20 Best Heavy Duty Air Compressor (2023 Updated)

Ive had the air compressor a couple months now and I really like. It works just fine for my needs. The only thing is the drain valve at the bottom darn near touches the floor, kind of a bad design. Other than that I would recommend it.

Its a good air compressor.

This new compressor provides all the air volume and pressures you will need. I anticipate I will not last as long as this compressor. I purchased a similar Campbell Hausfeld “Excaliber” air compressor over 25 years ago and it still works.

It never burned oil and it did not require high maintenance. The cast iron piston sleeves and aluminum block I think is genius. It served me well but it was no longer provided the PSI I needed to get full nail penetration with my nail gun.

It was time to give my old compressor a backup. My old air compressor will still be reliable and will be used to inflate tires and inflatable pool toys.

Have had this for closer to a year, have used it for various home garage enthusiast projects, keeps up well even with a portable sandblaster gun. I would not purchase it for a commercial use unless it’s just for airbrushing or some other use other than multiple persons at once or auto painting but it can paint small things like a fender or something like that.

I did have a 20 amp breaker installed on its own circuit to use it for 110v but i tried it on a regular 15 amp and had no issues i imagine if it were to run constantly while you are doing something you should book it up to 240 which i may have it done that way in the future Used a diegrnder,imoact gun,rivit gun,sandblaster gun,right angle socket wrench, grease gun, air blower to blow leaves out of my driveway, each time it was fine!.

I read a lot of reviews and was interested to try one for my dental office. When it came in I took it out and plugged it in our living room. I was genuinely impressed. I could EASILY talk with my son and wife across the room without raising my voice.

This compressor is genuinely quiet! Brought it to my office and have been using it every day for 2 weeks. (LOTS of USE) without issue. Can’t hear it running at all unless inside the utility room and even in there it is more quiet than the HVAC.

I did connect it with my old (LOUD) 40 gallon compressor to have extra reserve pressure. But unplugged the old one and this little guy keeps up pressure all day in our office that uses air driven equipment all day.

Maybe I just got a great one. but I have 0 complaints. I haven’t been paid for this review, I just like to give credit where it is due.

This is the second Cal Air Tools compressor Ive bought. Ive had their small portable for years and its been an excellent, and quiet, performer on the job site. Its nice when the compressor kicks on inside a house and doesnt scare your client or their cat! I needed a larger tank model for the shop and bought this one.

After setting it up I turned it on and filled the tank. It sounds even quieter than the older one. I left it at full pressure for a week with no hoses attached and it stayed at full pressure the entire week.

No leaks what so ever!! Now when I assemble the hose system in the shop I will know that any leaks do not come from the compressor like other brands Ive experienced in the past. Its a great tool. Highly recommend.

Excellent air compressor. It reaches pressure quickly. It is very well made and easy to move around. It is so quiet as to be almost unbelievable. You can carry on a conversation in a normal speaking voice standing next to it while it is running.

My old air compressor was so loud that it would startle me when it came on. You could barely hear yourself think while it was running. The California Air Tools Compressor gets the job done and is easy on the nerves and ears.

I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

I liked the idea to have this on my 7. 3 Powerstroke. I didn’t find an easy way to mount the pump where it suggested. I’ll just use the air fittings that came with the Firestone Air Ride system instead using a 12v DC Air pump when I’m out in the field.

The return went well and I spent the $300. 00 on a 50hp Nitrous kit for 2007 GSXR 600. AWESOME ! Firestone air ride was easy to install and actually stabilized my lifted 4×4 when taking corners at high speed when empty on 30psi.

2002 F250 7. 3 Powerstroke 4.

Didnt have time to install thisnin cab before trip to Holiday World. But i did install while down there for the week. Install before you haul so much less stressful to adjust air pressure on the fly.

Was shot in dark on air pressure needed to offseat 600 pounds of gear and a 5000 pound travel trailer. On the way down had to stop and raise pressure another 20psi. Was able to adjust for rough road construction on the way back as rough pavement occurred.

Totally worth the piece of mind.

Directions are ok the bags pad that rests on the bump stop landing block doesn’t sit flush on the pad or contact the axle level due to lower bag bolt needs to be a machine screw and beveled hole in plate to be flush with the lower plate.

This bolt makes contact keeps lower plate on an angle. Surprising Poor design overlooked. Otherwise they are great leveling the truck when my 5th wheel is hooked and loaded.

This compressor packs a punch in a small package. Very well built, excellent packaging and is assembled south of the border vs in Asia. Noise factor is amazingly quiet and access to controls and gauges are right in front for easy viewing and operation.

I do not regret my purchase one bit and as a matter of fact, am contemplating purchasing another two for my production area. Definitely a great buy!!.

This air compressor pumps up quickly and quietly. You can stand next to it while it’s running and have a conversation. So far, I’m very impressed. I have no experience with the California brand so my only question is going to be longevity, how long will this unit last.

If this unit last me ten years or longer then it will be money very well spent.

I purchased this compressor mostly because of the low noise aspect – which is 110% accurate. It is amazingly quite and I could not be more satisfied. The quality of build is good and the “look” is exceptional.

