Honestly, if you have a small shop, and are not looking to run air tools this will probably do everything you need and NOT give you a headache doing it.
did you see the coupon today for the 4 gallon? great deal! - I wish I knew if the 4 gallon would run my 3/8 ratchet or my 1/2 impact? But I'm thinking I'll have to get the 20 gal or 21 gal McGraw... recommendations between the CP or MG for which to use for light duty mechanic work on my motorcycles and once in a while on a car/truck
What shop would this be used for, it can't fill up tires it really can't do nothing. It's a compressor as long as you don't need it for air that doesn't even make any sense
Functionally operates just as it should ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxiiMg_x4gIWeXMWfBnDdRnME4qJUAva4w holds pressure perfectly when not in use. Glad one of the other reviews pointed out that the bottom pressure release valve was open; thought it was defective at first.
These things are PERFECT for filling tires, running a nailer, or a blow gun. Always need more than one compressor in the shop lol. I've been extremely impressed with the new air compressors from HF in the past few months. They are really stepping up their game and I feel like they are trying to compete more in the mid-range semi-pro market with stuff like this. Definitely a level above the standard Central Pneumatic stuff. A+ in my book.
I’ve got two of the Fortress 26 gallon Ultra Quiet compressors and one 8 gallon California Air Quiet Compressor. The CAF with the small tank runs a lot when being used and has worked well for over a year on a large laser as an air assist component. The motor is just now starting to get a little noisier and may be getting ready to need some work after very heavy use for over a year. As a precaution, I decided to go with the larger Fortress Quiet compressors on my machines and they are relatively quiet and run much less than the smaller compressors in my applications. So far, I am impressed with the Fortress Compressors.
Having had a chance to use this compressor to air up my tires recently it really is much quieter in person than the video shows!!! I was pleasantly surprised!! 😁😁
I’m curious about how good the 4 gallon fortress is. I wanted to say that your channel has gotten so good. You are very informative and to the point on your reviews. I haven’t found another channel that does any better than you do. Keep it up and just know that you and your videos are greatly appreciated. 👊🏻
I haven't been Hands-On with that compressor but I have talked to guys who have used it and it's a beast. You can run to floor nailers off that without slowing down
This Fortress uses the exact same motor as the California Air Tools 5510SE Ultra Quiet 1.0-HP 5.5-Gallon Steel Tank Air Compressor I bought in January of 2017. It still works great and is dead quiet. I have had to replace some of the brass fittings and the gauge, but it was all readily available at Harbor freight tools for low money. I paid $127. for the compressor in 2017.
The intro was a stroke of cinematic genius! I would have liked to have seen the noise level measurement on the CalAir compressor. To me it sounded about the same as the Fortress. Thanks Bear.
Comparably-priced compressors from California Air tools have comparable CFM @ 90psi ratings (2.2) at similar DB levels, though typically with larger tanks and smaller motors. You buy a compressor because it can support the CFM that your application provides. After that, factors like aesthetics and build quality, weight, price, etc. become important. You should be careful to compare apples to apples from a CFM perspective, and not to hand-wave price as if it were a non-factor. Anyway, awesome intro. Keep up the good work.
The major downfall is the warranty harbor freight offers on the compressor. I know, you can buy an extended warranty but with the premium price you shouldn't have to. It should come with a minimum 1 years warranty included with purchase. Great review bear.
That's the kicker... I'm considering the Kobalt, slightly smaller, compressor just because it has a three year warranty. Come on Harbor Freight-- this is supposed to be a top tier/pro level tool and it has a 90-day warranty?
Realistically, if it failed after one year, there would be a lot of unhappy campers. Do they think they're going to lose a lot of money on warranty repairs of one year old units or would they gain much more in increased sales from demonstrating more confidence in their product by offering a one year warranty? If they were willing to go to three, that would really signal the turnabout of the HF cheapness stigma.
I bought one of those 2gal fortress compressors about a month ago to use in my house remodeling master bath and kitchen. It's quite and builds up quick. Using it for a 15g nailer and 18g and occasionally a framing nailer. No issues with it hated the noise of the larger pancake I was using.
I have the one gallon. Great for topping of you tires. Runs a brad no complaints. Runs an airbrush perfectly. I bought it to run indoor for hobbies. This thing can be running, you;re on your cell phone right next to it. I would agree, excellent build quality. I would add when you lift it, it is very balanced. It isn't awkward to carry as well. Strongly recommend for the appropriate tools. I wouldn't try to run an impact with either of these compressors. Fill time is too long. Palm nailer, brad nailer, stapler and similar smaller tools and painters are perfect for it. The CFM tells you what you should and shouldn't run
I just need to air up low tires with it like boat trailer tires & riding lawnmower tires & car tires. Looks like a 1 gallon would work based on your comment.
I bought this Harbor Fright for my wife ~1.5 years ago. She’s used it to do trim nails in a bathroom and upholstery staples on a sofa. It stopped running, the motor just hums once it’s generated 30psi. I disassembled it, the pistons are free, the motor spins freely and the power switch and start capacitor are good. It appears the motor’s windings have failed. It measures 2.5 ohms. Harbor Freight tools are disposable. Buy once, cry once.
LMAO! Love the intro! The compressor motors on those compressors are identical to the ones I work on at Speedway gas stations. It's a good reliable quiet compressor motor.
This is a good review of the portables - It also shows you that HF is getting into better quality products and I had been wondering about the Fortress - thumbs up
They wanted $22 for an extended warranty. So it would have been $162 total if I went with it. But I decided to take the gamble that if it breaks it'll do it within the first 3 months.
I was at my city's Harbor Freight on Wednesday, and that Fortress compressor truly is purpose-built. It looks like it had real-world input during its design, whereas the California compressor has no intuitive foresight.
