What compressor is the most reliable with minimal use?
- Thread starter 210theluke
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Of course reading this BS upsets me. You guys are drinking the Kool-Aid. Arithmetic does not lie. Do the math yourself. There are more Yong Heng horror stories in the archives than successful ones. You get what you pay for. Please read my answers above and learn. Yes my Bauer is old, but it functions perfectly even after all those years of use. Its current resale value is at least $2,000. Your Yong Heng has no resale value in a year.
Just for your info my Bauer is a 2 man carry, but it takes 440 Volt 3 phase power. As far as time saved, my 8 minute charge with the Bauer is more than a continuous hour with your Yong Heng, if it lasts that long. That's time saved. Nobody needs a portable compressor, if you have a 12 liter CF bottle. The bottle weighs less than a portable compressor and does not need any electric power. You and your buddy can shoot all day and still have reserve.
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"These plebs and their puny manual mills and lathes from Northern tool, if you don't have a 6 axis cabinet Amada or Doosan CNC mill and a 440 locker power supply you might as well die!"
"Unless you're using a sleeper cab kenworth you're hauling firewood wrong, pshhh, F250...dont make me laugh peasant!"
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"If you really seldom use that much air" buying a compressor is a worst thing for your budget...buy a bigger CF tank and fill it in a dive shop for yearly fee.
I am a large volume shooter, filling three large 147cc scba tanks, fourth year with YH with about 67 hrs in it. Rebuilt it 3x along the years, mostly my own negligence maintaining it properly, but also the wear and tear to consider. No one of these rebuilding costed me more then $100 with aliexpress parts I have always spares in my drawers... and maybe two hours elbow greasing, these let say per year of usage.
Yesterday for example the YH was running over two hrs plus some cooling down ... when I topup the second tank the DIN valve oring burst. I had to empty the @#%$ 147 cc tank to replace two orings worth less then a $1, and top it up again from zero. And started raining outside and my garage door was open to clean the oil odour... both the two stage big orange water separators were hot to touch as heavy I was running that YH compressor.
To me YH is worth the cost. Would I go for anything 10x the piece price? I don't think so...
I am a large volume shooter, filling three large 147cc scba tanks, fourth year with YH with about 67 hrs in it. Rebuilt it 3x along the years, mostly my own negligence maintaining it properly, but also the wear and tear to consider. No one of these rebuilding costed me more then $100 with aliexpress parts I have always spares in my drawers... and maybe two hours elbow greasing, these let say per year of usage.
Yesterday for example the YH was running over two hrs plus some cooling down ... when I topup the second tank the DIN valve oring burst. I had to empty the @#%$ 147 cc tank to replace two orings worth less then a $1, and top it up again from zero. And started raining outside and my garage door was open to clean the oil odour... both the two stage big orange water separators were hot to touch as heavy I was running that YH compressor.
To me YH is worth the cost. Would I go for anything 10x the piece price? I don't think so...
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I have a rather complete machine shop as well. I do my own gun work. I have been shooting for more than 60 years. I speak from my many years of experience. You are welcome to your opinion, but in deference of time, please come back to us in two years and explain to this forum how wrong you were today.
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I find some of this really funny. I am not trying to be antagonistic, but the right answer for you is the answer that works for you. Not the one that impreses people unless that is one of your criteria. What life has taught me is that for most things, there is no one "right" answer. I have been shooting PCPs for years, and I don't have more than $500 in HPA. Not because it is the "right" answer, but because it is a good enough answer for me, for where I am in life. I can't justify spending $5000 on my whole airgun hobby, let alone a compressor. So my solution allows me to enjoy the hobby with the money that I am willing to spend. As long as your solution works for you, enjoy it. And don't worry about how much other people spend.
JMO, YMMV, Etc...
JMO, YMMV, Etc...
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We are each working with unique budgets and situation. I have been “playing“ with the yong hengs for a couple month, (owned it for 2 years, but hadn’t bought tanks til recently) and once I actually started filling tanks the problems started.
All YH parts take 3-4 weeks at the fastest to reach my location, so a compressor going down means I’m hand pumping a gun for a month or more. That’s getting old. Lots of folks have good luck with em, but apparently I’m not in that number thus far.
Here in Alaska the comfortable outdoor shooting season is so short I don’t want to miss a quarter of my season waiting on parts every season to me that’s worth 3k-or even 5-6k in the long run. Hell, that’s just the price of 2-3 high end guns.
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I use probably 60,000 litres of air a year so a good high end compressor is whats best for me
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At $242 delivered, a spare Yong Heng is not out of the question.
