Quiet electric compressor, like an aerosol?

[Howardlong]

As the title, is here a reasonably quiet electric compressor, at a reasonable price, that has the same concentrated blast of air that an aerosol air can provides?

If it has suction as well, so much the better.

Fish tank pumps are limp. Air bed pumps are bloody loud. Is there somethig that’s got oomph and doesn’t wake up he neighbours?

[NiHaoMike]

Salvage a refrigeration compressor, but first make friends with a HVAC tech to get the refrigerant recovered before you cut into any plumbing.

[Yansi]

I have just seen this video today:

[sotos]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/241184-ORAZIO-Low-Noise-Oilless-Silent-24L-Air-Compressor-750W-Garage-Clinic/282084042569?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

[edavid]

As the title, is here a reasonably quiet electric compressor, at a reasonable price, that has the same concentrated blast of air that an aerosol air can provides?

Yes, there are a number of products intended for just that, such as:

220V Metro DataVac ED500 ESD Safe Electric Duster - Model ED-500-ESD
https://www.amazon.com/220V-DataVac-ESD-Electric-Duster/dp/B07BY71D4Y

Or if you want something more general purpose, these are popular, but I don't know if there's a 220V version:

California Air Tools 2010A Ultra Quiet and Oil-Free 1.0 HP 2.0-Gallon Aluminum Tank Air Compressor
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TDNKBMC

[edavid]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/241184-ORAZIO-Low-Noise-Oilless-Silent-24L-Air-Compressor-750W-Garage-Clinic/282084042569?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

Noise level :67db

Must be a different definition of "Silent".

[edpalmer42]

Or if you want something more general purpose, these are popular, but I don't know if there's a 220V version:

California Air Tools 2010A Ultra Quiet and Oil-Free 1.0 HP 2.0-Gallon Aluminum Tank Air Compressor
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TDNKBMC

If you search Youtube for California Air Tools, you'll find lots of 'Wow, is it ever quiet' videos.

For anyone in North America, California Air Tools products are available at or through Home Depot.

Ed

[MacMeter]

As the title, is here a reasonably quiet electric compressor, at a reasonable price, that has the same concentrated blast of air that an aerosol air can provides?

Yes, there are a number of products intended for just that, such as:

220V Metro DataVac ED500 ESD Safe Electric Duster - Model ED-500-ESD
https://www.amazon.com/220V-DataVac-ESD-Electric-Duster/dp/B07BY71D4Y

Or if you want something more general purpose, these are popular, but I don't know if there's a 220V version:

California Air Tools 2010A Ultra Quiet and Oil-Free 1.0 HP 2.0-Gallon Aluminum Tank Air Compressor
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TDNKBMC

I bought the exact CAT model you linked to. It’s great and as quiet as a small compressor this size gets so far. My search started with trying to find an inexpensive alternative to the expensive disposable air cans, that also contain propellants and chemicals. After reading many reviews on devices, some even mentioned earlier in this thread, I could not find a suitable replacement. The ones you could fill yourself, still need a source, and according to all the negative reviews, they don’t hold much, and produce a lot less outgoing air pressure. So instead of throwing money at gimmick products, I looked into, small, quite, compressors, and the CAT 2010 WON, and very affordable. If you decide to consider some of those other products, do yourself and your wallet a favor, and read every review you can find. Good luck!

[amyk]

Or if you want something more general purpose, these are popular, but I don't know if there's a 220V version:

California Air Tools 2010A Ultra Quiet and Oil-Free 1.0 HP 2.0-Gallon Aluminum Tank Air Compressor
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TDNKBMC

If you search Youtube for California Air Tools, you'll find lots of 'Wow, is it ever quiet' videos.

For anyone in North America, California Air Tools products are available at or through Home Depot.

Ed

Doesn't seem all that quiet to me:

Older compressors with slower-running motors are much quieter than newer high-speed ones:

Their sound is also lower frequency, which I think is less tiring to listen to than the buzz of the newer ones.

[MacMeter]

Go by the DB ratings, judging volume by YouTube videos is .......

[mtdoc]

Or if you want something more general purpose, these are popular, but I don't know if there's a 220V version:

California Air Tools 2010A Ultra Quiet and Oil-Free 1.0 HP 2.0-Gallon Aluminum Tank Air Compressor
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TDNKBMC

If you search Youtube for California Air Tools, you'll find lots of 'Wow, is it ever quiet' videos.

For anyone in North America, California Air Tools products are available at or through Home Depot.

Ed

Yes - they are extremely quiet.  Forum member rx8pilot recommended one to me and I have bee blown away by how much quieter than other compressors it is.  Youtube videos don't do the difference justice.   Zoro tools carry them and occasionally have 25% or even 30% off sales.