I do wish the drain valve was more easily accessible though. It is located very low to the ground in the middle-bottom of the tank and requires some effort to kneel down and reach under to turn. For the life of me I don’t know why they didn’t add another inch or so of room between the floor and bottom of the tank.

Final comment is that the unit frame structure is slightly tweaked, as it leans ever so slightly in one direction when looking at it from the front. For the money paid it should be squared up and a more accessible drain valve installed.

I give it 5 stars because it does EXACTLY what it said it will do.

i’m coming from using 4. 6 (dual tank) and 6 gallon (pancake) compressors. i like how it is quiet, relatively light, and aluminum (don’t have to worry about rust). i was anxious that this little guy wouldn’t be able to handle lugnuts but got a little bit of reassurance from a couple reviews.

well, i’m happy to report that i used this compressor just yesterday to rotate my tires. i used this along with a harbor fraught earthquake 1/2″ impact wrench along with a 50 foot 3/8″ air hose. also, my lugnuts are tightened to 75 ft lbs.

the compressor kicked in at the 5 or 6th lugnut but I didn’t have to stop and wait to complete the job for the wheel. the compressor would re-charge as i moved to the next wheel. YMMV with your wrench and hose (and compressor).

blowing out car air filter to clean it was a different story as the capacity is not high enough, but, i eventually got it done after waiting several iterations to re-charge. time will tell if the rings/pistons/motor craps out, so, i will update the review if that happens.

the only hiccup i experienced was when the unit wouldn’t automatically recharge when i was continusouly using an air nozzle to blow out the air filter and almost exhausted the tank. i had to turn off and on the compressor and it recharged.

the unit, however, would recharge if i was a bursty in air gushes versus continuous at around 90 or so psi and would go back up to 115 or so. i’ll probably read the manual to see if there is anything will help with the aforementioned issue.

i will be using this for light auto work, light carpentry stuff (nailers), and blowing out (i. e. cleaning) dust/dirt off of various things. i would have rather gotten the dual (4. 6) or 5. 5 gallon tank versions but got a good price on this 2 gallon unit, plus, the aluminum versions of those units are more expensive as well.

as others have mentioned, set your expectations with this little guy and you should be fine.

Very nice small compressor but leaks back through compressor section. Every 15 minutes the compressor starts and runs to resupply tank when there is nothing connected to the quick disconnect (which isn’t leaking).

Also I replaced the small gauge on the regulator and when the little gauge was removed I found it was installed in the fitting cross-threaded and I had to retap the hole before installing a better and larger gauge.

Seems to be some poor workmanship when this was put together. Still like it though.

This is what I call a consumer pump. its a low cost light duty pump for doing light duty now and then work and for THAT function in mind its quite nice. I love the orange color and the inclusion of a case and I love the triple power.

I plan to see about hacking this to accept my dewalt batteries. I love the set it and forget it for tire inflation. its not a power horse its not super fast but for most jobs its good enough. set the pressure turn it on and you don’t have to sit their like a hawk.

it will turn off when its hits the desired pressure. very handy. I love the tri power. 12v on one end 120v on the other or battery powered. Manufacturer? want to make this a killer product? put some BMS onboard and a removable “sled” design for the battery and then sell different sleds for different batt techs.

dewalt sled for dewalt makita mulwaukee etc. would be a huge value add if it can use the ecosystem of batts I already have. can also do balls little boats mattresses etc. and tiny but usable LED lights as a little bonus and USB power as yet another bonus feature.

none of them are fantastic but all are functional and useful. for that thing your going to stuff away in the boot of the car or truck to use 3 or 4 times a year its very handy and useful. just don’t expect pro level function from a consumer level product and you should be quite happy.

I requested this because I liked the versatility of it, and the one I already have is pretty anemic and loud. I had a few questions that I needed addressed, so I contacted customer support. Donna from customer service responded within the hour.

She was very pleasant and assisted me with everything I needed. Hassle-free and very smooth. A+. The air compressor itself is pretty awesome. It can be powered via normal 110v electrical socket, 12v cigarette charger, and the included 20v rechargeable battery.

I found it very versatile and easy to use. I’ve used it to top off the air in my tire a few times, which has a small leak that requires it to be topped off every few days. This one is quieter than my other air compressor while being more powerful.

I’ve used the battery to do it as well, and it’s pretty impressive! Even battery powered it filled it faster than my other air compressor by a few minutes. I like the fact that you don’t need the battery connected to the air compressor for it to work.

With or without it inserted, it works on either the 110v, or the 12v. I found that the automatic cut out function is a really neat and convenient function. The added led light is also nice to have, since I have to refill my tire at night sometimes, and this time of year it gets dark super early.

The backlit led readout is large and easy to read. The power cable is long and easily reaches my car from the garage socket. So is the 12v power cord. It’s long enough that the compressor can comfortably rest on the ground with the cord going through my car window.

Both cords have its own place to be neatly stowed away. The high volume/low pressure tube is also a great addition. I’ve used it to pump up my air mattress, and my goodness. I’m never manually doing it again as long as I have this around.

