CAUTION My Mrodair Compressor Experience
I have found a lot of good information on this forum over the past couple of months and I wanted to share my Mrodair Air Max experience. Maybe I can prevent some headaches. Here is the short version.
I ordered and received an Air Max compressor with upgrade package. I opened the boxes and everything ordered was there. There were no instructions on assembly, maintenance, or power requirements. Just a note telling to put oil in compressor before turning on. I spent a couple of nights reverse engineering everything and assembling. No good videos at the time.
I plugged it into the washing machines outlet and turned it on. It ran for about 10 seconds and then tripped circuit. The breaker was reset and compressor turned on again. It ran for another 10 seconds sounding pretty rough so i turned it off. My son noticed smoke coming from under the top panel that smell electrical in nature. No fire. I found a loose switch on a rail and replaced back on rail. I retried Air Max again and only heard switch engage when turned on and disengaged when turned off.
After I emailed Mrodair, I received a prompt response. One of the few. Mike said it was my outlet. So I tried 2 new outlets on dedicated 20amp 110v lines with no other outlets on them. I got the same results. Only a “click” when turned on.
Mrodair was emailed again with details and there was no response after two days so I emailed again while suggesting I might be returning the compressor for a refund. That got a reply. Mike and I trade emails with pictures trying to solve the problem to no success. he then suggested that he would send me a new rocker switch and relay that I would install. I did not buy a new compressor to have to wrench on it to get it to work. i emailed Mike telling him that I was returning the Air Max and how he wanted this handled. Not surprisingly, there was no response. After three days I emailed him twice and he gave me the return authorization number. I sent everything back via UPS.
I tracked the shipment and Mike signed for it on 3/4. No word about my refund by 3/7 so I emailed Mike. As usual, no response. I emailed him again on 3/8. He responded with one of the three biggest lies; “the checks in the mail”. I finally received it 3/14. Mike charged a 15% restocking fee for a product that never worked. I waited until the check cleared to email him asking why the restocking fee. Guess what? He hasn’t responded.
I spent close to a month trying to get that HPA compressor running. I think that products should work as advertised and when they do not, the seller should solve the problem not the buyer. I’m out over $400.00 between paying for shipping both ways and a bogus restocking fee. That’s what I get for not doing my homework on Mrodair.
I WILL NEVER DO BUSINESS OR RECOMMEND MRODAIR TO ANYONE. THEY’RE CUSTOMER RELATIONS IS THE WORST I HAVE ENCOUNTERED ON THE WEB.
Sorry that my first post had to be this kind of post.
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I think that mrodair testing actually contributed to the problems. I’ve been telling people that these compressors are not meant for long runs. It’s best for top offs, 20 min max. So if mrodair actually filled two 88cf tank from empty to 4500psi during their test, the heat that generated did considerable damage. Also using cheap oil doesn’t help.
Mrodair should change their test to just topping off 3000-4500psi, twice. They have to use good compressor oil and drain said oil before shipping.
I”ve been sitting back and following every ones Mrodair airmax adventures. I feel so fortunate to have sent mine back prior to 30 days even with the 15% restocking fee. I wouldn’t give Mrodair any credit for trying to provide a cheap HPA compressor. I think of Mike more like a snake oil salesman, who is in it for the cash only “Brother” IMHO he did the bare minimum to bring these units to market. He is always bragging about the “testing.” If all that alleged testing took place, then how could there be such a high rate of problems? Obviously he doesn’t care about the customer. A business owner that conducts business in the manner Mike has proven to us, can’t defend himself or his product. When he has your cash. he gets to dictate how, when, or if you get it back if you have a problem. I’m willing to bet that very few people sent their compressors back within the time frame for a refund. They were probably strung along until the 30 days were up and then told about their “industry standard” return policy. My wish is that everyone who is thinking about buying from Mrodair gets informed of how they will be treated if they have a problem with one of their products.
I looked up the unit and it’s $699 + $400 shipping…
I have to give it to Mrodair for trying to introduce us to the affordable compressor, even though there are short comings. I don’t know where he’s been, but I think he’s probably pissed off that people are saying bad things about him. Grow a pair man, come back and defend yourself and your product. There’s at least 50 of us here who will need your support (replacement parts and such) in the future.
I am one of the 50 owners of the airmax. I don’t really have any problem with it yet, but I’m doing some preventive services (changing out to high quality compressor oils, changing o-rings) to help alleviate future problems. Do I regret buying an Airmax? NO! It’s a fantastic deal, especially when you’re not rich and can’t afford $4000 compressor and the cost to maintain one. Don’t think that because you bought these expensive $4000 compressors that you will not have problems. After the 1 year warranty runs out and something goes wrong, it will cost you. I just read about this poor guy who was quoted $1500 to fix his Bauer compressor.
All a group buy is going to do is get MORE people familiar with the system’s shortcomings. Something that has given a LOT of people problems is still not a good deal at a lower price.
