McGRAW vs Central Pneumatic (New King of Compressors?)
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- McGRAW vs Central Pneumatic (New King of Compressors?) - The Harbor Freight Central Pneumatic 21 Gallon Air Compressor has been king of the hill for budget mid-level compressors for some time. It really is hard to find a comparable compressor, with those specs close to that price. But as we know Harbor Freight has been stepping up with their new concept of Good-Better-Best brands. And in air compressors that puts Central Pneumatic at the bottom, McGRAW in the mid-level spot and Fortress at the top. So we are testing out the two oiled compressors, the CP 21 Gallon and the MG 20 Gallon and just to mix things up we are tossing in the McGRAW 21 Gallon oilless compressor. I think you might be surprised at the results.
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Both McGRAW air compressors were supplied by Harbor Freight. I was not paid for this review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Are you sticking with oiled or would you consider oilless?
The Den of Tools oiled. My porter cable 60 gallon oiled air compressor is plenty of psi and power for me. It does get loud in my garage, but that is why I have a 3M ear muffs with radio built in for.
But for the price, it's hard to beat Harbor Freight's deals. I was going to get a central pneumatic air compressor, but my in laws helped me upgrade for Christmas by helping me get the porter cable air compressor.
Service regularly with oil and air filter if you want your compressor to last 30+ years.
If my oiled one takes a 💩 and the warranty expires I will UPGRADE to a oiless compressor now thanks to you 😎.
Oiled. I have had my oiled, 3hp Campbell Hausfeld for over 30 years. It is used regularly, has never had any issues, and still works perfectly - and I’ve never changed the oil 😱 (Yes, I know I should). I don’t trust an oilless to last like that.
For those that are curious, a decibel (dB) is a measurement of sound intensity. We tend to think of sound intensity as loudness. A 3dB increase is double the intensity. This essentially means that the Central Pneumatic at 90dBA is 10x louder than the Oil-Free McGraw at 80dBA. For reference, we hold conversations around 60dBA and the average car interior is about 70dBA while driving down the road.
Thanks professor
My wife just looked over my shoulder and asked me what the hell was I watching? I didn’t know how to answer 😂
Just say, with a totally straight face. "Ain't you never seen a North American Tool Bear?"
I get that a lot too join the club hahaha!
LMAO.
Correct answer.... something that knows how to blow. 😏
@@denoftools
everyone thinks i'm watching cartoons
I've been waiting for this video to come out ever since I was teased with the screen shot. I did buy the McGraw 20gal and haven't been disappointed yet. Time will tell. Love the channel. Keep it up!☝
Thanks, Bear! I picked up a McGraw 20 Gallon compressor this weekend on sale. It's a big upgrade from my Kobalt 8 Gallon for nearly the same price. I've finished the break-in and everything is tight and no leaks, sound level is pretty tolerable at 75 to 80 dB. This review is what helped me to make a decision between like 4 or 5 different models.
I owned a Craftsman 20 gal. horizontal oiled belt drive for over 25 years. I had to replace the tank once. When the motor bearings began to fail, I retired it. I bought a Craftsman 30 gal. vertical oil less and found it was louder, but easier to move up and down stairs (basement finish jobs) and to load onto my truck. It has now been in service for about 15 years and I am happy with it. It is adequate to run air tools and blow out sprinkler systems.
Another thing to consider (and I don't have the answers), is what is the most common point of failure.
If the most common failures are things like the electric motor or its bearings, the pressure switch, regulator, or the tank (leak, rust out, blowout ...), then oiled vs oil-less, is much less important.
On the other hand, if the compressor (seals, bearings, casting ...) fails often, and the oil-less is more likely to fail more often, then oiled vs oil-less becomes more important.
Some of the failures can be fixed by a DIYer, but then there are many who will just kick it to the curb and buy a new one rather than trying to figure out how to buy parts and replace a failed pressure switch or regulator.
I've had my Central Pneumatic Compressor for about 6 years and it's served me well. As some of the others on here have said, it's VERY loud so it's got its own room with sound proofing , and a dedicated 20 amp circuit. If I was in the market for a new compressor the McGraw would definitely be in my sights, but as of right now I'm happy with what I have. It serves my needs very well and actually yes, you can drive bolts into concrete with the Central compressor.
My recently purchased 20 gal 2hp Central Pneumatic compressor is VERY sensitive to voltage drop from extension cords. It does the stumble and stop routine that yours did when testing inrush current at the beginning of the video. Don't know if the motor or the startup capacitor on these is marginal (or both). My OLD 8 gallon (10 years at least) 'single foot' 2hp CP compressor has never failed to start, even when connected to an extension cord.
The motor/compressor setup on the old 8 gallon compressor looks similar to the unit on the new 20 gallon compressor, but doesn't have a startup bleed valve (or a breaker). Plugged directly into the outlet (or plugged into a heavy gauge, short extension cord), the 20 gal CP starts up fine. I did change the startup relief valve to a different brand, and that helped a tad. For $150 it isn't bad.
