Central Machinery 5hp 60 gal compressor

Get the warranty and take it back on the last day and get a new one.... I do this with almost everything over $200 from harbor freight...

Just make sure to re-up the warranty.... lol
 
Not sure about those new ones but I have the older generation that were branded US General from HF. Mine is the less HP single stage 60 gal model. The US General ones we basically the same thing as the BelAire compressors by ABAC.

On mine the tank is made or certified by Manchester Tank USA. The motor is AO Smith, made in the USA, pressure switch is Condor USA, & the pump is IMC Italy. I purchased it used like 8-10 yrs ago for $250. Still runs strong, no leaks, & absolutely no traces of rust in the tank yet.

AO Smith motors are now Century Motors, last time I saw a US General unit in store the motors were made in Mexico. I have not looked at one the Central Pneumatic 60 gal models yet though in person. I'd say take a look at one in store. But the manufacturers of the parts won't actually tell you how reliable they are.
 
You will have to go up considerably in price to get a higher quality unit. Do buy the warranty but I wouldn't necessarily say to take it back for a new one if it's working well. It will probably do just fine for a hobby shop, maintain it and it should last as long as you expect it should. All it really needs to do is make compressed air, right? Drain it every time you use it, I have a valve with a hose that runs from the bottom of my tank to the side of my workbench to make it easy.

Cheers,

John
 
Thank you for your inputs... still deciding over this or the Dewalt one. I am thinking the DeWalt might be a safer bet. A couple hundred more though.
 
Thank you for your inputs... still deciding over this or the Dewalt one. I am thinking the DeWalt might be a safer bet. A couple hundred more though.

Do some research. Chances are the Dewalt is made in the same factory in China, I doubt they do anything other than put their name on it. Are the specs and warranty similar. If so why spend the extra money?

Since compressors are a single purpose tool they are actually a good place to save money in the shop. If you want real quality look for a used industrial model but make sure to thoroughly inspect the tank.

I used to work for Harbor Freight many years ago and can tell you they stand behind their products as good or better than all but the highest end suppliers. And they are a dedicated tool store representing their own lines, not a big box where the manager might not even know what an air compressor is. Even if you buy a Quincy the most likely time it will fail is right after you buy it so having someone local who will take it back is an advantage in my book. Go talk to the manager at your local HF and see what they have to say about problems with the unit you’re looking at, then try to talk with the manager at Home Depot....

Your air tools won’t be able to tell the difference, I promise;)

John
 
That one looks identical to my Craftsman compressor, which I'm sure cost more. By the amps, it looks to be a true 5HP compressor. Should work well.
 
I think you've convinced me to get the HF compressor. One reason I was going to get the DeWalt waas I thought I read somewhere the HF suggested a 40amp setup and I only have 30amp. e Dewalt suggested 30amp. Thing is they both say they use 22amps so the HF should probably run on 30 amps also.
 
I have one, the 5 hp electric motor crapped out a couple weeks ago after a 10 years of moderate use. I swapped it for a used 2 horsepower monster (with a much smaller pulley- 4.5 diameter to 2.0). I can tolerate slow filling times, there's alway a broom in need of pushing....

Otherwise it does pump air and they have ASME certified tanks which you might not find in big box stores.

I traded for mine with a friend who wanted the 7hp IR I was previously using. He needed more air for sandblasting. Sure, I know I got the short end on that deal but we trade stuff back and forth. The upside is that the HF pump runs much slower (should last longer) and is way quieter the the IR beast I was previously using. I had to add a car muffler on the intake of the IR compressor just to make it tolerable in the shop I had back then.

IF Amp draw is a concern, a smaller motor pulley will reduce required HP and subsequently amp draw from the motor.

I will also say that there is very minimal air filtration on the the HF unit compared to IR which had an automotive type air filter, so I you work in a dusty environment, an upgrade might be warranted.

Don't forget to change compressor oil after first hour of use.
 
I was going to use it for sand blasting and painting. Hopefully its enough for light sandblasting anyway... as long as i dont have to wait for it to refill to much I should be happy. I was under the impression 5 hp would be fine. I have a smaller compressor now but I have to wait to much after blasting a few before using again. I just have a small blasting cabinet.
 
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