They are of average quality and not a bad buy for the low cost, there are probably more CH compressors in home shops than anything else. It is interesting to note that the one in that link appears to have the same motor/pump combo as the very popular vertical model with the 60 gallon tank. I think you will find that small tank will not be a handicap but under heavy demand and with that 10.2 CFM@90 PSI rating it is going to cycle quite fast, performance however vs the 60 gallon should not suffer and should be about the same but the high cycle rate could make for a relatively short duty cycle due to lack of cooling time. A compressor that cycles at a high rate can usually benefit greatly from an auxiliary fan blowing across the pump head.

 

Looking through some of the other posts about compressors, I figured oldred would be the first to reply!

So, hooking up a secondary tank to this compressor might actually be beneficial?

 

So, hooking up a secondary tank to this compressor might actually be beneficial?

Yes in this case it could be a big help, that CFM rating really should have 40 to 60 gallons to keep the cycle rate from being too fast with a heavy demand. Going to extremes on tank size either way is not good and in this case only 26 gallons with 10.2 CFM@90 PSI is going to cut it close if you intend to use it for painting/body work or some such as that, for an impact wrench however it should be just fine as is.

 

Well, after sleeping on it last night, I decided that I'm just going to buy the Ingersoll Rand SS3L3 and be done with it. I have a couple reasons for this.

1) IR is a trusted name and makes a good product. I will have this compressor for life and not worry about it.

2) The CH unit may be portable, but how many places will have a 220v plug readily available?

3) For $50 more, the IR unit gives me 10.3 cfm @ 135 psi and 11.3 cfm @ 90 psi.

Now I have to make some more room in the garage, or maybe do the bump-out I've been talking about.

 

Conpressior

I bought a new Cambell Hausfield, TSC Upright, Used it for painting a few cars and DA a few cars. I kept it in another room so it kept Clean, Then when I moved into another building I bought a Quincy more Industrial 6HP 220 2 Stage. I guess for what your wanting to do , I would buy another one for small type items. I Justs needed 2Stage for Sandblasting. Hope this helps?

 

1) IR is a trusted name and makes a good product. I will have this compressor for life and not worry about it.

.

IR has gone "offshore" for thier head units and motor, neither of which is very good.

Vince

 

$50 more for more air, a bigger tank, and a better name. I think that is probably the best bang for my buck right now. Off shore or not, I bet it will find it's way into my kid's garage once I'm gone.

 

Don't bet on it, those IRs are developing a poor reputation for reliability, especially the motors.

 

So if you guys were going to spend $600 on a compressor, what would you get?

 

Air Conpressior

As long as you keep it clean ether one will work for you. I have had my CH on with a couple of leaks in shop and forgot it was on and ran for days and it ran good when I sold it. THe only reason I went with the 2 stage is because I need more um for the media blaster.

 

I find it interesting that IR, the "home" type units anyway, seem to be as bad as any of the other Chinese imports for resorting to inflated performance numbers and advertising hype and IMO some cases even worse than some. A while back they had that unbelievable nonsense of "tank assisted" CFM with which they proudly boasted of absolutely ridiculous CFM numbers, at Tractor Supply they had a two stage 5 HP (real) 80 gallon model that was most likely a very decent performer in truth BUT in large numbers on the front of the tank it said, I don't remember exactly, something like 48 CFM "tank assisted" with "tank assisted" of course being in smaller letters. "Tank assisted CFM" is a totally nonsensical term, fortunately they must have been called on that one because that BS disappeared rather quickly and I have not seen one in a while.

Then there is that classic the SS5L5 18.1 CFM@90 PSI 5 HP single stage, just recently that thing has started appearing with a rating of a more realistic 15.5 CFM@90 PSI but I notice that Northern and Tractor Supply are still using what I honestly believe to be, and that new rating seems to confirm, the exaggerated claim. :nono: IMO IR builds some of the best industrial compressors on the market but their "home" shop models seem to me to be just an attempt to capitalize on the IR name and their sales department apparently resorts to the same shady tactics as a lot of other importers. Campbell Hausfeld, to their credit, has cleaned up their act a lot and the newer models are much more truthful in their descriptions plus their reliability seems to be quite decent for the price.


www.aircompressorsdirect.com/Ingersoll-Rand-SS5L5/p689.html

 

I looked through the reviews of the SS3L3 on Northern Tool. It averages a 4.9 out of 5 stars based off 43 reviews. Looks like the people that had a negative comment directed it towards the drain valve and how awkward it was to get at. I'm honestly guessing that for a casual user like myself, this compressor will last a long time. Heck, I can't even guarantee that it would be used to paint a vehicle because I'm not even close to thinking about that. So, for $570 to my door, I think it is a pretty good buy.

If you guys could direct me to some negative reviews on this compressor, that would help me to get a better understanding of where you are coming from with the comments about the low quality of IR compressors.

Also, I have yet to really see someone suggest another compressor that fits into a $600 range and have the specs that the IR does.

 

Just remember that those product reviews are almost always from people who have just bought the compressor and are excited about their new toy, how many would go back a year or so after buying one to write a review on it? I think if you do some searching on the IR compressor you will most likely turn up a problem with that Emerson motor they come with, there has been a lot of discussion about the 5 HP version here at this site but of course you are looking at the 3 HP. My point about the Ingersoll is that just because they are sold by a company that has a decent reputation for industrial compressors that does not make their Chinese imports a better buy, they have in fact had their share of problems and the advertising tactics and specs are IMO simply inexcusable for an otherwise respectable company.


