I'll have to measure the dB on mine! When I'm standing at the lathe (about 6 feet away), I'm guessing it's close to 60. I'll check next time I'm out there.
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Ultra Quiet Air Compressor: It’s for real!
- Thread starter John Erickson
- Start date
Oh, I should have specified, although you may have guessed - they were both right by my feet.
Yea, I figured.
Carl, if you didn't see my comments earlier in this discussion take a look when you have a moment. The CAT decibel ratings are measured at 20ft distance according to their tech support when I called. I bought a "ultra quiet" Menards unit that was supposed to be 67db. Returned it becasue it was too loud at 88db. But out of curiosity after talking to the CAT guy, I was able to test the same Menards unit at a neighbor's house and even at 20ft it was 85db.
I did miss that. I figured I was closer then they were, but was mostly interested in the difference between the two - and whether I could stand next to it without ear protection.
20ft is a pretty good distance, I'm never going to be that far. But out of curiosity, I've measured off 20' and got 53 db. Of course, there are a lot of variables that go into that. However we measure, it's nice to have something that isn't painfully loud.
I just noticed your location. I went to Concord, my father taught at Central.
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My biggest surprise when I got a 60 gal Quincy about 10 years ago was how quiet it was.
measure it with my Apple Watch
79&80 db. right at the compress
67 db at my blast cabinet about 15 feet away. Lathes are further away.
the spec from the northern tool says 80 db.
Opening any bleed valve spikes the noise level well into the danger zone
measure it with my Apple Watch
79&80 db. right at the compress
67 db at my blast cabinet about 15 feet away. Lathes are further away.
the spec from the northern tool says 80 db.
Opening any bleed valve spikes the noise level well into the danger zone
This got me curious, so I just went out and checked. I’m getting 65 at the lathe (5 ft away) and 71 right at the compressor. A HUGE difference from my last one which was at 93 from 8 feet away.
I have a 60 gallon Porter Cable compressor and at 10' my sound level meter says it'e 84.6 DbA and at 20' (which is where I'm standing when at my lathe) it reads 82.2 DbA.
Said company says it has over 2000 authorized service centers yet I'm unable to find a listing of them. Am I missing something obvious again? Periodic service and repairs can be needed to extend the life of your tool, that is why we provide a network of 2000 Authorized Independent Service Centers.
I recently upgraded from a pancake to a California Air Tools. It's amazing how much more quiet it is. Decibels are logarithmic, so ten decibels is a much bigger difference than you might think
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If they are like Homelite/Ridgid/Ryobi/TTI/Milwaukee then you'd have to call the company's 1-800 number and give them your zip code for a referral to nearest service center, they otherwise don't have a listing online, except maybe as an out of date afterthought.
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Thanks to this thread I finally sold my small, noisy compressor for the ultra quiet 10gal Upright CAT. I love it! I installed a simple air line to make it more useable.
View: https://youtu.be/wGICm2GizII
Yes, this threat also cost me the price of a new (ultra quiet) air compressor, but I am very happy I did this. I went for a little (1 gallon) unit because it is dedicated to my lathe and is all I need for that (I got the CAT 1P1060SP). It is very quiet, non-startling and happily it has a good regulator that allows me to turn the outlet pressure down to a level that doesn't blow everything into my face and all over the room.
Re loud compressors I built one using an old fridge motor and an old LPG 4.5 Kg bottle its under my bench and no more noise than when the fridge is running in the house it pumps up quickly and will pump up to what ever you want. You must put in a regulator or you will not stop it working and building pressure cost a bit of time. Mine is set too 120 psi, look on you tube if you want to build one by the way I used a tyre valve for a non return valve.
Cheers Mike
Cheers Mike
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In addition to the 120 PSI cutoff regulator for the tank, it would be a good idea also to use a pressure regulator valve set to 90 PSI for the tank output to your air tools (most of them are designed to operate at 90 PSI max for maximum output). An automatic drain valve would also be nice if you don't always remember to bleed the water from the tank.
Well, my old Craftsman compressor that was louder than the front row at a Who concert finally died (thank God!). So I just got the Amazon special California Air Tools 8010
Frankly, I am really impressed by the build quality and sturdiness for the money, and it's all I'll ever need for my small shop. And yes, it's very quiet, especially after that old Craftsman that shattered my nerves every time it kicked on.
Frankly, I am really impressed by the build quality and sturdiness for the money, and it's all I'll ever need for my small shop. And yes, it's very quiet, especially after that old Craftsman that shattered my nerves every time it kicked on.
Great price, too. What accessories do you need to get going?
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
I have no idea what compressor Binh Pho had for our class but it ran 6 air brushes and you could barely hear it staning 6 feet away.
Alan-None other than what I already had, really. I put on the wheels and the air filter, and just put the hose from my old unit into the universal connector, and was up and running in minutes. About all I do with one is blow things out and pump up the occasional flat tire, so I don't know what is required to run air tools.
My beloved (well liked) 1 gallon Eagle Silent Series compressor died this week so I decided to take the opportunity to upgrade to a California Tool one after reading all the endorsements here. I picked up a California Tool 2 gallon ultra quiet one and while it is quiet 71 dB at 6 feet it's not a quiet as my 1 gallon Eagle. I look forward to putting it through it's paces.