Which air compressor is quieter?

February 5, 2009 8:47 PM

Which air compressor is quieter? The HUSKY air scout. LINK Or this Craftsman 2 gallon one? LINK Any other suggestions will be appreciated! Thanks!
posted by austinlee to home & garden (8 comments total)

What are you doing with it?

This is the quietest compressor I have ever used.

Because of its small capacity it is only really good for finish work though. It is super light, super quiet, and unlike most compressors it is designed work well on a long extension cord.

Seriously great tool.
posted by ijustwantyourhalf at 10:58 PM on February 5 [1 favorite]

Depending on what you're doing with it, you may want to consider a four gallon tank. It won't have to run as often (once it's reached the set pressure), although it won't be as portable as the smaller compressor.
I like to just use a fifty foot air hose, so that I can keep the compressor in another room entirely.
posted by orme at 4:29 AM on February 6

I have an 8 gallon HUSKY one already but it is too loud and too heavy so it stays down the basement usually. I need the compressor for nailing wood together and for airbrushing. The staple gun I have is 18 I think.... he one Ijustwantyourhalf mentioned looks like it might be good enough for what I need. The problem is that I already ordered the Craftsman one and had it delivered to the Sears. I didn't pick it up yet but was wondering if it is worth canceling and getting one of the other two....
posted by austinlee at 6:26 AM on February 6

can't say for certain about the smaller comps, but the craftsman compressors I have experience with are unusually quiet
posted by Redhush at 7:25 AM on February 6 [1 favorite]

The husky model is "oilless" and the craftsman appears to have a conventional pump (cast iron no less). Oilless compressors are generally, though not always, noisy so between the two the craftsman is probably going to be quieter.

austinlee writes "The problem is that I already ordered the Craftsman one and had it delivered to the Sears. I didn't pick it up yet but was wondering if it is worth canceling and getting one of the other two...."

Sears will take it back no questions asked. If they don't have a floor model I'd unpack it right in the store and plug it in to see how noisy it was.
posted by Mitheral at 3:13 PM on February 6

THANKS GUYS! I think I will do what Mitheral says and return it if its not so great!
posted by austinlee at 8:10 PM on February 6

Also, unless you are needing a portable compressor to take on job sites, or work in a remote corner of your property, air hose is cheap and light. Could buying some long pieces (the last time I was buying air hose, I think I had a choice of 25, 50, 100, and 200 foot lengths, and you can connect shorter pieces to make a longer length) allow you to leave the compressor in the basement and work with your air tools wherever you want? A few lengths of air hose is a lot cheaper than a new compressor.
posted by Forktine at 5:31 AM on February 7

That was actually the original plan Forktine and I had it set up like that. The problem was that I'd have to go down there to release the air and shut it off anyway. This proved to be annoying because of how the basement is set up. I have to go outside to go down the basement and I had to run a really long extension cord across the whole basement which is shared with other tenants. A good tip though! I wish it had worked out better!
posted by austinlee at 7:59 AM on February 7