Build quality is great. It feels sturdy. It’s weighty, but not heavy. It feels quality and designed well. It also comes with a carry bag to store the unit, the battery and charger in. Overall, I’m really glad I requested this item as it makes things a lot easier when it comes to filling things with air around the house.

I’ve yet to use it for my bike tires, as it’s kinda cold to go out riding right now, but I can already imagine how much easier it will be compared to my manual pump. No more sweating in the summer before the bike ride! I’m really glad I have this excellent air compressor.

Thanks, guys!.

After testing nearly a dozen emergency tire inflation devices this set has proven to be far and away the most reliable and easy to use. I have tested this device on multiple types of tires in real world circumstances – from high pressure tires to low pressure.

Each time the pressure gauge inflated to the precise pressure then cut off. This has proven convenient for having in the car when going to the beach to inflate rafts in the parking lot without any hassle – everything needed is included.

What really separates this inflator from others I have tested is the rechargeable 20V Lithium Ion Battery. This is a complete game changer. This battery will power the inflator without any issue for many uses once charged and gives peace of mind knowing the device is available in any situation.

This is by far and away the best inflation device Iג€™ve tested and a set I highly recommend.

I needed a compressor for home shop use to run various types of auto paint guns (hvlp, llp, and conventional), air tools and blast cabinet. This compressor seems to be the perfect fit, it takes up a small footprint and is well built.

It has no trouble keeping up with my needs. I think the overall price with freight is very fair, I’m very happy with my purchase.

This machine really is awesome! It’s quiet enough that you don’t have to exit the room when talking to someone as it starts; the vertical tank allows it to store in a smaller space than my old horizontal tank compressor; free shipping and the price was great.

If I moved out and had to leave it, I’d buy another – guaranteed!.

Just bought our second one. Have had one of these compressors for 5+ years with no issues. We use it in our wood shop for all of our pneumatic tools along with clean up at the end of every day.

Bought this compresser 2 years ago. Had to change pump just under a year. don’t like the handles there to short to bring back to move. front side is heavy. tire brackets and front floor brackets not set right bad design.

To low to ground can’t get to drain plug to drain water and I just broke that moving to a different outlet to work on things. now can’t get plug out. (heat,drill, tapped, easy out,) plug still in nut hole.

needs to. Be set up higher and longer handles.

I needed an air compressor that was on wheels, plugged into a 120 household current, and had at least 5 CFM to meet my plasma cutter needs. This met those requirements. The unit was delivered to my home and placed in my garage on a pallet.

All good. I ran it for a 30 minute warm up, and next day connected it to the plasma cutter and it worked fine. So price, delivery, and performance were all good. As others have noted, the drain is really awkward to use as its so low.

I went to a big box store and bought a replacement drain that extends to the front and is easy to reach and install. I would recommend this. Three other nagging drawbacks. The on off switch is mounted upside down.

Honest. Not an issue other than, well, how did it get out of the factory that way? Second, the air intakes on mine do not have wing nuts to remove to check the air filters. Mine apparently screw off like a jar lid, except they refuse to turn.

A call to Dewalt was less than helpful, as I was told they screw off (except mine don’t). A second call will be necessary, and perhaps they have more of the original design. Finally, my owners manual was printed with so little ink that the first 15 pages are almost invisible.

I was told that perhaps i could download a copy and print it at home as she couldn’t send a replacement. (At the Dewalt site, the manual to this unit was ‘page not found’. No help there. So to summarize, good price, good delivery time (two weeks), product works fine with minor quirks and tweeks, and a couple of things to be resolved (ability to access air filters and a readable owners manual).

Hence a 4 star instead of a 5 star.

I needed a replacement compressor as my old one had pinhole leaks in the bottom of the tank. This compresssor attracted me due to the brand, tank and motor size and separate motor and compressor units.

Down the road I could replace either the motor or compressor if needed unlike direct drive units. For the bad side of this unit I found that it did not like cold weather. In Wisconsin, at this time, the temperature is dropping.

This unit is in an unheated garage with the temperature in the 20’s. I use it for an adjacent heated woodworking shop. Upon the recommended startup, with the tank drain open, it seemed to start and run ok.

However after closing the drain and using it, the motor seemed to struggle. I found it would trip the motor reset and also the 20 amp circuit breaker. Even with the tank drain open the motor would struggle to get going.

Replacing the circuit breaker made no difference. Since the motor can also be 220 volts I rewired the motor per the decal. I also had to add an additional 220 volt outlet from my welder circuit. So with 50 feet of 10/2 grounded cable, an additional 220 volt outlet and an adapter for the end of the compressor cord it starts and runs great.

If this unit is in a higher temperature setting maybe there would be no problem. Also the drain on the bottom of the tank is a problem. It is too close to the ground and not easily accessible. I added a 90 degree fitting with a hose and gate valve attached to the axle.

It makes it much easier to drain. I like the size of the unit and feel it was a good choice.

