Home Compressor...To buy or Not to buy...That is the question?

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Jim81

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Nov 2, 2017
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Wa, United States
I am weighing if I should get a home compressor or drive 80 miles round trip for air. Talked with a forum sponsor, Jo at air tanks for sale, and he calculated how many fills I can get from a 100 cu.ft Great White. With the 500cc tank on my air gun, filling to 220 and refilling at 140, I can get about 20 fills. I think that puts me in the get your compressor column. I then wanted to know what it would cost. Some folks on here said he gives discounts to forum members.
I called joe and he said to tell the forum members to go to xperthpa.com and you'll see all the prices on the Carette with the various options. Tell him you are an airgun nation member and he'll discount the package $100.00. He also advised his unit uses metal O rings not rubber.
I think the best value for me is the Carette he sells. I also asked with the holiday season approaching if he was going to have any specials like a Black Friday sale or something. He didn't confirm that he would or wouldn't but he did offer the $100.00 discount to forum members. Odds are if you are reading this you are a forum member.
 
I was one of the first to get the Carette compressor from Joe B. I also got the alpha filter from him, to the alpha I added a bleed valve at the output Incase I fill a rifle directly. I have over 20 hours on it no problems I changed oil after 5 hours and then at 15. To set it up I just added oil and antifreeze then I started it up I had to tighten one fitting that had an air leak. Try to get a longer hose than what he supplies it comes with a 24” which when connected to top of alpha filter it won’t reach tank on the ground. I have Jos Tiger Shark 72cf and the Beeman 90 tank which is convenient to back pack for reserve air. I found a place that has good prices for cartridges on the Alpha 

https://www.filtertechs.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=96_20_130&products_id=394&osCsid=4322f7255261ddcb72c30977a1896d44

The only other thing else I purchased was compressor oil I was told Bauer oil-0024 was the best, it’s expensive but 1 gallon will last me a few years.

the beauty of the Carette is it is belt driven and very quiet . It runs at a slower output than some of its competitors but because it’s not overdriven it will last, stay away from those $350 Chinese Compressors as unless you like to do regular rebuilds and wear earplugs. With the Carette I connect the tank start it up shut all the valves and then do whatever it shuts off when tank is full. When I’m finished filling I let all the air out of the system until the next time. Every 5 hours I check the moisture indicator strip on the filter to know when it’s time to change the filter, the first one lasted about 15 hours and that was during a humid summer. 
Good luck
 
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Buy a compressor. 
Save up, do your research on quality, maintenance, speed, noise, warranty, parts, and DIY rebuilding/repairing/refreshing. 
80 miles @ 20mpg = ~$15 then there's the cost of the fill which can vary greatly from $0 to $30. Split the difference? $15. So, your out $30+/- each time you want to fill. Also there's the ever fluctuating price of gasoline. It's not a big deal but, it's just this little jab to the ribs every time you need a refill. 
Then there's the cost of your time. 80 miles + refiling time. Your talking, what... an hour and a half - 2hrs overall? What could you be doing at home with that time?
How much do you shoot? lots of shooting = lots of air = lots of time and $ refilling. I refill at least once a week in the few weeks before a competition. Over the Winter months (4-5) I'll probably only need 2-3 fills. If you're a heavy shooter, it's totally worth it.
I think most of the compressors have this feature but definitely look at ones that have auto shutoff when they reach your desired psi. Not only is it safer but, it also allows you to put the whole setup in an area where the noise isn't going to bother anyone. Just like the rotisserie oven... "Just set it, and forget it!" lol 
Moisture = bad. Just build it into your price tag to get yourself a good desiccant filter. Set yourself up right from the very beginning. It definitely hurts the wallet but, the pain will subside before you know it and you won't have to rely on anyone else for air anymore. <--- doesn't that sound nice? :)
I'll give a plug for the Altaros for a booster style compressor and the Omegas for a stand alone. 
Good luck! 
Tom
 
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Jim I used to do the 80 mile round trip thing, but then I started shooting big bore airguns and alot more of everything else. Three years ago I bought my Omega and I have never looked back. I can’t tell you what a difference it has made in my overall enjoyment of the sport. The other best thing I did was transition off of scuba tanks to carbon fiber.
 
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I had a similar problem. My paintball place wanted to charge $15 each to fill my 45min scba tanks. He would hot fill them so i would end up approx 3900psi. This fall I bought an Altraros booster, now we can shoot as long as we have ammo. No more planning when I can get my tanks filled. I have been using regulators made by altaros for several years, they make quality products. The booster does approx 1100 psi an hour and fills right up to 4500psi.
 
