Why El Cheapo compressors are no bargain

[Humdinger]

I can assure you the OP has no real knowledge of ,at least, some of the "cheap“ compressors.
I'll only talk about GX, as I have three at three places I live and shoot. I also assure you I can afford any air compressor I want and I come from many decades of industrial experience. So I know compressors.
Gx units are robust and fairly slow running (comparitively) thus they can, properly cared for, last for years, all things being equal. With parts readily available and easy maintenance and repair, they offer great value.
I have three, going on 2-3 years and i have yet to replace a single part on any of them.

@bchannell if you have spent time reading this forum you would know that I have recommended GX CS4 and 4i compressors on more than one occasion. I have also stated in the past that YH compressors are high maintenance but acceptable for those on limited budgets willing to deal with frequent rebuilds. My OP explicitly refers to oilless box compressors. I don't need to own every compressor to understand how difficult it is to produce high pressure air reliably for a length of time to offer an opinion on value.

A well designed, compressor using higher quality materials and quality control will have a lower failure rate and less maintenance downtime than one where the objective is to sell at a low price point. I expected to be flamed because no one likes to hear that their baby is ugly. In compressor russian roulette,there will always be a minority of cheap oilless box compressor owners who will beat the odds and get their money's worth. Unfortunately the odds are that most will not. The volume of posts on this forum regarding problems speak to that reality.

 

[Ezana4CE]

I started with a SCBA tank and I own an oiless and Alkin compressor. Thankfully my oiless compressor still runs. I hardly use it and I’ve had it a few years. The good thing is that when I do fire it up, it still functions well and creates the desired pressure. I only use it to fill guns on occasion.

The OP and a few other members really invested time in assisting me in making a decision on purchasing the last compressor I’ll probably need unless all airguns eventually start functioning at higher pressure levels. I think @Humdinger has good intentions and is a helpful member that is in good standing.

The good thing about these forums are that there is a wealth of information cataloged here. @Gerry52, @biohazardman, and several others have posted about their experiences with YH compressors and have good things to say. There are also Coltri owners that seem happy and the newer GX compressors are now making a splash in the foruns. So when you’re shopping around, you can read about the experiences of others and make the decision to purchase what’s best for you. Having bought an oiless compressor and a quality compressor. I say save your pennies and get the quality compressor instead of another gun when you can. The best advice here is to search the forums so you can make an informed purchasing decision.

 

[6gun]

Lots of users don't realize the amount of energy in high pressure air at the pressures required by a PCP. When I was first starting out in PCPs I learned my lesson by not following proper procedure when filling a rifle. I pulled out the fill probe after filling to 200 bar without first opening the bleed valve on the tank. The tiny amount of air in the microbore fill hose at this pressure sounded like a gun shot. It was a lesson never forgotten and gave me an instant appreciation of the energy in high pressure air.

Air compressors designed to sell at prices hand pumps used to sell for are not reliable or durable. These oilless box compressors can only be built economically in China where labor is dirt cheap, liability is not a cost of doing business, and warranties/repairs are non existent. The metallurgy of these economy compressors is substandard for the amount of stress generated by high pressure air. Leaks and failures are inevitable. It's like expecting a VW beetle to tow a trailer. It might a time or two but it will die quickly as it's up to the task.

There should be a separate forum for these incessant posts. It seems that 75% of questions asked on this forum are from people who ask 1) What's the best "budget" compressor? 2) My "budget" compressor is broken. How do I fix it?

These questions are asked ad nauseum on this forum. My thought is always to respond by asking:

Can you use the search function as this has been asked a million times already? If you had read this forum you will see lots of failures just like yours.

Moral of the story. You got what you paid for. An oilless box compressor is "plug and pray" and a waste of time and money. Owners spend more time fixing them than using them.

It's a trait of the hobby. Compressors, guns, pellets or optics. It took me 20 years to figure out "buy once, cry once".

 

[6gun]

I started cheap.
Hand pump>buddy bottle>yong heng 3x> CS4 that let lose in a way that the rebuild kit and my machine tools couldn't make worthwhile to fix. >orange shoebox >tuxing Bauer clone. These are the best longevity/performance/price middle ground my group has found. The tuxing clone fills a 92ci buddy bottle in 9 minutes from zero.

There's slight variations on them between which brand is on them but the pumps are about the same and you can buy the breakable parts on ali express for nothing. It's also dual voltage for those who like that. Performance is on par with my old CS4 but the fans are way louder.

 

[ocdairgunner]

@bchannell if you have spent time reading this forum you would know that I have recommended GX CS4 and 4i compressors on more than one occasion. I have also stated in the past that YH compressors are high maintenance but acceptable for those on limited budgets willing to deal with frequent rebuilds. My OP explicitly refers to oilless box compressors. I don't need to own every compressor to understand how difficult it is to produce high pressure air reliably for a length of time to offer an opinion on value.

