compressors to my Altaros, although I rarely do as it fills the 480cc bottle on my gun in under 10 minutes. 

I don't mean to push for the Altaros, but again all my research suggested those are the two compressors which don't cost a fortune and the most people are long-term happy with the reliability of. You see a lot of excitement with various new compressors out there and how "this one should be reliable at this price," but it seems they rarely actually are and when they fail or simply need a rebuild the process is odious. 

And that is really the takeaway/advice I'd like to give: when buying a compressor, at ANY price, ask yourself the question "what happens when this thing needs a rebuild?" 
 
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I went from a hand pump to a Shoebox then because of the long runtime if my shop compressor trying to fill four 1 hour SCBA tanks I bought one of those $250 Chinese compressors... It died after about 7 hours of total use (I kept it cool and paused pumping all as per the instructions). Bought a different type of $250 Chinese compressor and within 6 weeks, 4 times of filling, it died.

So I bought a $600 twin cylinder Chinese compressor which is the same as the working parts of the AV one. At $14 a bottle fill at my local paintball field it paid for itself in the number of fills then as I would have been filling for 'free'.... It died by having a cylinder actually crack in half.

Finally, in disgust, I have bought from Neilsen Specialty Ammo a Alkin Mariner W-31 scuba compressor and THOSE have an excellent reputation filling scuba and fire station scba bottles for years and years being bulletproof.

Yes, it cost a lot but I can fill an 88 cuft bottle from 3000 to 4500 in eight minutes.

Knowing what I went through, I would have saved money by buying a good compressor right from the beginning [ Learn from my mistakes ]

And a group of guys could get together and chip in the same as a cheap compressor would have cost them individually and have a 'fill club' too.

I sure shoot a LOT more since I have unlimited air, the purchase was totally worth it! 👍😁😎
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thats what this forum does..help..show us that new mariner..thanks
 
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I have had an Altros booster for just about 2 years and it just had a catastrophic failure. My complaint is not that it broke but that they refused to honor their warranty. They would not give me permission to send it back for repair and charged me for parts to try to fix it. I have their deluxe unit which costs almost a $1000.00 by the time you get it here. Considering you need a separate compressor to power it and even with a very large shop compressor it is still extremely slow (it fills a 88 cubic foot tank at about 1 hour and 15 minutes for every 10 cubic feet of tank volume). It also puts a large demand on the driving compressor. Today there are a lot of better options for the money than a booster.
 
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Where I quit wasting money and went with quality: here's the Mariner purchase site

https://nielsenspecialtyammo.com/collections/compressors

Here's a video review (there are others but I know Doug Noble and trust him)

https://mountainsportairguns.com/alkin-w31-mariner-hpa-compressor/

I have a booster but the shop compressor runs all day to power it and I've worn out a couple of them (shop compressors) too!

Like I said, get together with 4 or 5 local guys and split the cost and it's affordable for 'easy air'.

I did buy the Mariner all by myself because I shoot so much I fill/use at least 3ea 1hr/88 cuft bottles of air a week [ I mainly shoot Big Bore ]... In the last three years filling at the paintball field I spent an equivalent amount ($45 a week) and could have bought the Mariner a lot earlier with that money... If I'd only known
 
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