Whisper quiet compressor, reaches working pressure very quickly. Regulator very accurate. Bought to replace 5 gallon Porter Cable pancake unit. Please note that it’s a very heavy unit so not easy to move around.

I use a small wheeled buggy. Fit and finish is excellent, one of my friends is a carpenter by trade and uses the same unit. I’d probably have moved up to the wheeled unit if I’d done my homework. I bought it based on independent testing reports, I.

e. , “best small air compressors” where it was rated #1.

Once again Makita exceeds my expectations. This unit is much quieter than expected. It fully pressurizes in a minute. It allows spray painting besides running air tools. It’s a work horse that is well built and will last.

This is not a renamed product sold by other tool company’s. Makita engineers, designs and builds their own equipment. Good job!.

I was real happy with this compressor, just using it to run a pinner and blower for under an hour, total running time over several days. I’d set it up and ran it according to the instructions. All good.

Fairly quiet. No issues. Drained the tank after each use. However, I hoped to put up a little trim today and it doesn’t work at all. Really disappointed. I’m taking it back tomorrow for an exchange.

This compressor replaced a single stage so I was expecting it to be very noisy. I was surprised that it is quieter than my previous one. It is very quick to get from 150 to 175psi. The requirements for electrical say you need a 50 amp breaker but I am running a 40 amp with no problem.

DeWalt says it draws 30 amps so I have 10 gauge wire running to it. It is heavy and tall. They dropped the pallet in my driveway. 400+lbs. By the time I got it out of the shipping stuff my son and I were able to move it.

So far, very happy with this compressor.

Did a lot of research on which air compressor to buy. Very difficult to do just looking at specs. Found that noise levels stated buy mfgs. may not always be accurate? This one is quiet when put into a sound insulated closet (vented to outside) Does need to have a drier of some sort added.

Very happy with the purchase. This same compressor is marketed under different brand names. Also purchased oil and filter kit that extends the warranty.

Easy to order from the website. Shipping took longer than I would like but it did come from Minnesota (to Calif). Very top heavy was a pain to get unit off the pallet. Once in position, easy to connect all lines.

This unit was quieter than I expected and welcomed. I would recommend this distributer and air compressor. Shipping company went out of their way to deliver the compressor within feet of the final location.

I too went for just a compressor and couldn’t refuse the sweet offer in this package. I’m a make ready maintenance tech and am known as the DeWalt chic, I have relied on my tools since they were only 12 volts.

I was looking at a Craftsman, my husband’s preference, for $289, got this set for less, with nailer and hose, a steal. I have used it building cabinets, installing door jambs, wood trims, picture frames, etc.

Has been a asset to my collection. Highly recommend this package from DeWalt.

Quality is outstanding, Very easy to operate, The hand book does explain everything from safety to how to use the product. Dewalt has a name that has been trusted for a long time. This kit is a great combo for a wonderful price.

Every woodworking shop needs a one of these combos.

I’ve only used this as an air nailer, and it was very easy to use. I like the option of firing the nail either on contact or trigger. Tank is easy to drain, and that’s the only routine maintenance required.

Although it claims to be quiet, it’s still pretty loud. I placed it in another room, otherwise ear protection should be worn. Comes with everything you need to start installing moulding *except nails*.

I’ve used this compressor for two years now and I am very happy with it. It will run nailers, air ratchets and my craftsman air impact wrench. It is small so I have it tucked under a bench in the corner of my garage.

While the 4. 5 gal capacity my seem small, the fact that the tank charges up to 200psi means that the compressor doesn’t kick on as often as my old craftsman 20 gal compressor that I replaced. The rigid compressor is much quieter too.

Not quiet exactly, but when measured with a db meter outside from 6 ft away it is about 77db. So if you’re using it outside (framing or roofing) it is very nice. If you’re using it in an enclosed space it will seem louder, but it is STILL quieter than other compressors at this price.

It holds pressure well and has not leaked. I leave mine on all the time and charged with air in case I need to top up the pressure in a tire before leaving for work. It weighs about 70lbs so its not exactly easy to tote around everywhere, but its doable.

As far as the other complaints about the air pressure being “only” 150psi at the outlet, I don’t see what the problem is. 150psi is plenty!.

About 1 1/2 year(s) or so I purchased this compressor, everything was working great never encountered no issue with this compressor , although it isn’t really as quiet as you would expect ahah. It Wasn’t abused or anything I do framing so compressor was getting used a bit like normal.

I live in San Diego so no hard weather conditions but one a regular day about 9 am. They compressor blew it’s internals. 12 in bolt snapped, pulley rod snapped. So be careful maybe not so commercial as the mention.

serial code got scratched off somehow and rigid or the Home Depot were no help. I guess warranty isn’t all that. Thanks rigid 400. 00$ compressor. I could’ve bought 4 portable cable pancake compressor that would still be going !!!.

This thing is great. I have a framing company with 4 skilled guys and this compressor keeps up no problem. This is my second one first one crapped out in just under 2 years so I bought a makita Mac 2400.

The Mac 2400 wasn’t even close to the rigid so I took it back and bought another rigid. We work that little thing really hard 100 foot cord and 5000 watt generator never trips breakers and always keeps up even with LVL.