I recently knocked off the drain valve when moving it from one building to another. Rolled it into the bucket on my tractor FEL (yes I strapped it down in the bucket so it wouldn't fall).......and just caught the valve on the cutting edge of the bucket on the way in.. Dammit. Extracted the remains of the brass nipple and put in a new valve. If the 20 gallon McGraw had been available at the time I'd have bought that instead.
I only bought the 20 gal CP compressor as my ancient Sears oil lubed 3hp 30 gallon shop compressor finally pooped the bed. Bought the cheap CP at Harbor Freight as a stop-gap until I save the sheckles to buy a 60-80gal 2 stage compressor for the shop. The little old 8 gal CP compressor lives in the garage (being 'partially retired' and only airing up a tire or two every now and then), as it has paid its dues in the shop, having been ran for extended periods doing the job of a shop compressor (running impact guns and feeding a blow gun to clean parts and such). I'm surprised that one has lasted so long given the hot suppers it has had to endure. Other than a recent pressure switch change ($7 shipped or so from eBay for an exact replacement), it's all original.
They are loud when echoing in a garage, but if you pull it outside they are pretty quiet. I got mine on-sale for $150 as a bad unit. Got it home and it kept kicking the breaker and the motor kept locking up. I figured out that the slow release valve was the issue. Loosened it a bit and the spring was able to work correctly and it's been working great since. Not bad for the money
I can attest that the McGraw oil-less 21 gal is much quieter than the video suggests. Shockingly quiet compared to most small single stage oiled compressors though not whisper quiet like the usual low rpm dual pumps found in various brands & models like Kobalt Quiet Tech, California Air, etc.. Those aren't high pressure though.... a horse of a different color.
Now to add value to the McGraw, I've researched other high pressure (175 psi) compressors in its class & price price range which are Husky's & Kobalt's 20 gal version. May be a few others, but I only targeted stores local to most. The Husky isn't as quiet and uses rubber instead of metal piping which is a major turnoff. The Kobalt is advertised as 175 psi but the manual shows its cutoff pressure is 150 psi. I bought the McGraw oiled 20 gal on sale but quickly upgraded to the oil-less 21 gal for only $58 more with a coupon after seeing this video review. Make no doubt about the compressor. It's an excellent deal & value!
i went with the oilless compressor 175psi and wow so much air in that tank.. really like it so far.
How is the mccraw today
@@WMAT77LL working just fine, not that loud so far a like it. 👍
21 gallons?
Picked up a 21g McGraw open box for $75. Nothing is wrong with the unit at all!
Where ?
Perfect timing for me with this review. I'm in the process of moving and just sold my 80gal 7hp 2 stage compressor as I scale down a bit. I've been eyeing the McGraw 175psi oil less compressor and your review just sold me on it. Thanks and keep up the good work!
I've had the Central Pneumatic 21 gallon in my garage for almost a year now, and it's been great for me so far. Its definitely on the loud side. I've heard some people have complained about quality control and crapping out after little use, but I changed the oil like 5 times right after I got it, and only use synthetic oil and so far no issues! I dont use it heavily heavily, but still. Decent machine. I'm surprised the oilless is quieter I always heard they are louder and dont last as long. Having that higher pressure really makes a big difference even for tank capacity being the same. I know some people have bumped up the pressure a bit in the pressure switch on the cp125 from 125 to 135 or higher without issues. The motor and pump look identical to the McGraw at 135 I cant see why it wouldn't handle an extra 10 psi for a bit longer working air time.
Dry the belt driven ... A lot quieter in central NEUMATIC
Thanks Bear. You don't think you mention duty cycle or i missed it. The most important things IMO
1. OIL LUBED
2. SCFM output
3. Duty cycle minimum 50% obviously 100% is ideal .
I've burned up a couple craftsman oil less from from exceeding duty cycle and them getting too hot. You can help overcome this by having good duty cycle, good scfm, and good size tank. Thanks for sharing
I did not get into duty cycle because let's face facts, these are home/DIY/Small shop compressors. No one looking for a 20-gallon compressor is going to really be bumping their heads on duty cycle. If you are running into that sort of thing than what you really need to look at is HP and tank size. You probably need to be in a min 30 gallon or 60 gallon. That said you also can't compare teh old oilless to the stuff they are running today. There are oilless with 100% duty cycle and 10k hour lifespans now.
@@denoftools i agree with you on the bigger HP and tank sizes for shop use sure, but home gamer is going to have the day where they think they can extended run a sander or needle scaler with these compressors and get that puppy to hot. I'm a little skeptical about any claim of 10k hour compressor. I dont think any pump oil or oil less will give more than 3-5k hours before a rebuilt is in order. Im by no means an expert on this but ill have to research it.
Thanks for all you put into videos they are very helpful and informative
The higher pressure of that oiless model looks like it would be worth the bump in price. As for being loud, you really should be wearing ear protection when using air or power tools anyway. It would be cool if HF had a line of helical screw compressors. Those are generally a lot quieter, but also a lot more expensive to manufacture.
I'm old school I've alwzys had oil type compressor before oiless came out. My first was a Devilbess 12 gal 3/4 hp. I bought new 37 years ago. I painted 4 frame houses and 3 big garages with it ran impact for light use. Lawn mower blades etc cleaning a/c coils so on. And still runs til this day. However about two years ago I wanted a bigger on to run Impact wrench. Air ratchet paint gun with more psi and bought the 29 gal central pneumatic oil model. No regrets great compressor if it last half as long as my small one I'll be happy. I don't use it every day but there and ready to tackle any thing I want to do with it
I have a Devillbiss 20 gal. 5hp 125psi oiled, belt driven compressor that I bought used a few years ago. It has a unique wiring setup that allows you to change it from 220v to 110v - which is what I did. It's relatively quiet - no ear protection needed as far as I'm concerned, and I'm big on safety - so I was shocked to hear how loud the Central Pneumatic was! Have you guys tried throwing a welders blanket over your loud compressors? Maybe that's a bad idea though, and would make them overheat. I'd like to get one of the new McGraws, because they're oriented upright and would take up less space and be easier to move than my Devillbiss, which lays horizontal and you pick up one end of it to move it. When I buy a new one, I'm in the camp that am afraid of the oil-less ones, so yeah, hopefully like you say, that technology has improved.
I have the central pneumatic currently. I actually sit it outside and close the door when its going to be running a lot such as painting or abrasive blasting. I can't handle it being in with me.
Edit: i now have the McGraw and the CP. For the price with coupon (165 now) i will say its worth the extra money. If you can spend the extra money (almost double) the Kobalt 26gal quite tech is the way to go if you dont need the raw "power" of the CP.
The fuzzy ears will absolutely love the Kobalt Quiet tech.
Seems no matter what you go with, you'll get a usable air compressor, even if you get the cheaper one. As little as I use compressed air, mainly for changing the mower blades and putting air in tires, I would just as soon switch to the Bauer corded impatct wrentch and get one of those quiet compressors. That last video of them really amazed me.
I had some issues in that last video with the sound meter and some other things so I reshot most of it and it will be up tomorrow. And yes, they are simply amazing.
It looks like you took the video down? Did you get a chance to test them with an impact wrench in the new one?
Just bought a 20 gal McGraw. During break in change the oil 2-3 times. A lot of debris & moisture in the oil during 1st 30-60 minutes.
I was waiting on your review on these. I purchased the 135 20 gal McGraw today when I stopped in and there was an open box one for $120. Came home and your review was up haha. Can’t wait to use it seems like a good design so far
Sorry, the review got delayed. Make sure to do the break-in run on that compressor and after that, you should be good to go.
@@denoftools I think the break in was done but I'm sure another with an oil change wouldn't hurt. Got it with air in the tank! The only question I have is if the compressor is loud enough to wake the neighbors if I've got a late night project
CP just added a 5hp 165psi two stage 60 gallon oiled compressor at my HF for $799 that's probably my next step up for my shop and I'll link the two together
Did you end up buying that one? It went up to $829 in my area very recently. It's a good unit and I wish I had bought it before the price went up.
I've had the Cent Pneumatic for a couple years and haven't had a problem. Stays in my shop. That puppy does bark loud though. The only oilless I own are pancake compressors and have never had issues with those either. That blue is enticing! Nice review
I guess my question is; real world, which one runs impacts and grinders the best. The two cheaper ones seemed pretty close in performance
Wel, Red, while it's not related to air compressors, I just thought I would share. I have a 2 year old Craftsman C3 19.2v set, and the chuck on the drill has always sucked. So I bought a Jacobs chuck to replace it. Following the instructions in the manual, the bolt holding the chuck on was WAY overtight (yes, I know they're reversed threads.) By the time it came loose, the damage was done. The plastic gear for the clutch stripped out. Now I have a $25 chuck, and no drill to attach it to.
Based on your reviews of all the drills/drivers, this is one consumer switching over to the Bauer 20V lineup. I was in the store during the parking lot sale, and was really impressed with their drills - and the chuck is a helluva lot nicer than what came on my craptsman. Thanks for doing these reviews, otherwise I probably would have forked out way too much money for a black and yellow. :)
Glad to hear it. I've been more than pleasantly surprised by the Bauer line.
I wish all the compressor companies would work on Dampening that inlet noise. That is a sure way to make them quieter. I really like the idea of the easy tank drain. Compressors make a lot of water. Or more accurately they make large volumes of air into small volumes of air and the water goes in the tank with the air.
Quiet compressor video tomorrow.
I think the 10gal 2.5hp compresor is the beast, tho i dont own it but sometime i will buy it if i cant find a compressor for free at the junkyard. What personally i think matters most is cfm. Not tank volume, db, gauges fancy, oil oiless yada, psi. Yes a 175psi will have exactly 40 percent more volume than a 125psi from the ideal gas law but....This one has 5.3cfm at 90, compared to the blue at 4.0cmf. Basically the tank volume doesnt matter to a point, ya know a 1 liter tank is stupid and so is a 1000gal one. Like lets say your running a grinder that uses 5cfm, the 10gal will run it infinetly while the blue will run for like 30 seconds and quit as its a net negative change it pressure, regardless of tank size, its a question of how long the net negative before it hits 0. Plus its on sale for 119 sometimes
Wow. Between the oilless and the oiled McGraw, the oilless holds 1.36 times the air (excluding the amount under like 20 psi which barely matters) (175×21 / 135×20) which is quite good for the price. I have bought the oilless and I cannot wait to get to use it. Gotta clean up a little, been raining too much lol
Hows the oilless working for you? Run an impact good?
Hi, nice review and channel. I am all for quieter tools, so yeah would be up for spending 20 more, even if minimal db change. I hope that all tools are quickly going to get quieter, though I hope for huge jumps. Noise pollution is a real concern actually. I really feel my age with that one, being 42, but still, I think we all enjoy quiet at times and with more and more people everywhere that makes quiet a rare thing. Cheers.
I am a maintenance man at a hotel. We have a Dry Sprinkler System and are in the process of buying a new compressor. Right now we have two oil less compressors, A Dewalt 15 gallon and the Husky 30 gallon. (one of them is for backup). They only have to hold back 30psi. But because I think there is some holes in the line somewhere, they kick on about every 10 minutes.
I told them they needed a commercial (oil air compressor). Because I've only worked there for 6 months, The owner had his friend (whom used to be the maintenance man at another of our hotels,) order a larger air compressor, the Ingersoll Rand Reciprocating 60 Gal. 5 HP Electric 230-Volt with Single Phase Air Compressor
Model# SS5L5.
I personally think we should have bought an oil AC unit. I feel like he just bought a bigger version of what we already have. I don't want to say anything to the owner unless I know for sure the oil ac unit will last much longer. and be quieter. What is your opinion?
Thanks!!!!
I just went to buy the 20 gal. McGraw. They didn't have any in stock. What im concerned about is the 1.6 hp moter. I have a 1 hp. Craftsman thats 45 years old and still works fine. But it set's off the breaker after 1 min. I also have a 25 year old craftsman with a 1 hp. Moter. I can run it constantly with no problems. Im guessing that electric moters have impoved over the year's. My neighbors use my electricity for there 5 hp. Campbell husfield no problems. Thanks for the video enjoyed it.
These are DIY'er compressors not intended for commercial use. I have a Campbell Hausfeld 20 gallon oil less compressor. I purchased it 10 years ago and I mainly use it in the summer for nail guns, paint sprayers, airing up tyres, cleaning my woodworking power tools, etc... and it does the job just fine. It has a max psi of 125 and yes it's a bit slow refilling and loud to boot, but it works for me when I need it. If I was to purchase another compressor, I'd splurge and go with a 60 gallon.
You are spot on about these being DIY compressors. We got some people on here who can't get past that. Asking what the duty cycle is, can I run a sander, can I use an HVLP gun. I'm like, if you are using it so much that you are worried about duty cycle you need a bigger compressor, period.
Everyone, before you go past 3 mins, put your harbor freight ear protection on! Its going to get loud!
I did say that lol.
Are the ear muffs any good?
I was looking at the upright 175 PSI McGraw at harbor freight yesterday I've been looking at this particular compressor. Thank you for your review I think for home you should perfect
If your living in a in state like Michigan (my home state)where you see cold temps and having to rely on a 120v 20 amp ckt, your going oilless. Oil types don't like the cold and it's not going to want to start. I've been looking at the kobalt quiet tech, fortress 27 gal 175, and the McGraw 175. To me the McGraw is the one I'm picking up this weekend. It's had great reviews, has a good price point and the 175 psi has alot of capacity. It seems the oilless as come a long way. Plus they have gotten quieter.
