Others Some thoughts on GX compressors

[Alandaledaniel]

As I have now had in my use over six GX compressors, several CS2 and CS3 models, and have worked on all of them, so I have some insight into maintenance and use that might be of use to the members.
First, I'm a huge fan of the CS2, it is robust and simple in design and operation. Since I would never walk off and trust a CS3 or other compressor to shut off on it's own, I have to be there and watch it anyway, so no need for auto shutoff in my book. The CS3 is the same design as the CS2, with a simple addition of auto shutoff parts.
Second, these are to fill guns only and any attempt to fill large cylinders is at your own risk. Can it be done, sure! Is it advisable? That's up to you, but that is not what they're designed for. If you are judicious, it can be done, but I have the compressor to fill with, so I have no need for a large cylinder.
The CS2 is so simply designed, that if properly cared for, I can't imagine it would not last quite a long time. The electronics are simple and very well thought out, and the piston and seals are spot on.
If you maintain the compressor, you add much to your odds of it lasting, and I don't care what anyone, even the manufacturer says about that. They may say it never needs lube, but don't bet on it, especially when it's so simple. There are plenty of videos online showing how to disassemble the unit, but even that is not all that necessary. I'd check the gearbox every year or so,check and replenish the gear grease as needed, and not mess with it any more. If you pull the head, then the wrist pin, and remove the piston, clean everything well and regrease and reinstall, you've done wonders for longevity. Silicone or food grade grease for the piston, and really any good bearing/gear grease for the wrist pin. Also remove the pressure block on the bottom front and clean it of rust and install new filters. Do the same for the gauge housing. You've now spend a half hour or so and added to the life of your compressor.
In use, follow the instructions, open the bleed first, start the compressor, and close the bleed. Keep the fill line and gauge block below the gun at all times when filling so that any liquid will stay in the fill line. You will get rust in the fill line at the compressor pressure block and the gauge block, that's a given. If you vent it hard when filling is done, and open it every few months, and clean it up, you shouldn't have any problems with moisture in your guns. I also would open my airgun's cylinder every year or so for inspection. Of all the causes of explosion, which is rare, I would bet many are from unseen aluminum liners oxidizing. An inspection will tell you if your procedures are working for your climate. If you want to add a filter, it's a great idea. I'd personally stick with a filter on the high pressure line, and change the media every 3 months for peice of mind. I wouldn't fool with an inlet moisture filter, unless it's in addition to an outlet filter. Can't hurt, and may do some minimal good.
The very best advice I could give is use nitrogen fed to the compressor. No worry of any moisture, and no filters, except a cotton filter for debris. I use a 40 cu/ft cyl fed to the handle/inlet of my CX2's at 8-9psi and it works great, even fills just a tad faster too. I do a lot of shooting and use about one n2 cyl a month or so. If I'm not tuning or working on airguns, then n2 lasts longer, maybe 2 months. At $16 a exchange, that's pretty cheap, and cheaper than maintaining filters. N2 is not mandatory, obviously, but it's easy. I used strictly air for a good long time and never had a problem, but I also used a filter.
Just a little care, and these units should last and last, and for around $250, they're a steal. I have friends, who i've sold units to, and they abuse them, never use filters, and do no maintenance whatsoever, unless they ask me to do it, and those compressors are working fine, although, I did disassemble them and lube them properly and check out all the connections before letting them go.

Ok, excellent information from a person who obviously knows what he is talking about. My problem is I am not well versed in working on high pressure compressors. My manuals for the several compressors I have owned [which all previous ones have failed after about one year ] do not have any instructions about how to do the detailed type of maintenance that Bchannell is talking about. All I do is follow what my manual says to do. The manual never mentions keeping the gauge block and fill line below the gun when filling. In fact, this is the first time I have ever heard of this procedure. I do watch you-tube videos on repairing various items and find them to be quite helpful; however, I do not attempt complex repairs based on those videos. I do NOT want to tear down a compressor and lube the piston, or even inspect it. There are so many unanswered questions. When reassembling the compressor how much torque is applied to the head bolts? How much lube is enough? When cleaning the compressor cylinder do I just wipe it off with a rag or do I use carburetor cleaner on it? And so forth.

