Commercial Air Compressor Buyer's Guide

There are times in life when you settle: friends, job, marriage...

But when it comes to a purchase as large as an industrial air compressor, you need a unit that meets all your requirements.

There are two types to choose from: two-stage compressors & rotary screw compressors.

Your first task is deciding which type of compressor you will need.

Two-Stage Air Compressors
Two-stage compressors are commonly found in garages and manufacturing facilities.

Two-stage are used to power a bevy of air tools, such as air hammers, die grinders, impact wrenches and nail guns. They can be powerful enough to run several air tools at once.

These compressors are powered by either gas or electricity, although most are electric. Utilizing two pistons, 2-stage units compress the air twice, delivering more air power than smaller compressors.

Energy costs for two-stage units can get rather pricey so keep this in mind when making your purchase.

Two-stage compressors can create up to about 90 CFM.

Rotary Screw Air Compressors
Rotary screw compressors are the biggest, most powerful compressors on the market. If you have greater than a 60% duty-cycle need, then choose a rotary compressor.

You will find these in the most professional garages and factories where a large amount of compressed air is required nonstop. They often provide compressed air for precision tasks such as powder-coating or sand-blasting.

Rotary screw compressors are powered by two counter-rotating screws (rotors) which compress air as it is pushed along the grooves of the screws.

Exceptionally efficient and surprisingly quiet, rotary screw compressors are the most technologically advanced units on the market. The energy consumption is extremely low despite the great power of rotary compressors.

Our most powerful rotary screw compressors produce more than 200 CFM, but the big guys on oil rigs produce about 2000 CFM.