A well designed, compressor using higher quality materials and quality control will have a lower failure rate and less maintenance downtime than one where the objective is to sell at a low price point. I expected to be flamed because no one likes to hear that their baby is ugly. In compressor russian roulette,there will always be a minority of cheap oilless box compressor owners who will beat the odds and get their money's worth. Unfortunately the odds are that most will not. The volume of posts on this forum regarding problems speak to that reality.

So which one do you recommend?

 

[Sleestak]

They really are semi-disposable, but if you're only occasionally hooking up your only PCP there's probably nothing wrong with a cheap box compressor.

The issue arises when the new shooter eventually moves beyond the occasional fill ...airgunning, it's a slippery slope.

 

[L.Leon]

Buys brocock atomic, "why you need an alkin w31 gasoline diving compressor to fill it"

Literally the gun can explode if it tastes poverty in the air....

All I need to fill my Atomics is a hand pump… One of the sweet attributes of the gun…

I think most of us newer guys did their due diligence and bought the $200 Chinese junk knowing exactly what we were doing . Unsolicited advice that ends with it’s a waste of time and money .. sorry buddy info already out there.
I’ll tell you I read and reread several times and I find it insulting.

Don’t be “insulted“ simply post up your experiences to refute the OP…

So which one do you recommend?

Yes, which GX? Am looking to simply direct fill my PCPs, or top them off after a partial fill from my SCBAs…

 

[RabbitofCaerbannog]

All I need to fill my Atomics is a hand pump…

That's the joke.

 

[RabbitofCaerbannog]

I started cheap.
Hand pump>buddy bottle>yong heng 3x> CS4 that let lose in a way that the rebuild kit and my machine tools couldn't make worthwhile to fix. >orange shoebox >tuxing Bauer clone. These are the best longevity/performance/price middle ground my group has found. The tuxing clone fills a 92ci buddy bottle in 9 minutes from zero.

There's slight variations on them between which brand is on them but the pumps are about the same and you can buy the breakable parts on ali express for nothing. It's also dual voltage for those who like that. Performance is on par with my old CS4 but the fans are way louder.

View attachment 523773

I used the spritech variation. Lasted 7 months then had to replace the motor. Bought the cheapest clone with same layout as possible and use it for scavenging parts. Every hour of fill time I disassemble, clean, lube and check and replace seals that don't look up to snuff. Still fills my 500cc guns from 150-250 in minutes.

 

[WoodWelder]

They really are semi-disposable, but if you're only occasionally hooking up your only PCP there's probably nothing wrong with a cheap box compressor.

The issue arises when the new shooter eventually moves beyond the occasional fill ...airgunning, it's a slippery slope.

I fill a few rifles rifles and pistols a lot with zero issues.......I think the major problems arise from filling SCBA tanks where they run so long and get over heated.

I only fill my guns, my largest is a 480cc bottle that fills quickly!

 

[Sleestak]

I fill a few rifles rifles and pistols a lot with zero issues.......I think the major problems arise from filling SCBA tanks where they run so long and get over heated.

I only fill my guns, my largest is a 480cc bottle that fills quickly!

Yeah, it's really not all that different than any other type of power equipment. Not everyone is a contractor and for your average DIYer a Black & Decker cordless drill will do just fine for most household projects.

Even as a 'mid-level' quality Hill E-350 owner I'd like to believe in the "buy once, cry once" theory of compressor purchasing too, but my faith is weak.

 

[6gun]

Yeah, it's really not all that different than any other type of power equipment. Not everyone is a contractor and for your average DIYer a Black & Decker cordless drill will do just fine for most household projects.

Even as a 'mid-level' quality Hill E-350 owner I'd like to believe in the "buy once, cry once" theory of compressor purchasing too, but my faith is weak.

Bingo. Heating is how I killed my cx4. Even half filling 66 cf scba in 1 shot is basically a death nail for the small compressors unless you do it in the snow. I even broke up filling my 1058ci beast into 1000 psi blocks for cooling on my dive compressor. Lessons learned.

 

[RabbitofCaerbannog]

Bingo. Heating is how I killed my cx4. Even half filling 66 cf scba in 1 shot is basically a death nail for the small compressors unless you do it in the snow. I even broke up filling my 1058ci beast into 1000 psi blocks for cooling on my dive compressor. Lessons learned.

I slaughtered my EC-3000 marathon filling guns with .5l tanks

 

[tahoeacr]

When you guys refer to oilless box I am assuming you mean my Vevor. It sounds like there is no oil in it and has a bad rod knock. I knew what I was buying from reading here. I usually don't buy anything from china as I am never satisfied with the quality. The Vevor did not disappoint. First time I hooked it up to my truck batteries sparks flew. The connector on the other end was not even crimped. I just couldn't see $1,500 for something that very well likely sit in my garage never used after 6 months. I want to be sure I stick with this. Before I bought my Armada, I hadn't touched my break barrel Gamo in probably two years. Well, I'm doing my first mod so maybe I'm in it for a while. I only use the Vevor for taking the gun up to 2,900 psi. Never let the temp climb more than 3 degrees C. I'll start using the hand pump more. lol.