I depend on the manufacturer telling me EXACTLY what to do to maintain the compressor. If they fail to do that can anyone reasonably expect me to get involved in tearing the machine down after one year of operation and perform maintenance that the manual fails to explain to me about how I would go about this maintenance? Can the manufacturer selling mail order expect a customer to pay the freight every year to mail the compressor back to them, pay for the service, then pay the delivery charges to get it back?

IMO, compressors are not being built well enough if all this detailed effort is required to keep them running. I want to shoot & not spend my time and money keeping my compressor running. Naturally, every machine requires maintenance. However, my lawnmower [gas] doesn’t require a tear-down every year. Sharpen the blades, clean or replace the air filter, maybe replace the spark plug? Even an oil change is fairly easy. In my experience the manuals tell the user how to do these things. Plus, information on internal combustion engines is widespread. Information on high pressure compressor maintenance is not widespread.

At this point I feel trapped. The PCP airgun shooter has to have a good compressor for today’s high pressure air guns. We are climbing to 300 bar being normal because the airgun technology is advancing rapidly and the high pressure gives the user a lot more shots. I like the idea of using higher pressure to increase my shot count. But if the compressors are going to fail after a year or so, especially if straining to reach higher fill pressures, unless extra beyond the manual maintenance is performed, what the heck? Is there any way out of this? Do I have to take a course in high pressure compressor repair? This is extremely frustrating for me. I don’t know about other PCP air gun shooters but the compressor failure problem seems to be acute. This endeavor is expensive already and replacing compressors every few years just isn’t feasible for an average person, IMO. AD2

 

[Hateful McNasty]

"At this point I feel trapped. The PCP airgun shooter has to have a good compressor "

Lol.... Yup exactly my thought on PCP

 

[PasadenaMike]

"At this point I feel trapped. The PCP airgun shooter has to have a good compressor "

Lol.... Yup exactly my thought on PCP

Or a hand pump

 

[Danman]

Ok, excellent information from a person who obviously knows what he is talking about. My problem is I am not well versed in working on high pressure compressors. My manuals for the several compressors I have owned [which all previous ones have failed after about one year ] do not have any instructions about how to do the detailed type of maintenance that Bchannell is talking about. All I do is follow what my manual says to do. The manual never mentions keeping the gauge block and fill line below the gun when filling. In fact, this is the first time I have ever heard of this procedure. I do watch you-tube videos on repairing various items and find them to be quite helpful; however, I do not attempt complex repairs based on those videos. I do NOT want to tear down a compressor and lube the piston, or even inspect it. There are so many unanswered questions. When reassembling the compressor how much torque is applied to the head bolts? How much lube is enough? When cleaning the compressor cylinder do I just wipe it off with a rag or do I use carburetor cleaner on it? And so forth.

I depend on the manufacturer telling me EXACTLY what to do to maintain the compressor. If they fail to do that can anyone reasonably expect me to get involved in tearing the machine down after one year of operation and perform maintenance that the manual fails to explain to me about how I would go about this maintenance? Can the manufacturer selling mail order expect a customer to pay the freight every year to mail the compressor back to them, pay for the service, then pay the delivery charges to get it back?

IMO, compressors are not being built well enough if all this detailed effort is required to keep them running. I want to shoot & not spend my time and money keeping my compressor running. Naturally, every machine requires maintenance. However, my lawnmower [gas] doesn’t require a tear-down every year. Sharpen the blades, clean or replace the air filter, maybe replace the spark plug? Even an oil change is fairly easy. In my experience the manuals tell the user how to do these things. Plus, information on internal combustion engines is widespread. Information on high pressure compressor maintenance is not widespread.

At this point I feel trapped. The PCP airgun shooter has to have a good compressor for today’s high pressure air guns. We are climbing to 300 bar being normal because the airgun technology is advancing rapidly and the high pressure gives the user a lot more shots. I like the idea of using higher pressure to increase my shot count. But if the compressors are going to fail after a year or so, especially if straining to reach higher fill pressures, unless extra beyond the manual maintenance is performed, what the heck? Is there any way out of this? Do I have to take a course in high pressure compressor repair? This is extremely frustrating for me. I don’t know about other PCP air gun shooters but the compressor failure problem seems to be acute. This endeavor is expensive already and replacing compressors every few years just isn’t feasible for an average person, IMO. AD2

This is the age old problem with pcps sir. (and they've been around for a while now!) The options for you are about as follows: 1. Buy something good (Hill for example) and you should be solid, with a good warranty to go with it. They sell maintenance kits for 50/100hrs and so on and It's all laid out how to do small repairs/maintenance for the end user. 2. Run the cheaper lottery compressors get extra warranty or don't be afraid to tear into it when it breaks or toss it and buy another as they are fairly cheap. 3. SPRINGERS/rimfires , 4. Hand pumps...yeah alot of work and exercise and mine still gets a reseal every 6 months it seems (10 mins and $30 or so) but I expect my Hill hand pump to last many years.

