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kellure

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I need some recommendations for air compressors to use with a Badger 150. Main needs are it MUST be quiet since I will be using it inside & while the kids are asleep. I've looked at Home Depot at their units for around $80 bucks, $140 for one with a reg, and I looked at AC Moore, only unit they have are the Testors Mini Blue compressor for $100 bucks (looks to cute to be much of a work horse, dont know for sure though 8O ...propel cans just arent cutting the mustard any longer.

Anyone have experience with these units or recommendations. I did a search and some folks went the Sears Craftsman route, thats a option as well. Thanks for the help.

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I have a Createx Phantom 100 That I'm very happy with. $149 from Dixieart.com Complete with regulator, water trap, and pretty much all the adapters, hoses etc. you need for your airbrush. Quiet is a relative thing. I use it inside, but my daughter would sleep through a nuclear explosion. Not to say the compressor isn't quiet. It is very quiet, but if someone turned any compressor on in my house I would wake up. Of course I wake up if a mouse makes too much noise. Oh well, I guess I'm not helping on that decision. It's as quiet as I've heard.

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I honestly don't think you're going to find a "quiet" compressor at Home Depot or any other place like that. They sell compressors for carpenters. Noise isn't an issue.

Designated airbrush compressors will give you much better results in the noise department. They're not what I would deem quiet, but they certainly beat the pants off any Emglo, Porter Cable, DeWalt air compressor I've ever used.

Another option...I have an upright 30 gallon compressor in the garage. I've got a pair of 9 gallon air tanks that I fill and bring into the house. They ARE quiet. Due to the lack of a motor I suppose. I just set up a quick connect system so I can plug in a moisture trap/regulator into each tank when it's in use and then a quick connect to my brush.

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i got my compresser and airbrush online on ebay.com .... i typed in airbrush and got many results. but the one compressor that i have used and purchased was one from airbrush city and ebay has many of them.

since i own and happy with it i would recommend it and it is around 70-100 dollars, comes with a regulator and basically everythin you need.

only thing is you may want to check if it works with badger, because i have a paasche and am not sure if the compresser house is universal.

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Guest Anonymous

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I have a few of these units. they are from home depot, quite, and very well made. I did add water traps, but never saw moisture in them.

I worked as a buyer for Ryders Hobby. The air compressors offered by hobby stores and air brush makers are not any better. I would not spend the extra money.

JMO

Chip :)

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Hey Chip, I ALMOST bought that same exact unit from my local Home Depot. HOWEVER, I went to my Sears Hardware Store and bought a HotDog Unit for $99.00. It was regularly $119.00... I checked yesterday and they are still at the $99.00 price. Home Depot sells the unit you have in the $139.00 to $149.00 price range... cant remember which. Sorry Chip and guys... Im a Cheapskate!! To me the Sears HotDog Compressor, is a little bit smaller, but financially is a better investment (CHEAPER!!) and will work perfect for the Badger 150. (Thats the same airbrush I use by the way) I havent moved up to the Paashe yet! :| But it is relatively quiet, but it does kick in when the tank runs low, then shuts off when it refills. I dont know but I feel its an acceptable inexpensive unit that will keep you airbrushing for some time and wont destry the kids sleeping patterns. I have kids as well and I airbrush in the basement, and they havent complained to me yet.

Do as Chip did and add a water trap to your compressor. That will help you out in the long run, and ALSO drain your plug regularly from any moisture that may build up on the insides of the tank! Hope that helps as wellCody

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Hi Guys, My wife gave me a new compressor for X-mas. If noise is a factor you DO NOT want the one I have. It came from Home Depot and is made by Campbell. It looks like the one Chip posted, but it is blue. It charges up quick and works great, but you can hear it running from 150 feet away in the garage with the door closed. Joe

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Getting confused on who is better and what not to buy! What I want to know is simple this> WHAT air ranges am I looking for. They always show two air ranges on these nice units but what does it mean to me for example> 20psi@1/2 cmf???? Normally you get 2 readings with the cmf. What do I look for? whats the high range and whats the low mean and what do we need for air brushing. My guess was that the low number was a sustained flow and the big # was for quick shots like nail guns. Am I close? or not.