[LaurentR]

You really have to figure out what you mean by quiet.
Big-box retailer compressors are amazingly noisy. In comparison, the better oil-less compressors like the above mentioned California Air Tools are much quieter (down to about 56dB).

Whether that's quiet enough depends on your subjective evaluation. 56dB is certainly not "silent" by any stretch of imagination.

For low noise, nothing touches the oiled compressors, which are generally similar to fridge compressors, except filled with air. You get down do some really quiet models like the Silentaire 20A at 30dB. That's still not really silent, but it's definitely quiet. The 1/2hp Silentaire models at 40dB is where my personal limit is for indoor use.
Silentaire is Italian, but now own by a US company. In Europe, similar models are made by Bambi (UK) or Jun Air.
All of these are pricey are are best bought used from EBay (they are used in a variety of businesses like dentist offices, and, since they are oiled, will last forever if properly maintained).

[mtdoc]

You really have to figure out what you mean by quiet.
Big-box retailer compressors are amazingly noisy. In comparison, the better oil-less compressors like the above mentioned California Air Tools are much quieter (down to about 56dB).

Yes, you're right. It's all relative of course. But for the price, the CAT compressors are pretty quiet compared to the standard small portable compressors used by most contractors and consumers.  Here is a video comparing the 2010A, the one I have to a typical small pancake compressor.

CAT 2010A

[Gyro]

Howard, as you're in the UK, take a trip out to Machine Mart https://www.machinemart.co.uk/c/air-compressors/. They list some ultra quiet ones.

There are some cheap ones on ebay too ("silent compressor"), particularly if you're able to collect.

[bob225]

MM Clarke compressors are good for the money but entry level your looking at £300, the cheapie airbrush compressor are reasonably quite

eg.

https://www.everythingairbrush.com/compressors/ab-as196-twin-cylinder-mini-piston-type-on-demand-compressor-with-receiver-and-dual-switch-for-airbrushing.html <<<<< can be found cheaper

[MacMeter]

You really have to figure out what you mean by quiet.
Big-box retailer compressors are amazingly noisy. In comparison, the better oil-less compressors like the above mentioned California Air Tools are much quieter (down to about 56dB).

Whether that's quiet enough depends on your subjective evaluation. 56dB is certainly not "silent" by any stretch of imagination.

For low noise, nothing touches the oiled compressors, which are generally similar to fridge compressors, except filled with air. You get down do some really quiet models like the Silentaire 20A at 30dB. That's still not really silent, but it's definitely quiet. The 1/2hp Silentaire models at 40dB is where my personal limit is for indoor use.
Silentaire is Italian, but now own by a US company. In Europe, similar models are made by Bambi (UK) or Jun Air.
All of these are pricey are are best bought used from EBay (they are used in a variety of businesses like dentist offices, and, since they are oiled, will last forever if properly maintained).

It’s also good to know what the end purpose is.
OP: “As the title, is here a reasonably quiet electric compressor, at a reasonable price, that has the same concentrated blast of air that an aerosol air can provides?”
If you want that kind of air blast, you may also want the air as CLEAN as possible, while some oil filled compressors might be quieter, the air may contain oil in it. That’s why I went with OIL-LESS, and bought a small in-line hose filter. I also liked the ALUMINUM “rust free” air tank on that particular CAT compressor, they make a complete line, but many are STEEL tanks. There are a lot of considerations if you go the compressor route.

[MacMeter]

MM Clarke compressors are good for the money but entry level your looking at £300, the cheapie airbrush compressor are reasonably quite

eg.

https://www.everythingairbrush.com/compressors/ab-as196-twin-cylinder-mini-piston-type-on-demand-compressor-with-receiver-and-dual-switch-for-airbrushing.html <<<<< can be found cheaper

Air brush compressors are quite, but small. That’s why I went with the aluminum 2 gallon tank, smaller then that and the compressor will be running continuously to attempt to deliver air. You can run up to a small nail gun with the CAT style compressor. Most people buy compressors based on the amount of air PSI they calculate their air tools require. I’m just using mine to blow relatively CLEAN air.

[Gregg]

If you want really quiet you might consider CO2.  Since it is liquid in the bottle it expands exponentially when it becomes vapor.  I have an aluminum 20 pound capacity bottle that costs about $15 to fill at the local welding store; it is about the size of a scuba tank.  Beverage and paintball industries are other sources of CO2.  You will need a regulator as the bottle pressure is quite high but not as high as most nitrogen tanks.  CO2 is denser than air so less is needed to blow things away.  It is also dry and oil free although it has a greater cooling effect than compressed air and may cause condensation.  Small CO2 bottles can be filled from larger bottles if you have limited lab space and want to keep a larger cheaper to fill tank in the garage.  CO2 worked wonders in our Battlebot to power pneumatic rams.