So if your a framer that’s wants an electric compressor that doesn’t slow down I highly recommend the Rigid.

Brand new straight out of the box, I noticed the manifold containing the tank gauge, regulator and quick connect couplers, turned quite easily like a steering wheel. I detected no air leaks just rotation both clockwise and counter clockwise on the small nipple that attaches the manifold to the tank.

The pump shroud prevents a 360 rotation. This is neither safe or durable, would not last on a job site. The paint job on bottom of the tank is a little rough looking. Looks lie it was set down in dirt while the paint was still wet.

The Instruction Manuel requires, if absolutely necessary, an extension cord that is less than 50′ and with a 14 AWG or larger. This item is equipped with an 18 AWG by 7′ power cord. Talk about a voltage stealer.

This super skinny cord is not heavy duty. wrapping and unwrapping this cord on the cord keeper will subject it to fatigue and early failure. The customer is suppose to use heavy duty extension cords while Dewalt equips their equipment with the cheapest power cord on the market.

This unit runs somewhat quieter than the one I retired after 16 years of hard service but seems to take a little longer to charge up. It does charge to 165 PSI instead of 150 PSI.

Having only one gauge is unacceptable, this is the only compressor on the market with 1 gauge. Even worse is the flimsy plastic handle, totally unacceptable for a tank this weight to have a plastic handle.

165 PSI is a small improvement over the typical 150, but the 1. 5HP metabo hpt “The Tank” compressor goes to 200PSI, fills faster, and now cost the same as this dewalt. And the metabo does have 2 gauges and a steel handle.

DeWalt really missed the mark with this compressor.

Bought this compressor for my home shop. The main reason I chose DeWalt over other compressors, which are basically all the same, was the noise level. DeWalt claims theirs is only 75 dba. NOT TRUE. The noise level on this compressor is 85 dba, which is very loud.

You could never use this in a house if others are inside. My family even complains about this running out in the garage because it interferes with screen time.

I bought this compressor last year to use on a car restoration project. It replaced my 30 year-old Sears compressor that finally coughed up a bearing (that I have been able to replace- good back-up).

I needed the DeWalt mainly for a Harbor Freight sandblasting cabinet and painting. The blast cabinet gobbles up a ton of air (requires like 20 CFM) that this compressor can’t keep up with (as expected), so I have to stop every 10 minutes or so to let it catch up.

That’s fine, you can only blast for so long anyway. But I have blasted many, many parts and it got the job done. As for painting, so far I have only sprayed epoxy primer using an Eastwood HVLP gun that only requires 5-9 CFM.

The compressor was GREAT for that- it only occasionally had to turn back on to refill. 5 plus stars for that! I was a little disappointed at the set-up on the compressor when I bought it. The two pulleys were quite a bit out of alignment- way more than the manual called for.

So much for American Made. I changed the oil after a few hours of break-in running, and then filled with the Royal Purple compressor oil after a month or so. I’m working in a detached barn with 20 amp service and it’s able to keep the compressor running OK.

If it’s very cold I have to let the pressure run down low before running the motor or it will trip the breaker, but after it runs to fill up and warms up it restarts with no problem. Since I don’t have 220 in the barn this is about the most compressor I can manage, and it does the job in my situation just fine.

I bought this same model 4 months ago just to have in my garage for small impacts, air blower, angle grinder and such. I ran it 4-5 hours and drained the compressor oil and refilled with the compressor oil that tractor supply recommended.

I’m going to do it again in 15-20 hours of use. The original break in oil had quit a bit of Metallic in it from parts breaking in. I also replaced the drain cock with a brass sub, elbow and ball valve to make draining condensation off easier.

I also installed a ball valve between the regulator and quick disconnect making it easier to unhook air hose. So far it hasn’t been a bad compressor for the money. Time will tell. I own a larger 120 gallon, and a couple 60 gallon compressors, but I wanted this one to accomplish small jobs and operate nail guns for carpentry work and it seems to be a good fit.

It pumps up to a true 155 psi.

Bought this compressor to replace my SpeedAire unit which is probably at least 30 years old. It came with the house when I bought it. The tank finally rusted out. This new DeWalt compressor is much much much more quiet than my old compressor and is portable because it has wheels, where my old unit did not.

Fills up from zero to about 150 psi in around 6 minutes. So far very happy with it, but have only used it a couple of times as it is now winter and I don’t do a lot of work in the cold temps. Only a few things to caution you about and this is why I knocked it down a couple of starts for quality.

When I went to do the 30 minute break in procedure, I checked the oil level sight glass and could not see any indication of the oil level. I even rocked the unit back and forth trying to see the oil level, Did not know if it was shipped empty or over full to the point where the level was above the glass.

Decided to open the drain plug and held a measuring cup under the opening. The drain plug was very hard to turn because of the amount of paint over the plug, but once I added an extension over my allen wrench I was able to break it loose.

To my relief oil did came pouring out, but I found that it was actually 4 ounces over full from what the manual says is correct. Poured the correct amount of oil back in and then the level showed where it should have been, halfway up the sight glass.

