Im looking at a new compressor for vapour blasting in my garage. We have a home made vapour blaster (pretty much sandblasting but with water as well as media) and our compressor has given up the ghost. Clarke offer a 150l 3hp 14cfm air industrial compressor for 788. But cheaper is the Clarke Boxer 2 compressor which is also 150l but its 4hp, 18cfm, and only 634. What am I missing here? The specs seem better on the cheaper model, but is it inferior quality, or fine for what I need? Thanks!!!
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dieselsamurai
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Blue ones have a higher duty cycle i would imagine , v twin keeps the cylinders cooler when running
MoreWellie
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You are looking at differences in working life the "blue" one is designed to last longer. I would alo expect it to be quieter but couldn't see db specs
either of them will need a 32amp supply
either of them will need a 32amp supply
I have my current one wired to a 4 pole isolated which is in turn wired to a 32a breaker on the fuse board
MetalMonkey
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The blue industrial line look to have a cast iron V pump, vs the aluminium on the cheaper model.
They should be slower running, and longer lasting as a result.
Suitability will depend on how much air you need for your blaster. For my sand blaster I’m running two compressors joined together to give me enough air.
They should be slower running, and longer lasting as a result.
Suitability will depend on how much air you need for your blaster. For my sand blaster I’m running two compressors joined together to give me enough air.
Fazerruss
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Despite what everyone is saying about blue being more robust pumps they actually aren't. I had a very close look recently in machine mart when looking for a new pump for my compressor. I asked one of the shop staff what the difference is because when compared side by side they are exactly the same pump apart for a splash of blue hammer finnish paint. The man said its exactly that, no difference apart from colour. The motors are also the same.
Its more than likely due to warranty terms like what Axminster tools do with their stuff. If you buy a tool from Axminster and declare it being used for commercial purposes they only give 6 months warranty rather than 12 for domestic/hobby use.
This will be why machine mart charge more so they can still give a reasonable warranty period and cover the higher probability of failure without it costing them too much.
Its more than likely due to warranty terms like what Axminster tools do with their stuff. If you buy a tool from Axminster and declare it being used for commercial purposes they only give 6 months warranty rather than 12 for domestic/hobby use.
This will be why machine mart charge more so they can still give a reasonable warranty period and cover the higher probability of failure without it costing them too much.
dieselsamurai
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Screw compressors tend to be a lot more pricey . I have 2 x V twin pumps with 3hp motors and i recon lucky if im getting 30cfm but I have 1000ltrs of storage, for on off blasting it means the pressure never goes below 100psi which works well for me. Constant blasting depending on nozzle size the CFM needs to be a lot higher
brightspark
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28cfm set up will run a 3.0mm blast jet constantly at 90 psi and have a bit of spare capacity
MetalMonkey
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Depends on the machine - the ones in the OP post are:
Boxer
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-boxer-ii-18150-ol-18cfm-150litre-4hp-bel/
Industrial
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-industrial-air-compressor---xev16150-23/
With the industrial having the V cast iron pump.
Other models don't, such as:
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-xe15150-industrial-air-compressor-400v/
Which has a similar pump to the Boxer as you say.
You may also find the industrial units may have a different pulley size to run it slower, I don’t know on the Clarke, but certainly the sealey one I have screams its guts out to try and make the claimed CFM.
I'd also recommend the OP checks out https://airindustrial.com/products/piston-compressors/
Had one of their W models for a number of years and it works well, and much quieter.
Fazerruss
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Yeah obviously the v twin and parallel twin are different but all the parallel twins are the same regardless of colour.
Like I say I looked at these in great depth. The higher cfm compressors use the same pump as the lower ones but instead use a 2800rpm motor rather than 1425. The pulley sizes are the same so it just means the pump is running at twice the speed but not twice the cfm due to pumping losses.
Usually the 14cfm use a 3hp 1425 rpm motor and the 18cfm use a 4hp 2800 rpm. It was a couple of months ago when I looked at this but that's the general idea
Like I say I looked at these in great depth. The higher cfm compressors use the same pump as the lower ones but instead use a 2800rpm motor rather than 1425. The pulley sizes are the same so it just means the pump is running at twice the speed but not twice the cfm due to pumping losses.
Usually the 14cfm use a 3hp 1425 rpm motor and the 18cfm use a 4hp 2800 rpm. It was a couple of months ago when I looked at this but that's the general idea
MetalMonkey
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That sounds about right - its an absolute trauma running one at those high speeds, and I doubt the pump likes it either.
I think my W runs at 950rpm which is far more civilised.