Supporting evidence: Customer Service can be a deal maker/breaker when products fail to deliver!
http://talonairgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=34743
http://talonairgun.com/forum/search.php?keywords=pyramyd+%2B+customer+service
Yeah, go figure, looked up wrong tracking number and was never “ACTUALLY” shipped as he claimed. I also notice since MR. Mrodair (Mike) posted how it was the customer’s fault the unit broke from him plugging it in (what a joke), he has become a mute. Question 1 is just how many units have this problem that he can’t even keep straight which replacement parts are sent out. 2nd) why did it take so long to realize the mistake (conveniently after Bob started getting attention on this thread). 3rd what happened to replying to a customer’s concerns (assuming Bob is telling the truth, which I believe he is).
Everything said on this thread has been echoed too many times elsewhere to be all lies. I was literally mere hours away from purchasing one of the Mrodair units when I talked to someone I respect greatly for his opinion. He advised me the units were crap, unsafe out of the box and would not last. I immediately called Jim Shelden @ sheldensportinggoods.com and put the same money as a down payment on one of his compressors. Since then the bottom has came from under the Mrodair foundation and post after post of poor quality equipment and customer service.
My advice to Mike (Mrodair) is if you know your product has issues then you better be on point with customer service. Many people are willing to forgive shortcomings at a price (just check the forum and you’ll see many posting where a person says “sometimes things happen but you can accept them if the company acknowledges the fault, correct and compensate for it) but only if the customer service is so great that it surpasses the headache. If you fail to either correct the product and/or the service you will loose more business than you can sustain. This is already happening as I’ve talked to 2 other members since then that vowed never to buy any of your products when we were all previously considering the compressor. The change came about from all of the customer service complaints about how you fail to reply in a timely manner to problems with your units but will respond quickly up to that point. Personally I just think you are beginning to realize that you may have bitten of more than you can chew, there is a reason there are no HPA compressors at the price point you offer. It seems to make equipment that is under such pressure it take high quality parts and manufacturing and if you buy less than that you MUST upgrade and sometimes fabricate parts to bring up to par. After that is done you’ve increased the cost to something less than the economy buy you try to offer. Trust me when I say the people sounding off against your product are very influential in this arena not because of mere status but because they know their “SHYT”. Because of that many will listen and already have. The last thing you want is that things get so bad with customer service that you gain a nickname like “NEMrodair” 😯 or something like that (you never get rid of those nicknames).
In closing, I feel like I owe the person that steered me away from Mrodair $100 of the $400 he MOST likely saved me. Thanks Godfather!
Replacement parts from Mrodair arrived the other day. Haven’t really done anything else with the compressor. Will update here when I do.
Yeah I won’t waste my time and join that forum. Don’t really like the guy.
Funny how he bought the worst of the big compressors. Some people never learn.
Don’t understand people.
Yeah – and that guy is the one who owns an Air Gun Forum……..his “motto”?
“The Air Gun Forum With No Secrets”
funny he didn’t mention anything on his forum about the compressor not putting out
In fact March 8th he posted about how “fast” it was…..
Member on the GTA blew his up. What’s funny is he was all raving about how good it was and never said it died. He ordered a coltri and was asked what happen to his airmax. One step better but still needs a rebuilt around 100 hours. With the money spent on the 2 compressors he could have had a Bauer and it would last a life time.
Don’t understand people.
I received actual tracking from Mrodair. Turns out they looked up the wrong tracking, and didn’t actually ship my parts. They sent me a photo of the current shipping label, and the carrier has actually picked it up.
I emailed ,and called over and over …these Mrodair guys on gun’s /compressor never heard any thing back from them ….
cool ! ……they did me a favor ! instead of buying his p12 … I bought a Gladius .25 that gun shoots a hole through a hole 50 yards out …. this weekend I was shooting shot gun shells that were stood up on end at will at 75 yards JSB 25.39 G KINGS I could not miss ….. ya know I don’t know if I just got lucky with this gun … but I really got a thank those guy’s at Mrodair air for ignoring the hell out of me ! thanks guy’s if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t have this sweet shooting bad ass new gun ! COOL ! … :rofl:
then I contacted a compressor company off of AliExpress …. and what did I find ? OH the same looking compressor identical to Mrodair… now get this I emailed them all the way to China , :rofl: ,, AND ALL THE WAY FROM CHINA they emailed me back with in minutes .. :rofl: . and I kept asking questions night after night they would always email me back with in minutes ! NO JOKING ! and-
I ended up with some cool China chick that runs their customer service she gave me a 1 year warranty , and even gave me a bulk deal of just $650 per unit if ordering 10 units shipped … these units have select psi shut off just like mrodairs up-grade compressor $$$$ . 😆 …she also through in a dead copy of the diabolo air moisture filter for the exit line for extra $60..it looks just like the one from AOA …. now she also stated that she could provide , any and all replacement parts for these compressors …… now to buy just 1 compressor she gave me a deal of $ 990 shipped with the air moisture filter included …. now they also stated that [2 different sellers one Windy …one James] that you really have to run these on 220 or they run slower according to them …and you have to run a 30 amp breaker using a single 115 … they just run more correctly on 220
so if I were going to buy one of these I would buy from Windy Zhang from China just look at their feedback it’s way better than Mrodair :rofl:
way cheaper than Mrodair with a filter that cost close to $ 200 at AOA = around $1600 shipped from here in the states …. or $990 direct from China with fantastic customer service 😉 …maybe we should do a group buy ? ..$710 plus shipping a second time to each person .. here is the link
I just inspected the components of my water separator and high pressure cylinder outlet valve.