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Mark,I'm not really sure what you saw on the compressor. Both of mine have 2 guages, one tells how much pressure is in the tank and the other tells what pressure the regulator is set at. The tank max. pressure is pre set, but the regulator pressure can be adjusted by the turn of the adjustment knob. Hope this helps. Joe

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Boatnick,

First answers to your Questions...... But I dont think you want me to get TOO TECHNICAL..... BUT IT IS AND YOU ASKED! :D

There are 3 Important Terms for Compressors: Standard Cubic Feet per Minute, Inlet Cubic Feet per Minute and Actual Cubic Feet per Minute. One of if not the most confusing areas of specifying air compressors or compressed air is defining the capacity. Let us start with the part that all the measurements have in common, Cubic Feet per Minute or CFM. This is the volume of air that is compressed each minute and it is measured on the inlet side of the compressor. Most pieces of manufacturing equipment have their compressed air requirements defined in terms of Standard Cubic Feet per Minute (SCFM); this defines the weight of the air because it is tied to a fixed or "Standard" set of conditions. The weight of the air is what makes the tools operate, or does the work..... hence the term Pounds per Square Inch!

In laymans terms, AND IMHO You have to understand ONLY 2 things about the compressor. (at least to make it easier for everyone AND THAT EXCLUDES MOOLAH!!)

BUT TO ME... Moolah Counts a lot!

When I BOUGHT A COMPRESSOR... that guided me to a good INEXPENSIVE unit! Now of course I will ramble on this post and hopefully not confuse you anymore. But if you are still confused.... then that means Im confused! But in defense my Mom and Dad were Flower Children and 60's Hippies! :lol:

1st to think about is the MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF PSI the unit will put out. Most of them are listed right on the side. And if you really need to think about that, include the Tank size it comes with, then the motor..... but they are silly things to think about ONLY FOR AIRBRUSHING! THE MORE POWERFUL THE MOTOR IS, and THE BIGGER THE TANK IS... THE MORE MONEY THEY ARE! There are pros and cons about all that as well... a BIG TANK gets filled up less. the motor runs less and if the motor doesnt run.... ITS QUIET! Making sure your Compressor has a Regulator on it is also a requirement. That way you can adjust the PSI settings to match your needs. Be Careful some compressors DO NOT COME WITH A REGULATOR!

NOW WHAT is the MAXIMUM AMOUNT you will need to AIRBRUSH WITH??? Certainly not more than 60 PSI. At least I havent gone over that. Some of the compressors max out at 125 PSI... they would be great to use for airbrushing. So this leads to the next thing to think about...

2nd is What is the maximum amount of PSI you will need to operate Your Air Brush... OR TOOLS... if you got them! Some tools require a high amount of PSI to operate them.

This is VERY important for powered tools. Of course you have to look at the reccommended amount of PSI needed to operate some of the Nail Guns, Power wrenches etc. If you dont have the right amount, the tools wont work well. Or they will work in spurts. If you DONT HAVE THE TOOLS... or wont have the tools... leave it be and forget about it... it aint important so you wont need a mega powered unit.

With all that being said, if you need a compressor for "AIRBRUSHING".... well any of the Units I have seen at the local hardware stores are gonna do just fine. And prices I have seen EVEN TODAY at the Local Home Depot start at $79.00 and go up. The $79.00 unit at Home Depot would be nice for Airbrushing and doing Lures. It's a Husky and has a 2 gallon tank, Maximum PSI set at 100. This was the "OLD style" unit that Chip Described above. The one Chip has is a Newer model and has been upgraded and again its Perfect. And if Chip is gonna put his name on it and reccommend it..... thats all the info you need. Im about ready to take my Craftsman $99.00 Hot Dog Compressor back to Sears and get the one he mentioned. However, my Craftsman is doing Just fine. Now why did I get the Craftsman..... well I like the fact that if ANYTHING EVER GOES WRONG WITH IT...... I CAN TAKE IT BACK AND GET ANOTHER ONE!!

