Air Compressor-- oil lubricated or oil free?

You trolling trollers?

Oil free is noisier, but usually lighter and more portable.

Oil lubricated has more power and lasts longer.
Oil lubricated is better for a permanent mounted compressor.

Belt driven will last longer. But heavy.

Oiless is good for portable compressors. Oiled direct drive should give longer life than oiless direct drive.

There are several direct-drive oil lube compressors that are pretty easy to tote around. Emglo, DeWalt, Rolaire, Hitachi all make comparable models without much difference in performance or noise, just minor features and price.

Have a friend who does trim carpentry, used to run those red Porter Cable pancake compressors. 2 - 3 trim guns (with leaky hoses/fittings) doing high-volume work all day and those compressors would last a few years while getting the crap beat out of them. Usually failed because they were dropped, left out in the rain too often, or fried by a power surge than just wearing out the piston seals. They can be rebuilt fairly easily too. Now he runs one of these and it's held up pretty good. Definitely need to run a quality synthetic compressor oil for cold days and heavy usage.

oil less start up better in cold weather.

Other than that an oiled compressor is better. It will last you longer.

Thanks for the replies.

This morning went to Lowes and decided to buy the Porter Cable pancake compressor. $169. While I was waiting in the line at the cashier, a guy behind me in line told me that Home Depot has that same compressor on sale this weekend for $99, he bought the same yesterday. So I went to Home Depot and saved $70.

I tryed it out and it is a lot lighter and quietier then the POS Bostitch I had.

quote:

---

Should I go with oil less (what I have now) or the oil lubricated. In general is one better than the other or it doesn't matter?

---

For heavy use, it is a no-brainer - go oiled and get one size bigger than you think you need (I recommend Harbor Freight) and pay attention more to CFM of the compressor and tool requirements, than to tank capacity.

However, to run 1 nailgun at a time, at a moderate pace, and occasionally adjust the tire pressure, etc., one of the pancake, oilless like you've been using is fine - but it is what it is - you'll have trouble running impact wrenches, impact sockets and sprayers with the little compressors.