 

[Cklein3798]

I have a GX2 compressor as well. I use it to fill my Air Venturi 74-cubit foot air tank.. I need a good water/oil filter for it. I live in Ohio near Cincinnati. It is very humid here, over %65 percent most of the time. I have bought two different filters off of Amazon that cost $65. I need one that will last more than twice! Less than $150 please. Any thoughts on this?















amazon Neither lasted more that 2 times (I shoot a lot). I need a new filter that won't leak after two times of use. Any suggestion for one that will cost less than $150?

 

[Danman]

I have a GX2 compressor as well. I use it to fill my Air Venturi 74-cubit foot air tank.. I need a good water/oil filter for it. I live in Ohio near Cincinnati. It is very humid here, over %65 percent most of the time. I have bought two different filters off of Amazon that cost $65. I need one that will last more than twice! Less than $150 please. Any thoughts on this?















amazon Neither lasted more that 2 times (I shoot a lot). I need a new filter that won't leak after two times of use. Any suggestion for one that will cost less than $150?

Which two pieces of junk did you buy may I ask, and where did they leak from? I just bought a new AV inline filter and wow can't even attach it to my mainstream fittings bc it's machined wrong. The male fitting my dad can machine it properly but the female fitting is junk. Will be grabbing a Hill quick connect female and male end sighhh. IMO there is a hole In the market, pcp air filtering. Either they are poorly made, unrated, untested, life risking contraptions, or they are very expensive units that do the job well but may be overkill (esp on the wallet!)
Also...hokey smokes your filling a 74Cu ft tank with a GX!? That will be rough

 

[Dogowski]

Which two pieces of junk did you buy may I ask, and where did they leak from? I just bought a new AV inline filter and wow can't even attach it to my mainstream fittings bc it's machined wrong. The male fitting my dad can machine it properly but the female fitting is junk. Will be grabbing a Hill quick connect female and male end sighhh. IMO there is a hole In the market, pcp air filtering. Either they are poorly made, unrated, untested, life risking contraptions, or they are very expensive units that do the job well but may be overkill (esp on the wallet!)
Also...hokey smokes your filling a 74Cu ft tank with a GX!? That will be rough

Ouch on filling that tank! Gonna need a GX CS4 like a lot of us have on here for filling large bottles without grenading the pump. Mine was an Amazon lightning 2 hour deal and with free shipping it was like $454.00 total! It's the 12 volt version that comes with the power inverter. Came from California in 2 days. Somehow it was in great shape when it arrived! Lol.

 

[Dogowski]

"At this point I feel trapped. The PCP airgun shooter has to have a good compressor "

Lol.... Yup exactly my thought on PCP

It's all in or nothing for me! I have truly stumbled down the pcp rabbit hole. You should join us soon HM! Lol

 

[Hateful McNasty]

Ouch on filling that tank! Gonna need a GX CS4 like a lot of us have on here for filling large bottles without grenading the pump. Mine was an Amazon lightning 2 hour deal and with free shipping it was like $454.00 total! It's the 12 volt version that comes with the power inverter. Came from California in 2 days. Somehow it was in great shape when it arrived! Lol.

I think for most box compressor filling a larger bottle gun is a full workout . There to fill a gun probly a tube cylinder type in mind at best . Ya, it's a 4500 pdi compressor but it not for much volume ..

Like a gxcs2 is not recommended for over 60ci tank ..

This electric air pump was mainly designed to use for devices with less 60cubic inch tank, such like PCP airgun rifles .Note: Don't suggest to inflate over 1L tank .

Lol.