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Does anyone know who makes these compressors for AV? They appear to be very much like the two cylinder compressors from Tuxing and others. I will give it to AV that they install the water tank, cooling coils and air filter, so they come complete vice having to have a bucket of water and use external filters... I'm assuming the actual compressors are Chinese made? Or am I way off base here? Not saying that they aren't good machines, I see nothing but praise for them... Inquiring minds want to know. ;)

Air Venturi Compressor (AV) $1300:

1d9e7732f3e4190d7b672862acc12d52.jpg


Chinese Tuxing Compressor $560:
c85da3a08a9285fa649608c0dd451410.jpg
 
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"DuncanHynes"I want a quality compressor that isnt $2,000. I want auto shut off and water filter all included. But I keep hearing bad about one or the other that are floating around.
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I wish there was a cheaper alternative that I would consider quality, in one of my previous posts I mentioned the 3 decent units that list from $1299 to as high as $2200. The nice USA made ones or the European ones are $3000 or more. The ones I mentioned the Air Venturi , Omega and the Carette are what I consider to be medium quality Chinese pumps there are plenty of write ups on them in the various air rifle blogs. The main reason I recommend these is they are all sold through US distributors who do offer support and I have not read anything bad about any of them other than minor quirks. I chose the Carette and so far I’m happy. I think I paid $1699 and that included the Alpha filter which I believe is needed with whatever you buy. This is not the end of your expense you will still need an air tank that can cost from a few hundred to $895 unless you fill your rifle direct from compressor. The pressure boosters like the shoebox are a cheaper alternative to them you need a good standard oil less compressor. Again the Alpha filter or equivalent is needed with ever choice. If that’s too much then you need to find a place to fill up your tank. Before I got my compressor I would travel to paintball store and get 4300 psi none I tried gave more than that cost $10 a fill. I got tired of the 60 mile round trip to do it. If I had a few friends in my town I would of partnered on a purchase but my PCP friends are everywhere but in my town. I have heard that some air rifle stores also do fills. I know of one in CA that doesn’t charge but I don’t live in LA. Good luck in deciding what to do if I can be of more help to anyone PM me.
 
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The previous post were you see the Air Venturi compared to the Tuxing. It does definitely look to me that Air Venturi is based on the same compressor if there is a difference I don’t know maybe it’s the same with a few bells and whistles add on. What I do know though the Air Venturi is supported by its vendors good luck sending an email to China when you have a problem or need a part. 
 
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I don't have exotic guns, but i do have 2 Marauders and an Armada, all three are very accurate out to 50 yards, and hitting cans at 70 yards is done quite easily. But i like shooting them a little almost every day. For me the hassle of having to plan and drive 40 miles each way, schedule it into my already busy days just takes the pleasure out of shooting, you find yourself rationing to make the air last etc. Compressors are a significant expense but there are newer ones on the market that are reasonable in price. I have the Daystate 2 compressor and fill for my two scuba and one scba tank 2000 tp 3200 psi and 2800 to about 4200 scba; takes on the average of 5 minutes each. Your enjoyment of this sport will be greatly increased if your not always being concerned about having to ration or drive for air.
 
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"Jim81"I am weighing if I should get a home compressor or drive 80 miles round trip for air. Talked with a forum sponsor, Jo at air tanks for sale, and he calculated how many fills I can get from a 100 cu.ft Great White. With the 500cc tank on my air gun, filling to 220 and refilling at 140, I can get about 20 fills. I think that puts me in the get your compressor column. I then wanted to know what it would cost. Some folks on here said he gives discounts to forum members.
I called joe and he said to tell the forum members to go to xperthpa.com and you'll see all the prices on the Carette with the various options. Tell him you are an airgun nation member and he'll discount the package $100.00. He also advised his unit uses metal O rings not rubber.
I think the best value for me is the Carette he sells. I also asked with the holiday season approaching if he was going to have any specials like a Black Friday sale or something. He didn't confirm that he would or wouldn't but he did offer the $100.00 discount to forum members. Odds are if you are reading this you are a forum member.
Click to expand...
I did not know Joe B was a forum sponsor here??? I bought all my pcp stuff through him. He seems to sell good products.
Having a compressor gives you a lot of freedom. I have a Shoebox which is easy to service (rebuild in 30 minutes) and to get parts for. Great compressor if you don't need a fast fill..... Which I don't. What ever you buy just make sure you can get parts for it. In the last two years all kinds of compressors have been introduced. I have a feeling we will see all kinds of threads on guys looking for parts for their compressor.
 
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My Air Venturi is supposed to arrive Tuesday PM. If money was no object I would have chosen the Carette. However, the AV delivered ends up being about $800 less than if I had purchased the Carette. I am still going to get joe's alpha filter despite PA claiming the air coming out of the AV is dry enough to suit the Chinese Olympians using PCPs. 
I shot a lot in my field today. Have targets at 25, 50, and 75 yds. I now have experienced the pleasure of not counting shots or the remaining pressure in the transfer tank, How many fills left before I travel 80 miles round trip for air. After Tuesday I"ll just walk to the shop and charge the Great White. I do think it's going to cost me a lot more for pellets though.
 
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My AV arrived this morning. After filling up with water and some compressor oil I did the 10 minute break-in run. Let it cool and proceeded to top off my 3 bottles (90 cu/in, 75 cu/ft, 100 cu/ft) in less than 45 minutes total for a 1500 psi gain on each bottle. Took my Altaros Booster 12 hours to fill that 100 cu/ft vs 20 minutes from the AV Compressor.

Thurmond
 
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