Need airbrush compressor opinion, advice, experience.

[58 Impala]

I just purchased a couple of Gaahleri swallowtail airbrushes and I'm looking for a good (not real expensive) airbrush compressor w/tank. Im looking at Gaahleri, Master Airbrush and Spraygunner No Name compressors. Anyone have any recommendations, opinions or advice. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Jon Haigwood]

I bought a Hyper Tough compressor from Walmart (about $70} It didn't last to long, threw a rod. After doing some research I bought a California (about $159) so far it has been working good.  

[64SS350]

I watched recommendations on YouTube, the one from Gaahleri was supposed to be a bit loud. I settled on the "No Name" brand on Amazon, it had good reviews there also.

I haven't used it....but I ran it. It's definitely quiet! Looking forward to trying it, working to get my paint booth together first.

I watched for two years, hoping for Black Friday discounts, but no go. It was at $140 for a long time, right after I purchased mine, it went to $150.

Hope this helps.

[Aaronw]

Harbor Freight actually has some pretty good compressors, in particular their ultra quiet Fortress 1 gallon and 2 gallon compressors. I have the 2 gallon model as my "in the house" compressor which includes airbrush duty. It is not silent, but it only makes about as much noise as a window AC or large fan.

Very similar to the small California Air Tools compressors. I was originally going to get the 2 gallon CAT, but I think the Fortress has some better features, and as a plus it is quite a bit cheaper. HF has sales all the time, but even at full price the 2 gallon Fortress is about $50 cheaper than the 2 gallon CAT.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Depending on how handy and resourceful you are, perfectly adequate airbrush compressors can be made from compressors salvaged from old refrigerators. They're quiet too...and I have made them in the past and know they'll actually work.

You can fit a cheap air tank (Harbor Freight, pawnshops, etc.) with quick-disconnects for compressed air storage, and have a dual-purpose tool.

There are plenty of articles and videos online if you're interested.

 

[Skip]

Opinion:

The cheaper compressors are usually just plain loud! That's been my experience with them.  I've got two loud ones out in the garage right now, one relegated to pumping up tires and the other to outside projects, nothing inside! Both were supposed to be quiet when I got them.

So, when I came across the California Air Tools compressor, I was pretty skeptical, until a couple of my airbrushing buddies who had them recommended the CAT compressors. So, I pulled the trigger on a dual compressor 5-gallon tank compressor, it fits the bill its everything I needed for in the house air compressing, whether it be spraying through any one of the multitude of airbrushes or running nail or staple guns, it works amazingly well and quietly too! A vacuum cleaner is way louder than this compressor at full tilt! From what I have seen and also heard, Harbor Freight has come out with their own brand of quiet air compressors, for anyone on a budget, they are probably worth a real tryout. 

The issues with "jurry-rigging" refrigerant compressors for use as a "quieter" air compressor are many. In most cases, you don't get all the safety switching and built in safeguarding, the compressor is rarely properly paired (too large or too small volume) to the tank as is provided by a well-engineered, commercially available air compressor. So, even if you're a Mechanical Engineer, the money saved is not going to outweigh both safety and liability factors. Before the "Quiet Compressors" were readily available and the prices were still way up there, it might have been a viable solution to noise reduction, that time is relatively "long ago" in comparison.

CFM Volume Requirements:

A good rule of thumb for air supply is to multiply the CFM requirement of the air tool that uses the most CFM that you'll be using by 1.5 to get a realistic CFM requirement rating, then base your compressor search on that number, not the size of the tank, it's the CFM the compressor is capable of delivering to the tool being used.  You'll be happier with more compressor than is required than kicking yourself for buying a smaller one purpose compressor.

Noise Related Stuff:

For me it usually isn't the volume of air that the compressor supplies (if I used the 1.5 CFM multiplier), it is by far the noise. After years of working in industrial and construction noise my ears are now both sensitive to loud noise, I wear hearing aids to boot. With a normal air compressor, I'd have to turn off my hearing aids and swap to hearing protection, which are now a custom vented ear plug.  With the CAT compressors, I can leave my hearing aids on or turn them off as a passive plug and not be bothered by excessive noise. Just a subdued thrum as the compressor does its job. For anyone else in the same situation, I wholeheartedly would recommend the quiet type compressors. For those not in this situation, I also recommend the quiet type compressors so in the end you don't end up with hearing loss from years of accumulated noisy tools. Hearing aids really don't restore your lost hearing, they just amplify sound. Like the sounds you want to hear and all those noises you could care less about. 