[bob225]

Air brush compressors are quite, but small. That’s why I went with the aluminum 2 gallon tank, smaller then that and the compressor will be running continuously to attempt to deliver air. You can run up to a small nail gun with the CAT style compressor. Most people buy compressors based on the amount of air PSI they calculate their air tools require. I’m just using mine to blow relatively CLEAN air.

Just run a descant filter inline, I wouldn't run air tools on anything smaller than a 12-16 cfm compressor, even my 200L 18 cfm 5.5hp compressor struggles with a small blast cabinet - with air tools you need to run a oiler or your just asking for issues

In a ideal world you would want a screw compressor and a dryer if you had the spare ££££ laying around

[Towger]

A Jun Air or Bambi silent compressor will do the job and is a different league from those cheep Chinese air brush compressors.  I got a Jun Air (ebay) a couple of years back, they are more common in the UK than the Bambi.

[bob225]

Your starting around the £300 with the bambi and most other silent, I don't know if the op has that sort of budget, there use to be a company in kent (uk) that sold its own refurbs (usually medical grade compressors)

[Towger]

Your starting around the £300 with the bambi and most other silent

I don't think I paid much more than £100 on ebay.  The trick is to find a nice one with local pickup only.  BTW, I don't think the OP is short of a few bob, he has other very expensive hobbies. 

[amyk]

Your starting around the £300 with the bambi and most other silent, I don't know if the op has that sort of budget, there use to be a company in kent (uk) that sold its own refurbs (usually medical grade compressors)

Note that the Bambi and others like it are basically the same as refrigeration compressors --- they are oil-filled, low CFM, and intermittent duty cycle only (they're very quiet, but that doesn't mean they can run continuously without overheating.)

[CopperCone]

A nice affordable, fairly quiet (be sure to install the muffler provided with it) and small (only 2.5cfm) compressor that I am very happy with is the

https://www.amazon.com/Rolair-JC10-Plus-Oil-Less-Compressor/dp/B0058NRVMO

Only 60dB

I have mine setup on a wire rack shelf (in a garage), so I may easily clean the floor with a garden hose and a mop. It is next to a MIG welder.

It is quiet enough that the vibration of the wire spool in the mig welder on the bobbin is louder then the compressor. The compressor just sounds kinda farty. The compressor has rubber feet but the wire shelf that it is on is fairly shitty so it flexes and vibrates.

I need to put some kind of tensioning in the welder to stop the wires from rattling around.

Perhaps I will put a plank of rubber coated wood under the compressor to see if I can isolate it from the welder (I think the vibration is traveling through very specific elements under the compressor feet, it might stop if its spread to all of them evenly.

Keep in mind the CFM is low, 2.5 is not enough for most tools other then a nailer or very quick uses. Of course if you want you can put a 60 gallon tank connected to it (granted you will probably wear out the little motor unless you obey the duty cycle restrictions) that takes forever to fill but will give you some usability for heavy tools, maybe 2 minutes on some air hog like a carbon arc gouge.

But, I can't stand the other compressors. I had a shitty husky before that sounded like someone was firing a belt fed machine gun 2 inches away from my ear. I hated that fucking thing I would literary wear ear muffs and plug it in with a extension cord and run away indoors when it turned on, come back when it turned off, turned it off, used until the pressure was low, and repeated. You could hear it clearly down the street.

[MacMeter]

A nice affordable, fairly quiet (be sure to install the muffler provided with it) and small (only 2.5cfm) compressor that I am very happy with is the

https://www.amazon.com/Rolair-JC10-Plus-Oil-Less-Compressor/dp/B0058NRVMO

Only 60dB

I have mine setup on a wire rack shelf (in a garage), so I may easily clean the floor with a garden hose and a mop. It is next to a MIG welder.

It is quiet enough that the vibration of the wire spool in the mig welder on the bobbin is louder then the compressor. The compressor just sounds kinda farty. The compressor has rubber feet but the wire shelf that it is on is fairly shitty so it flexes and vibrates.

I need to put some kind of tensioning in the welder to stop the wires from rattling around.

Perhaps I will put a plank of rubber coated wood under the compressor to see if I can isolate it from the welder (I think the vibration is traveling through very specific elements under the compressor feet, it might stop if its spread to all of them evenly.

Odd, that was the other model I was looking at, but decided on the very similar California Air model I mentioned previously. I thought I rejected it, as it didn’t have an aluminum tank, but I see by your link it does, maybe it’s been updated, not sure now why I went with the CAT, but they specs are very similar.