I had the smallest one (Think it was 1 gal).. loved it. Also have a much larger quiet Husky, but loved the little Harbor Freight one because it was so portable. Used it a lot for finish work until it was stolen! Need to get another one. The tiny one worked great for finish nailers and even spraying paint out of a ,08 tip (small Cerakote projects). For pumping up tires.... the Ryobi cordless hand held tire pumper upper is the way to go.
Nice video. I picked up the Fortress 2 gal. Was a pain to drag big compressor around just to run some finish nails, pump up a tire, or whatever. So far, Super handy and quiet, and I like it enough that I’m thinking about getting the 26 gal/175 Fortress for around the shop.
Hey Red! Loved the intro!! This video was extremely informative. Thank you for providing side by side testing and excellent content. Have a great weekend! Mark
I bought the Fortress 4 gallon compressor because it's quite. I had a portable Campbell Hausfeld, which was insanely loud. I had to put my hands over my ears it was so loud, & it took a long time to fill up. I'm going to give that thing to the Goodwill.
I have a Airboss Craftsman model 16574 horizontal running 1 gallon tank air compressor and it is loud enough to get nearly every dog in the neighborhood barking. It works very well for the odd small jobs and is very compact but, the noise is a limiting factor for when/where I can use it. If at an RV park I can really only use it during generator run hours. So this quiet model is something I may want to purchase. It may not be as compact as the Craftsman but the quiet running is going to, I think, make up for it. Thanks for the review.
I chose several hercules and harbor frieghts best tile saw for 1 reason. Harborfrieght has much better motors. Improving production alot. The only downside ive found. Is that they are alittle heavyer. I am a busy builder. My battery operated tools are Milwaukee. For my mandatory must have compressor. Meaning painting and drywall texture. Fortress makes the most sense.
My 2 gallon fortress compressor died after about 8-10 hours of use, but was out of warranty by the time it happened. I’m super bummed. I’m going to replace it with the Makita MAC700.
Fabulous video! I don't plan on running air tools but I need something keep my tires full and do some light spraying without giving me a headache. I also want something well built. The Fortress sounds ideal.
My hobby requires me to use a compressor indoors. This is absolutely perfect for in the house. Small, quiet and just freaking cute. Yeah, I said it. Don't forget the half hour break-in with the drain valve open...
Might fall flat in the areas the 2 gal Fortress does better, but I got the slightly-smaller California Air Tools 1p1060sp from Amazon for $109 used. Toss in a Sparmax SP-35 for $70, and you've got a very respectable airbrush setup for $180. Not expecting to run a framing nailer on it, but for airbrush, air brads, blowing off work surfaces, and the occasional pump job, the price and performance are really tough to beat.
How did the 1.6g out do with 16 nails vs a 2g that got 12 nails?? From what you have there, the CAT is better made in the sense of efficiency for air loss. Also CAT has a 2 gallon model in aluminum rust free tank that puts out 1.0 HP (Rated / Running) 2.0 HP (Peak) Motor 3.10 CFM at 40 PSI 2.20 CFM at 90 PSI 120 max psi for for $175 free ship. Having said that, I have the Fortress 2g, and I do like it a lot, but it is heavy for a 2g. I dont know if it is a alum tank, nor do I know if it has a moisture filter in the intake??
These videos on compressor s are coming out just when I'm getting into looking for one for my small garage. I just looking for a hobby and very light airtool use and the info is helping greatly. Love the videos
Hahaha. I expected you to smash a cold beer next to the fortress after seeing and hearing the fortress being raised in the beginning of the video. Great video!
Hey a great video as usual. I have also seen where someone has a small air compressor such as the Fortress you could add an extra tank to add storage . Depending on the size and the amount of money you want to spend to give you more volume.
Should be easy enough to just hook up a storage tank to the second outlet for that purpose. 9 gallon storage tank would work to stabilize the air delivery. Doesn't solve the low delivery but it would say least allow longer time between cycling.
@2:02 - BEAR!!! How the heck is my favorite Ursidae!?!? I'm here because I jut got this very compressor for Christmas - well, soon. I have seen a couple of videos where the fortress is compared to this one. I think I made the right call choosing the CAT. I hope you and the family are well!
@@denoftools Here, there and everywhere. Taking care of family kind of stuff. The usual. We're steady-on at the moment. I've been more and more disgusted with YT lately. How's yinz?!
Great Review! Looks well build very solid great for portable, for my personal prefer a 21gal. I would suggest you get a kill a watt might be easier to get watts volts and amps.
Your channel is awesome! I am close to retirement after a very demanding profession and I have enjoyed you review on tools and commentary in general. I have already been helped along to consider tools for my needs directly related to brand features. I do have to say, I picked up the Hercules Miter Saw and it is - fantastic. I was an inch away from Dewalt which is really nice as well. So, very helpful and keep up the interesting work!
I stopped going to Harbor Freight cause the manager there is a dickhead and I always have problems shopping there where they always refuse to honor sale prices and coupons, but they give away free items to customers that don't buy anything. I feel I deserve to be treated better cause I spend BIG money there.
I have had mine for almost a yeah now I ran for hours on days I used it to keep my RV airbags inflated drove from Florida to new York then back to Florida. Also running harbor freight predator 2000 the whole way there and back both worked amazing.
5:25 if the Fortress just relocated their front rubber foot pad just a bit more forward it would have been so much better. Then you could easily tilt it to drain with the valve at the bottom. As it is, it will slide on the rails when trying to do it without bracing it with the other hand, and then the valve lever hits the floor due to the lack of clearance.
The Fortress certainly seems like a nice step up in quiet compressors. No offense to your testing, but in the end, the Fortress brand will make it if it shows to be dependable. The roll cage and nice handle won't mean a thing if the compressor pump fails after 12 months. I hope the Fortress proves to be the real deal because I'll probably be needing one in a couple of years and there's a Harbor Freight nearby!
