Compressors … info from an owner.
I bought my compressor one year ago this month. It’s been the best purchase I have made in this PCP game. Before buying I researched every model available by contacting owners from the airgun crowd and by talking to paintball and dive shops.
This is what I learned.
FX .. $ 1100.00 this compressor is a 3000 psi unit and has had some issues over the years. One owner told me his had cooling problems from the start but that FX had sent him an upgrade that he installed himself and that solved the problems. Last I new he was still using it after 4 years of ownership.
Alkens .. $ 3350.00 highly recommended by everyone .. but at the paintball shops I kept hearing the same thing .. if you can afford it step up to the Bauer. No real issues reported by anyone … they just kept saying that the Bauer was built better. 4500 psi.
Bauer .. $ 3850.00 I ordered mine direct from Bauer USA .. no need to go thru a middleman. Made in Germany it is high quality throughout.
The air dryer is rated for 2 years of commercial use and for home use they said I would never have to change it.
It’s oil (synthetic) cooled and air cooled with a large fan. For home use the synthetic oil only has to be changed once every 2 years.
The electric motor is a big 3HP Lincoln that is 220 volt and comes unwired. I wired mine to fit a clothes dryer outlet and you can PM me for instructions with pics .. wire it backwards (easy to do) and it will run backwards ruining the piston and rings in it.
It has multiple drain valves on it, a dipstick for checking the oil, and comes set up to connect to any one tank system you want. Extra tank set connections are $ 600.00 each so know what you need before you buy.
It’s 4500 psi and automatically stops filling when you reach that pressure .. it doesn’t stop running .. a pop off valve bleeds off the pressure until you turn it off. The unit will do 5000 psi or more but I had mine set to 4500.
After a year of using it I know I will never ever wear this thing out … I am having a shop built next to my house this coming spring then I can get it out of our butt ugly laundry room and into a more appropriate decor 🙂
Prices listed are from last year.
All Replies
Thanks for posting this. My shooting buddy is taking a hard look at this unit. 😀
Mike
There used to be some kind of a device to attach to a regular compressor but I haven’t heard anything about it lately … it developed higher pressures.
I live in the country and it’s long drive to any services so a compressor made sense for me 🙂
Your a little to far for a fill and some shoot time. Maybe sometime .I would really like to have something like that ,but couldn’t justify it.
Was wondering if anyone ever thought about anyway to link regular compressor with some higher psi compressor to achieve the psi.
Model is Bauer JRII … when I ordered it the Guy asked what it was for … told him it was for home use.
He said … Do you realize what you are buying .. you’ll never wear this thing out … I said that’s the idea 😀
I’ve been on the fence for a while about buying a compressor. One of my sticking points is that I want bomber reliability. This is the sort of tool I expect not to replace for a very long time.
What model is the unit you picked up? Thanks again for the post (my wife may not agree…)
Wiring set up for dryer plug … pics show two outside wires … middle wire gets a single black wire from the motor.
First wire .. gets a Red and a White wire from the motor …
Middle wire … single Black wire from the motor.
Third wire … single green wire from the motor.
How that relates to the plug in the pic is this …
Middle wire goes to that top L shaped plug
First wire goes to the bottom plug on the right
3rd wire goes to the bottom plug on the left.
In case they have a compressor or motor change .. send me a pic of your set up and I will contact the electrician in my family to make sure we get it right 🙂
Other alternative is to call Lincoln and ask them since they built the motor. On the compressor is an arrow on the pulley guard that shows you which way the belt has to spin. When you fire it up the first time do it for just 2 seconds to see which way that pulley is spinning to make sure you got it right.
If you are in the market for a compressor, do yourself a big favor and
also call Jim..His compressors are military grade and are bullet proof…I
have one of his compressors and his after sales service and support is
second to none….Ask him about warranty too…..He only has a few left
so don’t wait too long.
thanks for the imfo – denny
I’m beginning to built enough interest in purchasing a portable air compressor. Ideally I want one that runs off gasoline or electricity and can fill to 4500 psi.
I saw one for sale here http://www.airguns.net/classifieds/show_ad.php?adNum=13232&adSort=&StartingAd=0&NumberOfPages=4
What do you guys think of it? I live in Canada so hopefully there’s something inexpensive, but i will pay top dollar if it’s worth it.
Nice post. I’ve got an Alken unit that is plumbed into a large storage cylinder which allows cooler fills. I don’t know that the unit I have is still available as Airtex does not carry it anymore. I have no complaints after 4 years of use.
I have used a friend’s Bauer compressor a good bit also and it is a very nice piece of gear. It is well built has 3 vice 2 water drains and the pressure bleed valve is great as you can step away or get distracted without fear of an overfill or having a safety pop-off blow.
Even though the Alken continues to serve well, I would recommend the Bauer if the extra bucks can be spared.
Just google Bauer Compressors USA …
I’ll have to remove the inspection plate on my motor and get the pics later .. will post them here 🙂
Me too ! I like that unit
LAter
test
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
I was hoping it would help someone ! He won’t regret buying this unit 😀
I waited till I had owned mine for a year before I gave a report.