I just got an from Eastwood, who are taking pre orders for their new scroll compressor. It is 12cfm @ 90 for $. It is very different from anything found in a non industrial setting. I have some reservations and wonder what others here think. The tank is only 27gal. And the motor is 3.3 hp. They compare it to 5hp piston on a 60 gal tank but if you look at the specs, they are comparing it to a single stage 5 hp. They claim it will run anything in a garage including a DA sander or a blast cabinet. It is 100% duty cycle but I wonder how long you can go on 12 cfm and a small tank, with some of those air eaters, before you run out of air. The moisture filter is a spin on filter built right into the compressor, which seems like a nice feature. They make a point of the difference between CFM and SCFM and suggest that others are exaggerating their true output but l have my doubts. A decent 2 stage 5hp is good for another 2 or 3 cfm. And costs about the same or a lot less if you go for the HF 2 stage.
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Worth it for me for the silence alone. Been looking for a compromise between a monster shop rotary unit and a home piston unit. Closet I got was a small Kaeser air station for ~5k.
This sort of compressor is in my future providing the initial units aren't lemons.
What I don't understand is CFM at 40 and 90 being the same. If it produces 12@90 I can't understand why it wouldn't produce more at 40.
I noticed that, too. It just seems that I can get more CFM in a piston for less money. I don't know how they can claim 12 cfm will run anything. Looking at it conversely, I can get that much air for less. If silence and size is a top priority, it is hard to beat. It seems that they could have up sized this one a little and hit the sweet spot for under 2 thousand. Now we wait for some brave souls to buy it and see if it is any good. Some of the Eastwood stuff is not top end and I read mixed reviews. Some of their stuff is available cheaper in similar versions under other labels. If this is workable they will have competition.
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I was looking at the Eastwood rt. angle die grinder. It has a grease fitting on the gearcase, like most similar tools, but the owners manual says to invert it and try to get air tool oil to run into the gear case. That made no sense so I submitted a question, asking: What is the correct gear lube or why would there be a grease fitting and what tool is used for that flush fitting? Obviously, a regular grease gun won't work. 1 thanked me for my question. 2 asked me to confirm my question and then I got the stupidest answer possible "Use the correct grease and the correct grease gun". Are they kidding? I posted here because I was looking at the scroll. The guy who is answering those questions seems knowledgable. but if I need product support what if I get the die grinder guy? LOL. That is not an item where I want to deal with fools. I can go to HD for that. I did find an answer to my question. IR uses their #67 grease for their rt. angle die grinders and they have a mini grease gun with a pointed tip to shoot it in. It should work on any similar tool
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I saw the scroll compressor on welding web as well. It isn't clear if the unit only runs when the tank needs to be refilled, like most piston compressors, or if the motor runs for a period of time like a screw compressor.
The cfm is not bad, but also not ideal for that price tag and some of the tools that people run. For me, the scroll would be good for the building where we do sharpening and repair for the grooming industry and running the cnc plasma table, if the pressure stays high enough. The air in the shop is used mostly for blowing out parts/cleaning so the demand isn't extreme, but the old cman 5hp 20 gallon compressor is way too loud and runs often. I'm not sure if the scroll would keep the pressure high enough while running a hypertherm 65 and others using air to blow out parts at the same time.
My big compressor is 150' away from the plasma table and is a real 5hp two stage leroi dresser. It is great for the plasma, but I have to run a bunch of air line and it isn't exactly quiet in a residential area, but also isn't obnoxious, so it's no worse than a car idling from where the neighbors are. The leroi is rated at 17.5 @125 psi and 17.2 at 175 psi, at 800 rpm and 5hp. At 250 psi it is rated at 12.5 cfm on 5hp at 600 rpm.
Based on the fill time for the 80 gallon tank, it is averaging 20 cfm up to 170 psi fill, and it is likely just a tad faster than 800 rpm with the pulley I used.
This scroll unit would be great for the low noise. The california air tool compressors are also very expensive with low cfm and plenty of bad reviews, but they are quiet.
What sucks is to have the old cman compressor run when I'm next to it in the shop with plasma table. That thing hurts my ears and the sound is annoying even with ear muffs and it isn't fair for the neighbor to have to hear it cycle all the time. I have run both shops off the leroi, but I hate to put the wear and tear on it and and it sits outside where the noise can travel.
Eastwood has some mixed reviews on other tools and this is the first I have heard of scroll compressors for air and it is smaller and less expensive than the other brands. The quincy warranty does not impress me and their stuff is more expensive than what our budget would allow.
Air compressors are labeled at the cfm the pump can produce. The tank will supply 100+ cfm, easily, but for how long? How much air can a 1/2" or larger bung on an air tank pass at 140 psi or whatever the compressor shuts off at?
This scroll unit should provide 12 cfm as long as the pump runs. Duty cycle will determine how long that is. I thought they advertised it at 100% duty cycle in their video.
12 cfm would definitely not be enough to replace my leroi piston compressor. At an average of 20 cfm, it keeps up with the blast cabinet with a skat blast 20-24 cfm nozzle and it will turn off for a minute or two before cycling again. I agree the 30 cfm would be nicer and would allow a bigger tip for blasting.