 

[hameditor]

Which two pieces of junk did you buy may I ask, and where did they leak from? I just bought a new AV inline filter and wow can't even attach it to my mainstream fittings bc it's machined wrong. The male fitting my dad can machine it properly but the female fitting is junk. Will be grabbing a Hill quick connect female and male end sighhh. IMO there is a hole In the market, pcp air filtering. Either they are poorly made, unrated, untested, life risking contraptions, or they are very expensive units that do the job well but may be overkill (esp on the wallet!)
Also...hokey smokes your filling a 74Cu ft tank with a GX!? That will be rough

HAM ran a series on quick connect "Foster" fittings and it's clear that there's a wide variety of tolerances in these parts . Click back from this post to the two previous stories for more details Why Some HPA Fittings Don’t Fit - Hard Air Magazine

 

[Danman]

HAM ran a series on quick connect "Foster" fittings and it's clear that there's a wide variety of tolerances in these parts . Click back from this post to the two previous stories for more details Why Some HPA Fittings Don’t Fit - Hard Air Magazine

Reread all your HPA fitting articles, Thanks again! The issue with mine seems to be the 'throat' portion on the Air Venturi male one on the air filter is to small, In the picture the difference is evident. I will measure the outlet portion as you did in your article. What is odd is that Hill pump fittings clearly say Air Venturi on them....so what gives Air Venturi!?!? What I may do is spin the female out, put it on my pump so those 2 connect well and then use the original on the outlet of the filter to connect to my guns, PCPS ARE SO FRUSTRATING....but I love them so so much

 

[Hateful McNasty]

HAM ran a series on quick connect "Foster" fittings and it's clear that there's a wide variety of tolerances in these parts . Click back from this post to the two previous stories for more details Why Some HPA Fittings Don’t Fit - Hard Air Magazine

Reread all your HPA fitting articles, Thanks again! The issue with mine seems to be the 'throat' portion on the Air Venturi male one on the air filter is to small, In the picture the difference is evident. I will measure the outlet portion as you did in your article. What is odd is that Hill pump fittings clearly say Air Venturi on them....so what gives Air Venturi!?!? What I may do is spin the female out, put it on my pump so those 2 connect well and then use the original on the outlet of the filter to connect to my guns, PCPS ARE SO FRUSTRATING....but I love them so so much

I got to wonder if the we and all ate really 5000psi rated ..

I checked that review and too bad that picture of that foster foster qd you can't get the numbers stped on it to check ..

Anyway I figured and found in my shop is to get sets or kits in the hopes of reducing that bad fit or leak issues. ( Nothing's goof proof , right?)

These are 5000psi

https://www.amazon.com/MINGLE-Press...onnect+pressure+washer&qid=1722288871&sr=8-18

That pressure washer stuff is tough ..

 

[BeemanHW100]

My experience with compressors has been the exact opposite of most people. I have a Daystate (rebranded Coltri) that I bought in 2017 and so far have replaced the drive belt and done the required oil changes. Some people are going to say that it is not affordable for most and I agree. However I use a lot of air and needed something that I thought would be reliable and so far it has been just that. I shoot field target and bring my tank with me to every match, I also repair Crosman pcp’s and need air to refill after repairs to do leak checks. This is the only compressor that I have ever bought so I don’t have much experience with other brands and models. I will say I did a lot of research before I decided on this model. For those that don’t know, Coltri is based in Italy and has been making dive compressors for years. Before that I was going to a paintball shop to get my tank filled which was time consuming and not convenient at all. Thirty minute drive one way and a few times their compressor was down for maintenance.

As far as the fittings and lines go, I buy most of mine from the places that specialize in that and have had no compatibility problems. I have never bought any off of Amazon. 5000 psi is too scary to go cheap IMO.

 

[Alandaledaniel]

This is the age old problem with pcps sir. (and they've been around for a while now!) The options for you are about as follows: 1. Buy something good (Hill for example) and you should be solid, with a good warranty to go with it. They sell maintenance kits for 50/100hrs and so on and It's all laid out how to do small repairs/maintenance for the end user. 2. Run the cheaper lottery compressors get extra warranty or don't be afraid to tear into it when it breaks or toss it and buy another as they are fairly cheap. 3. SPRINGERS/rimfires , 4. Hand pumps...yeah alot of work and exercise and mine still gets a reseal every 6 months it seems (10 mins and $30 or so) but I expect my Hill hand pump to last many years.