I've had my 2 gallon Fortress 2+ years and its still perfect. Light enough for me to take it up 2 stories of scaffold for air nailing trim on a house. (yeah, I have plenty of extension cords, but just the 1 air hose. didn't want to buy another long hose for just 1 job) Otherwise it sits in my basement work shop, plugged in and left on all the time. no leaks ever. So quiet. Fills fast when it runs. I got a small 4 wheel dolly to roll it under the work bench, out of my way. I bought 3 pneumatic nailers: staples, 16g and 18g. They all work so much better than my previous electric nailers. Because its so quiet and fills so fast, overall it doesn't run nearly as long as my previous hf 2 gallon pancake model did so I expect it will last a very long time. That red noise maker sounded like it was maxed out all the time and ready to break. The Fortress just hums along with no effort.
I flipped the drain valve handle on the one i got, so i can open the drain and rotate it to the bottom without breaking it from contact with the floor. If they attached the rubber feet further forward it would have cleared the drain and allowed it to rotate without sliding on the frame rails. Looks like they drilled holes in the frame to mount the feet so it's not easily repositioned.
erieschl the one I bought sure didn’t, I don’t remember the brand, but it was around $120, not to mention the tanks on them are tiny so it’s running a lot
A side by side chart of your final results? My 20 year old Cambell H. Had a check valve failure. It's been a work horse but will sometimes make me jump when it fires up in my small shop, this maybe my replacement.
@@designertjp-utube I use it for my rattle guns, low volume high pressure paint gun, airing up tires, blow gun, the basics. It was just on sale at walmart, 200PSI. . . nice that it has to kick on less often, but it is getting worn out, before it can get to 200psi and hit the pressure switch, it will get too hot and kill it at about 175psi from the thermal breaker sensing its getting too hot. But it has me sold on the higher PSI tanks. . .
A big tank would result in longer down time when it charges up to pressure. If you don't need to work continuously, a larger tank would help extend the range of tools it could work with but might be frustrating having to stop for long periods of it just doesn't have the airflow needed.
I just bought one of these Fortress 2 gallon models to use instead of my old Craftsman 26 gallon upright ear destroyer. Hopefully this fortress can totally replace it. 1.2 horsepower seems like a lot for a compressor this size, my 26 gallon is only 2HP and craftsman's 2 gallon model is like 1/3 of a hp.
I have both Senco and Porter Cable 1 gal. quiet models that I bought recently for trim and cabinet work. I like them both but I prefer the Senco. I gotta say I might try Fortress out. I've been impressed with HFT's Hercules. I have the miter and table saws.
Got it today for the Memorial Week sale. Also got my Harbor Freight Club card and got a discount. Was gonna get a Metabo but canceled as a few Decibels for an extra pound of air was worth it. almost the same price. Using it for my attic for Nailers from Framing to Brads and since I take my time. Does what I need it to do. TY for the review as I had never paid attention to the housing, frame, or where the ports are as I usually just keep it in a corner. Made me look at all my choices again. Got a big noisy monster in the garage but I ain't hauling that #$^%^ up and down. Sooo, Happy Camper Here=) ty ty
Good video. I was hoping to hear them side by side to see if one was quieter than the other especially when they are up around 90-100 psi. The model of Cal Air in the video is now discontinued and the motor/pump looks different on the 2gal Fortress in the stores now. Look forward to another comparison video in the future if you do one, especially the small ultra quiet 1gal models on the market. The only other thing I wanted to point out, the air hose from the pump is in a better spot on the Fortress as mentioned but it looks like the side air hook up sticks out a little which is a bit vulnerable to me. You could cap it of course. But the power switch regulator thing sticks way out on the Cal Air model and its sunk in and protected even more by the cord wrap on the Fortress. I do like that design better.
Thanks for this, was looking at a CAT 1 gallon for airbrushing. Now i see there's a Fortress 1 gallon around the same price with some of these extra features so I'll go with that
I've noticed that each larger one that comes out has higher noise ratings. 1 gallon < 2 gallon < 4 gallon... I'm guessing the price will be pretty high if you look at the 4 gallon already checking in at $220. The photos I saw had 200psi marked on it, but I forget the other specs.
The problem with these little compressors, they tend to overheat and shut down. I used one for about 2-3 hrs, using an airbrush @ 60psi. Now it wasn't constantly running, but it had some good run-time on it. It eventually overheated and shutdown on me. I tried again the next day, and it was done. So I picked up another one and now I use a 9" fan to blow on the motor to prevent overheating.
So are these compressors able to be used to spray paint something? Maybe not a whole car but other items (such as a vintage snowmobile or lawn tractor restoration)?
351L I bought one yesterday. The 5 gallon 225 psi model. Couldn't keep up and recharge time seemed excessive. Took it back this morning and bought the Kobalt Quiet 26 for same price. Kobalt was quieter by a large margin and runs my air tool use better. YMMV depending on your needs.
I know this video is a few years old now and I'm not asking about the ones you reviewed here...but do you have any experience with the Fortress 5 gallon 225 PSI vs the new Ridgid 4.5 gallon 200 PSI air compressor?
I picked up one of these harbor freight compressors because I didn't want to deal with the noise of a pancake or the size and noise of one of my bigger compressors. While is is super quiet and lightweight (ideal as a home tire inflator) and looks like it was put together well, unlike some of the harbor freight stuff, it is unfortunately a pile of shit. I can shoot about six nails from my framing nailer before it cant keep up and nails dont drive deep. This is only through osb into douglas fir. Hardly a difficult job. I can shoot about two dozen 18 gauge pin nails before it wont keep up. I really wanted this to be awesome. I wanted to love it but it is a bust. I like the concept but the actual compressor just blows. Maybe if it had two of these quiet suckers on the same tank. It wouldn't be hard to make that work. But if I wanted to build or design a compressor I wouldn't have bought one. My personal experience is don't ever buy this for remodeling work or running air tools. Maybe a blow gun or a pneumatic/hydraulic press or airing up a tire.(you can air up a tire from an aerosol can so it isn't remotely demanding)
What size did you get? You need a minimum of 2.2 CFM to run a framing gun and the 2 gallon is just shy of that. As to brad nailer? Not sure what is going on with your setup but as I demoed in the video, I can run it rapid fire, non stop and it just keeps going.
