Hi All!
Hey, what’s the quietest air compressor out there? I need a really quiet air compressor as I do a lot of model building late at night and I don’t want to keep waking my wife up. I’d prefer one with a tank but anything really quiet will do. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
-Ro
Howdy!
I always recommend to build your own, in such cases. It’s easy, too - you can take the compressor itseslf from a refrigerator that’s no longer used. Then you add a few parts, like a regulator, a moisture catch and maybe a tank - and you end up with a cheap compressor that’s exactly as loud as a refrigerator. I built a few of those babies myself, they are best value you can get. The first one I build is in use by me for almost 20 years now. Hope it helps, have a nice day
Pawel
If your wife is not an extremely light sleeper and you are not modeling in the same room where she sleeps, you do not need the “quietest” compressor out there.
The Silentaire imports a “Super Silent” series compressor from Italy that may fit your bill. Both BearAir and Chicago Airbrush Supplies carry them. See the examples here. The SilAir 20A model is also imported by Badger as the Badger MillionAir compressor.
If you model in the next room to where you wife sleeps, most quality airbrush compressor should be quiet enough for the situation. I would recommend getting one made in Taiwan instead of from China based on several recent posts in this forum and my own experience.
As an alternative to the Sil-Air compressors in their various guises, you could also consider CO2…
Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
Those Sil-air compressors are like looking at food in the organic section to me - the same thing as elsewhere (all food is organic, after all) but 10 times as expensive because it’s organic. Ahem.
Yes. My wife sleep in the next room. I have an Iwata Silver Jet which is decent and a small Husky from Home Depot that has a tank it but it’s way noisier than the Iwata. My wife says the Iwata is ok, she just wears ear plugs. The Husky? Way too loud.
-Ro
Yes, the Sil-Air 20A is expensive, but at 30 decibels, it is super silent & with an air storage tank to boot. If you live in or near Houston, Texas, the home office/warehouse for SilentAire is there and they often have demo units of their various tanked varieties for a good discounted price. I saw their 30A model for almost 50% off MSRP. They are most helpful to deal with. Keep in mind, those compressors are the oil variety, so just a little maintenance periodically.
Then why did you ask? You get what you pay for. They are expensive because they will last a lifetime.
Yes, in both cases, you pay more to get less, noise or pesticides.
Your Iwata SilverJet should be sufficient for most modeling airbrush task. But it runs all the time. The SilAir 20A is only 3 times as expensive and a lot quieter. You will have to go to the equally expensive Iwata Power Jet Pro to get similarly powerful compressor with tank. And still noiser than the Silair.
In this case, you don’t get (noise) for you paid for (supersilent compressor).
Isn’t this kind of a useless reply? I wasn’t asking about expensive compressors that last a lifetime. I was asking about compressors that operate quietly. Besides, very few things today last a lifetime. It’s called Planned Obsolescence. I don’t mind paying for something good but making a compressor that runs quietly is not worth $600-$1000. I can build one myself for half that price.
Dang, that’s what I was proposing! (I mean building your own.) I don’t know about a lifetime, but, as I wrote before, mine lasted me twenty years and it shows no signs of quitting! Pull out those tools! Have a nice day
Paweł
I have a Silentaire Scorpion II. Its very quiet and has automatic shut off, meaning it only goes on when in use. I tend to work at night while my family is sleeping and I’ve never had any complaints about the noise (my work area is in the basement right below the bedrooms). They can be found here for about $230.00 with free shipping (I think). I’ve seen them on E-bay as well.
http://dixieart.com/Silentaire_Scorpion_Compressors.html
Hope this helps,
Joe
People are trying to answer your question exactly the way you asked it. It is uncalled for to call the replies “useless”.
Hey, what’s the quietest air compressor out there?
The superquiet compressor starts at about $450. If you can build one at half that price. All power to you. When you are done, write up your effort with some pictures to share with us.
I did holf of the job (adding an airtank to an off-the shelf compressor). It was a fun project, but definitely not as cheap as you may think unless you already have all the tools and hardware pieces available at home. Your superquiet compressor project will require copper pipe welding. Even that is not difficult, but takes some practices if you have not done it before. An experienced friend will be very helpful. He/she may even loan you some of the tools you need. Good luck.
I have a Hansa HTC 20A, it is super silent, it makes the same noise as your refigirator, and only when running. Not only is the noise level low but the air comes out very evenly, no pulsation. My results have defintily got better since I bought this compressor (not because of the noise but because of the airflow)
I bought it from these guys: http://www.airbrush-services-almere.nl/shop9/contents/nl/d41.html
As they explain on there page, eurotec, sil-air and hansa are all made in the same factory. It is called Werther and is located in Italy. One factory being the source of these high end silent compressors is probably the reason why they can charge these high prices.
Since price is also an important factor maybe you should take a look at using CO2 from a bottle as a possible source for your airbrush.
I think he just wants to hear himself talk. [8-)]
One reason why I rarely visit this site anymore. I answered hundreds of these type of questions years ago on here, not anymore. The forum needs to learn what “stickies” are and use them! [bnghead]
If you want quiet, why screw around with a compressor at all. Go with a CO2 tank (it’s silent). Other benefits— no moisture issues (no traps needed); no electricity required.
Tom
I finally got tired of enduring my ear-splitting general purpose pancake compressor and looked for a quiet brush. I ended up with an Iwata Silver Jet that I bought for $120. I was a little concerned that it would be a little underpowered, but it has worked my Badger fine. It is not silent but really quite quiet, and I no longer wear headphones when I airbrush.
I bought the Harbor Freight one and I like it. It is quiet compared to my pancake.
Bill