Unapologetic Reasoning Regarding the Loud Noise:

*** Sorry, this wasn't an infomercial against loud compressors. Our hobbies shouldn't end up hurting us in the end. I now feel pretty strongly about helping others not to lose their hearing through their hobbies and work-related noise.  Believe me, when you young guys get to be a grandpa and can hear your small grandkiddo's voice clearly or even hearing that soft sexy female voice and not having to ask them to repeat it constantly - you're going to thank yourself for it! ***

[Ace-Garageguy]

Couple things...I generally agree with Skip. Cobbling up stuff from junk isn't for everyone...but a perfectly adequate unit in terms of air delivery, noise, "safety" and "liability(?)" can be put together if, like me, you're experienced in making scary, dangerous stuff, know what you need to make it all work, and have access to the right junk. 

Thing 2...a noisy air compressor doesn't need to be a deal breaker. These days, I do my airbrushing with air that comes from the big shop compressor in the back of the house. It's LOUD in the same room, but with doors closed, I can barely hear it.

An upside of my current rig is that the air coming out of the compressor has to travel through a 25 foot hose before it gets to the model bench. This means the air has cooled enough for moisture in it to have mostly condensed, so that a water trap at the spray station is much more effective than it would be on a short hose from a small dedicated compressor.

If you've ever seen water droplets appear on a freshly painted surface, or had excessive blushing with lacquers, you'll know why this is important.

AND...here's one mans opinion about small compressors in general. He makes some valid points.

 

Edited January 17 by Ace-Garageguy

[peteski]

I have a loud compressor with a 4 gal, tank. It has oil.  Then few days before Christmas, on Ace's recommendation in another similar thread, I bought the Fortress brand oilless compressor with a 2 gal. tank from Harbor Freight. It was on sale too.  It is so much quieter and lighter than my other compressor. It has a lower cfm rating but it is more than adequate for my uses.  Now my loud greasy compressor will sit unused.

[Dave G.]

Right now Harbor Freight according to the online add anyway, has the Fortress 1 gal and 2 gal listed at the same price, $159.95. These compressors review well. Just sayin.

[Mike 1017]

 I bought a NO Name compressor. I LUV it

[peteski]

4 hours ago, Dave G. said:

Right now Harbor Freight according to the online add anyway, has the Fortress 1 gal and 2 gal listed at the same price, $159.95. These compressors review well. Just sayin.

That is even a better deal ($10 less) than the one I got before Christmas.

And to me anything with a "brand" name at Harbor Freigth is basically a "non name" generic item. Actually in today's world, even the prestigious or well respected brand names of the past are all made in China anyway, because those brands were all bough out by Chinese investors.

[Aaronw]

1 hour ago, peteski said:

That is even a better deal ($10 less) than the one I got before Christmas.

And to me anything with a "brand" name at Harbor Freigth is basically a "non name" generic item. Actually in today's world, even the prestigious or well respected brand names of the past are all made in China anyway, because those brands were all bough out by Chinese investors.

 

If nothing else the brand hierarchy at HF helps to know what kind of quality to expect with many of the Bauer, Hercules, Doyle, Vulcan, and Fortress products generally being decent, and brands like Warrior, Chicago Electric, Central Pneumatic, McGraw being more likely to be the kind of tools HF's (negative) reputation is based on.  

[58 Impala]

I appreciate everyone's opinions and comments. I bit the bullet and took a chance and bought the Fortress 1 gallon compressor. Harbor Freight had a coupon this past weekend for $25 off on anything over $100. So I got the 1 gallon compressor for $144 including tax. It has dual pistons and a larger tank than the airbrush compressors I was looking at so I'll see if I made a good choice. 

[Aaronw]

On 1/22/2025 at 8:34 AM, 58 Impala said:

I appreciate everyone's opinions and comments. I bit the bullet and took a chance and bought the Fortress 1 gallon compressor. Harbor Freight had a coupon this past weekend for $25 off on anything over $100. So I got the 1 gallon compressor for $144 including tax. It has dual pistons and a larger tank than the airbrush compressors I was looking at so I'll see if I made a good choice. 

 

I went with the 2 gallon simply because it isn't physically a great deal larger, and I use it for other tasks around the house. The 1 gallon is a little bit quieter than the 2 gallon, which is already pretty quiet. Hope it works out for you.

[58 Impala]

I already have a screamer Porter Cable pancake compressor for my air nailers. I think this compressor will work great for my airbrushes.

11 hours ago, Aaronw said:

 

I went with the 2 gallon simply because it isn't physically a great deal larger, and I use it for other tasks around the house. The 1 gallon is a little bit quieter than the 2 gallon, which is already pretty quiet. Hope it works out for you.

 

[fiatboy]

I had a compressor that I kept in the rear bathroom.  You know, shower, toilet, and a water-heater nearby.  My cheap compressor finally gave up, and I found some 'gunk' (rust?) inside.  I keep my new Paasche in the other room now.