Others Air independence 💨💨💨💨

[High Pressure]

Just over the last 5 years compressors have made huge leaps and bounds. There are now compressors for every budget. From personal on the go smaller sized units to large stay at home fill large carbon fiber tank units and everything inbetween. Well having a large tank to take to the range is helpful, so is having a smaller unit that can be powered from your car or truck battery. Handpumps are also still a very useful and viable tool for the hunter with a smaller on board air source as well as a fantastic way to stay in shape . For those with a Carbonfiber tank and no compressors, a firehouse and or paintball shop just mite be the ticket for your success.

What are some of the ways you guys get your air??? Are you happy with how the industry has progressed with air sources?

 

[pan60]

Alkin sunroom : )

 

[FL22]

I have a GX2 and three hand pumps.

Having 5 PCPs that I shoot quite frequently, I think that it would be in my best interest to purchase a larger pump and fill a stand alone tank or two.

I have no desire to hand pump my Taipan .

 

[rsfrid]

Having an air source nearby such as High Pressure Pneumatics is a big help. You keep my tanks full. Then there is my hand pump for the pistols.

 

[PapaT]

I have Air Venturi Rovair for my everyday fill, Crosman handpump for my 3622 fill, AV 100ci wingman for afield fill, and YH compressor for my hearing protection required but quick fill.

 

[Bob1]

Being new to PCP airguns maybe I am not even qualified to join this thread. So new in fact that my first ever PCP has not even shipped. Maybe a good thing as it has given me time to decide how I will put pressure in the gun.

I have read numerous threads about a firehouse and filling a tank. Have a retired firehouse captain from a nearby station as a close neighbor so I checked in with him about where I should ask. He got back with me and told me to check paintball stores. Two paintball stores near me and neither one fills tanks. Three scuba shops near me and none of them can/will fill past 3000 psi.

Next I checked my local Airgas welding supply. I could get a nitrogen tank filled to maybe 2500 psi. So there goes my plan to buy a carbon fiber tank and pay to have it filled. Now what?

A hand pump is out of the question. I do not want to be soaking wet with sweat in 95 degree summer heat in Florida while I am trying to relax shooting. As I saw it that left only one option, to buy a compressor. Something I had not planned on. Thinking I would buy a tank and pay to have it filled.

So I started researching the various 12v/120v compressors. After much reading I began to realize an air cooled small compressor in the Florida heat was an invitation to failure. The air cooled ones also appeared to have very short duty cycles with lengthy cool down periods. I could see me getting impatient and burning up one of those machines.

Next was the liquid cooled portable compressors. These looked like they would work for me. I ended up ordering a GX CS4-I. The CS4 would have sufficed but the CS4-I was on sale plus a 10 % coupon from the same seller that sells on Amazon. The CS4-I ended up ~$100 cheaper from the seller as opposed to ordering from Amazon. The compressor is now held up in severe weather according to UPS tracking.

I own a 40cf nitrogen tank and regulator that I plan on feeding the compressor with to avoid moisture in the pumped air. Hopefully all my research will end up with a workable plan for me.

 

[Solo1]

I was happy with my hill till 15 hrs when it cost me $200 to repair. Since then i got a omega air charger i think iit is and that has been very good so far. I also have a 100 cu in. bottle i take if i plan on doing a lot of shooting. Wish i had gotten the omega first.

 

[Franklink]

Started with a Shoebox F10....parts dried up.

Bought a Yong Heng as a temporary solution (2.5 years later and it's still running).

Bought an Altaros Booster a few months after the Yong Heng. And it's still running as well.

So, nowadays, I use the Altaros when my tanks get real low, or when I don't want to babysit the filling situation. And I use the Yong Heng when I feel like actively monitoring the fill process and living on the edge while doing so.

 

[PA_AirHead]

Just over the last 5 years compressors have made huge leaps and bounds. There are now compressors for every budget. From personal on the go smaller sized units to large stay at home fill large carbon fiber tank units and everything inbetween. Well having a large tank to take to the range is helpful, so is having a smaller unit that can be powered from your car or truck battery. Handpumps are also still a very useful and viable tool for the hunter with a smaller on board air source as well as a fantastic way to stay in shape . For those with a Carbonfiber tank and no compressors, a firehouse and or paintball shop just mite be the ticket for your success.

What are some of the ways you guys get your air??? Are you happy with how the industry has progressed with air sources?

I started with a Yong Heng and. 74CF tank. No wait, I started actually with a hand pump and a week later I ordered the compressor and tank . On my second Heng because I shut the first one off in the wrong sequence and ended up cracking the cylinder block. I’ve since purchased a GX-CS4i and love this little power house. I can refill my tank but I continue to use the Heng for the heavy work. Knowing I can power the GX off the truck battery at a field event or fill from my tank gives me options that I like. The compressor market is still a pricey one for most shooters getting into it. Let’s say $400 - $1000 for a compressor on average is not a small pill to swallow. Then add in the cost of a new tank, you’re looking at $800 - $2000 depending on the size tank you go with. Regardless, it’s not an easy budget for a lot of folks. When I got into the air world, I just ripped the bandaid off and all the hair and skin with it. Paid off the CC used and just didn’t think about it . Thankfully nowadays there’s some incredibly accurate and robust guns available without remortgaging the home. So the gun part of the equation has definitely brought more options to our hands for not so much money. These are very good times we’re living in for the PCP shooter. Albeit, refueling em is still a bit costly.