I bought this after your 1st review. I wonder how well it would run a paint gun for small jobs such as painting a shed. From the information it does not recommend. I don't know how much constant pressure is needed to run a paint gun.
I use a CAT 4620ac with a 10gal Hitachi reserve tank to run a fogbuster, blow gun and power drawbar. No issues, its nice and quiet. Paid $220 on amazon
You must have found that compressor on Amazon either returned and discounted, or on one heck of a sale. I paid around $300 for that same compressor around 5 years ago (bought it direct from California tools; don't think Amazon carried them back then), but just looked on Amazon and their price today for the CAT 4620ac is $393.95.
@@chuckd7423 hey chuck, yeah I just got really lucky when I bought it. Was on sale back in November for $237 for about a month. You can check it on camelcamelcamel.com
@@bataantom Lucky you. That's quite a savings. I've been very happy with the performance of my compressor. It's been able to handle pretty much anything I've asked it to do, but I may add an auxiliary tank like was shown in this video to help keep up with a paint gun, as I'm planning on painting one of my vehicles later this year. Harbor Freight sells an 11 gallon tank for $40 and a 7 gallon aluminum tank for $60. Using one of their 20% coupons, of which I get at least one per month from them, would make the cost of the tanks $32 and $48 respectively, which isn't much money to add some more tank capacity. I like the idea of the 11 gal tank, but it weighs around 30 pounds, so it wouldn't be quite as easy to lug around on it's own as the aluminum tank, which weighs only 10 pounds or so, with the added benefit that the aluminum tank wouldn't be subject to internal rust from condensation.
I paused 25 seconds into this video because of the clever intro. Well Done Sir !!! Now off to watch the rest...... OK . I appreciate the review of the fit and finish but the performance test just seemed to verify what you would expect due to tank size. I would like to how each could keep up with a continuously running air tool with a gauge showing the PSI being maintained. With each feeding a tool that consumes an established cfm, seeing what PSI the compressor can maintain at the tool is then testing the compressor pump itself once it has to kick on wouldn't it ?
@@denoftools I am not certain what part of your tests your referring to in using a nozzle unless it was the tire inflation test. I am thinking of a test that gives an idea of what cfm at a certain psi the pump of the compressor can actually produce. Not utilizing the reserve of higher pressure in the tank via its regulator. No doubt difficult with smaller compressors like these so .maybe just an indication of which is better in that regard.. Thanks.
Honestly, if you have a small shop, and are not looking to run air tools this will probably do everything you need and NOT give you a headache doing it.
did you see the coupon today for the 4 gallon? great deal! - I wish I knew if the 4 gallon would run my 3/8 ratchet or my 1/2 impact? But I'm thinking I'll have to get the 20 gal or 21 gal McGraw... recommendations between the CP or MG for which to use for light duty mechanic work on my motorcycles and once in a while on a car/truck
@@DennysPlantBasedJourney 29 or 60 gallon oil compressors... You won't be disappointed. That's my opinion.
The Den of Tools I’ll wait for the big one in a few months
Love the intro! +1 For Da Bear
What shop would this be used for, it can't fill up tires it really can't do nothing. It's a compressor as long as you don't need it for air that doesn't even make any sense
Functionally operates just as it should ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxiiMg_x4gIWeXMWfBnDdRnME4qJUAva4w holds pressure perfectly when not in use. Glad one of the other reviews pointed out that the bottom pressure release valve was open; thought it was defective at first.
These things are PERFECT for filling tires, running a nailer, or a blow gun. Always need more than one compressor in the shop lol. I've been extremely impressed with the new air compressors from HF in the past few months. They are really stepping up their game and I feel like they are trying to compete more in the mid-range semi-pro market with stuff like this. Definitely a level above the standard Central Pneumatic stuff. A+ in my book.
Give your special effects guys a raise. That intro was outstanding!
Remember, Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires. I love this production
I’ve got two of the Fortress 26 gallon Ultra Quiet compressors and one 8 gallon California Air Quiet Compressor. The CAF with the small tank runs a lot when being used and has worked well for over a year on a large laser as an air assist component. The motor is just now starting to get a little noisier and may be getting ready to need some work after very heavy use for over a year. As a precaution, I decided to go with the larger Fortress Quiet compressors on my machines and they are relatively quiet and run much less than the smaller compressors in my applications. So far, I am impressed with the Fortress Compressors.
Having had a chance to use this compressor to air up my tires recently it really is much quieter in person than the video shows!!! I was pleasantly surprised!! 😁😁
I’m curious about how good the 4 gallon fortress is. I wanted to say that your channel has gotten so good. You are very informative and to the point on your reviews. I haven’t found another channel that does any better than you do. Keep it up and just know that you and your videos are greatly appreciated. 👊🏻
I haven't been Hands-On with that compressor but I have talked to guys who have used it and it's a beast. You can run to floor nailers off that without slowing down
I heard it’s loud ass shit
Had to pause the video to say that might be your BEST intro ever !! It also made me smile seeing the lift bring up the Fotress. It was GR8
Yeah, I was feeling pretty cheesy today.
This Fortress uses the exact same motor as the California Air Tools 5510SE Ultra Quiet 1.0-HP 5.5-Gallon Steel Tank Air Compressor I bought in January of 2017. It still works great and is dead quiet. I have had to replace some of the brass fittings and the gauge, but it was all readily available at Harbor freight tools for low money. I paid $127. for the compressor in 2017.
