COMPRESSOR--- WHAT TO CHOOSE?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
SPARATORE

SPARATORE

Member
Feb 17, 2024
23
82
Rancho Cordova, CA SE of Sacramento.
I have been considering a Compressor to support my new hobby, PCP Rifles. However, I find all manner of complaints from people who have purchased Compressors in the 400-600 USD$ range. I am prone... do to my technical training, to pay close attention to the Published Specifications of most anything I buy that is Technical.

I have discovered that publishing Specifications are of little concern to the manufactures today, in more areas than just PCP Compressors. The User-Customer feedback is a good measuring tool when considering such an investment. From what I have read, one would be much better off moving up to the much higher priced, more capable compressors that are designed for durability. Today, there is such a wide range of "Off Shore Junk" that seems to be getting bad press. Where does a guy go to purchase a Quality Compressor that will run for a few-years, serve them well without having to be repaired after 20 or 30 hours of service?


Don
 
I have a Rovair from PA that I use at least a couple of times a week. I bought it last Spring I think. It has worked flawless so far and no maintenance required. Also no water cooling to mess with. I have several guns with large CF bottles and it quickly fills them with no overheating. I don't use it to fill big tanks so I don't know how it would work but it's not rec commended by the company. I have the big Air Venturi compressor to fill my big tanks and used to use it to fill guns also but haven't used it for guns since I got the Rovair. I haven't used the 12volt power feature yet but hooked it up to a battery to see if it ran and it ran fine. So I would highly recommend it for filling PCPs.
 
Upvote 0
I'm not a compressor 'pro', but for what it's worth, I've got a Umarex Ready Air I've used probably once/twice a week. It has 600 minutes on it right now. Works fine. I don't think it has anything to dry the air either. The only things I don't care too much about are it's loud if you're gonna stand in the same room a while and once in a while the cooling fan doesn't shut off so I have to do it myself, but other than that, it's worked great for me.
 
Upvote 0
Don, if you plan to enjoy this hobby for years, the best money you can spend is to bite the bullet( no pun intended) and buy an Alkin W31. About the cost of a really great scoped and tricked out pcp, it will fill your large air tanks with dry air in minutes and last nearly forever with very limited maintenance.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 357cal, Airgun Al, rcs9250 and 1 other person
Upvote 0
Don you need to follow your gut and your wallets level for pain. You could be the guy who buys an Alkin and it craps in a month or a Rovair or Umarex or etc...the key will be parts accessibility and service. Any manual or tech specs I have seen on the offshore Asian manufactured compressors are a grade D+ at best. The crap shoot on you getting satisfactory service. Voice, text. Email etc is wholly dependent on the individual you communicate with and their desire to help satisfy a customer. I have a Tuxing 032, 2 yrs old, all issues satisfied within 1to 2 weeks of ownership. I was communicating via FB Messanger at 3am and got parts sent etc..no cost for my repair. I would NOT wish this experience on anyone because it can be frustrating. Having been to China many times as a startup engineer for a large hydraulic manufacturer I was familiar with how best to approach and resolve issues. My next experience will be an Alkin or Bauer should the need arise. I expect to need to service again my unit within a year or 2. If your ok doing repairs on your own, the Tuxing or Yong Heueng where parts can be purchased could suffice. Hope this helps. Good luck.
 
Upvote 0
SPARATORE said:
I have been considering a Compressor to support my new hobby, PCP Rifles. However, I find all manner of complaints from people who have purchased Compressors in the 400-600 USD$ range. I am prone... do to my technical training, to pay close attention to the Published Specifications of most anything I buy that is Technical.

I have discovered that publishing Specifications are of little concern to the manufactures today, in more areas than just PCP Compressors. The User-Customer feedback is a good measuring tool when considering such an investment. From what I have read, one would be much better off moving up to the much higher priced, more capable compressors that are designed for durability. Today, there is such a wide range of "Off Shore Junk" that seems to be getting bad press. Where does a guy go to purchase a Quality Compressor that will run for a few-years, serve them well without having to be repaired after 20 or 30 hours of service?


Don
Click to expand...

(Edited - I missed the OP's budget limit somehow. Silly me!)

If you're just filling guns, the CS4 or CS4I will serve you well. They don't fill fast, but they are well-built and should last a long time.

Good luck finding your brand of PCP happiness!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Camaro454 and WorriedMan
Upvote 0
SPARATORE said:
I have been considering a Compressor to support my new hobby, PCP Rifles. However, I find all manner of complaints from people who have purchased Compressors in the 400-600 USD$ range. I am prone... do to my technical training, to pay close attention to the Published Specifications of most anything I buy that is Technical.

I have discovered that publishing Specifications are of little concern to the manufactures today, in more areas than just PCP Compressors. The User-Customer feedback is a good measuring tool when considering such an investment. From what I have read, one would be much better off moving up to the much higher priced, more capable compressors that are designed for durability. Today, there is such a wide range of "Off Shore Junk" that seems to be getting bad press. Where does a guy go to purchase a Quality Compressor that will run for a few-years, serve them well without having to be repaired after 20 or 30 hours of service?


Don
Click to expand...
Why not consider a Coltri. Couple thou cheaper. But not as durable as an Alkin or Bauer I’m sure. Good luck. Grass
 
Upvote 0
If you've got a big shop compressor (low pressure) already than the Altaros Booster is an option to consider.

Just received an Altaros booster

Other HPA sources I've used were a Shoebox F10 (x4 or 5 years) and a Yong Heng (x7 months). Sold the F10 as a parts donor when I got frustrated trying to source replacement parts and the Yong Heng is still ticking just fine, with the caveat that the oil gets REALLY dark REALLY quick (impending...
www.airgunnation.com www.airgunnation.com
 
  • Like
Reactions: John "spysir" Blount, AirRanger, Revoman and 1 other person
Upvote 0
AirRanger said:
I second the booster, I’ve been running a Shoebox Max for 9 years and it’s extremely easy to work on if needed, there not manufactured anymore but if you see one up for sale my recommendation is to grab it and a little shop compressor to feed it air and you’ll be good for years.
Click to expand...
I'll clarify that while the original Shoebox compressor is often referred to as a "booster" because it is used to "boost" the pressure from a shop compressor (about 100 psi or so) up to PCP pressure levels, it is in fact a compressor and not a booster pump.

Booster pumps use the energy of compressed air to drive a cylinder that raises the pressure of a portion of the original air charge up to much higher pressures. As such, they end up venting a larger portion of the original compressed air back to the atmosphere, with only a small portion making it to the final high pressure state. The source of energy for compression in a true booster pump like the Altoros is compressed air.

But the Shoebox compressor used two stages of additional compression (driven by an electric motor) to "boost" 100% of the air fed to it from the shop compressor to the high pressure state, with no air wasted (other than the small amount vented when done using it). It actually is capable of taking atmospheric air up to high pressures on its own without a shop compressor, but would be extremely slow in doing so - removing the ~8 bar feed air would result in roughly an 8 times longer run time.

The best way to think of how that system works is as a three stage compressor system, but with the first stage "offloaded" to a device that many of us have and use separately - the shop compressor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AirRanger, W.Sheid and John "spysir" Blount
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu