California Air Tools 2010A 1.0 HP Ultra Quiet and Oil-Free Air Compressor, 2 ...

This is one of those buy to last tools verses getting the cheapest thing you can find for one shot use. That said its good value for the money. This compressor works well indoors (nice and quiet) for airbrushing, blowing off parts, driving pneumatic tools, maintaining tire pressure for cars and bicycles,... All around a great air compressor for home use – compact and convenient to carry though a bit heavy– that can easily handle commercial jobs (see painting caveat below.) You'll want to add a moisture trap for airbrushing. But this isn't the compressor for your LPHV paint gun (think spray painting fences or cars.) This compressor can easily handle the Low Pressure required, but it can't manage the continuous High Volume needed. I suppose if you're patient and attentive you could manage painting a fence a few boards at a time as you deplete and re-pressurize the tank on this compressor. But really...

I've contained a lust for California Air Tool compressors, for years. However, they seemed too pricey. Plus, I already had a couple compressors that functioned perfectly fine, but they're loud as all-get-out. Now that the CAT compressors are within my budget and I've gotten a bit older, maybe wiser (think about "1970's rock concerts"), I treated myself to what I consider an indispensable piece of equipment. The 1 HP 2 gallon with Aluminum tank is pretty easy to carry. While running, you can, literally, have a normal-voice level conversation while standing 4 feet away. It's compact enough to stash under one of my workshop shelves and doesn't suppress or disrupt any sense of calm while I'm obsessing over some perceived-essential wood shop task (should I hang my coping saw on peg board, keep it in a drawer or throw it on the work bench). It doesn't trip a 15-Amp breaker. My 15-gauge Makita finish nailer will set a 2 1/2" nail through 1" thick Hickory stair treads into Pine stair stringers, all day long. My 16, 18 and 23-gauge nailers and/or staplers aren't a challenge for this guy. It'll give me enough air blast to dust off my saws before storage and pump up my 80 PSI truck tires. My Gal was impressed by the quietness when I turned it on for the first time. As usual, she was expecting my pre-unboxing accolades to be hyperbole and excuses for buying a tool. Honestly, she said, "Wow", with zero sarcasm, in her normal that's-really-cool-but-it-doesn't-cook-dinner voice. She'll have to listen to my 25-year-old, cast-Iron pump, 20 gallon compressor I use in our garage, until it's, hopefully soon, replaced with a California Air Tools big-un. I might run that noisy, old, oil-dripper a lot, just before a new garage-size CAT unit gets delivered. Also, assembly, was excessively simple. It took about a minute, but I tortured myself for a few seconds, pondering the optimal position for the air intake tube. I decided on pointing it downward, towards the outboard side, thinking that would provide a clean path for cooler-air intake. My Gal, offered no objection. Like, I woulda listened, anyway. I coulda heard her though, if she had. This thing is very quiet. P.S. I don't expect it to keep up with my bump-fire framing nailer or an air ratchet. I haven't tried, either. That's not why I bought it.

By the numbers: First - yes it is ultra quiet. The manufacturer totes this at 60db (which is pretty quiet) you can have a conversation standing right next to it. Number 2 - It presses up to tank pressure of 115psi in just a few minutes (if that - it seems really quick). III - It has a solid design that is compact and portable, light-weight in comparison to other steel tank units. 16/4 - The suction cup feet even if not on a super smooth surface keep the unit from moving around a lot when running. 5 - out of the box and up and running in about 2 minutes. 3x2 - The switch is solid and accurate starting and stopping in auto right on with the pressures. Tank pressure gauge is a bit difficult to read from a standing position (that is the one critical thing I would recommend changing - installing a 90degree adaptor soon so I can see the gauge better). The regulator is nicely positioned and easy to use. The drain valve is positioned low as it should be and super easy to operate (just a quarter-turn to open the valve). Seventh of the order - If you are tempted to ask other reviewers IF a specific tool will work with this unit, I would recommend reading the literature on both the unit and your tool FIRST. The tool will usually provide a recommended pressure and CFM, and the compressor will either meet that demand or it will not and you will need to size the compressor accordingly. I just got this compressor and it doesn't have a lot of run hours on it, but out of the box I'm giving it a solid 5 stars.

Off the top of my head I can think of 9 other air compressors I've used over the years. With the exception of large two stage compressors, and most recently the Senco PC1010N (a direct competitor of this compressor), they were all noisy and not particularly impressive. I really wanted to like the Senco. It's light, attractive, quiet, compact, and very handy due to it's small size. However I found it annoying because it ran ALL THE TIME. slight leak at a fitting? It's running. Shoot a few brad nails? It's running. I mean it's quiet, but it's not unnoticeable. I was also concerned about wearing the thing out prematurely because it ran so much. In fairness, with a 1 gal tank I knew it was going to run fairly often. But as it turns out it was just running too much. When I stumbled across the California air tools compressor I had never heard of this brand. But I couldn't help but notice they were solving some fundamental shortcomings with their designs. The two gallon compressor not only holds more air, it also has two cylinders to fill the tank, and the cylinders are quite wide. This translates to far less runtime to fill twice as much tank, and it's even quieter than I imagined. It's the kind of quiet that puts a grin on my face. I didn't know air compressors could be such a pleasure to use. I've seen some nitpicky reviews about this product. And it makes me think that the folks writing those reviews don't have much experience with air compressors. I just started using this compressor so I have no idea about the longevity of the product. But, given the build quality, I have no doubt this compressor will be with me for a long time.

