I saw a factory refurbished air compressor today for $119 from Northern Tool & equipment. It’s a Morgan Series Reconditioned Portable Vertical Air Compressor — 26 Gallon, 1.5 HP 4 CFM, Model# F226R.
Morgan Series Reconditioned Portable Vertical Air Compressor — 26 Gallon, 1.5 HP 4 CFM, Model# F226R
The quality looks good, and it only took about 2 minutes to pressurize all the way up to 150 psi.
I know a few of you will not be excited about the reconditioned part (or the oil-free part), but given that I’m not ready to drop $400 on an air compressor right now, I’m calling the $119 a huge savings. And, I’ll be able to fill my own tires, have some air tools for other projects, and provide the power needed to replace the hardwood floors in a few years. If the thing breaks in a year, I’ll replace it with a better unit, and call the $119 a good price for an intro level compressor. I believe the 4.0 CFM will suffice, but we’ll see when I actually get started.
To test function, I had to buy an Air drill (Northern Industrial Air Drill — 3/8in. Chuck, 1800 RPM, 4 CFM, Reversible, Keyless) for $49, a lightweight air hose (Northern Industrial Air Hose — 1/4in. x 35ft., Clear, Urethane) for $15, and air tool lubrication. Then I got home and realized I didn’t have the quick change fitting to plug into the compressor. Maybe tonight I’ll stop by to get some quick change fittings.
Northern Industrial Air Drill — 3/8in. Chuck, 1800 RPM, 4 CFM, Reversible, Keyless
Northern Industrial Air Hose — 1/4in. x 35ft., Clear, Urethane
I also grabbed some of the color coded air couplers from Northern Tool and Equipment. I couldn’t find them on the internet, but they are red Type D couplers. No one in the store could tell me what the different types were for, but they assured me they would work.
I got home, hooked everything up, put some lube in the air drill per the first time operating instructions, and fired it up.
What a sweet sound.
Andrew's RV-7 Build Log 
Just curious…(i am starting a project), how is the compressor doing ? Any regrets ? I am still shopping around and would value your input.
Thanks.
Absolutely none.
I got a great compressor that is going on a year now. It can be kind of loud, but for $119, instead of $400, I definitely got a great deal. If mine was stolen today, I’d go ahead and buy a more expensive compressor for a few reasons. First, I’m committed to the project now. I didn’t want to buy a $400 compressor just to quit after the horizontal stabilizer. Second, the 4CFM doesn’t allow me a lot of continuous air-drilling at 90psi. That means it runs (not greater than 50% time, but close) and that is a no-no when the girlfriend is inside watching TV (shares a wall) or sleeping (shares a floor/ceiling).
Like everything else, I’m learning to just buy the high-quality tool up front, but in this case, this refurbished compressor is doing great.
That’s all I can think of for now.