Good/Worth it? Craftsman 26 gallon compressor

[gatordogs2]

Sears is putting their Craftsman 26 gallon air compressor on clearance so it's marked down from $300 to $180 if you buy online with pickup. They take another 10% off if you enter your CC number. Final price w/ tax= $172.

26 gal. compressor

Is this a good compressor and a good deal?

Thanks,
Barry

[eccentrictinkerer]

If you an ear-splitting compressor, this is the one. I had a 6 HP that I sold for really cheap because even with the garage door closed and me outside it was still deafening.

I the bought a 6HP Craftsman conventonal compressor, (with the oil crankcase. Blessed quiet!

Even though there's a bit more maintenance, it's worth it. The oil-less variety, I'm told, are cheaper to build.

Good luck.

[gerti]

I hate my Craftsman air compressor (different model) due to excessive noise. Might want to check if you can live with that before you buy it.

Actually I was just trying to imagine what would happen if you could talk a sales rep into turning it on in the store... Security would probably be around in seconds, with SWAT teams not far behind...

[maxparot]

From a performance for your dollar point of view it is well work the price. It is about half the price of a conventional oil bath pump of equal capacity. ( shop duty not commercial heavy duty ) The CFM rating is slightly higher than a conventional 2 hp. and from my experience you can expect it to last about 85% as long as a well maintained oil bath compressor. The real down side it the noise. Oilless compressors tend to be very loud.

[bthere]

All things considered, it is not a bad deal. The vertical, wheeled configuration is nice for mobility and space savings.

A quick summary of Some of the pros of oil free and oiled compressors

Oil free:
-Lighter
-Cheaper
-Reduced maintenance
- Can be operated on unlevel ground
Oil bath:
-Quieter
-Longer lasting

I have 3 compressors at the moment. An oil bath vertical 60 gallon that lives in the garage, an oil bath twin hot dog that lives under the workbench in the shop, and an oil free pancake that rarely gets used, except when I need to be carrying it a lot. I really prefer the oil bath for the quiet, steady operation. The only thing I don't like is the cost and the weight. The maintenance is trivial. You change the oil infrequently and it is easy.

[tedkitch]

I just went from a 33 gallon Campbell-Hausfeld (Husky) oil-less model to the 26 gallon model that is currently on clearance. I put the Craftsman model in my basement and the Husky has been moved to the garage. I've got to say that the 26 gallon Craftsman model is quite a bit quieter than my Husky. The oil models are considerable quieter, but this one is acceptable. For the money (on sale I got mine for $162) it is a very nice compressor.

If you have any specific questions about this model, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.