The intro was a stroke of cinematic genius!
I would have liked to have seen the noise level measurement on the CalAir compressor. To me it sounded about the same as the Fortress.
Thanks Bear.
Yeah, I would have too. I know I shot it but I could not find it. I can tell you that it is actually a smidge quieter than the Fortress.
@@denoftools and remember that a 3 dB difference doesn't look like much, but it means double (or half) the sound pressure level.
Comparably-priced compressors from California Air tools have comparable CFM @ 90psi ratings (2.2) at similar DB levels, though typically with larger tanks and smaller motors. You buy a compressor because it can support the CFM that your application provides. After that, factors like aesthetics and build quality, weight, price, etc. become important. You should be careful to compare apples to apples from a CFM perspective, and not to hand-wave price as if it were a non-factor. Anyway, awesome intro. Keep up the good work.
LMFAO! That intro had me rollin! 😂
Ever since I got that cart I've been wanting to do that.
Brads Workbench dude like I’ve been sayin The Bear is worthy of worship!
Classic!!
The major downfall is the warranty harbor freight offers on the compressor. I know, you can buy an extended warranty but with the premium price you shouldn't have to. It should come with a minimum 1 years warranty included with purchase. Great review bear.
That's the kicker... I'm considering the Kobalt, slightly smaller, compressor just because it has a three year warranty. Come on Harbor Freight-- this is supposed to be a top tier/pro level tool and it has a 90-day warranty?
Realistically, if it failed after one year, there would be a lot of unhappy campers.
Do they think they're going to lose a lot of money on warranty repairs of one year old units or would they gain much more in increased sales from demonstrating more confidence in their product by offering a one year warranty?
If they were willing to go to three, that would really signal the turnabout of the HF cheapness stigma.
I bought one of those 2gal fortress compressors about a month ago to use in my house remodeling master bath and kitchen. It's quite and builds up quick. Using it for a 15g nailer and 18g and occasionally a framing nailer. No issues with it hated the noise of the larger pancake I was using.
Got one of these today and I love it. It runs beautiful. Is quiet? It's not heavy, very well made price right? What more could you ask for
I went out and bought one. I love how quiet it is! I'm very satisfied with it. Thanks!
I have the one gallon. Great for topping of you tires. Runs a brad no complaints. Runs an airbrush perfectly. I bought it to run indoor for hobbies. This thing can be running, you;re on your cell phone right next to it. I would agree, excellent build quality. I would add when you lift it, it is very balanced. It isn't awkward to carry as well. Strongly recommend for the appropriate tools. I wouldn't try to run an impact with either of these compressors. Fill time is too long. Palm nailer, brad nailer, stapler and similar smaller tools and painters are perfect for it. The CFM tells you what you should and shouldn't run
I just need to air up low tires with it like boat trailer tires & riding lawnmower tires & car tires. Looks like a 1 gallon would work based on your comment.
I bought this Harbor Fright for my wife ~1.5 years ago. She’s used it to do trim nails in a bathroom and upholstery staples on a sofa. It stopped running, the motor just hums once it’s generated 30psi. I disassembled it, the pistons are free, the motor spins freely and the power switch and start capacitor are good. It appears the motor’s windings have failed. It measures 2.5 ohms. Harbor Freight tools are disposable. Buy once, cry once.
I purchased a Fortress in January to carry in my motorhome.
It fills my 22.5 inch tires to 115# very well.
Quiet
Light
Fast fill.
I like 👍
Would a 1 gallon be good for airing up low boat trailer & Lawnmower tires or would the 2 gallon be better?
Thanks it works my Rv tires too 70 psi..!!
LMAO! Love the intro!
The compressor motors on those compressors are identical to the ones I work on at Speedway gas stations. It's a good reliable quiet compressor motor.
This is a good review of the portables - It also shows you that HF is getting into better quality products and I had been wondering about the Fortress - thumbs up
HF is making better products, but it’s charging higher prices to match.
But still 90 day warranties. it'll be news when they back them with standard length warranties
They wanted $22 for an extended warranty. So it would have been $162 total if I went with it. But I decided to take the gamble that if it breaks it'll do it within the first 3 months.
I dunno the UA-cam dynamics, but you're working too hard for whatever. Still hugely entertaining and I don't even need a compressor. Yet.
I was at my city's Harbor Freight on Wednesday, and that Fortress compressor truly is purpose-built. It looks like it had real-world input during its design, whereas the California compressor has no intuitive foresight.
Best intro I laughed for quite awhile thanks Red made my day keep up the great vids!
I had the smallest one (Think it was 1 gal).. loved it. Also have a much larger quiet Husky, but loved the little Harbor Freight one because it was so portable. Used it a lot for finish work until it was stolen! Need to get another one. The tiny one worked great for finish nailers and even spraying paint out of a ,08 tip (small Cerakote projects). For pumping up tires.... the Ryobi cordless hand held tire pumper upper is the way to go.
Nice video. I picked up the Fortress 2 gal. Was a pain to drag big compressor around just to run some finish nails, pump up a tire, or whatever. So far, Super handy and quiet, and I like it enough that I’m thinking about getting the 26 gal/175 Fortress for around the shop.
That was the best tool reveal ever! Nicely done!
HF had the CAT to reference when designing the Fortress. I believe that model has been out for a few years. The whole point of these are the noise
I have the 2 gal Fortress and for a small compressor I think this one will be very hard to beat. Excellent product and its an attractive package
Hey Red! Loved the intro!!
This video was extremely informative. Thank you for providing side by side testing and excellent content.
Have a great weekend!
Mark
I bought the Fortress 4 gallon compressor because it's quite. I had a portable Campbell Hausfeld, which was insanely loud. I had to put my hands over my ears it was so loud, & it took a long time to fill up. I'm going to give that thing to the Goodwill.
