12v Air Compressor

Cheap Air Compressors

Whenever you’re shopping for cheap air compressors you need to do a lot of research.  While there are a lot of good cheap air compressors out there on the market, you’ll find that the majority of them are also cheap quality.  So, make sure you do a lot of research before you make a purchase.  We’re going to cover some of the basics that you need to know about before you make your purchase.

What is an air compressor? Air compressors are devices that use an electric motor, gas engine, or some other form of kinetic energy in order to pressurize air.  Compressed air is able to be released in quick bursts, or long steady bursts, depending upon the size of the air tank, output of the drive mechanism, and a number of other things. 

What are the basic types for a consumer?  The cheap air compressor you’re going to buy is usually a piston type compressor.  Basically they use a similar technology that your car engine does.  A piston goes up and down, each time building more pressure.  There are several other types of compressors, but none of them are going to be affordable for someone looking for a cheap compressor. 

What should I look for?  There a couple of key things that you should look for in a good quality, cheap air compressor.  First of all, what do you plan on doing with your air compressor?  If you’re using it only to air up tires on rare occasions, chances are you can get away with a smaller air compressor with a 3-5 gallon tank.  You can find them online for very affordable prices.

If you’re using the compressor for air tools, you’ll want to get one that has a larger air compressor tank.  Look for something with a 20 gallon or larger tank with a high cfm (cubic feet per minute) rating.  The CFM rating is a rating indicating how much air flow an air compressor can put out at a given psi threshold.  So if you see something with a rating of 6cfm @ 90psi, that’s a lot more than 6cfm at 75psi.  So, keep the tricks in mind when you’re shopping.

Make sure you get one that has proper electrical connections.  Most home owners only need a 110 volt air compressor.  However, some auto enthusiasts opt for the more powerful 220 volt variations.  However, if you do get a 220 volt model, be very careful.  Many of the commercial grade models run off of what is known as “3-phase” power.  This is an electrical service that is not available in a residential home.  So these units will be very ineffective, if not useless for you.

Last but not least, oiled compressors are actually going to last you a lot longer than their oilless counterparts.  You wouldn’t dare try running your car engine without oil, so why would you run a compressor that doesn’t require oil?  Reality is, these oilless models are much more prone to failure.  So when you’re shopping for cheap air compressors, don’t go too cheap.