Wasn’t pretty.
My o-ring is even more chewed up. Tons of contamination in the bead media. Corrosion on some threads nearly seized the parts together.
http://www.talonairgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=34635&p=357144#p357144
Well, the o-ring in the fitting it screws into was smashed all out of shape as well. I just replaced that.
Then I finally ran the compressor and actually increased the PSI in my tank.
I read all the reviews saying it wouldn’t run on a 20 AMP circuit. I figured I’ld give it the benefit of the doubt since my shop has all 20 amp circuits that are properly wired. I know. I installed them all. It started tripping the breaker at around 3600 PSI. To give it the best chance possible I reset it three times and it got up to about 3800 PSI.
It will not run on a 20A 115V circuit to full pressure. Fortunately I do already have a 30 AMP outlet installed. Unfortunately its on the outside of the shop for plugging in an RV. I never park and RV out there anymore, so I may just plumb it into the shop. I sure don’t want to leave my compressor outside.
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I doubt they were 88 cf tanks. That would be about 180 minutes of run time with frequent bleeding that entire time for every compressor. Do you think they have the the manpower & time to do that kind of a run on the units.
No, probably a little guppy tank at best.
If you already have one, do the mods, add a good filter and keep your runs short. Understand the degree of risk you are accepting with continued use of a machine with bare minimum construction handling 4500 PSI air. When I was systematically working through my unit, my recurrent thought was, “Wow, you couldn’t build this any more cheaply and have it still work.” The 0.1 inch thick crankcase was a particular surprise. This thin little thing is taking on the stress of the cylinders? I don’t think they could have made it any thinner. No cooling between or after compression stages. No safety valves. Wiring with exposed connectors. Switches and wiring too low amperage capacity. Foster connector out of spec. The machine is a case study in lowering cost by cutting corners. Some of those corners are important safety issues when you’re at 4,500 PSI and need to avoid getting moisture and hydrocarbons out of HPA tanks and guns. To save the cost of a good PCP, you’re going to risk your tank, guns & your health with this machine?
Then you add the expertise demonstrated by the water separator specially designed to have a media compartment as its first component. This is bass ackwards. Media should be after the majority of water has been removed by the separator, not first in line so it can be immediately swamped and rendered useless. A real compressor expert would not have designed it this way.
For heaven’s sake, don’t try to use the machine with just the miniature media holder that it comes with. Get a full size filter with adequate drying media, activated carbon, and pressure maintaining valve POST all the filtering. That PMV, by keeping the entire filter and water separator pressurized to at least 1600 or higher PSI will help the existing water separator and the filter be more efficient. A good add on filter with PMV is what you need to protect your tank and guns from the air this compressor produces. The Mrodair supplied unit isn’t enough. Unfortunately, once you do all the mods and add a proper filter, you are well above the $1K point and putting more money after bad.
Can you safely fill your tanks without an adding another air dryer? Probably no. Air out of the water separator is at 100% humidity and elevated temperature. Unless, a desiccant filter removes that moisture, that air is going into your tank and cooling down. Once it cools, the humidity goes over 100% and you’re set up for condensation.
Just because you got your tank or gun up to pressure and the compressor didn’t die is NOT success. That air has to be dry enough that you don’t cause corrosion. The amount of water that is already damaging is tiny when the air gets back down to ambient pressure. You might not see even if you open your tank or gun and look inside. You also need to keep the blown by oil out of your lines, tank and guns. All oil lubricated compressor have some oil blow by. On a good compressor, the amount is tiny. What’s more, on a properly engineered compressor, the air is dried sufficiently before it reaches the activated carbon. Wet activated carbon won’t effectively remove oil. The Airmax is lacking in both water removal and hydrocarbon control. That’s why you should add a decent filter and keep its cartridge replaced regularly.
If you don’t already have one, save up a bit longer and buy a much better built unit that has all the safety and filtering features already integrated. You’ll gain at the very least….
1. Far better inter cooling to reduce output air temperature and hence improve water separation
2. More stages of compression – reducing stress on each compression stage
3. Pressure safety releases – prevent catastrophic failures if valves or lines get clogged.
4. Multiple stages of water, oil, air separation
5. Longer intervals between required water bleeds
6. More robust construction, precision machining, and tighter tolerances.
7. Less risk of electrical shock and overload
8. Faster, quieter, and more convenient operation.
9. Integrated drying and hydrocarbon absorption in the proper sequence (after water separation)
10. Pressure maintaining valve to improve water separation and filtering
11. Historically proven performance, longevity, and service life
12. Better metals in component construction.
13. Predictably clean, dry air for your equipment
14. A dealer that is EXPERT in high pressure air compressor usage, limits, maintenance, and best practices.