I have the Central Pneumatic 21 gallon from harbor freight. the only difference between this one and mine is the color, mine is red and this one is black. The first Central Pneumatic 21 gallon I got from Harbor Freight worked. However, right after I got it, un-boxed it, plugged it in, and turned it on. Within 2 minutes, while it was filling the air tank it suddenly went.... BANG ! ! ! It like the sound of a 12 gauge shotgun going off, and the plastic motor cooling fan flew out through the plastic housing cover that surrounds it leaving a hole the size of a baseball and went sailing off across my garage and hit the wall leaving a dent in the sheet rock (8 feet away). I unplugged it, boxed it back up, loaded it on my pickup, and then drove (80 miles round trip), back to the nearest Harbor Freight store where I bought it from, and then explained to them what had happened, and showed them the compressor. Without any further questions being asked, and a lot of personal apologies, they unloaded it from my pickup, took it back inside, provided me with another one just like it free of charge, loaded the new one back up on my pickup, I drove the 40 miles back home, unloaded it, un-boxed it, plugged it in, and then, with skepticism, and fear, I turned it on, and immediately exited "Stage Right" back out of the garage (the entrance door was right next to where the compressor was being located), and didn't return until it shut off with it's built in high pressure regulator switch. Well it filled up with air with no problems, and with no further Bangs, and it has dutifully served me without any further problems for the past 7 years. Have I been satisfied with it, and its performance? the answer is.... "YES", it does everything I want it to do. - Do I recommend it to other people? The answer is still "YES".
A bear that sounds exactly like the LA Beast !? Yes! But what accent is that? I don't know! Here's something controversial I have to add to the video. If you go to the Harbor Freight website and watch the McGraw 20 gal compressor video, it poops on the Central Pneumatic compressor by saying that it's only 1.5 running HP and 2.5 max HP! whatever that means! P.S. Awesome video. Thanks for sharing and teaching us!
You are not the first person to say that. Odd.
I had the central pneumatic twin tank for out of the shop work and it was painfully loud however, it worked fine. I ended up giving it to a friend that had no compressor at all. My plan is to get the 2 gallon fortress for out of the shop work. My shop compressor is an Ingersoll Rand 5hp 18.1 CFM beast with air piped into the walls.
Unlike my normal bla bla bla. I will say that I think you sold me, for$20 upgrade to the McGraw plus baby blue is one of my high school colors😝😀😃 Thanks Jeff for sharing your talent and videos, Rodney
Appreciate the effort you put into these reviews.
Thank you sir!
Great video as always bear. Good to see that hf has done right to the bear. You can calculate pump output by know the pressure change, time and tank volume. This gives a good estimate of actual pump output. This can also be used to estimate the air used by air tools.
Thank you!!! I've been on the fence about the oilless McGraw. Now I do believe I will be getting that one instead. 😊
Should be a great replacement for my 3-gallon old craftsman. 😣😣
I got the 21 CP gallon compressor that was made in 2002. It has the old orange logo. It's specs are roughly the same. I had to clean it out of 1/4 full of water, new fittings and regulator plus air filter amd drain valve. It's the same noise as the newer one. Old late gramps neglected it but it works just fine now.
I got it for FREE.
Until it shits the bed, I have no reason to change for McGraw.
When it does, I'll go to the 30 gal cp, I want to use more impacts. I use noise hearing protection no matter what. McGraw is nice but until they make an even larger version of it, I'll stay cp.
Oh, you can always repaint a compressor fyi. Maybe even use air from the compressor using a paint gun if you can manage it.
Just got a 21 gal oilless home.... was pretty excited about how it performed till it blew up on day 1. Not sure if the Teflon ring failed or the check valves got stuck but now it can't make over 50psi. I'd keep it if there were parts available to rebuild the valves, ring, and piston sleve. I wouldn't reccomend wasting 400 bucks on this model to anyone else. Its too big a gamble
There was a 90 day warranty for it if you called I thought
The Chicago Pneumatic has a 2.5 hp motor vs the 1.6 hp on the McGraw. It would make sense that it would be louder than the McGraw. Volume is greater with the Chicago Pneumatic. I really like quiet and one person said you cant put a price on hearing so I think hearing protection should be kept at the unit and used diligently. The main reason I would consider the Chicago Pneumatic is because it has been sold for many years and there are great reviews regarding longevity.
I picked up the McGraw 21 gal last week for $209 then with taxes and a 30 dollar gift card I got it for a total of $197. one of the best deals I've gotten
Thanks for the work you put into this. 👍👍
Great video again Red. I didn’t see the ground wire in your current test setup. You should be carrying that through.
Should be going through the clamp, is that what you mean.
If you are a home DIY-er that will only rarely need more air, get a 2nd basic compressor, and run a hose to where you plug it into another circuit. You'll get as much air as one of those basic 220V jobbers for less than half the price.
Good tip!
Been looking at and then finally bought a us general 72 inch tool box just because Eric Smidt sent you a personalized email. Means alot when somebody that high up does that. And it was just in time for the garage sale. Lol
One thing not mentioned is you can move it to another location because you can lay it down in your SUV if needed because of no oil.
I just purchased the oil less one today. I’m painting a bumper and a fender on a car. Should do the trick. After that I’m gonna use it for some basic air tools when I work on my car
Looking at McGraw 20gal in Nov 2021, $169 seems unreal because they now go for $250
Not sold on the drain being better when the new drain doesn't drain the tank as completely since its above the bottom of the tank while the Central Pneumatic has the drain in the correct location which is at the lowest point on the tank. With the McGraw you need to tip the compressor at an angle and hold it there while draining the condensate from the tank otherwise you will have premature tank failure from it rotting out. I put an auto drain on the Central Pneumatic and even after 30 years of daily use the tank is still solid and if I had noticed the motors fan end bearing starting to fail and replaced it in time it would be staying in service for many more years however the bearing unfortunately had already spun and egged the motor shaft throwing it out of balance cracking the end cap. I now have the McGraw 20 and feel that the poor tank drain location is going to negate the value of my auto-drain system and lead to the tank failing well before the pump which with regular oil changes should last for a few decades or so.
Bottom line is that the easier to reach drain location, while it might be convenient for the user, is not good for the tank as it leaves about 3/8 to 5/8 inches (perhaps more) of water in the tank unless you tip the compressor over every time you drain it. An elbow on a center drain with a tube going to a bracket on one of the wheel mounting studs with a drain valve mounted there would have been a better option then moving the drain port to a high location near the side of the tank. A pickup tube routed inside the tank from the side drain to the lowest part of the tank might have worked too but that would likely be a more costly option. It will be interesting to see if shortly there are a rash of people reporting that despite regular draining that these McGraw tanks are more prone to having the bottoms rot out due to the poor drain location.
I almost bought the smaller McGraw 10 gallon compressor with the horizontal tank (which has the same pump as the 20 gallon McGraw and is about $75 less) so I could just transfer the pump to the 21 gallon Central Pneumatic which has the drain located to more completely drain the tank. Personally I wish they would just make the direct drive oil lubed pump and motor units available as replacements despite the newer pumps having almost 20% lower CFM with the old one being almost 5 CFM at 90 while the new is only 4 CFM at 90.
On the new oilless compressors being improved well most are open framed pumps where dirt can get behind the piston plus they operate at much higher rpm so I'm not a fan of that plus though technically quieter the higher RPM and frequency of sound they make I find more piercing and tiresome even from a longer distance. The cogged rubber drive belt hidden inside the hot pump assembly also looks like an additional failure point that could add to more debris getting drawn up behind the piston. Plus its driven by a universal motor that has carbon brushes and a commutator and not a long life induction motor which is likely needed to support the higher RPM requirement at lower cost. The more you look the less there is to like on the 21 from a maintenance standpoint. Give up oil changes for a hidden $30 belt to replace, a commutator to wear out and a $50+ set of carbon brushes to check for wear. As a tool repair tech I'm not seeing much that screams long life from the parts listing on the 21 gallon oilless model. I've got to stop looking because the closer I look the less I see to like about it.
Best!
I know it's 2022 now, but the McGraw 21 gallon # 64858 is now selling for $289.99, that's a big increase
The 29 gallon oil compressor central has is very nice it's very quiet also
I love Harbor Freight and all of my tools i get from there but the only reason i have a 30 Gallon 175 PSI 1.7 HP Oiless Husky air compressor is because i had a new Home Depot Credit Card.......$300 or $349 i cant remember but it has lasted me 5 years so far and i use it once a week normal usage.............Oiless is not so bad and for your average Joe or even light duty shop....OH and for those of you who have experienced 175 PSI its really hard to go back to a lower working PSI "175 PSI makes the Oiless McGraw a winner in my book"
I thought of a good way to explain PSI vs CFM. Lets take 90 PSI. In a 10 speed bike. A 90 PSI blow out makes the bike wobble, and sounds like a firework. And you stop, for the sake of the spokea@s, and rims.
90 PSI in a loaded dump SEMI TRUCK hauling grave or sand. It is an explosion. If a rear axle tire. The entire trackor leaps off the ground. That is all wheels. With his seatbelt on, the truck driver launches skyward. And his shoulder blades hit the roof of the truck cab. If driving on a curve, chances are quite good the SEMI is on it's side, in the ditch. The difference is the amount of volume (CFM) of air. That is the horsepower measure number of air.
Nice review enjoyed it yep i'll try to get this McGRAW 175psi, was looking for your coupon link just found it
ANDY WAN where can I get this coupon
I'm more of the opinion that the limiting factor for a larger compressor is the tank life, not the mechanical life. Seriously, if you have a 15+ year-old compressor, you should take an endoscope to the tank interior, especially if you live in a humid climate.