And for about $550, a GX CS4 is another popular option.
Neither require 440 volts, or 2 men to carry them around, so both are popular options, and users seem to get their money's worth.
And for about $550, a GX CS4 is another popular option.
Neither require 440 volts, or 2 men to carry them around, so both are popular options, and users seem to get their money's worth.
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I’m try a “spare“ yong heng myself. Hopefully the second one will have less issues than the first. Meanwhile I’m plotting the real compressor purchase once it dies….by my luck, the darn thing will for sure last 10 years trouble free…
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So in summation, the professional compressor is far superior to these cheap Chinese specials, but unaffordable to many. I understand, but there is a solution to those folks mechanically capable. These type compressors are scrapped all the time by both the military and commercially like scuba clubs, the sport industry, fire departments and general industry. All you need is the pump. Some stuff around them may be useful, but not important. These professional compressors are very well supported with repair parts for many years. You can then test and repair almost any fault yourself assuming you have the tools. You can then construct any missing controls. You end up with a working compressor worth a lot of money.
I will tell the story of my Bauer. I found just the pump laying in the mud at a scrap dealer in around 2000. I did not need it then, but for $150, I bought it anyway. I stuck it in the back of my garage. When I started shooting PCP, I decided to resurrect it. I first designed my controls then ordered all the parts. That took the most time, as I shopped world-wide to get the best parts at the best price. My pressure control switch came from California. My safety valve came from Australia. My electronic chassis and electrical enclosure came from Germany. I built a DC power supply out of parts I had on hand. I used a step down transformer I also had on the shelf. Because most houses in Europe have a 400 volt 50 Hz 3 phase service, I used a spare 1600 watt 4 pole 3 phase motor. I used a 24 volt DC 3 phase relay to power the motor I also had on hand. I made some extra SS tubing to connect my self made output manifold to mount my sensors, pressure meter and a male Foster fitting. I placed all of this on a piece of steel C channel with 2 carry handles. I estimate a total cost of less than $1,000 and a little labor.
This is not so unique ether. About 5 years ago, a friend gave me for free a professional compressor from a Dutch scuba club that had seized because it was left running without any attendance for a weekend. The pro compressors are usually 4 cylinder units and the forth stage seized. I repaired it in about an hour and sold it in an auction for 1200 Euro. These things are around and can be found. Consider the service carts that are used to charge the nitrogen landing struts on aircraft are often scrapped. They are called high Packs in the trade. I guess for those folks that do not know the business end of a screwdriver, need not participate, but for everyone else, this works really well and it is affordable.
![IMG_1752[1].JPG](https://www.airgunnation.com/attachments/img_1752-1-jpg.476361/ "IMG_1752[1].JPG")
I will tell the story of my Bauer. I found just the pump laying in the mud at a scrap dealer in around 2000. I did not need it then, but for $150, I bought it anyway. I stuck it in the back of my garage. When I started shooting PCP, I decided to resurrect it. I first designed my controls then ordered all the parts. That took the most time, as I shopped world-wide to get the best parts at the best price. My pressure control switch came from California. My safety valve came from Australia. My electronic chassis and electrical enclosure came from Germany. I built a DC power supply out of parts I had on hand. I used a step down transformer I also had on the shelf. Because most houses in Europe have a 400 volt 50 Hz 3 phase service, I used a spare 1600 watt 4 pole 3 phase motor. I used a 24 volt DC 3 phase relay to power the motor I also had on hand. I made some extra SS tubing to connect my self made output manifold to mount my sensors, pressure meter and a male Foster fitting. I placed all of this on a piece of steel C channel with 2 carry handles. I estimate a total cost of less than $1,000 and a little labor.
This is not so unique ether. About 5 years ago, a friend gave me for free a professional compressor from a Dutch scuba club that had seized because it was left running without any attendance for a weekend. The pro compressors are usually 4 cylinder units and the forth stage seized. I repaired it in about an hour and sold it in an auction for 1200 Euro. These things are around and can be found. Consider the service carts that are used to charge the nitrogen landing struts on aircraft are often scrapped. They are called high Packs in the trade. I guess for those folks that do not know the business end of a screwdriver, need not participate, but for everyone else, this works really well and it is affordable.
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I won't be wrong. I have a hill HPA compressor at home. I do not fill large cylinders with it either. 4.7l or lesser and I watch temp at all times. I keep to a strict duty cycle. The small spritech I only fill air tubes with is working strong. I have total gasket, bring, and piston replacements and repair capability if it burns completely and becomes unsafe to operate ill scrap it and spend another 180 .. even IF It were needed to be replaced every six months it would've been worth the price several times over. I'll buy a Bauer or an alkin when I am running a shop. For all else there is the local Volunteer firehouse who have a massive $20k compressor; or numerous dive shops for my 50cu ft+ cylinders.
