How much Compressed Air do we ACTUALLY need ?
This is usually measured in Cubic Feet per Minute. a.k.a. CFM at the Compressor itself.
For Example: Lets say that we have to run a paint spraying gun which uses about 7 CFM, and a 1/2 inch impact wrench for removing wheel nuts, which uses 8 CFM.
And we will probably be using both at the same time…………this means that I will be needing 15 CFM of Free Air Delivered, to run both of these items.
But, and there is a big but here, Air Driven Tools are measured by the amount they require called Free Air Delivered (FAD), while Air Compressors are measured by the amount of AIR DISPLACED.
AND because Piston Type Air compressors only work to 85% efficiency (Sometimes less) you will need an Air Compressor that DELIVERS (FAD) enough air to run the tools.
So lets take a look at this example and work out what size Air compressor we would need:
7 CFM Required for Paint Spraying Gun
8 CFM Required for 1/2 inch impact wrench
15 CFM Total Air Requirement divided by 85% = 17.65 CFM (Round it up to 18 CFM)
So to run these 2 Air Driven Tools at the same time you would need an 18 CFM compressor of which there is a wide choice of Brands and Stockists.
BRANDS
So far we have avoided listing the Chinese Brands that come and go on eBay and Amazon, because by the time we have listed them they, reappear under a different name or they vanish altogether.
The Major Current British Brand are: Airmaster, Bostitch, Clarke, DeWALT, Draper, Hyundai, NUAIR, Powerplus, Sealey, SGS, SIP, and Wolf.
N.B. We have listed only the well known and trusted Brands that are sold in the UK because they have spares backup and guarantees.
STOCKISTS
The Air Compressor Market is fiercely competitive, and as much as the manufacturers want STOCKISTS to maintain a high price level, there is always a Stockist who wants to be the cheapest on Amazon or EBAY or their own website (the fastest gun in town syndrome) YOU can take advantage of this, because most items are sold by more that one stockist. See Example Here. These stockists offers are displayed from cheapest to dearest on each item.
EBAY: Sometimes, because of the nature of eBay, there maybe more than one stockist advertising the same item on eBay. These are shown as different stockists and will have different prices as shown in the example.
AMAZON: Because all stockists of a product are listed under a single listing there will only be the the best value stockist, and usually the cheapest one on that listing showing.
PRIVATE COMPANY WEBSITES: These too are included, so there may be many different Stockists/Sellers of the same item competing for your £££s and you can choose the best value.
Conclusion: The big UK Brands give a 12 Month Guarantee and have spares backup after the guarantees run out, so that you do not have to scrap a compressor for the want of a Gasket Set or replacement Piston Rings.
Let us know your opinion in the comment section below.
