What Size Air Compressor Do You Really Need?

What Size Air Compressor Do You Really Need?

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[josephszijarto]

Love your tool reviews Bear, but there's some inaccuracy in this vid unfortunately that's misleading people - you'll notice a lot of people now opting for electric tools below. A tool's SCFM rating at a certain PSI can be satisfied by a compressor with a far lower SCFM provided you have an adequately sized tank for how long you need to run the tool. If you want to run it constantly, for a very long duration, then the compressor does need to keep up directly with the volume of air the tool requires as you mention. An impact wrench will run perfectly on a 20 gallon compressor at 90-120psi for any reasonable need. It will run at full performance until the pressure drops below the rated value. The biggest power-robber you'll find are thin hoses and quick-disconnect couplings (air restrictions preventing you from getting the needed CFM from the tank). You'll have to wait a minute for the compressor to refill to remove that next wheel if you want 'full power', but not a problem for most home mechanics as tire rotations aren't exactly professional pit stops. For very air-intensive tools like drills, grinders, even perhaps HVLP, you're correct you do want something big enough to directly satisfy the tool's air needs. On the pressure part too, you mention you'll 'never use' 135-150psi. You're correct, you'll never use that at the tool, but that's the pressure in the tank. The greater the pressure given the size of the tank, the more air is in it. And the more CFM you'll get to the tool before the compressor kicks on again. You can't talk about tool SCFM requirements without talking about tank size and the maximum working pressure in the tank - it's not all about the CFM the compressor can constantly output.

[snitgu]

The quality of the air tool also makes a difference. My 30 gallon 5cfm @ 90psi can barely run the $10 cut off tool but the $60 cutoff tool runs great. Not all air tools are created equal.

[TexasScout]

Re: Impact gun
I have never had to run an impact of any size continuously. I have a 20 gallon comp that puts out 5.7 at 90 PSI, I have never been short of air while rotating tires or changing blades on the mower. In fact, many years ago I ran a small sand blaster continuously with a Sears 5 hp hot dog style comp. Made a living painting.

[cowboyclayton]

I agree with you on the battery powered stuff. Im a diesel mechanic. I have both air and battery powered stuff. 9 times out of 10 I just go for my battery powered stuff. Even when Im working in the shop equipped with a giant air compressor... I still find myself just going to my battery powered stuff. No hoses, no fuss, and they do the same.

[jacobw]

Most people can get by with a 3-6gallon for occasional work, like filling tires, 20+ gallon for a small shop, and a 40-60gal for a medium shop, and a 80gal for a big shop.

[melvingibson]

Got a 60 gallon dewalt for $450 on black Friday from tractors. Have ran siding nailer, finishing nailer, pneumatic hardi board shears, impact guns, die grinder, and many more. Very happy with it so far. Having a big air supply is very very nice.

[jameshill]

It's also very important to use high flow fittings and larger diameter hoses (3/8 min. - 1/2 best) for anything that requires higher cfm. Make sure your regulator has a cfm output that matches or exceeds your compressor. For low cfm or dyi odd job users I would advise nothing smaller than a 2 cfm compressor. Quite usable for most tasks. Anything smaller is almost painful.

[chucks]

I have an 80 gallon Ingersoll Rand for blowing out tractors and tires. I also have a 20 gallon Sanborn I use to air up tires so I can get them rolling to the shop to be worked on. The most used compressor is a 2 gallon Fortress turned down to blow sawdust and use as an electric shop duster.

[ahmadghosheh]

You also need to consider power supply. At 60 gallons you are at 220-240 V outlet and that is an expensive addition to your garage if you're a DIY, about $300+ electrician fee. Compressors below 60 gallons are usually 110-120V

[jorgerowell]

I have watched 3 different types of videos with the Bear. This Bear is the coolest. Very informative. Easy to understand..accurate information. And easy on the eyes . Thanx

[williamcole]

Nice to see another person do this. I watched another tuber and he touched on this, which helped me with some research and figuring out what I needed in a compressor. Never would have thought about the bigger air tools needing a larger cfm.

[keithcanfield]

I installed a Quincy 7.5 hp 2 stage 240 volt single phase in my shop 2 years ago. It's a workhorse and runs fine on single phase power. Now that we're nearing the end of 2022, be prepared for sticker shock.

[minituck]

I just bought a Quincy QT5. You can never have enough compressor. When you decide to run a blast cabinet you will ABSOLUTELY need all the CFM you can get.

[chrisforker]

I purchased a storage tank to help with volume. I have a 50 gallon compressor and two 50 gallon storage tanks. This has a higher initial run time, but zero drop in air performance. This same strategy can work on a smaller scale too.

[brianpritt]

Impact wrenches are used in short bursts and then a break before running again. A large tank can help with that. Smaller compressors work fine if you manage your usage.

[chrisdover]

I have a Porter Cable 5 gallon pancake compressor that has met most of my needs. The most I've ran on mine was a framing gun and it kept up with it just fine. I would not try and run any tools that require a continuous supply to operate, such as an impact gun, but nailers work pretty good.

[mbazzy]

I just upgraded to the Ingersal Rand 60 Gallon 5 HP 220 VT. 30 Amp this moves 18.5 Cfm @ 90 PSI and cuts out at 125 PSI coming from a 33 Gallon Craftsman twin cylinder oilless, its a very big improvement for me. $960.00 @ Tractor Supply

[DKWalser]

Red -- I know Jeff helped with the research on this one, so, while you're technically correct in the stats, he reached the wrong conclusion on a few things. First, the SCFM requirements from an air tool can be met -- briefly -- with the air in the compressor's tank. Second, a higher pressure compressor puts 'more air' in its tank -- allowing it to run an air tool for longer than a lower pressure compressor with the same sized tank. For example, I have the HF 27 gallon Fortress High Performance air compressor. It runs up to 200 PSI and produces 5.1 SCFM at 90 PSI. That 27 gallon tank effectively equals a 54 gallon tank at 100 PSI. It will run an impact wrench for several minutes (not continuously, but as you normally would use the tool -- several short bursts at a time). Plenty of air for removing or putting on all the tires on a car or truck, for example. That makes using virtually all the typical air tools practical for the home shop -- with the exception of large sanders, buffers, and grinders. (They make small (3") random orbital sanders that only consume 3 - 5 SCFM, so you can do SOME sanding. But, a 3" sander is a specialty tool. You'd want something larger for most work, and those sanders will outpace my HF compressor.)

[JackalGB]

Thanks Bear, I think I'll be skipping the air impact wrench then. $240 gets me a Makita XWT17Z 18V. :D

[skunkworks-]

So what I'm gathering is if your a shade tree kinda person then electric tools are the way to go. Get a compressor for airing tires and a lil car painting.