Now is a compressor quiet. EVEN THOUGH THEY SAY THEY ARE..... they arent. I am still waiting to find one that is "TRULY" quiet. Even the small units arent quiet... when that motor kicks in.. your gonna hear it! Some are more quieter, but you will have to learn to live with it... and work around it. Im pretty used to mine and so is my family. They dont seem to mind and I run mine in the basement while they sleep ( Ialso live in a one Story Rancher) and havent heard any complaints.

So look at your needs and match your unit to your needs, cause everyone here will offer you the unit they use and say its the best! EVEN ME!

I hope my post UN-Confuses you... cause I think Im confused now! :huh:

Cody

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OOPS one more thing Boatnick, On the Regulator that you are talking about, the first gauge is designed to tell you (MEASURES) what the PSI is INSIDE THE TANK. On the second gauge it has a valve that you adjust for the PSI to escape (goes to the airbrush). Lets say you set it at 40 PSI for your airbrush. The Motor will run to a predetermined amount and fill the tank up, then when its built up the motor will shut off. As you airbrush, you use the air and the gauge measuring the air inside will lower, then at a designated point, the motor will kick in and turn back on. Once its filled again it will shut off. Cody

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I tried out a couple units this past weekend, from Sears to a hobby/craft store. The only 2 gallon unit from sears was loud, unbearable loud, as in "you can turn it off dude"...at the hobby store, I tried two units out, a testors blue unit ($100) and an Iwata unit ($195). Both units were worthy of purchasing and both would serve the purpose of painting lures. I had a great salesperson who was knowledgeable and offered advice based on what I need. I bought the testors unit and have used it for 3 or 4 days and it does what it says, has max of 35psi. The unit has not lost pressure enough to effect the brushing over 30-45 minutes of use at a time. Its a reasonably quiet unit, kinda has a hum to it more than anything, have used it with kids asleep in the next room and no one has heard it so far. Scale of 1-10 (10 being most quiet) in terms of quietness, its a 7-8.5. Its also small in size.

However the Iwata is a 9.5-10, this unit WAS not audible. It obviously was a nicer unit & it came with twice the price tag, plus some added features thats overkill for my needs at present time. The sales dude said to try the testors this week and see if I was satisfied, if not, then bring it back and they'll credit the testors price towards the Iwata unit purchase. So, thats where I stand for now, I've gotta eat my forewords about the testors at this point, its a nifty unit, but I can see myself possibly upgrading in the future to an Iwata if I had several dozens of lures to paint w/in a timeframe.

Thanks for all the recommendations and opinions.

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If these specs help, the Testors unit has an air flow of 10 LPM w/ max 35 psi, its oil-less, fan cooled, and is a piston type. The box states it is specifically designed for airbrush use only. The sales guy told me that really only 15-20 psi was needed to work the Badger 150 pro effectively. I guess he should know, local college art student and all. I've been unable to see a downside to the unit and I kept a $100 bucks in the wallet ...then again the Iwata was real nice :rolleyes:

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Kellure,

Yes, these are the types of hobby compressors your looking for, especially where noise is concerned.

I have a Thomas Spray-it runs about 30psi & barely audible, bought it for $40 on ebay & was nearly new. since the pressure is already suited, a separate regulator isnt generally necessary.

Boatnik,

to help you out, just about any compressor your find will push an airbrush. airbrushes only need about 20-40psi to work & CFM isnt really an issue unless your spraying HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) guns.

But these guns are better suited for automobiles, than baits.

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