Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: SwedishRider
Originally Posted By: Donald
I hope its an "oiled" compressor!
No, it's an oil-free unit. I considered the oiled unit, but here's my thesis as to why I bought the oil-free compressor.
The cost of the 33 gallon Husky oil-free compressor was $269. The oiled "sister" compressor sitting right next to it was $399. That's a spread of $130, or about half the cost of the oil-free unit.
A little research into the expected life of each unit yielded about 500 machine hours on the oil-free and about 1000 hours on the oiled, so while the life expectancy of the oiled is twice as long, for relatively light home use, I may never hit 500 hours with the oil-free compressor. And I'll have no maintenance on the oil-free unit (which is also lighter to move around). If it does fail in 5-10 years (it has a 2 year warranty), then the $130 I saved is still there to pay for half of a new unit to get another 5-10 years of service.
I owned a stationary Craftsman oil-free unit that is still working where it was mounted over 20 years ago, and a small oil-free "pancake" compressor that I still use. I've had good luck with them thus far (knock on wood).
Anyway, time will tell how long this one lasts. But on a unit that is relatively inexpensive, I'm less concerned with oil vs oil-free so long as I can get a reasonable, hassle-free life out of the compressor.
The durability for homeowner use it probably OK. The problem with oil less is that they're loud as a machine gun. My brother has one he's been hoping would break for 6-7 years now so he can buy one that doesn't rattle your teeth.
This is the reason I will never own another oil-free compressor. The high pitched, high frequency sound of an oil-free grates on my nerves, and I find myself looking forward to the moment it shuts off. However, I am totally at ease with the sound of an oiled compressor. It could run on and never bother me.