Light and Quiet Air Compressor - $141

Is this specifically on sale?

Same price @ HD: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/california-air-tools-3-8l-light-and-quiet-steel-tank-electric-portable-air-compressor-with-panel/1001105151

Model seems to be quite awkwardly priced for its feature set. As mentioned, doesn't have enough SCFM to run many air tools; definitely not a painting gun. But if just pumping up tires, cheaper alternatives exist.

seems to be regular price.

These small, light “trim” compressors were first developed for trim carpenters, who liked small, light compressors for nailers inside. Much nicer and easier than the large, loud compressors they had before.

I have the DEWALT version, D55140, bought it many, many years ago. It’s a bit noisier now as the pump wears (non-repairable on these cheap ones). It’s my go to compressor inside and for anything else that needs a bit of air. It’s much easier to carry around than my Makita MAC2400 (great unit, relatively quiet and oil lubed).

Buy one if you need a small portable compressor, just realize it’s limitations in terms of CFM.

These are sought after in woodworking and carpentry circles for their quietness while running, no they won't run much pneumatic tools but for doing interior trim work you can't get a quieter machine.

Not sure why people are complaining about running power tools and sanders, you'd need a COMPLETELY different compressor

from https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/ ... ompressor/

If you’re a serious motorhead, you’ll have to take a larger leap. If you want to run “air-motor” powered tools like impact wrenches and ratchets, you’ll have to get serious with a unit that’s capable of at least 5.5 cfm with a sizable air tank. Just forget about running air-powered sanders and sandblasters—those guys require almost 9 cfm. Expect to spend $540 plus for a good one. But the only thing that makes them portable is the wheels. They’re heavy and bulky.

This particular compressor's current price is amazing for what it is -- quiet and portable. Perfect for indoor jobs or when working in a condo or apartment

karlb wrote: ↑ seems to be regular price.

What are you basing this on? Quiet compressors are usually $200+ and the amazon price history for this one shows it is usually around $220+

would this have enough power to blow out water lines? i'll need to winterize my house this winter. i wont need a lot of pressure (40-50psi) but is 1.2CFM too little?

I bought one from summit tools for $99.

SandeepB72045 wrote: ↑ I bought one from summit tools for $99.

You may have bought SOME compressor from summit tools for $99 but I doubt it was this one

Non-quiet compressors aren't special. When Sears was still around you could get one for $40: sears-power-mate-2-gallon-oil-free-air- ... a-1770939/

These are premium air compressors, especially when there was very little competition in the quiet air compressor segment a few years ago but there is a lot more competition now.

That being said, I have the C.A.T. 10020 and like it very much, was looking to upgrade to a larger more powerful one but with the improvement of battery tools for now I don't need to.

If you need a larger capacity quiet compressor, take a look at the 10 Gal Stealth Compressor at Costco, seems very comparable to my C.A.T. 10020.

Description says 29lbs.
But should be 34 lbs as per the picture.
And item weight in specs.

The linked Amazon unit is 1 Gal.

A few years back, I bought this from Canadian Tire (4 Gal.) when it was on sale at about $140-170: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/maxi ... 1292p.html

I've been happily using the Canadian Tire unit for many things, and it's rather quiet, at least I don't need to worry about neighbour complaining.

BeaverLiquor wrote: ↑ These are premium air compressors, especially when there was very little competition in the quiet air compressor segment a few years ago but there is a lot more competition now.

That being said, I have the C.A.T. 10020 and like it very much, was looking to upgrade to a larger more powerful one but with the improvement of battery tools for now I don't need to.

If you need a larger capacity quiet compressor, take a look at the 10 Gal Stealth Compressor at Costco, seems very comparable to my C.A.T. 10020.

I have had the 10020 for 9 years now. IMO it hits that sweet spot for "portable enough" and "powerful enough".

I agree though that more powerful, more comprehensive battery powered tool systems have taken away the vast majority of the jobs that my air compressor used to do.

