How to Choose an Air Compressor

Choosing an Air Compressorcan leave you feeling lost if you don't know what to look for. That's because air compressors power a wide range of tools over a wide range of applications. In order to get your air supply right, you'll want to arm yourself with the right knowledge. Here's how to do just that.

1. Analyze the requirements of the equipment that you will be powering.

Are you going to be using the compressor to power machinery or to power pneumatic tools or to simply inflate a tire? You'll probably want a compressor with a tank if you plan on using tools that require high flow. You may want a portable compressor without a tank if you plan on merely using it for air brushing or filling a tire. Since there is no tank to store the compressed air the tankless type will run continuously, which usually isn't an issue since they are usually quite small and therefore make minimal noise.

2. Understand the types of compressor available.

Essentially, there are two different kinds of air compressors: reciprocating and rotary screw. The most common type you'll likely see for sale somewhere is the reciprocating piston type. It has a cylinder with a piston that moves up and down and a one-way valve on top of the moving piston. Some air compressors utilize a dual piston setup for higher flow and/or pressure. The other type of air compressor is the rotary screw. These are designed for continuous use and are often used with tools that run for several seconds (or minutes) at a time, such as impact wrenches and jackhammers, and in industrial applications.

3. Look at the horsepower (HP) of the air compressor.

A common range for horsepower on an air compressor is between 1.5 and 6.5 HP. Air compressors with larger HP capacity exist, but are usually reserved for industrial uses and offer far greater psi. There are many blogs and articles online indicating horsepower ratings have changed in recent years. It is probably best to look at the flow rates instead of HP ratings if you are comparing today's models to much older ones.^[5] Small-scale uses won't require as much horsepower as industrial uses.

4.Try to look at Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM.)

CFM is a measure of volumetric flow. Easy enough, right? The difficult part is that CFM changes depending on the psi of the compressor, meaning that two tools with different psi won't necessarily have CFMs that you can simply add together, which is what you want to be able to do. This is where things get tricky.

5.If using a tank mounted compressor, determine how large your tank should be.

If you'll only need your air compressor for short bursts of time — such as when using a nail gun — you can get away with having a small tank. If you'll be working for extended periods of time with your compressor, you'll want the tank to be bigger. Tank sizes are usually measured in gallons.

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