 Hey everybody, it's DJB, and if you're new here, welcome to my channel. Obviously if you're clicking on this video, you're looking for more airbrushing information. I've been airbrushing since 2017 as a part of the model horse community, and everything I've learned has been trial and error along the way. And in today's video, I'm going to be talking about airbrush compressors. My compressor of five years has recently broken, which means that I was throwing into the choice of picking a new air compressor in not a lot of time. I've come to the conclusion that there's a lot of misinformation out there, and when you Google airbrush compressor, the type of compressor that's going to pop up is your standard hobby compressor. And these are great and they work well, but they're actually not quite powerful enough for what we need. An air compressor is basically a machine that collects air and compresses it to allow you to use certain power tools. If you're getting into the hobby of airbrushing from a hobbyist standpoint, you need something to connect your airbrush to to be able to spray. We generally spray indoors, and whether that be in our garage or in our home, airbrushing is an indoor sport and that means the compressor is also indoors. So that limits us to what we can have and run comfortably in a home, especially if we have other people living in the house or are in a rental situation. So that being said, we are only looking at electric compressors here. So these are compressors that come with a cord that you can plug into your outlet at home. They don't emit any dangerous gases and most of these guys are oil-free and maintenance-free, so they're plug-in and go. There's a couple on the market that require oil that you can get, but these will be the louder, larger compressors and that's not necessary at all. So the ones that say oil-free, those are good for airbrushing. Another thing to take into consideration when searching for the right compressor for you is that any compressor with a tank is going to have an auto-on-off start. So that means the compressor is going to run generate air to fill the tank, and then once the tank is full, it's going to actually shut off. So if you're not actively spraying or using any of the air, it's going to hold the air for you in the tank. And then as soon as that air is replenished enough to the point that the compressor reads, it's going to kick on, compress enough air to refill that tank. So it's just trying to generate enough air to refill the tank. So if at any moment you stop spraying or need to step away, the air compressor is going to stop for you. So definitely look for the words auto-on-off when searching. The only time that doesn't occur is when there is no reservoir tank. So when I started into the journey of everything, I just googled airbrush compressor and bought the first thing that popped up on Amazon. And it was great. It worked for me for five years. But nearing the mid-life of it, I was starting to have a bunch of problems with my airbrush itself. And I blamed that on cleaning. I blamed that on clogs, on my paint, on temperature, on different things. I tried everything to resolve the issues. And ultimately, I believe that the air compressor was the problem with my airbrushing method. If you don't have a good compressor and you don't have consistent quality air, your paint quality is just not going to be there. So it's really actually most important to have a good compressor if you're serious about airbrushing. You can find hobbyist compressors and you can find shop compressors, which are for your auto-home improvement and other garage-based needs. And then your hobbyist is for basically just airbrushing. That's what they're sold for. And so they have different pros and cons to both of them in regards to size, noise, PSI, power consumption, and different things. So there's definitely a happy medium for everyone and what your needs are and what you feel your needs are. Before I get into this too, I just want to state it is recommended based on the Iwata site that you spray at a minimum of 30 PSI. For my needs as a model horse artist, I find a happier medium around 60 PSI. Some of the hobbyist compressors don't quite even go up to 60 PSI. All right, so now let's break down the four different types of compressors that exist on the market. So the first one is a hobbyist compressor. And basically these compressors do not have a reservoir tank, which means that they run 100% of the time. So once you switch on the on switch, this compressor is going to boot up, generate air for you, but it's not going to shut off. So if you have to pause or clean your airbrush or change colors, it's going to continue to run. And the problem with that is that that can create a lot of heat within the motor. It can cause condensation and it can cause basically overheating to the point where the motor could seize up. As it's generating air, it's not going to give you consistent air because it's always trying to refill, it's always trying to pump. It's not going to give you that consistency in the output of air or the quality of air. So these are terrible. I don't know why they exist and I would not recommend this at all. I understand being a beginner or a newbie and you're really not sure about airbrushing and if you want to get into it, this may seem like a tempting option for price, size, sound, all the different things. I would not recommend this kind. I would go with option two, which I will get into. From a general standpoint, a hobbyist compressor will run in the price range from $80 to $100. Their engines are not very powerful and will usually be around .2 horsepower. They will have no tank, which means this is purely just the engine of the compressor itself. And the noise level can be anywhere from 47 to 50 decibels with a PSI capacity of 0 to 57. And they weigh about 10 pounds. These compressors can be appealing as well because they'll generally come with their own moisture trap already attached. Some of them even come with an airbrush hose. The 0 to 57 PSI in itself, it's not quite 60. Usually the set rating that they give you on the machine is not quite what the output of the actual machine is, which is unfortunate. This is only going to give you that 30 to 40 PSI range, maybe a max of 50, 55 is probably pushing it. So that's something to take into consideration too, depending on what kind of paint you are planning on pumping through your brush. So now the