(Wife wasn’t too happy that I used one of her measuring cups to check this by the way!). I then opened the tank drain plug to do the run in procedure and at least a quart of water came out all over my garage floor.

Not sure why there would be that much water in a new compressor, but perhaps they do a run test at the factory which may have added condensation into the tank. This drain plug is very difficult to get to, so I suggest you add a drain plug extension hose to the bottom of the unit like I did.

Under $20 and worth it. The only other thing I had to adjust was the positioning of the blow off valve. The opening of the valve was pointing straight up so that when the compressor reached full pressure it would briefly blow high pressure air straight up just as the compressor stopped running.

Not safe in my opinion if you happened to be standing near the compressor when it finished filling. I cranked the valve around a quarter turn to direct the air stream to the side instead of up into my face.

Will report back if anything changes once I start using it more. Like it so far.

I returned 2 in the first week because I thought the motors burnt out. Turns out this particular model is sensitive to the amperage that it can get from the source. If you are working at an older house or Or even off a hundred foot heavy gauge cord it will start to overheat and shut down by mid day or earlier.

Usually you can just turn it off and take a 5 minute break. Sometimes it is longer. One tie I gave up after a half an hour and burrowed a different brand from the owner of the ranch I was working on and that one worked fine all day.

The guys I have talked to running all the other brand pancake compressors all say they never have this issue. The second big issue is the drain valve. This is a portable jobsite unit and it is going to take some hits.

Well, mine got bumped on the job site and the valve cracked. Had to shut the job down and go find a replacement, which Home Depot does not sell. It is sticking out the bottom close to the ground and close to the side as well.

Very exposed and vulnerable. When I got home I welded a short piece of angle iron behind it and a V shaped pice of rebar in front so I can access it. Now it’s bullet proof but I am going to replace it soon anyway with a 5 gallon fortress from harbor freight.

I just can’t count on it to not shut down on me while I’m framing some walls or nailing shingles. Job stoppages like that are frustrating and not acceptable when caused by failures in style that so many other companies have done right.

This one is going to be relegated to home duty for airing up bike tires and basketballs. Probably going to get rid of my shop compressor since most of my shop air tools have been retired now that cordless impacts and ratchets are actually good options.

Replaced my old broken no name compressor with this Ridgid. Use it mostly for tires but also DIY projects around the house. It is fairly light and easy to carry around. Fills up fast enough. It’s a compressor, so it’s noisy but not unbearable.

I was looking at more expensive compressors but happy I made this purchase as it satisfies all my needs. Thanks Ridgid.

Right out of the box it performed wonderfully. Not quiet but manageable I wore ear protection because I have only 1 good ear and will not chance damaging the other. Would be loud in a room in most houses but not like some compressors.

NO ASSEMBLY required. Remember to do the 30 minute break-in run before you do any work. Pumped up tires on lawn tractor in seconds and blew the dust from my work bench in a breeze (wind?). Cleaned up my chainsaw in seconds.

Will not likely be doing any nailing but this thing will do most light to intermediate nailing without effort. Not recommended for painting or continuous use jobs but it could do some short jobs in an emergency.

Pumped up the tank to 150PSI in about 2 minutes and holds the pressure without leaks. The universal quick connectors (2) are great and come installed. 1/4 turn drain plug is very neat. Remember, this item does not include any tools, hose or attachments, JUST the compressor.

Buy the best hose you can afford, don’t cheap out! Get 50 ft and you’ll thank yourself. I suggest 3/8″ hose with 1/4″ fittings. Don’t get the coiled stuff; it’s just a pain. I’ll do a later review when some time passes.

There are two disappointing issues with this compressor. First, the round grounded prong in the electrical plug pulled out the first time I removed the plug for the electrical outlet. A brand new compressor, and an expensive one at that, the grounded pin pulls out? Well, when you look at it, it’s a very cheap, thin-gauge prong.

Unlike high quality materials expected in professional equipment, this prong is flimsy at best. I have tight-fitting electrical outlets, but I’ve never had a grounded pin break. Now I’m faced with either returning the entire unit to the store or cutting the low-quality plug off and replacing it with one that is suitable for such a piece of equipment.

It makes me wonder about the quality of other materials are in this product. Second, it takes an inordinately long time for this compressor to build up pressure; especially for a 15 gallon unit. In summary, the quality of this product is suspect.

I got my compressor (along w/ lots of air tools) from a guy who was moving & didn’t have room at his new home for the equipment. I can’t say enough good things about it. Noise level? Loud, but hey, it’s a high volume air compressor.

Placement of the drain valve? Poor, but hey, I suspect it was put at the bottom to ensure the tank emptied when opening the valve. I plan to add a 90 degree male/female angle connector between the tank & the valve, moving the valve out of harm’s way & adding larger wheels if that doesn’t solve the problem.

Customer Service? I’ve asked two questions & got promptly exactly what I needed.