Just a note . I have and its still working a 30gallon sears craftsman. oil less air compressor. its not an upright. but talk about long. lasting. this thing is over20years old. and still working. never had a problem with it. except one. it has to be on a dedicated line [meaning its own separate 20amp outlet due to high amp draw on start up. the only thing I replaced in the years I had it was the drain plug. so for me I will always recommend oil less air compressors. I think they have to make them much better then they did 20 plus years ago. and I live in the Chicago area.and my compress is in an unheated pole barn. and even on the coldest days it starts. just wanted to throw this out their. I am thinking of getting another one. not that the old one is bad. but I want an up right. to save space. an make it easier since im now turning 75 years old. will sell or give my kids the old one. so their you have my input on airless compressors.I think oil ones our great if you use it every single day like in a business. but for the average home owner the oil less is the way to go. I do use it about once a week for a few hours or better. and like I said. its like the energizer bunny. it keeps on running thanks for listening
GREAT VIDEO, COULD YOU DO A COMPARISON JUST LIKE THIS VIDEO WITH THE NEW FORTRESS 27 GALLON, AND DEWALT 30 GALLON,AND OTHERS,IF POSSIBLE ❤
Great review! I ended getting the Kobalt 4.3 silent air compressor last month. The wife doesn't like noise. lol! Any word when the full line Fortress air compressors coming out? That's going to be interesting to see a review on their big air compressor.
The 1, 2 and 4 gallon are out. The rest should be well before the end of the year.
I have a porter cable 21 gallon oil compressor. I’ve been thinking about jumping up to the 29 gallon model.
I just bought my first 11 gal @125 max PSI central pneumatic air tank. I have never used one before. I like to use it for airing tires, air gun, nail gun and other things that it's capable of for my advantage perhaps use an air compact drill to take off lug nuts etc ..What compressor would you suggest I get ? I'm tired of holding air hose from gas stations to refill tank.
To grasp an idea of decibels (db)...since most everybody has a stereo system (home or car system), I'll use that as an example. If you were to either double your wattage or double your speakers, that would give you a gain of three decibels (3db). And no, it wouldn't be twice as loud. To get it almost twice as loud, you would need to triple your wattage or cone area/speakers. It's weird in that the louder you get (130-140db and beyond), one decibel more seems like it's twice as loud and one more than that seems like it's getting louder exponentially.
I forgot to say that I have the California Air Tools 10020SPC air compressor and love it. I got it because of how quiet it is. I didn't want to annoy my neighbors since I have two common walls. So at my expense, they don't even know I have a compressor. I now wish I got the air dryer with it. I never thought about testing how loud it really is. I'll have to test it with my phone and my RTA. I'll let you know if it's at or close to it's rated 58 db rating. At $1000 bucks it better be, or lower. Lol
good info bear, there is some food for thought in this video. not to mention a lot of air.
All these sound pretty loud. They sound like my oilless, in volume and pitch. I don't know what is the difference in construction that make belt driven oiled unit sound quieter and lower frequency. In the meantime, I am still in the oiled, belt driven camp with Kobalt 30 gallon 155PSI single stage.
I cant stop looking at the bears eyes.
New flyer describes 8 gallon McGraw as 13.7 gallon equivalent. Thoughts? It's comparing the central pneumatics n McGraw. Store clerks have no idea.
I am 67 so I am also in the camp that was taught....and rightly so...that oil-less didn't last near as long as oiled. So it will be interesting to see how long some of these new oil-less compressors last. But the dBa specs of the oil-less was impressive, so maybe we will also be pleasantly surprised at the longevity.
I just bought the McGraw 21 gal compressor. Unfortunately its still in the box on my patio as I'm completely reworking the shop. Looks like I did okay considering after the mgr at HD gave us an even bigger break on the price than the loyalty price of $30.00 (Love my HD). Going to be using mostly for sand blasting and glass etching.
I'm sure you'll get to eventually... but the new quiet series 4 gallon has a pretty hefty looking motor. I'll bet dollars to donuts that when they finally get around to releasing a large tank quiet series compressor, that's the motor that's going to be sitting on top. It maxes out at 200 psi!! It might even get two motors mounted on top?
Liking the finned cooler lines between compressor head and tank on those.
I thought they were fins, he talked as it was protection lol, this is a big deal, as my uncle's 3500$ compressor has a cooling line and I never had moisture issues even after water filter stopped working
Wow nice comparison! I would definitely go oil less to not add another tool to maintain. For the current test you could use a kill a watt Meter will tell you the surge and on going Watts. I know this because I do a lot of solar energy stuff.
Here is my review from that kill a watt from harbor freight ua-cam.com/video/jACVVFxwCZA/v-deo.html
I used to have one of those. It's probably in my storage still.
@@denoftools i use it for my solar system measure what i can run. I don't know if you have watched my solar videos. I run my living room and my computer room out of solar. I want to expand it maybe when I get enoght money.
Thanks Red great review . I've been looking for a new compressor to replace my 20 year old " Frankensteined " one I think I made up my mind. I going with the 21 gal oiless . Thanks again.
I just picked up the 20 gal. Oiled compressor with 15% coupon. Will see how it goes. Did 30 min break in and will change the oil at one hour.
That's the one I'm going to get. How's yours holding up John?
