Buying my first garage air compressor. Any advice?

[GreenGoddess]

I am about to buy my first air compressor and am unsure about what to buy. I hate working on cars so it's not something I will be using a lot. Therefore I don't want to spend a lot of money. Ideally under £150.

I would be using it to power an impact driver for removing stubborn nuts and bolts on my car. One other thing I would like to use it for at some point is sandblasting or media blasting metal parts to remove rust etc.

What sort of CFM/PSI and capacity volume should I be looking for?

[Bibs]

Some of the comments here may be useful for you

 

 

[pete]

https://nailers.co.uk/ these people are very helpful and have a big stock for next day delivery

[GreenGoddess]

3 hours ago, Bibs said:

Some of the comments here may be useful for you

 

 

 

14 minutes ago, pete said:

https://nailers.co.uk/ these people are very helpful and have a big stock for next day delivery

Thanks fellas 🙂

[Escape]

If your main use is going to be an impact, I'd forget about the compressor and look at a battery powered impact. Those are not much more expensive than a decent air powered one and a lot easier to use. Most importantly, to get good performance from air power, you need a good compressor and those are expensive.

Mostly, I'm worried by your statement that you hate working on cars. 😕 Surely it must be fun or you wont keep it up. If it's only to save on mechanics bills I fear you'll soon succumb to frustration and with it your love for the Esprit will diminish.

For reference, I use a twin cylinder Stanley (large DIY type) in the Workshop. Mainly for pumping up tyres, blowing things clean etc and for the pneumatic safety on my 4-poster. Hardly ever for air powered tools, I much prefer the DeWalt battery powered ones. I really don't like the noise of a compressor that runs regularly, so mine is turned off unless needed.

[hamza]

41 minutes ago, Escape said:

If your main use is going to be an impact, I'd forget about the compressor and look at a battery powered impact. Those are not much more expensive than a decent air powered one and a lot easier to use. Most importantly, to get good performance from air power, you need a good compressor and those are expensive.

 

Have to agree with this.

Far better of getting a cordless battery powered impact driver. Will be cheaper overall especially if you already have batteries for other tools that you can share and much more convenient to use. Apart from very expensive air hungry tools from the likes of Ingersol Rand, the battery powered one will be more powerful too (assuming you even have a large enough compressor to drive the more powerful air tools).

[GreenGoddess]

23 hours ago, Escape said:

Mostly, I'm worried by your statement that you hate working on cars. 😕 Surely it must be fun or you wont keep it up. If it's only to save on mechanics bills I fear you'll soon succumb to frustration and with it your love for the Esprit will diminish.

I compare it to going to the dentist. Not pleasant, but necessary if you like having nice teeth 😂.  My car is in generally nice condition so I'm hoping I won't be lying in pools of oil every weekend. 

22 hours ago, hamza said:

Have to agree with this.

Far better of getting a cordless battery powered impact driver. Will be cheaper overall especially if you already have batteries for other tools that you can share and much more convenient to use. Apart from very expensive air hungry tools from the likes of Ingersol Rand, the battery powered one will be more powerful too (assuming you even have a large enough compressor to drive the more powerful air tools).

Yes, that does make a lot of sense. I just assumed that the battery ones wouldn't have much oomph. Now that I think about it, I can't remember the last time I saw a professional mechanic use an air powered impact driver. I'm obviously showing my age. And, after reading up about media blasting, it seems like I would need a large and expensive compressor for that too. Thank you chaps. 

[auRouge]

Following 👌🏽

Also useful for blowing off the discs to prevent binding and corrosion after a clean when you don’t want to drive on mucky salty roads again!