Thoughts on best mid $1000-$1500 air compressor

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The Carette is the runaway winner in this price range. It has a much more sophisticated design than the competition and will outlast other compressors that cost between $1k to $1.5K. I sold a Bauer to buy a Carette. Much better value for an airgunner. I like the fact that the Carette is belt driven, extremely quiet running, has a built in hour meter, automatic adjustable pressure shut off, autodrain, pressure maintaining valve, desiccant filter, closed ciruit radiator and fan operated cooling system, runs on 110 volts that only draws 14 amps, and is not over-revved to achieve faster fill speeds. If you compare it feature to feature and have an understanding of air compressor designs, it's a slam dunk choice in this price category.
 
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Joewillie i cant compare since I only own one but so far I really like my Air Venturi 4500 psi compressor. I have had it about 7 months and it has worked flawlessly. Fills pretty fast and is relatively quiet. My next purchase may be a bigger 4500 psi tank so I dont have to take the compressor when I go upstate to my cabin. But i can put it in the truck if need be because it is heavy but not excessive. Good luck. I cant imagine not having one now. P.S. dont forget to budget for extra pellets because you will shoot a lot more.
 
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"Humdinger"The Carette is the runaway winner in this price range. It has a much more sophisticated design than the competition and will outlast other compressors that cost between $1k to $1.5K. I sold a Bauer to buy a Carette. Much better value for an airgunner. I like the fact that the Carette is belt driven, extremely quiet running, has a built in hour meter, automatic adjustable pressure shut off, autodrain, pressure maintaining valve, desiccant filter, closed ciruit radiator and fan operated cooling system, runs on 110 volts that only draws 14 amps, and is not over-revved to achieve faster fill speeds. If you compare it feature to feature and have an understanding of air compressor designs, it's a slam dunk choice in this price category.
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Interested in knowing a bit more about the Carette. I’m actually looking at the Nardi but keeping my options open. Any clue how these compare? The distributor for Nardi is literally in my backyard in GA while Joe is in Cali? Can you tell me about maintenance? Teardown and rebuild? Easy or hard? Thanks. 
 
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Can the guys that have both the AV and AC let me know the HP cylinder temp that you get to when filling a tank from say 3000psi to 4500psi? That seems to be about the normal use we have for these. It appears the AC comes with more “stuff”, like the filter/dehumidifier and priority valve, but the AV fills much faster. Looks like on the order of 5 to 6 times faster if I compare Joe’s web site time of 1.5 hours for 3000psi to 4500psi for AC and about 15 minutes for the AV. They both seem to be built around the Tuxing type two cylinder actual compressor, but the AC belt drive turns the compressor much slower. My Tuxing project fills at about the same times as the AV. I haven’t completed the cooling system mods yet and only have used it with the bucket and sump pump cooling. My total cost once done will be on the order of $850 plus two afternoon’s labor. 
 
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"Centercut"Interesting. So the AC don’t have a temp readout at all? I think running at 1/5 the speed of the AV keeps the temp down and increases durability and reliability.
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The Carette doesn't get hot at all. The high pressure cylinder only gets slightly warm and the low pressure cylindert heats to about 145 degrees. One has been tested continuously for 24 hours without getting any warmer than it was after 10 minutes. A Carette needs an hour to top off a 97CF Great White sized tank from 3000 to 4500 psi. I'll gladly accept that it's slower than an AV compressor because it has a superior design, more features, and it's much less overworked to achieve a faster fill time. Less heat and lower rpms means fewer problems and longer compressor life. I change the oil in mine every 25 hours of run time, replace the water and coolant once a year, and don't expect to ever rebuild the unit. The Carette pistons do not even have rings that need eventual replacing like the AV does. I like the fact that it runs quietly at 76 decibels instead of 90 plus decibels. That's 1/3 as loud. You can hold a conversation next to it. A local friend of mine has an AV which I've seen in action. I have compared both units and much prefer the Carette design and features..
 
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