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in the last couple of years it seems that the market is full of new compressors... i need a compressor and was wondering if any of you out there in slot car land had a favorite.... i want one on the cheap side. no iwatta shark tanks... it will be used for painting the little toy cars.... thanks in advance.. i am lazy on this one.... i will take what you guys say and go buy it...

How much do you paint? Define "on the cheap side". I'm a professional painter and an Iwata dealer, and I don't have a Shark either. They do make some nice units at lower price points though. Do you care about noise? The HF units are cheap but will wake the dead when running. My favorite Iwata unit is this one: http://www.iwata-medea.com/products/com ... smart-jet/
It has auto shutoff and will handle any hobby usage. I used one for demonstrations for three years and it never missed a beat. My partner sold it while I was doing a demonstration at a show, as we had run out of new ones or I'd still have it. not the cheapest or the most expensive but pretty much bullet proof.

Note that I am not offering to sell you one. I don't solicit business on any forum where I post.

That Itawa is a twin to my old one, which is so old it long ago lost it's label so I have no idea who made it. I bought it at a model railroad shop, and I remember I thought it was expensive at $25- around 1973 or so!). That little compressor painted hundreds and hundreds of freight cars, many dozens of locomotives, and all sorts of other stuff. Still works great, but I prefer to use a tank type these days. Direct from the pump takes more patience than I am willing to give these days with such excellent spray lacquers around.

None of the little Iwata units pulsate. That problem has been pretty much eliminated by going away from diaphragm to piston type compressors.

I have a small Artlogic unit. Small. Quiet. Auto-cutout. Built in moisture trap. Up to 80 psi output. The ability to run two airbrushes. I love it.

I was using a regular compressor unit to begin with. And it worked fine. But every time the pump cut in to refill the tank I had to be scraped off the ceiling. The Artlogic unit is delightfully quiet.

I like the idea of the versatility of a regular tank compressor.

Can't you just use a long air line so you're not sitting on top of the thing?


David.

You could I suppose. I have a pretty long one on my old one, but not very flexible.

This is just another tool that personal preference decides. If I had not found a good deal on mine, I would still be using the original.

My shop has a big compressor for air tools and such, and when that rascal cuts in, it can really make you bounce if you are concentrating on tiny bits on the worktable. I turn it off when I'm doing things like that, and use the little compressor. I have a portable compressor for nail guns, and I have thought from time to time that if I put it outdoors and ran the hose in to a manifold attached to the table, I might have a nice setup for painting. The manifold could have a standard quick disconnect input, a regulator, and valves to operate each feed. Simple. When not in use, the manifold just hangs there out of the way, and the hose and portable compressor can be stored where it is already stored. I would do a lot more painting if I set that up I think. I also thought of a version where there is a paint booth with the manifold attached that I could bring out with the compressor when I'm going to paint. Still daydreaming at this point, though.

Not to hi-jack the thread but I'm also looking for one to replace compressed air cans. Is the HF compressor really noisey? I'm hoping to find one I can use in the basement after hours so to speak.

Thanks,
Bruce

Yes, it has sound allright. So not sure it would be suited for that.

The smaller one in my first link is much better sound wise and does not cost a small fortune.

The low noise levels and portability are the two big advantages in an airbrush specific compressor.

I called them and the guy didn't think the airbrush compressor would put out the air I want??

Bruce

Not sure about that one? I just know it works fine. It has a factory preset of 57 PSI which should be more than enough for airbrushing?? Some of the Iwatas only go up to 35.

I guess depends what you want to use it for. I read it as you wanted to replace using the cans for simple airbrushing.

I just want to ise it to blow dust after trimming parts and such.

Bruce