Campbell Hausfeld 2040 Compressor

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

Has anyone here ever used or heard one of these compressors running?

They are small, supposedly quiet, and can be had for $99.99 at Harbor Freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41808

I am wondering if they are really that quiet or are they junk that doesn’t hold up well? [?]

I appreciate any info you might have.

Thanks

Mike

2

Looks pretty good… just a couple of things to check first.

  1. Does the pressure adjust accuratly at low pressures? SOme high pressure compressors like that do not work as consistently at 10-20 psi.

  2. Does it have a water trap? If not, it’s not very expensive to add one.

3

That’s basically the same one that WalMart has been selling for about $10 less and it has a two gallon tank. The model # on mine is 2003. I haven’t had mine long enough to testify to the durability but it’s reasonably quiet, has rubber feet and an auto shut off. I’m not sure how the noise level compares to some of the more expensive compressors intended for air brush use but I don’t find it objectionable and my neighbors haven’t complained. Yet. It seems to do a good job of regulating pressure. The few times that I’ve used mine I set the pressure to 15lb on the gauge and it seemed to maintain very steady pressure. I’m happy with it. Here’s a link, it says out of stock but the local store has a couple on the shelf for $89.95.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?cat=51199&dept=5428&product_id=4021&path=0%3A5428%3A51199%3A4093%3A3915%3A4338

4

Thanks for the answers guys.

I asked this same question over in the T-shirt airbrush forum and was directed to a thread from January where this very compressor was discussed. It seems it is not very reliable.

The guy who recommended it after buying it had it die on him in 3 weeks and another person had theirs die in less time.

Another person said this:

" I went through 5 of those CH cheapies and my buddy went through 3 and we were using them maybe twice a week or 10 hours total. They have problems for sure! I still have one ripped apart right now. Do yourself a favor and buy a better compressor. The small CH is the worse compressor I have ever used."

Ouch! [V]

I don’t feel very comfortable with these reviews. Your mileage may vary.

Someone else recommended this unit from Harbor Freight that is the same price, although I cannot speak for it’s quality or durability either.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=42321

It seems the old adage, “You get what you pay for” still rings true…most of the time. [:D]

Mike