Is my mind right on compressors

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As per your #1, I don't agree that the Yong Heng is "labor intensive", at least, not for me. Mine is set up in it's own "permanent" area as is its water bucket & external fan(s). I have my external fan & water pump in a switched power strip & before I run the YH I turn the power strip on. If you follow some basic rules of care it will take good care of you. They're really NOT labor intensive & do a good job with routine oil changes & not demanding too much from them. Excessive heat is the main concern. Mine is going on 2.5 years & running strong.
 
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Gerry52 said:
As per your #1, I don't agree that the Yong Heng is "labor intensive", at least, not for me. Mine is set up in it's own "permanent" area as is its water bucket & external fan(s). I have my external fan & water pump in a switched power strip & before I run the YH I turn the power strip on. If you follow some basic rules of care it will take good care of you. They're really NOT labor intensive & do a good job with routine oil changes & not demanding too much from them. Excessive heat is the main concern. Mine is going on 2.5 years & running strong.
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Thanks for insight. I used that more in a context to others not needing separate bucket of water , pump etc. and what reviews I saw basically stated for long life frequent oil changes and low hour rebuilds. Of course that is the crux of it as how one person cares for a pump can be totally different than someone else. Thanks again.
 
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Filling tanks with a yh is hard on them it's better to fill guns only I had one and it failed early bou a second and didn't really use it I used my shoe box booster which is slower but didn't fail then ended up going to a coltri MCH 6 which is great main concern with young heng is keeping it cool have plenty of ice on hand
 
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I stayed away from PCP's because of the costs involved getting the air supplies to support it. I eventually got a used tank and the local dive shop would fill it so I started the journey down the PCP path. That used tank needed to be recertified and it failed that test so at this point I had to find another tank and ended up buying new. Given the resale values often seen with used tanks that have 2-5 years left of life I figured it was worth it and I still had the fill line from the old tank.

The dive shop was kind of a hassle since they only filled to 4200 if the tank was allowed to cool after the initital fill so I often left it overnight and the shop also raised prices - so - when I found a Shoebox booster I jumped on it. My compressor suppling air to it is basically designed for light duty around the home and is noisy plus it takes awhile to fill a 74cf tank to 4500psi but I think it was worth the time and effort.

Not long ago Shoebox stopped selling the booster but another company sells a similar unit that is geared for CO2 extraction but I understand many parts can be used on a Shoebox booster ( https://ocolabs.com ).

Finding a used Shoebox is possible because there are fellow shooters that want a quicker fill option and may have one collecting dust.

Good luck on your journey....
 
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My YH is less than 2 years old but when I took it apart to look for the source of a minor leak extending fill times on my 45 minute SCBA tank (it was an O-ring) I found it to be in great shape. I use Nuvair oil in it - more expensive but I do not skimp on oil. I think that may lead to a longer life. I also added a computer radiator and a couple fans to it and I normally can refill my tank in 15-20 minutes going from around 3000 back up over 4000. After the O-ring replacement I got to 300 bar in about 15 minutes. Never got to 55 C but I had 3 frozen soda bottles in the coolant. I use distilled water with water wetter. There was no sign of corrosion in the water jacket around the high pressure piston. My water bucket is closed and I don't change the water. The water wetter seems to keep things from growing in it. Maintenance is a once a year oil change and an occasional O-ring change. It may require more some day but I will not rebuild it until it won't recharge my tank on a single run. Parts seem readily available at low price from AlliExpress.

I almost never fill a gun directly, I only use the YH to charge the tank. The YH gets run about once a month on average. So not many hours so far. I expect to get several more years use from it at my level of usage but if I don't, it isn't a huge issue.

I can't see why a much more expensive compressor makes sense for an individual. With a little maintenance and good oil I think a YH can last years even at higher usage than I give it. The price is low enough some people keep a spare on hand. I just hang onto my old hand pumps. I wouldn't want to use them but I hope to see a decline rather than an immediate break down so I have time to order parts when the time comes. But I also enjoy my sub-$500 PCPs even though I can afford to spend more. My P35-22 seems about as accurate as guns costing several times as much. I'm hoping my YH is another over achiever. I don't follow the "cry once" philosophy but I am not trying to criticize those who do.
 
