I'm in the market for a new air compressor, and I'm not sure what to get. I would like to be able to perform pretty much any body work task, from DA use to spraying the car. Can somebody recommend what I need. I see single and 2 stage - I'm not sure what that is. I also see differnt cfm ratings at different psi. I was in Sears the other night and came close to buying one but I decided I should ask some questions before buying something that won't do what I want or something that is more than I need. I need to keep the price under $500. Sears had what I thoght would do the job for just under $400. Any help and compressor recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks, Bill

I am not an expert here, but I'll give my $0.02 anyway...

You can use that Sears compressor, and it will work fine, but you might have to stop frequently to let the compressor "catch up", especially when using sanders or other tools run wide open for extended periods.

Spraying (regular spray gun) usually doesn't take too large of a compressor, because the gun isn't open the whole time, and you stop spraying when you step to a new panel, etc... This all allows the compressor to catch up...

Another thing to consider is 110V vs 220Volt... Usually the 220V compressors will supply more air, but then you have to have/install a 220V outlet... 110V is much more convenient for the typical homeowner...

Another thing is how much you are going to use this compressor. Are you just going to use it for a few months, on one car, and then it will just sit collecting dust (with the occasional filling of tires, etc)? Or will it be used alot (plan on doing more cars? or more work that requires a compressor?)?

I have an older Sears 220V 30 gallon that does the job. Painted several cars over the years, and I think even painted a house (my brother did that). Even refilled many tires, run an air drill, etc... But I really haven't utilized it in the past 5 years. I was almost going to buy a new Sears 110V vertical tank, two-stage compressor (around $400, but figure the old one still works fine (its really loud though)...

So you can get by with the smaller compressor, it just might take more time...

But be sure to check the sander requirements first (cfm @??psi), and make sure the compressor will run that...

My suggestion would be to buy the absolute biggest comperessor you can afford. Run 220 if need be. One other thing is the makeup of some of the sears and other compressors. A compressor that is belt driven from a motor will be quieter than a direct drive compressor. My buddy has one of those portable, roll around compressors that is direct drive and is horribly noisy. So much so that you can't stand to be in the garage with it. Put it outside you say?? His neighbors complained.

Cam