How do you afford this? The overall cost of buying a good PCP, plus a compressor, then repairing them every few years is outrageous. Buy a target grade .22 and all you will ever pay for is .22 ammo. Literally, a person can go for 40 years and all they need to do is clean the rifle. Near ZERO additional costs. Pump is a no go, and the same for cocking an air rifle. Two shoulder operations have seen to it that either of those options are out. There are many advantages to air rifles, but to act as if this additional expense is no big deal is just wrong. Is this like horse racing? If you have to ask you don’t have the money? Is PCP air gunning a sport for the elite? I hope not. “That’s the way it is” doesn’t cut it for me. I love shooting my air gun but I don’t want it to bankrupt me. I am not going to rebuild and reseal my air gun or compressor every six months or even a year. As I pointed out in my previous post, a warranty is nearly useless unless the company is willing to pay shipping both ways.

Perhaps this discussion will warn those considering getting into PCP air guns about the costs they actually face in this endeavor. At some point it going to get far too expensive for the average person. It’s about there for me. The extreme cost of new top of the line PCPs is crushing. An Air Arms TXi-50 is $4,000; an Anschutz 9015 is $4,700. The handgrip for an Anschutz One 9015 is $420 plus taxes and shipping. FWB 800 Field target is $4000. A RAW 1000x is $2000. An FX DRS is $1,200. Always plus taxes and nearly always plus shipping. It seems that $1,000 dollars is a baseline for the purchase of a target grade air rifle. Plus the compressor. Plus sights, normally a scope. Of course, a great diopter sight set will cost almost as much as some scopes. Plus taxes and shipping on the scope and compressor. Plus pellets which are climbing to $20.00 a tin of 400 or 350 [used to be 500] and that’s for .22 or .177. Try buying .25 or .30 caliber and get ready for sticker shock, especially if you have been using air rifles for a while. And targets. Or print your own, that saves money.

The true cost of shooting a PCP goes far beyond the purchase, and what a new person would assume would be reasonable additional costs. The compressor expense is a major factor in this cost.

Now that I have bought all this and had two compressor failures, the future cost is a real concern. AD2

 

[RetLE303]

So far I have only experience with the GX CS4-I. I cant complain one bit. Nice and quiet (even though my hearing is shot) lol

Works as advertised, quick fills, maybe not quite the most accurate on my gauge to bottle, but I only have the one gun. So nothing to really compare to. Still, GX was the way to go as far as brand goes in my humble opinion.

 

[Hateful McNasty]

So far I have only experience with the GX CS4-I. I cant complain one bit. Nice and quiet (even though my hearing is shot) lol

Works as advertised, quick fills, maybe not quite the most accurate on my gauge to bottle, but I only have the one gun. So nothing to really compare to. Still, GX was the way to go as far as brand goes in my humble opinion.

Lot of folks like em...

 

[Hateful McNasty]

My experience with compressors has been the exact opposite of most people. I have a Daystate (rebranded Coltri) that I bought in 2017 and so far have replaced the drive belt and done the required oil changes. Some people are going to say that it is not affordable for most and I agree. However I use a lot of air and needed something that I thought would be reliable and so far it has been just that. I shoot field target and bring my tank with me to every match, I also repair Crosman pcp’s and need air to refill after repairs to do leak checks. This is the only compressor that I have ever bought so I don’t have much experience with other brands and models. I will say I did a lot of research before I decided on this model. For those that don’t know, Coltri is based in Italy and has been making dive compressors for years. Before that I was going to a paintball shop to get my tank filled which was time consuming and not convenient at all. Thirty minute drive one way and a few times their compressor was down for maintenance.

As far as the fittings and lines go, I buy most of mine from the places that specialize in that and have had no compatibility problems. I have never bought any off of Amazon. 5000 psi is too scary to go cheap IMO.

As long as your sure the ones your buying ate rated for 5000psi .. lol.

