How do you fill your PCP?

[Michael]

How much did your setup cost?
How often do you use it?
How often do you perform maintenance?
How reliable is it?

 

[rcs9250]

Altaros booster $600 when I bought it. It’s been extremely reliable, no issues in 7 years. I use it to fill my SCBA probably 10 times a year. Pre filter was $250 and high pressure filter was also $250. It’s not fast but it creates no heat to speak of and is very well made. This setup gives me dry air as I have taken my guns apart and they show no signs of moisture.View attachment 444646

Nice set up, but we need to have a conversation about a missing cover on that breaker panel.

 

[Ta-Ta Toothie]

Nice set up, but we need to have a conversation about a missing cover on that breaker panel.

Hes got 3-phase.

 

[AlanMcD]

you are a very lucky air gunner to have those . IF i see a shoebox i will buy it .

Thanks, and I agree. I sometimes think that it would be great if a Chinese company would do a knockoff of the Shoebox, and nobody would care much since it is out of production . It really is an optimized design - Tom Kaye made a great product.

Unfortunately, everyone seems to want a "fast fill" and thus undervalues the real worth of something that is both robust and a real "set it and forget it" solution, and thus there simply is not as much money to be made with it, so I expect it won't happen. I'll take the Shoebox compressor over anything else out there I see. Don't get me wrong - I love the Alkins and the like, but they are so over the top for what I (and probably most of us) really need - resulting in minutes of run time a week/month from something meant to run darn near continuously . . . .

 

[beerthief]

Thanks, and I agree. I sometimes think that it would be great if a Chinese company would do a knockoff of the Shoebox, and nobody would care much since it is out of production . It really is an optimized design - Tom Kaye made a great product.

Unfortunately, everyone seems to want a "fast fill" and thus undervalues the real worth of something that is a real "set it and forget it" solution, and thus there simply is not as much money to be made with it, so I expect it won't happen. I'll take the Shoebox compressor over anything else out there I see. Don't get me wrong - I love the Alkins and the like, but they are so over the top for what I (and probably most of us) really need - resulting in minutes of run time a week from something meant to run darn near continuously . . . .

Altros is a nice replacement but still $800 to $1200 but you can use a shop compressor /or another tank / even C02 tank to power it i found out .

 

[grackleblast]

Awesome. You’re like a compressed air prepper. Beautiful.

As my loving , mostly understanding wife says "when it comes to airguns / high pressure air , you're a rebel without a clue or limits". No truer words were ever spoken.

 

[scubajeeper]

Nice set up, but we need to have a conversation about a missing cover on that breaker panel.

That’s a Louisiana skeeter trap!

 

[Revoman]

AlanMcD​

I couldn't agree more about having a worthy Shoebox pumping up my tanks. A real piece of excellent machinery. I prefer using the Box over anything that I have seen as well.
Speed means zippo to me, besides, topping off a 94cf tank from 3,900 to 4,400PSI takes about 30-45 minutes. That's not a long time.
I added a meter to record hours used, that is a really good way to track the rebuild life.

Mike

 

[tibor]

a important tool in the airgun hobby..use it often and fills

bottles..fast.

 

[bigHUN]

Yong Heng with over 65 hours run time over four years, so far rebuilt it 3x with some minor elbow greasing. My total cost for this compressor with spare parts well below a grand, including a big orange dual stage water separator. Also have a spare YH still in a crate as a backup just in case.
I am refilling four of mine large scba 147cc scba and a 9L Acecare, usually from 200 to 300 bars.

 

[MMF]

Alkin W31 vertical, March 2022 IIRC. $3500+ maybe $185 shipping.
I keep my two 74cf SCBA’s filled with it.
Swapped out the Foster quick connect with a DIN 300. Zero maintenace or repair other than oil change.

View attachment 443373

A nice addition to any living room or den, and the sculpture next to it is also pretty kool!,

 

[Chief Ten-Beers]

• GX CS3 $200
• Every other week or longer spans, depends on pests or weather for plinking
• Says after 50hrs, not there yet
• Still working

Does what I need it to do in relation to the budget I had. If I had more $, would have bought a higher end everything.

Almost double that price on Amazon right now.

 

[dgeesaman]

View attachment 443323

How much did your setup cost?
How often do you use it?
How often do you perform maintenance?
How reliable is it?

For the first few years of pcp I relied on a great white tank and a scuba shop about 25 min drive from home.

After I moved a couple years ago and joined a local shooting club where I now get to shoot airguns regularly I wanted a used compressor. I think I really lucked out with a used Daystate (Coltri MCH-3) for about $900 here on the classifieds. By great fortune the seller was ten minutes from me and I was able to test it before buying.

I run it about weekly to take my Great White tank from 3700 to 4200psi. (I get to shoot once or twice a week.). This compressor is officially rated to 300bar / 4350psi so I don’t fill past 4250. It runs for about two minutes of warmup, 5-10 minutes of filling, and 5 minutes of cool down. It does not have an auto shutoff so I watch it closely and make sure to build and bleed pressure slowly and avoid shock loads. I’ve not yet filled a tank from completely empty.

I’ve changed oil and desiccant filter once since I bought it a year and a half ago. Did not see any sign of water anywhere.

It’s bad luck to say I’ve had no problems. The one pressure gauge bleeds some glycerin.

 

[Newtopcp]

I fill my rifle directly with a cheap portable Chinese compressor. I have shot about 10,000 pelleted with it and it is still working fine. I generally pump my rifle to 4000 psi