Best Intro Ever in the whole wide world of forever!!!
I have a Airboss Craftsman model 16574 horizontal running 1 gallon tank air compressor and it is loud enough to get nearly every dog in the neighborhood barking. It works very well for the odd small jobs and is very compact but, the noise is a limiting factor for when/where I can use it. If at an RV park I can really only use it during generator run hours. So this quiet model is something I may want to purchase. It may not be as compact as the Craftsman but the quiet running is going to, I think, make up for it. Thanks for the review.
I chose several hercules and harbor frieghts best tile saw for 1 reason.
Harborfrieght has much better motors.
Improving production alot.
The only downside ive found.
Is that they are alittle heavyer.
I am a busy builder.
My battery operated tools are Milwaukee.
For my mandatory must have compressor.
Meaning painting and drywall texture.
Fortress makes the most sense.
My 2 gallon fortress compressor died after about 8-10 hours of use, but was out of warranty by the time it happened. I’m super bummed. I’m going to replace it with the Makita MAC700.
Yo Red, based on your rec, I bought the HF 2Gal compressor, on sale for $159-ish
Thanks,keep up the channel
Let me know what you think of it
Fabulous video! I don't plan on running air tools but I need something keep my tires full and do some light spraying without giving me a headache. I also want something well built. The Fortress sounds ideal.
Any roofer, framer, custom cabinet builder would love a unit like this. I want to see one after a year of framing or roofing....
This man is a bear! I did not expect that 😆
My hobby requires me to use a compressor indoors. This is absolutely perfect for in the house. Small, quiet and just freaking cute. Yeah, I said it. Don't forget the half hour break-in with the drain valve open...
Okay.....this intro was THE BEST!!!!!!!
Thanks, I was feeling cheesy that day. Ok, most days.
Might fall flat in the areas the 2 gal Fortress does better, but I got the slightly-smaller California Air Tools 1p1060sp from Amazon for $109 used. Toss in a Sparmax SP-35 for $70, and you've got a very respectable airbrush setup for $180.
Not expecting to run a framing nailer on it, but for airbrush, air brads, blowing off work surfaces, and the occasional pump job, the price and performance are really tough to beat.
This is a great opening sequence, by the way. After watching a lot of boring reviews I appreciated a bit of levity.
How did the 1.6g out do with 16 nails vs a 2g that got 12 nails?? From what you have there, the CAT is better made in the sense of efficiency for air loss. Also CAT has a 2 gallon model in aluminum rust free tank that puts out 1.0 HP (Rated / Running) 2.0 HP (Peak) Motor
3.10 CFM at 40 PSI 2.20 CFM at 90 PSI 120 max psi for for $175 free ship. Having said that, I have the Fortress 2g, and I do like it a lot, but it is heavy for a 2g. I dont know if it is a alum tank, nor do I know if it has a moisture filter in the intake??
LOVE the intro to this one! The sound of the lift being jacked up enhanced the tension of the wait, just perfect! LOL
I was going to remove the audio but once I heard it all put together I thought it really added to the overall cheese factor!
Best intro EVER! Thank you for this video as I am looking into getting one of these Fortress air compressors.
These videos on compressor s are coming out just when I'm getting into looking for one for my small garage. I just looking for a hobby and very light airtool use and the info is helping greatly. Love the videos
i just bought the 2 gal fortress man i freaking love it !
Best intro. EVER!
Love the intro my guy
Hahaha. I expected you to smash a cold beer next to the fortress after seeing and hearing the fortress being raised in the beginning of the video. Great video!
Oh now I'm kicking myself for not doing that
I love the intro!
Hey a great video as usual. I have also seen where someone has a small air compressor such as the Fortress you could add an extra tank to add storage . Depending on the size and the amount of money you want to spend to give you more volume.
Should be easy enough to just hook up a storage tank to the second outlet for that purpose. 9 gallon storage tank would work to stabilize the air delivery. Doesn't solve the low delivery but it would say least allow longer time between cycling.
Oh its the first time i ever heard that a tank could be added to some compressors. If so does it effect the psi compression?
Best intro ever
@2:02 - BEAR!!! How the heck is my favorite Ursidae!?!? I'm here because I jut got this very compressor for Christmas - well, soon. I have seen a couple of videos where the fortress is compared to this one. I think I made the right call choosing the CAT. I hope you and the family are well!
Dude where have you been?
@@denoftools Here, there and everywhere. Taking care of family kind of stuff. The usual. We're steady-on at the moment. I've been more and more disgusted with YT lately. How's yinz?!
O wouw, I have that tool laying around for ages and didn't know it was a tire pressure gauge.
Thanks.
Good thing you didn't think it was a deep space thermometer-
I picked up a refurbished for $55 today I’m stoked!
Rather surprised at the results of this review, but it is what it is. The cartoon bear was definitely different lol. Solid content
Omg that's the best intro. Ever.
Great Review! Looks well build very solid great for portable, for my personal prefer a 21gal. I would suggest you get a kill a watt might be easier to get watts volts and amps.
For 170 at Walmart you can get the 4 gallon cal
Your channel is awesome! I am close to retirement after a very demanding profession and I have enjoyed you review on tools and commentary in general. I have already been helped along to consider tools for my needs directly related to brand features. I do have to say, I picked up the Hercules Miter Saw and it is - fantastic. I was an inch away from Dewalt which is really nice as well. So, very helpful and keep up the interesting work!
That's great and thank you for choosing to be a member!
I stopped going to Harbor Freight cause the manager there is a dickhead and I always have problems shopping there where they always refuse to honor sale prices and coupons, but they give away free items to customers that don't buy anything. I feel I deserve to be treated better cause I spend BIG money there.
I have had mine for almost a yeah now I ran for hours on days I used it to keep my RV airbags inflated drove from Florida to new York then back to Florida. Also running harbor freight predator 2000 the whole way there and back both worked amazing.