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JimD said:
My YH is less than 2 years old but when I took it apart to look for the source of a minor leak extending fill times on my 45 minute SCBA tank (it was an O-ring) I found it to be in great shape. I use Nuvair oil in it - more expensive but I do not skimp on oil. I think that may lead to a longer life. I also added a computer radiator and a couple fans to it and I normally can refill my tank in 15-20 minutes going from around 3000 back up over 4000. After the O-ring replacement I got to 300 bar in about 15 minutes. Never got to 55 C but I had 3 frozen soda bottles in the coolant. I use distilled water with water wetter. There was no sign of corrosion in the water jacket around the high pressure piston. My water bucket is closed and I don't change the water. The water wetter seems to keep things from growing in it. Maintenance is a once a year oil change and an occasional O-ring change. It may require more some day but I will not rebuild it until it won't recharge my tank on a single run. Parts seem readily available at low price from AlliExpress.

I almost never fill a gun directly, I only use the YH to charge the tank. The YH gets run about once a month on average. So not many hours so far. I expect to get several more years use from it at my level of usage but if I don't, it isn't a huge issue.

I can't see why a much more expensive compressor makes sense for an individual. With a little maintenance and good oil I think a YH can last years even at higher usage than I give it. The price is low enough some people keep a spare on hand. I just hang onto my old hand pumps. I wouldn't want to use them but I hope to see a decline rather than an immediate break down so I have time to order parts when the time comes. But I also enjoy my sub-$500 PCPs even though I can afford to spend more. My P35-22 seems about as accurate as guns costing several times as much. I'm hoping my YH is another over achiever. I don't follow the "cry once" philosophy but I am not trying to criticize those who do.
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Very good info. Thanks for sharing your setup and experience.
 
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I wanted to thank everyone for the input. After considering my research and what you said I decided to roll the dice and try on of the yong heng models. Gives me time to save for the upper range ones and doesn't break the bank right before Christmas bills. I'll be sure to keep it cooled well and limit runtime. If it lasts a year or so then it would be well worth it. Thanks again.
 
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extradrygin2001 said:
I’ve bought the cheap blue compressor from china and if you want to come get it you can have it.

I replaced it with an Omega Air Charger from Air Guns of Arizona. And there is no comparison. The Omega is quite, fast, has an on board water cooling system. Doesn’t require oil changes. Hands down no comparison.
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I understand it is a carp shoot. Why I rolled the dice was if I am going to spend 1500+ on a compressor I'll just save a little more and get a top end for 3-5K. At that point I could even offer tank refills to local community if I wanted to.
 
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There is unfortunately no argument #4 is best in so many ways. One of which is that is the least expensive solution. I use a Bauer. It is worth more today than what I spent for it. It's bulletproof. Ask yourself how much a failure cost in time, convenience and frustration? You also need storage tanks. Good compressors are NOT portable. Also charging your gun from a compressor kills time you should be shooting with, not pumping. Filling from a pre-charged bottle takes seconds. Lastly, you do not need 4500 PSI. 3000 PSI works just fine without the the additional cost of 4500 or the stress on your gun and regulators.
 
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I charge my tank to 4000, sometimes 300 bar, but I don't fill my guns more than 3500 psi typically. My P35s are rated for 250 bar so 3500 is only a little conservative. My Avenger can go to 300 bar but I've almost never filled it that far, 3500 is usually all I put in it. I let the tank go down to 3000 - 3200 so some of my fills are lower.

One of my rare 300 bar fills of the tank was my last fill. The YH was staying cool so I let it go. But then I had trouble with the fill probe wanting to leak when I was filling my P35s. Might have been a coincidence but I'm not having trouble now that the tank is down to a little under 4000.

I like 3500 for my guns that can take it but I agree with the philosophy that it's good to stay away from the absolute limit of the gun. I'm sure they are rated conservatively but I still prefer to be a bit conservative.
 
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