I thought of this after reading MusicCity’s post about silent compressors being expensive, and while this is not intended to be aimed at Scott in any way, I do wonder why modeler’s feel that they are too expensive?
Some modeler’s have enough kits in their stash that if they sold 1/4 of them they could probably buy several silent compressors.
The truth is that with proper care a good silent compressor will last you anywhere from 10-15 years easy, which makes them actually cheaper in the long run than some of the less expensive ones people buy.
Is it the high initial investment that people do not like, or do you just feel that they are too expensive period?
I didn’t say “Too” expensive, I just said “Expensive”[;)]
I think it’s the initial cost. $200 or thereabouts for something that is just an extension of your hobby is kind of high. You are basically paying for the silence because most don’t have the pressure or volume to do much else. I gues you could inflate a basketball, but not your tires.
I keep thinking I’d like to have one, but my old noisy Porter-Cable blows air just fine and I can use it for anything I want from pressure washing to airbrushing.
mike, i feel that its a piece of equipment thats gonna pump air. its hard for me to justify paying alot of money for something that i can get for alot cheaper to do the exact same thing. plus, the compressor that i have can back up any of my job site compressor if i have one go down. the only way i would consider paying that kind of money for a silent compressor is if i had to move into an apartment or something. then, i’d probably opt for CO2. later.
I would second you thoughts. I just upgraded from my “mini blue” starter compressor to a 1/4 HP, 3 Gallon Central Pneumatic oil-less compressor. Price paid: $79.00. I turn it on, leave the room, and ten minutes later it turns off automatically with 100 psi of pressure in the tank. I can airbrush for quite a while with no noise at all with that pressure. Like you said, I can also run everything from pneumatic tools to power washers. I didn’t even consider an “air brush specific” compressor when shopping.
I can see where having a compressor for more duties than just airbrushing is always a plus, I guess I was referring more to the people looking strictly for an airbrush compressor who end up spending $150 on a cheap one when a good silent one like the Badger Million-Air can be had for around $400 new or $300 for a refurbished one when they have them.
Actually I think if they have any in stock that 40% off I have mentioned before hopefully also applies to the refurbished ones. That would make it only $180 plus shipping for a Million-Air silent. That is a great deal if you ask me. [;)]
Don’t misunderstand my post above. The compressor I bought will be used for air brushing 99.8% of the time. In fact, if I didn’t build models, I wouldn’t have bought it. I just can’t see paying that kind of money ($300 - $400) when there are much more inexpensive options available.
It could just be that I’m cheap, but I won’t pay extra to own Levi jeans, Ralph Lauren polo shirts, or Eagle GT tires either. I almost always stick to off-brands at half the price…twice as many of them, too!
I understand completely Robert and respect your decision to buy the compressor you have. I too started out with a Paasche D500 and then bought a Sears industrial type for airbrushing T-shirts and filling the car tires, etc.
I guess that once you try a silent you get spoiled with the quiet. [:)]
But the fact remains that many people don’t need a silent compressor and I guess that is probably the biggest reason people don’t buy them.
It is nice knowing that you can go and paint at 2:00 am if you want to and you won’t bother the family or the neighbors. [;)]
It is just funny how people in hobbies justify prices though.
I know bass fishermen who go into the tackle shop and complain about the price of a bait and yet they have a $40k bass boat behind their $40k pick-up. [(-D]
That is kind of what I was thinking about when I mentioned the huge stash of model kits prices compared to the silent compressor.
I hear ya, Mike. That’s one of the reasons I bought the 3 gallon tank compressor; ten minutes running and then at least an hour of air brushing in complete silence. That, plus, I have no family and live in a house. So noise of any kind isn’t really an issue.
I’m as guilty as the those bass fishermen when it comes to prices though. Even with a stash of about 200 kits, I complain about prices for some items and always look for the lowest price before buying any new kits. But like I said, I’m the same way with just about everything. I buy the most inexpensive Zippo lighters I can find because I’m too cheap to buy disposable lighters and I do 90% of my grocery shopping at Save-A-Lot.
I think I got the mentality from my father who said, “Why should I pay $200 for a watch when all it does is tell time?” To this day, he still has a $12.00 Timex on his wrist.
It’s all Initial cost for me. I’ll tell ya a little story, why it all is [;)]…
At the beginning of this great year I was in an auto accident, was in tthe lane to the right of me then crossed over and involved me (bad enough that my 5000 pound truck left the road for a few seconds). I gotta bulging disk in my neck and an almost ruined back outta it. I was laid up for 5 monthes taking a leave of absence from work. I been back to work for a few monthes on time restriction.
So outta all this I went basically broke which isnt much worse then how I was before the accident. During my down time I just started thinking about modelling again outta nowhere. Well when I got back to work I diecided I needed a more productive hobby other then subscription games on my computer. Something I can spend money on and actually show something for it. So here I am, my first move back into modelling, buy a mag called Fine Scale modeller and the rest is up til now.
So with that little bit of history Mike, something we all have, initial cost of some of our equipment is prohitive for some of us. Small steps to get to the good stuff, but it makes sense that way. I have alotta knowledge from when I built kits before, but the actual use of those skills is somewhat irritating because the polish is gone. To spend money on something that I wont fully use yet in my current cash situation isnt a good idea.
My LHS has an aztek diaphram (or is piston) with a tank and all the goodies for like 200 bucks out the door. So I am saving up…thats my next stop if I dont make a tank on my own.
-Jeff
I bought a Testors AC200 brand new off ebay for $162.50. Not bad for something that lists for $300.00. I didn’t know anything about air compressors except how to turn the one at work on & off & drain the air when I’m finished. In hindsight, I probably would have bought a small tank compressor & either just parked it under the table or ran a hose from the garage which is just behind the wall of my ‘modeling table.’ Anyways, yeah it’s a little noisy, but I can run it at 3am and not wake anybody up, at least the wife & kids have never even hinted that it’s woken them up. I think that it’s probably the intial investment of a large some of money that makes me, and probably other shy away from dropping $300-$400 (starting prices) for a silent air compressor. When I first started using the airbrush, I could completely justify shelling out more $$ for a compressor w/ regulator & moisture trap than to have to buy air cans for $10.00 over & over. It’s seems difficult to shell out more $$$$ just for being quiet. Oh well, that’s my opinion on the matter. Nice/interesting topic Mike.
Actually if the price I quoted earlier is correct then you can get a refurbished Million-Air for about $20 more than you paid for your Testors compressor. [;)]
The Million-Air also comes with a moisture trap/regulator and a .4 gallon tank.
It is the exact same compressor inside as the Silentaire 20A.
My not getting a silent compressor was more towards my wife saying not when the bigger one is cheaper. And whos to argure when your wife tells you in home depot to get a a compressor. Not me.
[(-D]