Air compressors (refers: Aldi)

Hi FOAKs,

Last week Aldi ran a special on an air compressor: "Powercraft" (own brand),
2.5HP, 270 lit/min, 24 litre capacity, with tyre inflator. 10m hose, jetwash
and paint spray gun, all for £82.00. Of course, by the time I got there
they'd all gone from both the Gloucester and Cheltenham shops.

Did anyone buy one? Are they any good? Do I have to spend £150 for an
equivalent "AirMaster" or "Clarke" model from Machine Mart?

Will that sort of spec give me enough air flow to spray a small-ish item
like a boot spoiler?

BTW, peeve of the Week from the Aldi Web site FAQ: "Why are Aldi stores not
listed in the phone book? The Store Manager or Area Manager handles all
customer enquiries, so the easiest way to contact them is by returning to
the store. This way our service to customers is prompt and personal."

 

I bought an Aldi one and spent another £15 on a rattle gun and sockets.

Haven't used the compressor for anything other than doing tyres so far,
but it seems good, and it has a three year guarantee. Bargain, IMHO.

No idea.

Aldi stores have *always* been ex-directory. The company is very
secretive. As its its founder, who really is The Invisible Man. Google
for Theo Albrecht (that's how the name came about, btw: ALbrech
DIscount).

 

They've still got some, up here...

 

I have one, and yes, they are good value.

They're usually sold as Wolf Air compressors for rather more money. You'd be
able to spray small items with it happily.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Rudy Lacchin

Last time I checked (Friday) they still had a number in the Hoddesdon
branch. Want me to buy one and UR it to you?

 

You were well and truly done!

I got the exact same one mid November for £59 from our local Aldi.

This week I bought all the air tools bar the stapler gun.

Yesterday I was under orders to remove the ceramic floor tiles from the
bathroom - the air chisel made very short work of it, although I
suspect the comopressor was working at the upper end of it's capacity,
but by working in short bren gun type bursts it proved no problem.

A bargain? Most certainly - even at £82

 

I've killed two of those air chisels in the last 12 months, so don't
expect it to last. They do kinda do the job, but it's a bit like
breaking up concrete with a rolled up newspaper compared to a decent
SDS.

--
Krusty

'03 Tiger 955i
'02 MV Senna (for sale) '96 Tiger (for sale)
'79 Fantic Hiro 250 (for sale) '81 Corvette (for sale)

 

They do have a three year guarantee though. Mind you, at those prices
I've nearly had my moneys worth already from the grin factor - but
point taken.

 

Krusty wibbled...

Oh ****, that made me laugh!

 

I just merged a Wolf Air 24 l reservoir with a Bambi Air silent
compressor pump and now have a compressor I can use without earplugs!

Unlike the Sealey 3hp, 50 l, V twin, 10 cfm (delivery) direct drive
jobby but at least that can nearly keep up with most these cheap air
tools (die grinder / drill etc).

T i m

 

That depends on the spray gun you use. If you buy one that's matched to the
air delivery output of the compressor, then yes, but if you buy/have one
that requires subsantially more air (at the correct psi) than the compressor
can provide, you'll struggle and that will result in a paint finsh that's
"dry" or "orange peely".

That's probably quicker and cheaper than getting an answer from an off-shore
call centre though.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Dare I ask whereabouts that might be?

 

There's a stack of them in the Aldi in Thornbury.

 

Leigh, Lancs.

 

Which of course is bullshit.
They're not listed so they don't get bothered by pesky charity donation
solicitation calls and the like. Also cusstomers.

 

Also, you can use a low-capacity compresser to keep an additional air
reservoir topped up in parallel to the first one. Beer kegs being the
favourite for this.

 

Hmm, whilst I was quite happy playing God with these two existing
compressors I'm not quite sure how keen (brave / stupid?) *I* would be
playing with 'other' stuff like that (but I know many people do).

I have a couple of those 15kg Calor gas bottles empty that keep
beckoning me to do something along those lines with them but for most
of the stuff I'd be doing with air I need continuous flow [1] rather
than just even a medium burst of air (using an air angle grinder round
my mates I've had his 3phase 150 l compressor running nearly
continuously).

And that brings me to another issue with air.

I was using a little die grinder with an abrasive disk the other day
to clean up some steel and my 9.2cfm (delivered, 12 off load) 3kW
compressor was only just keeping up. That means I was effectively
running a 3kW tool where a 750W electric equivalent would have been
far more efficient (and compact, considering the compressor as well)
and quiet! So, whilst I now have a fair bit of Air based kit I think
I'll try to use it for those jobs where it is the best (or only)
solution, like spraying, tyre inflation, a bit of shot blasting and
brake caliper piston removal (where it's at it's best)!

Oh, and I try not to do any such work in the rain (where air would be
safer). ;-)

T i m

[1] I have one of those very noisy but very light / portable 240V
instant compressors (£60, Makro) that is ideal for pumping up tyres
and blowing the crap out of PC's and similar stuff. Because it's so
loud the trick is running just inside an outside door but taking the
business end outside where it's quieter and better for blowing dust
about. ;-)

 

I bought a dirt cheap angle grinder off of ALDI a few years ago (sub
£10) and after a good deal of abuse the gears in the gearbox died.

I noticed a German web address on the side, the manufacturer not ALDI,
so I emailed them and said that "I know it was a cheap tool but how much
for a new gear set?"

I got an email back immediately from a guy saying:
"They were not cheap gears, they were the same as supplied to (he gave
me a list of top tool manufactures) and that replacement gears would be
in the post immediately!

Two days later by special delivery comes a new set of gears, no charge!

 

The cheap die grinders are *really* air hungry, (so quite expensive to run
compared to electric ones) as are most cheap air tools, but I had a shiny
new Snap-on mini D/A delivered today that uses a mere 2.2cfm @ 100psi.
15000rpm and less than 4mm of "swirl" and it's the quietest air tool I've
used. My Clarke (Machine Mart) die grinder uses around 10cfm (much the same
as yours) and gives me a fucking headache when use it. I must say though,
it's been as reliable as ****. 7 years of regular use and nothing more than
the occasional squirt of oil.



--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I know what you mean.
I've got a V twin direct drive 3hp compressor.

I SAID I'VE GOT A V TWIN DIRECT DRIVE 3HP COMPRESSOR!