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Hi guys.

I would like to buy a new compressor : mine is a candian tire one, very noisy, and I can only brush when wife and child are not at home. I know there are California ultra-quiet compressor, but they are approx. 200$ and this is a bit expensive. I would like to know if somebody as already tried this one :

http://www.tcpglobal.com/ABD-TC-18.html#.VPH3ZSyW-nM

It has no tank, but I am not a big airbrush user, I would use it 2-3 time per month.

Thanks for your help !

no tank is a pretty big issue. Honestly I think you'd be better off getting a large tank or two, filling them with your compressor at times when the noise isn't a problem, and then using the tanks (which wouldn't make any noise at all) to brush with. It would also be a cheaper solution.

I don't know about that specific one, but in general, those mini compressors are pretty crappy.

I use one of those mini compressors. Its not super noisy, but I can only use it for 20-30 minutes at a time before I need to shut it off, and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. It's just fine for base coats, but I wouldn't try and do any more than that with it. For what it's worth, I've not had any issues with it, but I make sure that I don't over use it either.

Honestly, you're probably better off doing what emmagine recommended. Its what I'm considering doing, since I also have a large one that's not suitable for use in my home, and you can get air tanks for like 25-30 bucks.

 Bi'ios wrote:
I use one of those mini compressors. Its not super noisy, but I can only use it for 20-30 minutes at a time before I need to shut it off, and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. It's just fine for base coats, but I wouldn't try and do any more than that with it. For what it's worth, I've not had any issues with it, but I make sure that I don't over use it either.

Honestly, you're probably better off doing what emmagine recommended. Its what I'm considering doing, since I also have a large one that's not suitable for use in my home, and you can get air tanks for like 25-30 bucks.

If it's fine for basecoats I imagine it'd be fine for detail work. I typically use far less air for detail work than I use for basecoats.

I'm not sure what the definition of "mini compressor", but I use a little 1/6th HP, 3L tanked compressor and it works fine for all my needs. It does get hot, but the distributor said it won't get hotter than it can handle so I don't stress about it, maybe it'll blow up on me one day. Though I paid more for mine than the one the OP linked. I'd always recommend something tanked.

You could just buy storage tanks for your existing compressor, though I imagine you'd want something reasonably large if you don't want to be frustrated by having your air run out mid painting session. You'd have to look in to it but I imagine the cost of the tanks and appropriate fittings would add up to more than simply buying a small quiet hobby compressor.

Mini compressors usually refer to the small, tabletop, tankless ones that are mainly used by nail salons and cake decorators.

Main reason I don't think it's good for detail work is just because you can't leave it running for a long time, so you'd be forced to start and stop and start and stop and start and... Well, you get the idea. Like I said, I've had no issues with mine thus far, but I've also heard of others burning theirs out in 2 months due to less than careful usage.

I can vouch for this one: http://www.tcpglobal.com/ABD-TC-20T.html?gclid=CjwKEAiA68WnBRCJxZr5qoaL3iMSJAAXIrr3YHDLPNaQt1EyG7xP49b0IrwjeUcB7dzQNE6LkRQp4xoCLdbw_wcB#.VPKwMvnF90o

 Bi'ios wrote:
Mini compressors usually refer to the small, tabletop, tankless ones that are mainly used by nail salons and cake decorators.

Main reason I don't think it's good for detail work is just because you can't leave it running for a long time, so you'd be forced to start and stop and start and stop and start and... Well, you get the idea. Like I said, I've had no issues with mine thus far, but I've also heard of others burning theirs out in 2 months due to less than careful usage.

Oh, it doesn't have an auto cut off? Yeah I wouldn't get anything that didn't have an auto stop.

Looking at the specs in more detail I wouldn't recommend that one anyway, 1/8 HP, 15L/min and max pressure of 43 psi probably will feel insufficient.

I agree about the smaller one might feel insufficient and the tank is a bit of a deal breaker for me.

The one that Dark Link posted is imho a good starter compressor. Not to expensive but works like a charm and you can pretty much do anything with it.

Yep, I saw the one DarkLink point out, but the point is I need a quite one, which will not disturb my family while I paint. I will look for demo on youtube for this one. Thanks for your help guys !

My compressor of that config was the most quiet one I have seen sofar... my much fancier Sparmax 620 makes more noise. (on the other hand it is a double piston compressor)

the tanks actually are not that expensive. a complete setup shouldn't cost more than $20-$30, and should last for a good 1-2 hours each for painting. For your purposes, it should be fine.

emmagine wrote:
the tanks actually are not that expensive. a complete setup shouldn't cost more than $20-$30, and should last for a good 1-2 hours each for painting. For your purposes, it should be fine.

How big of a tank are you thinking? I admittedly haven't looked a whole lot, but when I did look a while back (because I was considering swapping the tank on my compressor) they were a decent amount more expensive than that and when I threw in the extra fittings and whatnot that I'd need it really wasn't all that cheap.