TrueToy wrote: ↑ would this have enough power to blow out water lines? i'll need to winterize my house this winter. i wont need a lot of pressure (40-50psi) but is 1.2CFM too little?

With just 1 gallon tank, I don't this will get the job done. I know it doesn't need super high pressure, but you do need the volume, to be able to push out the water. It will start pushing it out, but then the water will just flow back once there is not enough volume. Now, if everything already has a natural slope towards drain (ideal situation), and it just needs a little help and not super long run, then it may not be too bad. But it would still be borderline for this kind of use.

I have the Makita quiet version at the office for blowing out some of our computers. The Makita one is 2 Gallons, but twice the price, It is nice, but even for blowing out computers, the 2 gallons leaves something to be desired, considering it runs out of pressure pretty quick, and then need to wait a few minutes for it to refill. On a super dusty computer, I often need to let it fill 3 times to get the whole thing cleaned out. But, considering cans of compressed air get pretty expensive in the long run, I don't regret getting it.

1 Gallon, unit, will be fine for topping up tire pressure and small nailers. Framing nailers would test your patience however for any major framing.

It is a nice price, but need to keep expectations in check.

At home I started with a small 1 Gallon King Air, then got a 2 gallon CH, and eventually just gave up and picked up a nice DeVilbiss PRo Air II (similar to image below) off Kijiji, which was barely used (old lady was using it for glazing pottery - and some airbrush work). Picked it up nearly 15 years ago, and I think I had paid about $200 (with some hoses and a few paint guns). IT's served me well for many years (for what I needed). I use it with many air tools (impact guns, ratchets, spray guns, and even some die grinders [these do need to wait for cycling sometimes for constant use]). I have added a few accessories over time (water separators, filters, better drain valve, better hoses and changed to "V" style fitting for higher airflow. I even attached 2 hockey puck under the 2 front support legs, to keep vibrations to a minimum. Best $200 I ever spent. Not the "quiet" unit, but for what it cost me, it's great. If you need small and portable however, then this is obviously not an option.

DeVilbiss built these under their own name, and many Craftsman units. So you can surely find many used ones in decent shape and decent prices on kijiji.

TrueToy wrote: ↑would this have enough power to blow out water lines? i'll need to winterize my house this winter. i wont need a lot of pressure (40-50psi) but is 1.2CFM too little?

You absolutely can, but it's more annoying. I've used a pretty small one with my irrigation lines for years.

You only get a quick shot of air before the tank runs low, so you have to do it again and again to get all the water out. Takes much longer.

Totally fine if that's what you have on hand, but it's not ideal.

I'll post this here again if you're looking for a quiet compressor that can run what your typical pancake compressor can, from IHL Canada's ebay store

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/263395508884

thank you @gelu88 and @Emporium

my house is pretty big and has 3 bathrooms, i think i'll buy a larger capacity one. i need to get all the water out of the first floor at least, sounds like trying to do it with something this small would be a pain in the balls.

thanks for taking the time to write up.

Great deal, but I picked up a Metabo HPT Air Compressor - 1-gal. - 125 psi - 0.5-HP (59 dB) for $159 a while back and it's great for basic jobs.

TrueToy wrote: ↑ would this have enough power to blow out water lines? i'll need to winterize my house this winter. i wont need a lot of pressure (40-50psi) but is 1.2CFM too little?

You are paying for a “quieter” experience with this model. If you only need to use it a few times a year for brief moments, then I would buy something more powerful and cheaper (of course it won’t be nearly as quiet).

As others have said, California Air Tools units are known for being decent and quiet. This is a very decent price for a good unit. Upvoted.

I have a Makita MAC5200 which is a beast of a machine and I absolutely need a dedicated outlet for it as its power draw is right at the tipping point of a 15 amp breaker. It's 6+ CFM is just enough to power air tools but tbh it doesn't see much use these days - just inflating things and blowing out buried water lines in the Fall. It's overkill and that's kind of how I like my tools to be.