Bought it at SAMs five years ago,so I have plenty of experience with it. First impression: A great compressor for the price: 200 PSI, 5 SCFM, Large but not bulky tank, regulator, etc. After those 5 years of light use, I’ve found many less than great points: 1) The electric motor produces a lot of sparking at its brushes, but it happens that the motor cooling fan pumps the air through the motor and discharges it through louvers in the cover, and because the sparking is not subtle, the air is ladden with Ozone from the sparks, and the defective design places the Air Inlet Filter too close to the circular opening of the cover, located under it, so that the compressor cylinder PICKS UP that Ozone-ladden air INTO the air receiver.

As you may know, Ozone is the worst rubber degrading chemical! With this design, you will end up pumping Ozone into your rubber hoses, automobile tires, etc. and you will end up breathing some of that Ozone too.

So I modified it to seal the cover floor and added a 2″ long 1/2″ pipe nipple, to relocate the air filter farther away from the ventilation louvers where the cooling air form the motor is discharged.

2) My unit has had many small air leaks everywhere even from new, leaks in the gages, the hoses, and the small manifold, so it ends up having to restart every hour or so, even with zero air consumption, that wastes energy and money too.

3) DeWALT saved too much in the base and the wheels, so that the water condensation purge valve is too low and is easily damaged if you roll your compressor over rough terrain, and the wheels are just too small.

4) And WORST aspect: the design lacks a discharger valve to start the compressor against a low pressure. Suppose you want to use a high pressure air for whatever purpose, setting the regulator to, say, 170 or 180 PSI.

you begin using the compressor, and the tank starts to go low but still is around that high pressure, As you consume air, the low-pressure switch will TRY to RESTART the compressor, but Guess what: the tank is still at a HIGH pressure, so the electric motor pulls a HIGH AMPERAGE just trying to turn the shaft AGAINST the high pressure: IF the electrical outlet or the extensión cord is NOT truly HEAVY-DUTY, the voltaje drop will cause a BURNT MOTOR.

just read the many reviews of failed motors! In order to correct that design defect, one has to add a discharging valve, together with an additional check valve, to allow the poor motor to turn freely by discharging against an open-to-the-atmosphere valve, and only when the compressor is already running,the discharging valve is closed and the compressors sees the high air pressure in the tank.

BAD DESIGN from DeWALT. 5) The supplied air inlet filter is TOO SMALL (again DeWALT’s cost cutting!), and has too small holes in its plastic housing. You can easily re-drill them to a larger diameter to avoid restricting the inlet too much as when is came from factory.

CONCLUSION: Is is good because of oilless design, 200 PSI (disregard those highly OVERRRATED “225” PSI, it is usable to 200 PSI). But, you need to correct the ozone pick-up problem, the numerous leaks, the too small gages and regulator (restricts flow to tools like an impact wrench, so I had to replace it with a Larger one), and a not inexpensive solution for the electric motor restarting problem.

Good unit IF you like modifications and tinkering, not good for the person that has no time or patience to correct an incomplete and mediocre design product. 6) Still with all my modifications, my compressor is TOO LOUD compared to way much better designs.

I am tired of its noise, and plan to get rid of it soon. YMMV.

Me as a user: I restore antique/vintage motorcycles and the occasional car. In the late 70’s I had a motorcycle shop and used a 3. 5 HP, 25 gallon Craftsman with 3 of us connected to it. How this Dewalt compares with limited use to date Noise comparison: a wash.

While not deafening, the Dewalt is as noisy as my Craftsman ever was. Not horrible, just not the “quiet operation” I was anticipating. I believe a large part of the noise is driven by this next component refill time.

My Craftsman would go from empty to full in less than 5 minutes. After bleeding and refilling several times my Dewalt takes a minimum of 12 minutes to fully refill (30 gallon Dewalt vs. 25 gallon Craftsman).

I haven’t taken the cover off yet to peek but my guess is the piston and canister (what broke on my Craftsman and 3 Chinese crappy replacements later led to this purchase) for pumping air are significantly smaller on the Dewalt than on my Craftsman (also 1.

5 HP Dewalt vs. 3. 5 HP Dewalt). This combination leads me to believe that, with regular usage, I will be lucky to get half the years of service out of my Dewalt that I did with my Craftsman (also purchased Craftsman when parts AND assembly were made in the good ol’ US of A).

Ultimately this is a pancake compressor mounted on a 30-gallon tank. I do appreciate the 200 psi whereas my Craftsman was rated at 125. As an “old guy” who will use this as detailed, I believe it will suffice so long as I do not have to use it in an extended, continuous operation, setting.

I have yet to use it for spray painting a car but I am marginally optimistic the refill capabilities will keep up. If they really wanted to make their customers happy they would sell this unit with a slight increase in HP and pump/refill capacity.

But I understand why they don’t it’s purely marketing (you’ve already purchased the motor and piston how much could the incremental cost really be?). Truth is I haven’t had an opportunity to put it through its paces yet as I purchased it in the middle of moving to a new residence.

If I think of it I’ll circle back in a year or so to provide an update.

Product arrived defective. Upon arrival, I immediately went thru the break-in procedures. After testing the lines for leaks I pressurized the tank as the manual states. When the motor shut off, I could clearly hear a distinct hissing noise coming from the bottom of the tank.