I got the central on the sidewalk sale for 75 was just a return
29 gallon Central Pneumatic oil or the 21 gallon McGraw oil free? I use a 6 in HF orbital air sander and the HF 2 inch sander. Like the higher SCFM with the CP and the tank size. My Craftsman 33 gl. oil free just died..piston seized up, broke to pieces, so I'm hesitant about oil free now. What to do???
I think I just saw McGruff the Crime Bear!
Glad to see this video.. i had ben kinda looking at a bigger compressor and i had saw these (like every one else that gets junk mail) an i kinda did some napkin math an i think the 129$ McGraw is the best bang for the buck as well ! Thanks
You should compare the 21 gallon McGraw to the 26 gallon central pneumatic it replaced.
Hey Bear,
I have a question I hope you will answer.
I told you last week about the great deal I got on the Central Pneumatic 29 Gallon Vertical Oil Compressor at the sidewalk sale that only had 1.7 hrs when I bought it.
I changed the oil when I got it with the Harbor Freight oil since I wanted to make sure everything was okay.
Here is the question:
I will only use this thing seven or eight times a year.
I plan on changing the oil one more time when I get ten hours on it. My question is considering how little I am going to use it, would I be better to put Full Synthetic in it at the next oil change, just use Harbor Freights oil, or does it really make any difference?
Thanks.
At that level of use, the standard oil is fine. And I'd change that oil once every spring.
Thanks,
You're a good man..............uhhhhhhh............I mean Bear.
Or ....uhhhh...something like that.
Another great review Red. Thanks!
I bought a teeny campbell hausefeild pancake to power my airbrush. darn thing even pumps up my tires
I need a compressor to paint furniture maybe a few pieces a week USING AN HVLP sprayer at 4CFM 40PSI. What can I use for less sound and price to do the job. Thanks bear.
Really like what your doing community service thank you! 🇺🇸🤙
what was the time to kick-on w/ 175 PSI oil less compressor ? you should have put those times in the chart ... in the end of the video you state that 175 PSI will run longer without kicking-on, but I did not see the test results, granted I jumped around in the video ... not sure the conclusion you stated is supported by actual test, 'cause if the working pressure for the tool is 90 PSI, and the tank holds 175 PSI, the tank is going to recharge to maintain 175 PSI YES ? The real question is what is the actual recharge time, using the same tool. Again, sorry if I missed something.
Hard to make a call until we can determine the life of these new oilless machines.. I am kind of wait and see....
I have that extech line splitter that you just showed. Fun fact extech is owned buy Flir.
Yep, they sell the same model in black with the Flir logo on it for $5 more.
JUST BOUGHT 2 OF THE CENTRAL PNEUMATIC 21 GAL. 2.5 HP 125 PSI , 1. WILL DRAIN FROM 125 TO 5 AND STILL NOT KICK BACK ON UNTIL I HAVE TO TURN IT OFF AND HIT RESET BUTTON THEN RESTART, 2ND ONE KICKS OFF AT 40PSI EVEN WHEN SET TO + ALL THE WAY? WHAT COULD BE THE PROB ON BOTH?
Do you think the oil less McGraw will operate the Xt earthquake at maximum power
Ear protection is requirement for any air compressor. My dad and learn the hard way about not using hearing protection.
I will say that my Craftsman 25 gallon oil-less compressor was a lot quieter than that central pneumatic. Since I don't have it anymore I can't see how many decibels it pushes but I do recall it being, tolerable.
The one thing I will say is if you're really using an oil-less compressor hard there's a good chance you could get it to seize up. There was a guy I worked with he had an oil-less Craftsman set up in his barn where he did do a fair bit of work and he did burn it up. Eric Smith
So bear what compressor should I buy
The one you need? Seriously you need to consider how much you are using and it and what you are using it for.
Do you know the SCFM @ 40 psi on the Mcgraw 21 gallon thanks for all the great reviews
The oil less,can you adjust the main tank pressure lower,175psi is insane..just need like 100 off and 60 back on,is it adjustanke
What are your thoughts on the McGraw oil-free compressor in this video compared to the Kobalt 20gal oil free compressor (both 175psi, same CFM, advertised 78dB sound) and the Kobalt QuietTech 26gal 150psi compressor (with a dB rating less than 70dB!! and a 3-year warranty)? The McGraw 20gal is $50 more than the Kobalt 20gal for basically the same thing with less warranty.
Looks like HF raised the price on the McGraw, stupid move. I'd have to say that I'd go with the Kobalt.
@@denoftools That's kind of what I was thinking, but for $50 more, I can get the Kobalt QuietTech 26gal 150psi compressor which is less than 70dB of noise. Looks like my decision will be made at Lowe's...
I am new to this page, I am trying to learn about air compressors. I am a gun smith and I "paint" AR15's whats the minimum cfm necessary to run a paint sprayer for about 15 minutes maybe? There is not a lot of area to cover. I trying to stay under $200.00 if its possible? Thanks Rico.
Would you happen to know the filter thread size for the CP? If not i can measure when i get home tonight.