5:25 if the Fortress just relocated their front rubber foot pad just a bit more forward it would have been so much better. Then you could easily tilt it to drain with the valve at the bottom. As it is, it will slide on the rails when trying to do it without bracing it with the other hand, and then the valve lever hits the floor due to the lack of clearance.
The Fortress certainly seems like a nice step up in quiet compressors. No offense to your testing, but in the end, the Fortress brand will make it if it shows to be dependable. The roll cage and nice handle won't mean a thing if the compressor pump fails after 12 months. I hope the Fortress proves to be the real deal because I'll probably be needing one in a couple of years and there's a Harbor Freight nearby!
I've had my 2 gallon Fortress 2+ years and its still perfect. Light enough for me to take it up 2 stories of scaffold for air nailing trim on a house. (yeah, I have plenty of extension cords, but just the 1 air hose. didn't want to buy another long hose for just 1 job) Otherwise it sits in my basement work shop, plugged in and left on all the time. no leaks ever. So quiet. Fills fast when it runs. I got a small 4 wheel dolly to roll it under the work bench, out of my way. I bought 3 pneumatic nailers: staples, 16g and 18g. They all work so much better than my previous electric nailers. Because its so quiet and fills so fast, overall it doesn't run nearly as long as my previous hf 2 gallon pancake model did so I expect it will last a very long time. That red noise maker sounded like it was maxed out all the time and ready to break. The Fortress just hums along with no effort.
I flipped the drain valve handle on the one i got, so i can open the drain and rotate it to the bottom without breaking it from contact with the floor. If they attached the rubber feet further forward it would have cleared the drain and allowed it to rotate without sliding on the frame rails.
Looks like they drilled holes in the frame to mount the feet so it's not easily repositioned.
These would be great for airbrush work, I had a tiny silent compressor but it didn’t last, this would be perfect for in the house use.
That's why I'm here looking at these, my understanding is that most airbrush compressors don't last
erieschl the one I bought sure didn’t, I don’t remember the brand, but it was around $120, not to mention the tanks on them are tiny so it’s running a lot
@@eizzle78 did you buy this harbor freight one
erieschl no, I haven’t bought one, I haven’t used my brushes for a while.
I just picked up the 1gallon, so far its been perfect for running my airbrush. Skip the "hobby" compressors and get one of these
I agree on the well done intro.........
A side by side chart of your final results? My 20 year old Cambell H. Had a check valve failure. It's been a work horse but will sometimes make me jump when it fires up in my small shop, this maybe my replacement.
Waiting on that 26 gallon 200PSI fortress. Have a 200PSI 20 gallon walmart hausfeld, its only able to muster 175psi now. . . .
I heard Fortress is also supposed to make 60 gallons. We discussed all the new stuff coming out during a meeting when I worked for HFT
Dang! Your Compressor, with those specs, should run a nail gun or fix a flat all day long. Just what are you doing in your Work Shop?
@@designertjp-utube I use it for my rattle guns, low volume high pressure paint gun, airing up tires, blow gun, the basics. It was just on sale at walmart, 200PSI. . . nice that it has to kick on less often, but it is getting worn out, before it can get to 200psi and hit the pressure switch, it will get too hot and kill it at about 175psi from the thermal breaker sensing its getting too hot. But it has me sold on the higher PSI tanks. . .
hook it up to a 20 gal. tank and see what it will do? I build houses and we drive 12`s. You need to buy framing nailer and see what it will do.
A big tank would result in longer down time when it charges up to pressure. If you don't need to work continuously, a larger tank would help extend the range of tools it could work with but might be frustrating having to stop for long periods of it just doesn't have the airflow needed.
I just bought one of these Fortress 2 gallon models to use instead of my old Craftsman 26 gallon upright ear destroyer. Hopefully this fortress can totally replace it. 1.2 horsepower seems like a lot for a compressor this size, my 26 gallon is only 2HP and craftsman's 2 gallon model is like 1/3 of a hp.
I have both Senco and Porter Cable 1 gal. quiet models that I bought recently for trim and cabinet work. I like them both but I prefer the Senco. I gotta say I might try Fortress out. I've been impressed with HFT's Hercules. I have the miter and table saws.
Got it today for the Memorial Week sale. Also got my Harbor Freight Club card and got a discount. Was gonna get a Metabo but canceled as a few Decibels for an extra pound of air was worth it. almost the same price. Using it for my attic for Nailers from Framing to Brads and since I take my time. Does what I need it to do. TY for the review as I had never paid attention to the housing, frame, or where the ports are as I usually just keep it in a corner. Made me look at all my choices again. Got a big noisy monster in the garage but I ain't hauling that #$^%^ up and down. Sooo, Happy Camper Here=) ty ty
I bought one a few weeks ago and really enjoy it!
Good video. I was hoping to hear them side by side to see if one was quieter than the other especially when they are up around 90-100 psi. The model of Cal Air in the video is now discontinued and the motor/pump looks different on the 2gal Fortress in the stores now. Look forward to another comparison video in the future if you do one, especially the small ultra quiet 1gal models on the market.
The only other thing I wanted to point out, the air hose from the pump is in a better spot on the Fortress as mentioned but it looks like the side air hook up sticks out a little which is a bit vulnerable to me. You could cap it of course. But the power switch regulator thing sticks way out on the Cal Air model and its sunk in and protected even more by the cord wrap on the Fortress. I do like that design better.
need to review the 12 gallon Fortress. That looks like a beast for it's size
I was looking into switching my 2G Fortress to my old 20G Craftman air tank
Thanks for this, was looking at a CAT 1 gallon for airbrushing. Now i see there's a Fortress 1 gallon around the same price with some of these extra features so I'll go with that
I’m waiting for the twenty one gallon model. Think I’ve seen pictures with the caption coming soon.