I spoke with customer service and was given misinformation that I could attempt a repair on the tank. But, I then followed what the manual states and I took the compressor to a factory Dewalt service center.

There, I was told the tank had to be pulled from service and was not safe to operate nor safe to attempt a fix on the tank. The whole compressor had to be sent back to Dewalt. Now the item is on back order.

I still dont have a compressor I paid for at least a month ago now. I cant afford to go buy another compressor so Im just forced to wait. My remodeling business is at a standstill. So many tools rely on my compressor.

So many of my jobs I have to have a compressor. This compressor was expensive, I paid up expecting this tool to go to work for me. Instead, its actually slowed my business to a crawl. Wish I had a more positive review.

But my experience has been terrible so far.

It is an easy assembly. Works like it should. The motor is a bit load. It would be assume if this unit came with an adjustable air valve. I had to purchase one seperately for $15.

Factory weld broke on tank mount. Tank and compressor fell off and are now damaged. Very disappointed

Looks to be a quality product, came in a timely manner. Thank you Raney’s from my train horn.

I received a 25% off coupon with no exclusions so that made the compressor a great deal. Local store didn’t have one, they never have anything in stock, so had to drive 107 miles to the nearest store that had one.

I get it home and unload it in the shop with no issues. Uncrate it and the unit was well packaged. Now come the surprises. The unit states it is electric start with recoil backup. Problem is it doesn’t come with a battery and it doesn’t state that clearly in the item description.

You have to read the manual to find that out. It also comes with no oil for the engine or the compressor. The owners manual is vague at best stating SAE 10w-30, but doesn’t specify an API service classification such as SJ or ? Just any old 10w-30 is sufficient? The non detergent air compressor oil is clear enough, thanks.

So now it’s back to town for a battery, battery cables and two kinds of oil. So after spending more money for a battery, engine oil and air compressor oil (expensive) it’s time to get it up and running.

Compressor started and ran with zero issues and I followed the break-in procedures. Ready to mount on the welding trailer now. All in all it was still a good value but it would be helpful to make it clear in the description doesn’t come with anything needed to make it ready to run.

I bought one of hose to replace our IR on one of our trucks back in the Spring. We’ve put fifty hard hours on it in the Virginia heat and humidity and it’s never failed once. I was so impressed I went and purchased a dozen more for our mobile power trailers.

Two of these compressors per trailer each mated to its own auxiliary tank with two half inch fittings per compressor setup. When we run all two fittings the engine screams but never fails. I’m not going to lie, heavy use of 1/2 Inch tools on the two fittings tests the compressor but we rarely need to wait for air and we run 110 PSI over 100-150 foot stretches.

The setup was cheaper than buying an individual tow behind compressor. These are compact enough for the trailer plus the generator and everything else on a 6 x 12 trailer. We found that the compressor oil needs to be drained at the initial break in then about five hours later as well.

The compressor pistons seem to take about 10-15 hours to seat so expect to add oil. Once they seat, oil consumption is minimal. We use Mobil Rarus 427 in the compressors and Shell T1 30 WT in the engine.

Use top notch lubricants And this compressor will run nonstop for days without complaint and will only requiring refueling.

After having no luck with 2 McGraw and 3 Fortress burning out after just a few weeks, I decided to give this 29 gallon cast iron Central Pneumatic a try. So far, after just one week this compressor is purring like a kitten.

7 minutes to fill and holds air much longer than the McGraw or Fortress. I was stubborn and went with an oil free compressor and much to my dismay, they were right. Never purchase an oil free compressor.

They just won’t hold up to hard work like the oil compressor’s. The associate who helped load it into our truck was very wrong in placing this compressor on it’s side. He told us emphatically that these did not come with oil.

How wrong he was. Once the oil get’s into the cylinder’s , it just pumps out oil everywhere. After letting it set for a couple of days, it is now running like it should. Much quieter than the Fortress which came as a huge surprise.

We have had it for only one week but so far, we have a gut feeling that this one will last us for 5 years or longer. It is wider than the McGraw or Fortress and barely squeezed through our doorway. We had to remove the door and moldings to accommodate this big baby into our small room.

We added an auto drain system which is a big savior for us. No more bending down each night. We will give another review in a year from now to see if this baby is still running.

As a DIY’er that must have an Hi-Po air compressor. I bought this one on clearance for $335. 97. Based on the reviews and its performance specs compared to other compressors of similar performance and value, it is the top performer.

After the break-in, per the manual, I used this unit for an 1hr or so and it started to blow crank case oil thru the oil fill tube then onto the tank and then shop floor. I adjusted the regulator to -120 PSI to try to reduce pressure in the crankcase, no dice, still dumped oil thru the fill tube I returned the unit under 90-day warranty to my friends at HF.

They gave me a brand new one no questions asked. The Team Member who serviced my transaction suggested I get the 1-year replacement warranty “just in case” for nominal fee, so I did. So far, 30 days in an many hours later on, this new unit has been performing perfectly.

Still a great performance value. Will update if needed.