For die grinders, plasma, small painting projects, an impact, or blow gun, my compressor keeps up great and I can do quite a bit on 80 gallons of air at 140-170 psi.
That old Cman is probably 9.6 cfm at 40 psi and it sucks. It could keep up with the plasma, if it had enough pressure and a good pressure switch. It is temperamental and sometimes will drop to 95-100 psi before it turns on. By time the air runs through the hose and filters, the pressure is too low at the plasma and it will throw an error code.
It seems that a typical 5hp 17 cfm two stage is about the minimum to work comfortably in a one person shop with some air hog tools but more is always welcome. 12 cfm isn't a good one size fits all and I agree they should have offered something to compete with the real 5hp piston compressors.
A poll on air usage requirements for garage journal users would be interesting. We may use more than the general population, but a $ compressor seems like it fits serious hobby or pro level people more than homeowner/basic hobbyists. California air tools would fit the casual user better.
Air compressors are labeled at the cfm the pump can produce. The tank will supply 100+ cfm, easily, but for how long? How much air can a 1/2" or larger bung on an air tank pass at 140 psi or whatever the compressor shuts off at?
This scroll unit should provide 12 cfm as long as the pump runs. Duty cycle will determine how long that is. I thought they advertised it at 100% duty cycle in their video.
12 cfm would definitely not be enough to replace my leroi piston compressor. At an average of 20 cfm, it keeps up with the blast cabinet with a skat blast 20-24 cfm nozzle and it will turn off for a minute or two before cycling again. I agree the 30 cfm would be nicer and would allow a bigger tip for blasting.
For die grinders, plasma, small painting projects, an impact, or blow gun, my compressor keeps up great and I can do quite a bit on 80 gallons of air at 140-170 psi.
That old Cman is probably 9.6 cfm at 40 psi and it sucks. It could keep up with the plasma, if it had enough pressure and a good pressure switch. It is temperamental and sometimes will drop to 95-100 psi before it turns on. By time the air runs through the hose and filters, the pressure is too low at the plasma and it will throw an error code.
It seems that a typical 5hp 17 cfm two stage is about the minimum to work comfortably in a one person shop with some air hog tools but more is always welcome. 12 cfm isn't a good one size fits all and I agree they should have offered something to compete with the real 5hp piston compressors.
A poll on air usage requirements for garage journal users would be interesting. We may use more than the general population, but a $ compressor seems like it fits serious hobby or pro level people more than homeowner/basic hobbyists. California air tools would fit the casual user better.
They claimed that the 15cfm (claimed) piston they used for comparison was only 10 at the output. Maybe an HF? I would like to get a real 15. I agree with your estimate that 15 is about right for a one person shop that can run the usual air hogs. I cannot jusify $ for some industrial with honest numbers so it now comes down to who is using the mumbo jumbo math that Eastwood is accusing the competition of using and who is giving you an honest 15, and can this be had without breaking the bank? I never remember any comparison tests verifying true CFM. Another issue I have with their scroll is long term support. If you buy an established compressor brand there will be parts and support for many years When you buy a "store" brand like this, it may not sell well or have problems, they stop selling it and spares and support can dry up. That does not happen with a Quincy, Champion, Leroi, etc.There are a lot more of them out there. So what should I be looking at? Advice appreciated. Thanks.
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I agree with wanting something that is built well and that has a good warranty and parts available. My leroi is old, but rebuild kits are easy to get and not terribly expensive (hard parts are not cheap) quincy, and the other big names will have parts. Before I bought the old leroi, I searched the internet and had help from GJ to see what I was looking at, then I bought it and am very happy with what I have for $700. Quincy seems to cost more to rebuild but parts are easier to get. A youtuber I watch bought a quincy screw unit and didn't know to drain the water from a hidden filter and had the pump fail in short order. Their warranty is a bit bs with buying maintenance kits, but you can get parts and they have plenty of great reviews.
Eastwood is closer to HF status and I hate HF. $ is a lot of money to spend on an unknown product. My welders and plasma cutters are Miller and Hypertherm and most of my other tools are brands that have great reputations. Some are less expensive brands and do ok but it can be a gamble.
So, is the Eastwood cfm number under inflated, over inflated, or accurate? How does it compare to the typical over rated 5-6 hp 30-60 gallon pumps that are near 10 cfm and how does it compare to the real 5hp units at 15+ cfm?
How did Eastwood build a scroll unit so cheap when others go for 3-6 times the price, and is it Chinese junk or is it an example of some of the good quality items that China can produce (assuming it isn't made somewhere else)?
We need some brave people to report back on these units after some use.
I didn't know they were oil free. That is possible it made a difference in cost. Screw compressors, that I have read about, use oil and I was assuming the other scroll compressors did as well.
The video for the eastwood showed an oil cooler and they explained that they oil made the seal between the scrolls. They mentioned that there was a gap of a few thousandths. It still sounds precise but now I'm curious as to how they seal the other units without oil. Looks like I need to learn more about them.
So, if the difference is oil, then this can't be compared to the expensive units directly. It makes me wonder if using oil is new, or if other companies have scrolls that run oil. Just the idea of a scroll compressor is new to me. I had heard of them for refrigeration and AC use and saw videos where people used one of those for air, but I didn't even realize scroll was an industry option for compressed air along with screw and piston, until a week ago.