second type of airbrush compressor is also a hobbyist compressor, but these are ones with the tank. And this is the kind of compressor that I was running myself for the past five years. I've heard that these don't last that long generally. It's kind of a fluke. I'm not sure how it lasted so long. Like I said, I don't think it was running at full capacity for quite some time. And these are a little bit more expensive, but they have a tank. They have the auto shut off, which really helps in your painting process. The price range is $150 to $200. They have the same about 0.2 horsepower engine. The tank size is generally 0.7 gallons, which is not a lot. It's not even quite one. It's like half a gallon. They don't actually last as long as you would think. I found with mine, it would fill up and shut off when I would walk away, but generally when I was spraying, it was running pretty continually. And I think that's where the problem lies, because it's constantly trying to pump air and generate more flows. They are also at the same noise level with about 47 to 50 decibels. The PSI capacity is 0 to 57, and they are around the 10 pound mark as well. Now, the third type of compressor is your standard shop compressor. These guys can be a range of different brands, different sizes, different shapes, colors, and these are your standard garage household air compressor. So you're going to hook up your power tools to this. You're going to inflate your car tire with it. These are compatible with airbrushes, and these are an option for you only if you can route it to a different area of your house. Unfortunately, these are incredibly loud, very, very deafening. A lot of artists and hobbyists don't want this because if you're working at, you know, a desk and you can't fit the air compressor underneath your desk without, you know, losing your mind, it's not going to work. And if you're living in a house with other people or you're renting or whatever your scenario is, obviously having something incredibly loud in your house is not ideal. That's these kind of compressors. So in that sense, they're a little bit like overkill in a way. But if you already have one in your garage or you already have one in your basement and you want to hook up your airbrush to test it out or to work with it, you totally can. And these are an option. The good part about these guys is they come in much larger air tank sizes. So some people will even have, you know, the 35 gallon tank. Turn it on, walk out of the room, let it fill up for however long that takes and then shut it off and then airbrush using the reservoir tank. I've also heard of other artists running, you know, their air hose through a wall or stationing the compressor in a closet or somewhere where it's not so loud and noticeable. And I mean, the good part about these guys is that they're not going to be running very often at all. You know, you have a larger tank size. It's not going to need to kick in very much. They definitely aren't for the faint of heart and you need to be ready and prepared for that option. That being said, the price point is really reasonable. They can range anywhere from $100 to $200. So they're not much more than a hobbyist compressor, but you can get a larger capacity. Tank size can be a two gallon, we have six gallon, eight gallon, 20 gallon, 38 gallon, and I haven't seen a 60 gallon. But like I said, that's pretty overkill for what you would need and the price point of a 60 gallon compressor is quite expensive. The engines on these guys are anywhere from 0.8 to 2 horsepower. It kind of fluctuates depending on the model. And the noise level is 80 to 100 decibels, which is loud. And the weight of these guys can be quite heavy as well, anywhere from 30 to 60 pounds. I'm sure the bigger ones are much heavier. That's not super important for airbrushing because you're not generally going to be moving the compressor around. But if you did need like a portability studio or you're taking your airbrush with you because you're a makeup artist, perhaps the hobbyist compressor would be better. Now the fourth option is your magic option. So this is a shop compressor, but a quiet version. In recent years, there has been development on a handful of quiet shop compressors. So these are still suitable for all of the auto needs. Filling car tires, using a nail gun, home renails, all the different things. But they're designed and developed to be at a much quieter level. And these are perfect for airbrushing. I am going to be a little bit biased towards this option just for the professional standpoint of things. These guys are amazing. They are not much louder than the hobbyist ones and they run at the same level of a shop compressor. So you're getting all the jam for half the noise. But unfortunately, double the cost. They run anywhere from the $200 to $300 range and upwards depending on tank size. Horsepower can be anywhere from .5 to 1.5. I believe I've seen one at around 2 as well. And the tank sizes are a little more limited. It's usually 1 gallon to 3 gallon. I have seen an 8 gallon available as well. And the noise level on these guys is 58 to 60 decibels. So the hobbyist compressor was clocking in at 47 to 50. So 58 to 60. It's definitely a little bit louder than the hobbyist one. But it's still manageable. You can still run it in your house. You can still have a conversation. If you're playing music, it's not going to startle you when it kicks on. So this is a great option and an amazing technology. And I'm so thankful that these exist. Personally, I went for that option. I bought a quiet compressor and did a hookup. You're going to need additional supplies. So you're going to need to purchase a separate moisture regulator trap, which you can see mine there. An air hose to connect to the actual machine. And you're going to need all of the adapters to actually connect all of the pieces together. So it's going to be a little bit more expensive on that front and a little more work kind of on the forefront because you need to do your research and figure out what adapter works for your airbrush and what hose you need and all the different things. So understanding that all. So I'm going to make a separate video explaining exactly how to do that and what parts you would need to do that. And any questions or concerns, you can shoot me an email or send me a comment or private message. I'm always happy to help. So thank you so much for watching and happy airbrushing.