I have read a lot of posts and have gotten a little lost and confused. So if some one could cut to the chase and give me some buying advise.

I would like a compressor for the long haul. It must also be portable. I would prefer vertical as it takes up less space in the shop but I understand that a hortzontal is better on a job site as is tips less.

Oilless would be out as it is problematic and noisy.

The tools I will be using are...
Nailers -- Brad, Finish, Framing, Roofing
Air Nozzel, Air Rachet, Sprayer

Future tools -- Impact Wrench, Sandblaster??

Thanks in advance for any advise.

 

First read the sticky that is at the top of this forum.
Come back if you have more questions.

 

Gas or electric?

The problem with the word portable is that it is very subjective. As a DIYer, who works alone, I find that just because somebody decided to put a couple of wheels on a compressor that weighs the good part of 200 pounds, it does not make it any more "portable" than a boulder. If you have a crew of 5 people, then there's no problem moving and tossing that thing around, but for one person the portability ends at 70 pounds, imo. Hence, the dilemma of power vs portability. Not to scare you off or anything, but eventually almost every DIYer ends up with 2 compressors A stationary and a portable. Start with a 4 gallon portable and see where it takes you. Good luck.

 

I have a 6 gallon oilless compressor that I hoped would be the only one I ever needed, but I certainly see the possibilty that a bigger oiled compressor might be desired down the road.

 

My mouth was watering over the new Dewalt D55155 hand carry compressor when it first came out. I thought it looked like an ingenius design that would be easy to tote around. Wrong!

My buddy got one, and the thing weighs a ton! You have to have arms as big around as the tank to carry it methinks. OK, it's not that bad, but it isn't any easier to carry than my little 2HP Emglo twin-stack compressor. I do like its cord wrap, double quick connects and a regulator that is easy to get to.

But after you carry it up a long ladder, or up a long hill on the way to the job site, one arm is longer than the other. So I guess it just depends by what you mean by portable. If you want to be able to roll it around on the ground, that's one thing. But if you ever have to pick it up and carry it up stairs or up a ladder onto a roof, that pretty much limits what kind of compressor you can get... it'd have to be something under 90 lbs.

 

I guess my definition of portable is its got wheels. I don't plan on lugging it up stairs or ladders. I just want something that if I need to take it to a buddies place I can. Also I prefer electric over gas.

Thanks again for any advise.

 

In that case, I'd recommend one of the Dewalt 8 gallon wheeled portable D55570 or D55170. They deliver 6.5 cfm at 100 psi.

If you demand something that's vertical, you'll have to go shopping for it. I'm sure Lowes or HD have several models.

 

With air hoses selling so cheap, why would anyone want to lug a compressor up on a roof?
Mike