 

[6gun]

When you guys refer to oilless box I am assuming you mean my Vevor. It sounds like there is no oil in it and has a bad rod knock. I knew what I was buying from reading here. I usually don't buy anything from china as I am never satisfied with the quality. The Vevor did not disappoint. First time I hooked it up to my truck batteries sparks flew. The connector on the other end was not even crimped. I just couldn't see $1,500 for something that very well likely sit in my garage never used after 6 months. I want to be sure I stick with this. Before I bought my Armada, I hadn't touched my break barrel Gamo in probably two years. Well, I'm doing my first mod so maybe I'm in it for a while. I only use the Vevor for taking the gun up to 2,900 psi. Never let the temp climb more than 3 degrees C. I'll start using the hand pump more. lol.

The scotch yoke in these does sound like a big end knock

 

[6gun]

So, after 5 or 6 rebuilds on my hand pump with an mrod getting exponentially closer in use minutes I bought my first yong heng variant and it's developed a baaad rod knock. Then I bought a legit yong heng that was assembled out of spec and crashed the piston ever so slightly till it shattered the dome. The 3rd tong heng ingested too much of its own oil for my comfort so i gave it away and bought a cx4 that I killed in a year. I was running out of disposible funds

Then I made a life change and saw how much money I could save staying out of the watering holes and bought this orange box to hold me over and it works to this day. I did save some money and buy this big compressor when i bought my first fx.... Life changes. It sucks when you realize that if you just bought this big dog first, you would've spent less than doing the same thing over expecting a different outcome. Also don't buy the pictured compressor in 120v. At startup and peak load it draws more than they claim and requires a dedicated circuit which is a problem for some (luckily it's in my wheel house) . The motor might be able to be rewired for 220v and the chassis is pre stamped for a gas engine that I already have if i needed to. Instead I collect scbas.

The little compressors just were not designed with what I wanted to do in mind. When you tinker and gas/degas guns a ton you use more air than shooting. I am compelled to tinker and create.

Lesson learned, buy once cry once and buy with excess capacity in mind if you own more than 1 gun.

 

[SpiralGroove]

Hey Guys,
I bought a Xisico GTX Compressor back in 2020 that specifically used oil. It was promoted by Travis on the GTA.
I've used it for over 4 years filling all my PCP's without any issues .

I had all kinds of problems with my hand pump before on smaller tanked guns ... namely injecting water into guns.
I tried many ways of limiting/removing the water w/o much luck. Thinking of buying my first RAW gave me the motivation to try the GTX.

 

[dgeesaman]

I live by many rules, one of which is never buy cheap pressure vessels, lifting equipment, or safety gear.

High pressure compressors are pressure vessels. While they tend to fail at the seals and fail to generate pressure, I’ve dealt with enough pot metal Chinese cast iron to have decided I will never rely on it where my safety is concerned.

Fortunately there are options between a $4k scuba and a $250 Chinese junk. It’s not a black/white decision.

 

[RabbitofCaerbannog]

I live by many rules, one of which is never buy cheap pressure vessels, lifting equipment, or safety gear.

High pressure compressors are pressure vessels. While they tend to fail at the seals and fail to generate pressure, I’ve dealt with enough pot metal Chinese cast iron to have decided I will never rely on it where my safety is concerned.

Fortunately there are options between a $4k scuba and a $250 Chinese junk. It’s not a black/white decision.

Id wager money betting that id see Chinese proof marks on pressure bearing components of most compressors, including higher priced ones. I've examined the cylinders, the stainless I've seen is quality, zero corrosion, zero signs of fatigue in the parts that matter. As for the wiring and motors, much left to desire. As far as the cylinder and pistons, the blocks and piping looks up to snuff. Performs up to snuff.

 

[dgeesaman]

Id wager money betting that id see Chinese proof marks on pressure bearing components of most compressors, including higher priced ones. I've examined the cylinders, the stainless I've seen is quality, zero corrosion, zero signs of fatigue in the parts that matter. As for the wiring and motors, much left to desire. As far as the cylinder and pistons, the blocks and piping looks up to snuff. Performs up to snuff.

"Chinese proof marks" only proves that they marked it.

A non-Chinese company using a part made in China is one thing. They can establish quality control and testing to ensure they're getting good parts.

An entire product sold by a Chinese company that exports directly from China is where the real garbage can show up without warning. I prefer my safety-sensitive products to be by companies that operate (and are liable within) countries where they are actually held accountable for safety. It's not a guarantee but it generally helps.