It's actually going to be 27 gallons I really really really really really want that one
@@denoftools Any specs on the CFMs of the 27 Gallon?
The only spec I have is that we will probably see it after summer.
I've noticed that each larger one that comes out has higher noise ratings. 1 gallon < 2 gallon < 4 gallon... I'm guessing the price will be pretty high if you look at the 4 gallon already checking in at $220. The photos I saw had 200psi marked on it, but I forget the other specs.
The problem with these little compressors, they tend to overheat and shut down. I used one for about 2-3 hrs, using an airbrush @ 60psi. Now it wasn't constantly running, but it had some good run-time on it. It eventually overheated and shutdown on me. I tried again the next day, and it was done. So I picked up another one and now I use a 9" fan to blow on the motor to prevent overheating.
So are these compressors able to be used to spray paint something? Maybe not a whole car but other items (such as a vintage snowmobile or lawn tractor restoration)?
Nice comparison video. I am thinking about buying the fortress air compressor.
351L I bought one yesterday. The 5 gallon 225 psi model. Couldn't keep up and recharge time seemed excessive. Took it back this morning and bought the Kobalt Quiet 26 for same price. Kobalt was quieter by a large margin and runs my air tool use better. YMMV depending on your needs.
I know this video is a few years old now and I'm not asking about the ones you reviewed here...but do you have any experience with the Fortress 5 gallon 225 PSI vs the new Ridgid 4.5 gallon 200 PSI air compressor?
gotta give you a thumbs up just for the begining, lol
Did I just watch a virtual bear educating me about air compressors? You bet your ass I did
I want an ultra quiet 20 gallon! ;)
I picked up one of these harbor freight compressors because I didn't want to deal with the noise of a pancake or the size and noise of one of my bigger compressors. While is is super quiet and lightweight (ideal as a home tire inflator) and looks like it was put together well, unlike some of the harbor freight stuff, it is unfortunately a pile of shit. I can shoot about six nails from my framing nailer before it cant keep up and nails dont drive deep. This is only through osb into douglas fir. Hardly a difficult job. I can shoot about two dozen 18 gauge pin nails before it wont keep up. I really wanted this to be awesome. I wanted to love it but it is a bust. I like the concept but the actual compressor just blows. Maybe if it had two of these quiet suckers on the same tank. It wouldn't be hard to make that work. But if I wanted to build or design a compressor I wouldn't have bought one.
My personal experience is don't ever buy this for remodeling work or running air tools. Maybe a blow gun or a pneumatic/hydraulic press or airing up a tire.(you can air up a tire from an aerosol can so it isn't remotely demanding)
What size did you get? You need a minimum of 2.2 CFM to run a framing gun and the 2 gallon is just shy of that. As to brad nailer? Not sure what is going on with your setup but as I demoed in the video, I can run it rapid fire, non stop and it just keeps going.
Question why does the Fortress Ultra quiet release some air when it cycle's off, yet their McGraw compressor's don't do that?
How about a tear down to see what they put in the pump and motor?
EPIC INTRO!
I bought this after your 1st review. I wonder how well it would run a paint gun for small jobs such as painting a shed. From the information it does not recommend. I don't know how much constant pressure is needed to run a paint gun.
Did you see my other review of the new Avanti paint guns that's what you need for that shed
I use a CAT 4620ac with a 10gal Hitachi reserve tank to run a fogbuster, blow gun and power drawbar. No issues, its nice and quiet. Paid $220 on amazon
You must have found that compressor on Amazon either returned and discounted, or on one heck of a sale. I paid around $300 for that same compressor around 5 years ago (bought it direct from California tools; don't think Amazon carried them back then), but just looked on Amazon and their price today for the CAT 4620ac is $393.95.
@@chuckd7423 hey chuck, yeah I just got really lucky when I bought it. Was on sale back in November for $237 for about a month. You can check it on camelcamelcamel.com
@@bataantom Lucky you. That's quite a savings. I've been very happy with the performance of my compressor. It's been able to handle pretty much anything I've asked it to do, but I may add an auxiliary tank like was shown in this video to help keep up with a paint gun, as I'm planning on painting one of my vehicles later this year. Harbor Freight sells an 11 gallon tank for $40 and a 7 gallon aluminum tank for $60. Using one of their 20% coupons, of which I get at least one per month from them, would make the cost of the tanks $32 and $48 respectively, which isn't much money to add some more tank capacity. I like the idea of the 11 gal tank, but it weighs around 30 pounds, so it wouldn't be quite as easy to lug around on it's own as the aluminum tank, which weighs only 10 pounds or so, with the added benefit that the aluminum tank wouldn't be subject to internal rust from condensation.
Well done. Great comparison.
What about replacement parts? Can you get them? Are compressors like this all just throw aways?
Doesn’t the aluminum tank dent easy? Is there a harbor freight in Rancho Cucamonga California? I’ll come down and take a look
I paused 25 seconds into this video because of the clever intro. Well Done Sir !!! Now off to watch the rest......
OK .
I appreciate the review of the fit and finish but the performance test just seemed to verify what you would expect due to tank size. I would like to how each could keep up with a continuously running air tool with a gauge showing the PSI being maintained. With each feeding a tool that consumes an established cfm, seeing what PSI the compressor can maintain at the tool is then testing the compressor pump itself once it has to kick on wouldn't it ?
Thanks, I was inspired for that video. As to the test, didn't I do a flow test just using the air nozel?
@@denoftools I am not certain what part of your tests your referring to in using a nozzle unless it was the tire inflation test. I am thinking of a test that gives an idea of what cfm at a certain psi the pump of the compressor can actually produce. Not utilizing the reserve of higher pressure in the tank via its regulator. No doubt difficult with smaller compressors like these so .maybe just an indication of which is better in that regard.. Thanks.
How much does the 2 gallon Fortresd weigh?
Lol got a Cal Air ad viewing this video.