Resolving The Air Compressor Dilemma

The air compressor is a machine that transcends many trades. Air compressors are not only used in the traditional work environment like garages and workshops but are also increasingly being used by artists. The compressed air stored in the tank is just stored energy, so, the air compressor is basically an energy conversion device. When air is compressed, it stores energy and when the compressed gas expands, that energy is released to do useful stuff like drive a nail gun or a socket wrench.
The variety of air compressors available these days is mind boggling. They come in different shapes, sizes or tank capacity and power. Read on to find out which compressor type should you choose.
Your choice of an compressor will mainly be dictated by your purpose. If you are an artist or a painter who just wants to power a spray gun, a small, portable compressor will serve you fine. In contrast, if you want to drive pneumatic power tools, you will need something that delivers power compressors can be classified into 3 different categories based on their size, power and portability. These are the shop compressor, the portable compressor and the trim compressor.
Since the air compressors used in a workshop need to be robust and powerful, they are equipped with large tanks and bigger, more powerful compressor units. Shop compressors not only have large tanks, they also achieve higher pressure making them suitable for powering the pneumatic tools used in workshops. Given their heavy duty drive and compression units, these compressors are somewhat noisy and are costly as well.Although all compressors perform the same function, their quality and efficiency varies with make and model, go through a few compressor reviews before you finalize a model.
Shop compressors are commonly available as vertical and horizontal type, determined by the position of the tank. Designs that feature large tanks are mostly vertical since they do not require too much real estate. Compressors featuring horizontal tanks are generally smaller than the vertical ones. You can refer any compressor buyer guide or catalogue to get an approximate idea about the size and foot print of common models, that would help you determine as to where you can house the machine.
Portable compressors make up the fastest growing category, and there are numerous choices and designs available. There are a number of models available in these range, check out a few air compressor reviews to narrow your choices. Some of these mid sized machines that can drive most of the equipment that shop compressors can drive. The storage capacity on these machines is limited and thus have to cycled frequently. That said, these machines, being portable and capable, are best for outdoors work.