 

[Madhatter]

I started out with a hand pump but that didn't last a week before I bought a yong heng clone and it was a fight to keep it running just to fill a rifle . I found the F10 on close out sale and it's been great ever since. I did get the clone to work good but I needed something to fill the 2 45 min scba tanks I bought.

 

[Grunt64]

My 1st pcp was a .25 Avenger shortly after i bought a GX -CS3. 1 month later filling the Avenger it died. Then i bought a Tuxing TXED012 a week or 2 later, it sucked not having air, so a year later i bought the TXEDT033 for a backup, junk. Last year i was able to get a backup. TXED011. Tuxing compressors aren't that bad if you keep it simple and stay within a realistic capabilities, NOT 180 temp and use the right type of oil . keep them cool.. What i would like to see is a good mid price pcp compressor. There is a big gap between cheap compressors like i have and then a good quality one.

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[Fishing 43]

Alkin w31, gxs4-1& hand pump

 

[elwoodblues]

GX CS2 , Tuxing twin , GX CS4 . Hand Pump.

Thats the order that they were purchased, hand pump has never been out of the package :>) They all still work as expected

 

[Danman]

Hill Mk5 hand pump for 2 years straight filling my S510 (288cc @ 250bar) and 1 year filling my Ghost (480cc @ 250bar). The pump had some serious growing pains (2 blown main o-rings, sheared piston body, and a hose crimp blew out) so I manned up and stripped it and repaired/upgraded everything, put an inline filter on as well. Coulda returned for warranty but thats not my style. 480cc is no joke with a hand pump and will take a good hour (with cool down breaks of course!) when the Ghosts off reg....takes the fun out of shooting it. Went with the Hill Evo for my compressor, hoping it will be solid! Main reason i did was parts are available and Hill seems to back up their products. What went wrong with yours @Solo1 ?

 

[Solo1]

Hill Mk5 hand pump for 2 years straight filling my S510 (288cc @ 250bar) and 1 year filling my Ghost (480cc @ 250bar). The pump had some serious growing pains (2 blown main o-rings, sheared piston body, and a hose crimp blew out) so I manned up and stripped it and repaired/upgraded everything, put an inline filter on as well. Coulda returned for warranty but thats not my style. 480cc is no joke with a hand pump and will take a good hour (with cool down breaks of course!) when the Ghosts off reg....takes the fun out of shooting it. Went with the Hill Evo for my compressor, hoping it will be solid! Main reason i did was parts are available and Hill seems to back up their products. What went wrong with yours @Solo1 ?

O rings mostly got hard and wouldn’t seal bought the kit to repair as i wasn’t sure what all i would need. It was a special oring too

 

[Danman]

O rings mostly got hard and wouldn’t seal bought the kit to repair as i wasn’t sure what all i would need. It was a special oring too

Yeah, the 50/100hr service kits are a bit ridiculous on the costs but seem to come with everything you'd need, but the fact that they exist sold me, and Hill provides repair videos on them as well on YT. Hoping for years of use out of it, didn't make sense for me to go with a big high end compressor as the cost is alot more, and I just plan to fill 1 or 2 pcps and maybe a small 2/3L bottle eventually.

 

[Renée]

After a lot of research, I bought a Tuxing TXE012 compressor in Mar 2023 as there was no place around to fill my large tank without a 2 hour drive. I have only needed to fill about 3 or 4 times a year, I did add another water vapour separator. This is also Tuxing, a single tower and mounted it on the compressor, plus external other filters. So far it has been great with one exception - ALL OF The M10 hose fittings/connectors are plated carbon steel and rusting/corroding. ( oh and yes I do run to purge the moisture as best as one can after a fill)
Currently, I am looking for some of the hoses with M10 Stainless Ends. The MFG, Tuxing, is of little help in obtaining correct hoses with Stainless ends, and my search has turned zero, seems like all hoses use carbon steel plated fittings. For a quick test -these fittings are magnetic. So beware the corrosion will cause thread failure due to Aluminum/Iron issues as this will become a potential safety issue.
I think I have a solution for the one from the small first water separator to the tall one - replace with 6mm or 1/4in SS tube ( seamless, .049" Wall thickness) and fittings ( I just ordered ALL Stainless parts). The one difficult to source it the hose to the pressure gauge/switch. Next will be the fittings on the Compressor head to the 1st block, they used SS 6mm tube but carbon Steel plated fittings! I guess cost-effective/ cheap bean counter mentality.
I see nothing wrong with the Plated Carbon Steel ends on fill whips that do not stay connected to something that has little or no moisture content. In this case, poor choice of materials for this application.
So unless Tuxing does some upgrades, one needs be aware of the issues.....btw 304 SS unless thick enough material may not be the best choice, 316 SS is appropriate and both are non-magnetic. So check ratings and buy from a reputable supplier.