Mine are Milton ( 5000psi)

Milton® Straight Thru Pressure Washer Coupling Fittings

Like the pa or air tanks ones .. just claim 5000 . Nothing else to prove otherwise from there discretion or specs
May as well save here

5000PSI High Pressure Washer Fittings Washing Machine Pipe Adapter Female Male Connectors G3/8in Female Thread Plug and Socket - Walmart.com

At least a company like Milton and a few others stamp there stuff so you can go see what you got and ratings .. I'm sure av and ATP are getting the best

 

[RetLE303]

How do you afford this? The overall cost of buying a good PCP, plus a compressor, then repairing them every few years is outrageous. Buy a target grade .22 and all you will ever pay for is .22 ammo. Literally, a person can go for 40 years and all they need to do is clean the rifle. Near ZERO additional costs. Pump is a no go, and the same for cocking an air rifle. Two shoulder operations have seen to it that either of those options are out. There are many advantages to air rifles, but to act as if this additional expense is no big deal is just wrong. Is this like horse racing? If you have to ask you don’t have the money? Is PCP air gunning a sport for the elite? I hope not. “That’s the way it is” doesn’t cut it for me. I love shooting my air gun but I don’t want it to bankrupt me. I am not going to rebuild and reseal my air gun or compressor every six months or even a year. As I pointed out in my previous post, a warranty is nearly useless unless the company is willing to pay shipping both ways.

Perhaps this discussion will warn those considering getting into PCP air guns about the costs they actually face in this endeavor. At some point it going to get far too expensive for the average person. It’s about there for me. The extreme cost of new top of the line PCPs is crushing. An Air Arms TXi-50 is $4,000; an Anschutz 9015 is $4,700. The handgrip for an Anschutz One 9015 is $420 plus taxes and shipping. FWB 800 Field target is $4000. A RAW 1000x is $2000. An FX DRS is $1,200. Always plus taxes and nearly always plus shipping. It seems that $1,000 dollars is a baseline for the purchase of a target grade air rifle. Plus the compressor. Plus sights, normally a scope. Of course, a great diopter sight set will cost almost as much as some scopes. Plus taxes and shipping on the scope and compressor. Plus pellets which are climbing to $20.00 a tin of 400 or 350 [used to be 500] and that’s for .22 or .177. Try buying .25 or .30 caliber and get ready for sticker shock, especially if you have been using air rifles for a while. And targets. Or print your own, that saves money.

The true cost of shooting a PCP goes far beyond the purchase, and what a new person would assume would be reasonable additional costs. The compressor expense is a major factor in this cost.

Now that I have bought all this and had two compressor failures, the future cost is a real concern. AD2

I would say that my overall cost was under 1000 for my Notos, scope, parts, ammo and GX CS4-I.
I put a breakdown in my post of what I have done thus far.
At this point, I believe I have a good starter set up. While its not anything like a daystate or Anschultz, it does have enough for practicing target skills or pest control. I can build on it when I want (increased tank or new barrel etc)

If you wanted to airgun compete, then I would say you have an argument for cost. But no matter what you want to do in cometition, its gonna be costly. Trust me, I shot competitively for the Army. I was lucky I got to use thier ammo and systems. But in airgunning, I think breaking into the PCP catagory is the highest cost to start off with. I am relatively new to airgunning world but choose PCP for the ability of upgrades to gun systems/tanks. But I do know many shooters that appreciate just pnumatics for the fact that no pump is required. So I would agree with you on that part as well. I guess there is pro's and cons to each system overall.

 

[RetLE303]

As long as your sure the ones your buying ate rated for 5000psi .. lol.

Mine are Milton ( 5000psi)

Milton® Straight Thru Pressure Washer Coupling Fittings

Like the pa or air tanks ones .. just claim 5000 . Nothing else to prove otherwise from there discretion or specs
May as well save here

5000PSI High Pressure Washer Fittings Washing Machine Pipe Adapter Female Male Connectors G3/8in Female Thread Plug and Socket - Walmart.com

At least a company like Milton and a few others stamp there stuff so you can go see what you got and ratings .. I'm sure av and ATP are getting the best

I went with HAM suggested fittings too. Foster brand are pricey. ouch

 

[Hateful McNasty]

I went with HAM suggested fittings too. Foster brand are pricey. ouch

I noticed that as soon as you got away from household ..lol

Our company gets the Miltons to be used on the above 300 psi mill air . ( Why my stuff has them ..lol) . Anyway it's hard to trust something you can't go reference . Idk. That suker pops loose at 3 grand and slaps you face you'll rethink on one to use next I guess