I weighed it, but I can tell you it feels lots heavier than its 35 pounds. I have an old 3 gallon that weighs 20 pounds, 15 pounds lighter. But I got this for my boat and I wanted some things my trusty 3 gallon could not provide. I wanted it to be quiet. No doubt, this thing is quiet. I tested it in my bedroom without issue. I wanted high CFM for its size. This compressor will fill the tank in seconds. Amazingly fast ! I wanted an aluminum tank and higher quality. No doubt, this thing is quality built. Everything from SS braided hoses, etc. shines in quality. But I do wish the foot print was smaller. The motor is so heavy it couldn't be located above the lightweight tank without being top heavy. But I will say it sits very steady on its widely spaced frame. And lastly, as mentioned earlier, this compressor is heavy for a 2 gallon. Not to the point I can't move it around, but its like holding a bag of sand with one arm!

I bought this compressor to replace a venerable DeVillbiss unit I used for 25 years. Thought I'd try this new, ultra quiet compressor. I must say it is absolutely the quietest unit I have ever seen or used. Wait, wait though.... what they don't tell you is HOW they get the thing to be so quiet. Here's the fine print: It's so quiet because it DOES NOT work. It just sits there like a stone. Mine flat out failed after 14 months and certainly less than 20 uses in that time. This is meant to be my secondary compressor, used to inflate tires and use in the house for trim nails or whatever. Very light use. For my primary compressor I have a large DeWalt that I use in the shop almost daily for everything from spraying finishes, to running air sanders. I'm well versed in compressors and tools as I've been using them for more than 30 years as a hobby and professionally. This company has taken this "quiet" mantra to a whole other level, though. I have written them 2 nicely worded emails and left them 2 voice mails explaining the failure and hoping they could fix it or send some replacement parts or something. Well.... they don't return phone calls or emails apparently. They like to remain quiet on the customer service end of the operation, as well. They take their marketing very seriously, I guess. I'd like to say they were rude or condescending, or otherwise unhelpful, but the truth is, they are non existent. They are just "quiet." Beyond quiet, actually.... more like dead silent. I see that the warranty is good for 12 months. The fact that mine failed after 14 months is just my luck. Of course I don't know how anyone could get a warranty claim from them since they refuse to return communications. CAVEAT EMPTOR - please consider my experience before purchasing. It sucks having a $200 door stop taking up space in my shop. For those of you who like specific ratings: PROS: I ordered it and it was delivered to my house It works great as a door stop. The rubber feet keep it planted nicely on the floor. It is EXTREMELY quiet... after 14 months it quite literally could get any quieter CONS: It doesn't compress air (that's kind of a biggie for an air compressor) The plug wire is too short The internal parts are lightweight, i.e. cheap When it did work, the regulator was out of whack and inaccurate Non existent customer service EVERYTHING ELSE you could possibly expect from a compressor or a tool company If by some miracle in the future I hear back from California Air, I'll update this review. UPDATE: Feb 6, 2017 Since it's broken anyway, I decided to take it apart and see what happened. Upon further inspection customers should know this unit has what appears to be a cast aluminum housing. VERY WEAK choice for the guts of the compressor. As you can see in the photos, the area where the valve seats on the down stroke shattered. Metal shrapnel everywhere. The shards penetrated the silicone gasket and blew throughout the motor. I hope the pictures explain it better than my writing. The valve gaskets are a cheap grade of silicone and were discoloring and hardening, as well. This machine is junk. If you have one and it hasn't failed yet, I think it probably will. If you buy one after seeing these pictures, don't say I didn't warn you! Oh... by the way.... still haven't heard anything from the company after another email and phone call....

The first unit that I received would instantly trip multiple Ground Fault circuit breakers. I sent this one back and tried again. The second unit I received had no problems. Yes, the unit IS quieter than most but not completely silent as would be suggested by some videos on the Internet. (I won't use Google or YouTube.) The overall quality looks pretty good. Light in weight due to its aluminum construction. I like having an aluminum tank because it is more resistant to corrosion than steel. I purchased this unit as a back up air compressor. My home has a four-cylinder oil-less air compressor (Made in USA) with a fairly large tank (about 20 gallons). Compressed air is distributed using standard copper pipes to a few strategic locations throughout the house. You guessed it, I'm a retired engineer and find compressed air to be invaluable. We have the usual warning at the end of the power cord telling you not to use an extension cord. Some lawyer probably recommended this. You see, an air compressor has a motor. Whenever an electric motor starts there's an in-rush current that can be 10X, or more of the running current. This means that if you have an extension cord their may be an excessive voltage drop whenever the compressor starts. So, definitely do NOT use a long 16AWG extension cord. However, a shorter (10-25 ft.) 14 or 12 AWG extension cord should not be a problem. Do your own research on extension cords. I think that the California Air Tools 2010A Ultra Quiet and Oil-Free 1.0 HP 2.0-Gallon Aluminum Tank Air Compressor, would make a nice air compressor for a "normal" person who just needs to fill up some automotive or bicycle tires. It would serve well for a contractor running only one tool at a time. It's not big enough to run a crew.

I love this compressor. First off it's waaay quieter than my pancake compressor, it's lighter, and the control & air drain are on the same side . . . which I like. Upgrade! My only ding is . . . I use this for a CNC machine off-loader system plus a hose to clean the machine. So, I need two outputs not one. (This was easily solved by installing a different, two place output fitting.) The pancake compressor is now retired to the garage for inflating auto tires.