Here is a thread where there are at least 4 failures in this one discussion, I will be the first to point out that this is a failure of the 5 HP and once again I am aware that you are considering the 3 HP. If the one you are looking at has the Emerson motor, I think some are equipped with an A.O Smith but I may be wrong about that, you might want to do some serious thinking if reliability is a major concern.

www.hotrodders.com/forum/compressor-help-emergency-136455-3.html?highlight=emerson+motor

 

Excellent info as always oldred! I appreciate the link and will dig into it more when I get some extra time.

 

My advice: find a good used American made I-R or C-H compressor. Speedaire, quincy, and other old names that are used mostly in commercial/industrial applications are good. Estate sales and pawn shops, and craigslist. Go find 'em!

Make sure to check the tank drain. You don't want rusty water in it... :drunk:

The cheap chinese IRs are oddly similar to the cheap Craftsman compressors, and those are oddly similar to the cheap wal-mart/no name brand compressors. Hmmm... save your money and get a good one, or get the cheapest dang import you can find, as they're likely all the same: CH to Harbor Freight.

 

the cheapest dang import you can find, as they're likely all the same: CH to Harbor Freight.[/I]

How about this, the Harbor Freight U.S General is NOT made in China and is mostly built in the USA! The tank is built in Virginia and they have American made motors, some of them actually have a Baldor while others have A.O Smith, A.O Smith electrics, Square D mag starters on the larger 7 1/2 HP models, the pump itself is made in Italy and the entire unit is assembled in North Carolina. This is the Two stage version (usually on sale for $799 and one of those 20% off coupons can be used with that!) and when I read this on another site I made a special trip to HF just to check it out. I have never used one of these compressors, in fact never even heard one run, but they do indeed look to be decently built and they do actually have American made parts on them, if you look at one it does not look like just one of the clones sold under various different names.

 

How about this, the Harbor Freight U.S General is NOT made in China and is mostly built in the USA! ...

Thank you for the correction OldRed!

Most of the smaller ones are imported, and that's what I was referring to. Heck, if I can't find a nice older unit, I'd go for what OldRed is referring to above- it keeps some fellow Americans on the job, too :welcome: . As the saying goes "buyer beware". In the end, its up to good research on part of the buyer. The seller just wants to move their product.

 

What I found kind of odd was that they don't seem to go to any effort at all to promote the thing as a U.S. made machine and you really have to dig for the info, I guess they just don't want to spoil their image! :drunk:

 

Did some digging on line and so far can't find a lot of negative comments about the SS3L3. Perhaps the issues you were referring to were limited to the 5hp version. Either way, I have some time before I order, so I'm going to keep looking around and keep my eyes open for any other deals. Not really interested in buying used unless I know the person I'm buying from.

 

What I found kind of odd was that they don't seem to go to any effort at all to promote the thing as a U.S. made machine and you really have to dig for the info, I guess they just don't want to spoil their image! :drunk:

Seems that their marketing folks need a little help. There's a lot of people who seek to buy USA made goods, and thankfully there's still quite a bit of USA made goods still around. I usually do an internet search for "(what I want) made in USA".

 

Seems a shame that people will automatically assume that Harbor Freight compressors are just Chinese junk (Why wouldn't they?) and pass them up to buy a real China import sometimes at higher cost. The US General looks to be about the best deal for the money but any recommendation for them is based purely on the fact they are built with seemingly U.S. made quality parts except for the pump that is from Italy, with a reputation for building quality goods, and I have no personal experience with them. Personally I would not be a bit afraid to buy one if I needed a compressor in that size range.

 

Seems a shame that people will automatically assume that Harbor Freight compressors are just Chinese junk (Why wouldn't they?) and pass them up to buy a real China import sometimes at higher cost. The US General looks to be about the best deal for the money but any recommendation for them is based purely on the fact they are built with seemingly U.S. made quality parts except for the pump that is from Italy, with a reputation for building quality goods, and I have no personal experience with them. Personally I would not be a bit afraid to buy one if I needed a compressor in that size range.

Agreed. Considering the big HF compressor uses a lot of USA made parts and is put together here (so the pump is from Italy... can't get everything in these days of 'globalism' I guess), I'd go for it. Are any smaller compressors made here in the USA from them?

 

Not that I can tell from just looking at them in the store, they appear to be typical low-end Chinese junk. Unless I overlooked something those US General we have been discussing are U.S. built from U.S. made parts with the exception of that Italian made pump (nothing at all wrong with "Made in Italy"!) and some of the motors which are made by American companies in Mexico, Mexican built motors are a far cry from Chinese motors and those units with the American Baldor motor have the best motor on the market IMO.


Harbor Freight of all places, who would have thought?

 

I am in the market for an air compressor so here is my 2 cents. Cambell Hausfeld seems to be an ok brand but more important to look at is what kind of compressor you are going to buy. Dont buy an oilless one they are very loud I have had two of them and they also dont seem to last as long. Also if you have the money buy a two stage compressor (I am looking at used $500 and up). Also after 3 smaller compressors in the last 10 years I am finaly buying a 60 gallon or bigger. In reality they do not take up any more room in the garage and wiring is really not that big of a deal. I was taught that bigger more powerful tools was only for the macho type but every time I dont buy the best I end up needing more out of it or just burning it up. Also when looking at hp ratings realise that you cant get any more than 2hp out of a 120 outlet. buy the biggest and best you can afford.

 

If you buy a compressor based on tank size you are not making a wise decision. More important is SCFM (Standard cubic feet per minute) rating. You can have a 60 gallon tank size with a low SCFM rating and have a really lousy compressor that runs continually. Do not base your purchase on tank size.

Vince