General Tools questions

tranger2 · Mar 13, 2016

I am needing basic tools and am looking for advice.

Air compressor...want to use with a paint sprayer and hopper sprayer for texture. How small of a tank can I get by with. Don't need top of the line, it's not my trade or business. Some of my small tools come from harbour freight. They have been great for price for what I've put them through.

Any advice on brands or where to buy a mitre saw, reciprocal saw, drill, etc. Just seeing if there is anything other than lowes, craigslist or pawnshops that I'm not thinking of.

Toney · Mar 13, 2016

Steve's wholesale tools

dennishoddy · Mar 14, 2016

Major thing is the air compressor. There are some huge looking air compressors out there that have very small compressors that will put out very little air. Great for general tire inflations, and a 30 second air tool use like a air grinder.

Get the largest SPFM unit you can afford. Tank Volume is one thing, the ability to refill that volume with tool usage is very important.

somarsmi · Mar 14, 2016

tranger2 said:
I am needing basic tools and am looking for advice.

Air compressor...want to use with a paint sprayer and hopper sprayer for texture. How small of a tank can I get by with. Don't need top of the line, it's not my trade or business. Some of my small tools come from harbour freight. They have been great for price for what I've put them through.

Any advice on brands or where to buy a mitre saw, reciprocal saw, drill, etc. Just seeing if there is anything other than lowes, craigslist or pawnshops that I'm not thinking of.

Especially with harbor freight and alot of the chicago electric stuff be sure to get the warranty. Pawn shops are a great place to get tools cheap but it's a pain to drive around and hope to find the one item your looking for. auctions are a great place to get stuff for cheap.

vvvvvvv · Mar 14, 2016

tranger2 said:
Just seeing if there is anything other than lowes, craigslist or pawnshops that I'm not thinking of.

Estate sales. The less publicized the better the deals.

cowadle · Mar 14, 2016

i purchased a harbor freight engine driven air compressor and love it. i used the feedback reviews first to see if others had used them. there was a lot of contractors using them so i took the risk and it payed off. the predator engines are top notch

DanB · Mar 14, 2016

I purchased a Craftsman 30 gallon compressor nearly 12 years ago. The only time I was cussing it was when I was using an air powered cutoff tool. Not nearly the sustained output necessary to run that tool. I've ran 1/2 impact, 3/8 ratchet, air hammer, cutoff tool, small angle grinder, etc. with minimal to no issues. I find myself looking at battery powered options more these days. my compressor hasn't been turned on in probably a year.

It might be something worth selling.

71buickfreak · Mar 14, 2016

I ran my 20 gallon 5hp Campbell hausfeld for a good 10+ years doing heavy mechanic work. Not very good for spraying anything big, but it could small paint jobs and ran DA just fine. I bough it at Lowes in 1998. I had to have it rebuilt (reed valve, piston and sleeve) for about $100 in 2005.

I replaced it with a Frankenstein compressor using an old 100 gallon tank and a harbor freight motor and compressor. Worked good for heavy body work, would get taxed pretty hard though. I upgraded to a brand-spankin'-new Ingersoll-Rand 15hp 120-gal (biggest you can get for 220-single phase), and that thing doesn't even break a sweat painting a full car with someone else running a DA elsewhere in the shop.

By what will work for you, you would be surprised how well a small shop compressor will work for a basic hobbyist. As for power tools, I try buy good stuff, but I have a HF sawzall that I have abused cutting frames in half, heavy-wall pipe, etc and it keeps going. For $30, it has given me all it should have and more.

SoonerP226 · Mar 14, 2016

Toney said:
Steve's wholesale tools

If you want quality tools at reasonable prices, Steve's is (or, at least, used to be) the place to go. They're like Harbor Freight, except with quality tools (though I'm sure they have some Harbor Freight-quality stuff, too).

If you're not in a hurry, watch the Tools section at Woot.com; they'll occasionally have some screaming deals on factory refurbished equipment. Not long ago, they had a portable DeWalt stand-up compressor at a significant discount (IIRC, it was $199, and the prices I was finding for it were around $299).

BlackRifle · Mar 14, 2016

Just don't buy a oilless compressor. They don't last very long.

General Tools questions

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