I'm very happy you've enjoyed shooting for so long and have a machine shop. I'd love that. By trade I'm a welder and fabricator .. heart failure took me out of the field young. So I do appreciate the capabilities you have. But the fact is as long as they're not trying to fill over half liter tanks on a $150- $280 12dc 110/220 ac portable, and they respect the duty cycle and perform minimal maintenance they'll more than fulfill their needs.
Off topic edit. Do.you know the wall.thickness necessary for 6061 to handle 4350psi on a 32mm OD Tube? Or is 4140 chromoly the better choice? Want to build a 315mm air tube with huma reg and 35mm plenum for notos with 380mm FX barrel
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I think aluminum is the wrong choice on its own because of its low fatigue resistance regardless of wall thickness. Scuba bottles from aluminum have only a little over 3,000 PSI limit and a very short life span. Most of the CF tanks are aluminum, but are wrapped in CF to resist swelling under pressure creating a much longer life span. Steel can be used, but is heavy and if a chrome alloy is used like 4130, 4140 or 4340 you must be very careful if welding is being considered because it requires very special pre and post heat to prevent weld boundary crystallization. I would suggest a 2 mm wall tube of 6ALV4 Titanium with threaded end caps similar to the GK1 tank tube.
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No. No weld. Was considering 6-8mm 6061/6063 32od/20id 300to 315L with thread about 40mm in to drop in a huma Wildcat reg, then a 40-50mm plenum. I'm fine with a 3-5yr service life. Planned on no higher than 220-240bar working pressure. I wanted to stick to.the 5/3 test pressure minimum. The only weld I'd consider is the front end, interference fit a plug and tig the seams. Bore and tap a hole for 1/8th fitting for the pressure gauge, one on the side wall for a male foster QD fill adapter.. Tap 3 1-72x1/16 holes for grub screws to hold the already threaded reg in. Remove 2mm of material concentric to thread, the threaded plenum brings it back to 6mm total, 18X1.5 on the other end of the plenum, and one 1/8th on plenum side for post reg manometer.. Simple enough.
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Drill and tap into the sidewall of your tubing? I’m going to say that’s a huge no no. Every tube reservoir airgun I have ever seen ONLY has threads in each ends for holding end caps. The end caps will have any threading necessary for gauges and/or fill fittings etc.
I vaguely remember a story about a guy that made a submersible to go to some sunken ship. Maybe that was last year. I think something bad happened but don’t recall for sure. I think the owner disregarded a lot of known physics/engineering principles.
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Yes, he was stupid and stupid is always a life sentence without parole. He bet his life on carbon fiber for the exceptional strength required to withstand the extreme compressive pressure at the ocean depth he wished to go. The mistake he made is that CF is only strong in rarefaction, not compression.
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Ahh yes. No tube airguns have fill ports or pressure gauges. The end with a plug welded with a 1/8 center bore and tapped from the side where the plug is NEVER happens. A plenum. Woth a thicker collar where it threads to the gun. Totally never seen one with a 1/8fitting, using a commonly used materiel exceeding required specs to safely contain working pressure Absolutely the same as using material totally rejected for submersibles.. i can name and picture several pressure tubes by common manufacturers who use grubs to hold regs in place or hell, even use a 12mm hole in the side wall to insert the reg.
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Not being a wiseguy, what airgun has a “welded” end cap? Just curious. I have only been into PCP’s for maybe 3 years and have looked at a lot of guns with tube style tanks, but none appeared to be welded, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Being a welder my entire career, I pick up on welded assemblies fairly readily. And having welded many high pressure assemblies for the oil and gas industry I can attest to highly engineered and tested/qualified weld techniques and qualifed welders. HP is nothing to second guess. While I worked in the dive industry I had access to some very interesting and fatal mistakes divers made when they built their own stuff. Makes for good reading.
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I think you might find a lot of useful information related to what you want to do by searching in "Bob and Lloyd's Workshop" sub-forum on GTA. They have done lots of work and testing on aluminum tubes over the years, including (IIRC) the development work that went into JSAR's aluminum Marauder tubes.
"Bob and Lloyds Workshop" - Airguns & Guns Forum
"Bob and Lloyds Workshop" , Air guns, Airgun Forum
www.gatewaytoairguns.org
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