Others Some thoughts on GX compressors

bchannell

Well-known member
93
201
Parkersburg WV. USA
HAM Points
520.50
Country flag
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.
 
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.
I was looking at an ad for one of these on Amazon and it said the newer ones don't use grease anymore.....can you speak to that? Probably a step in the wrong direction for longevity 🤔
 
I'm not really sure what's going on there. The first gen CS2 used oil/grease and had a port to check it. Then the second gen eliminated the port, and called for no gease for the first year. Now the line is no grease.
We all know mechanical things break, and lubrication is what makes the world go round. With that said, you can draw your own conclusion on whether or not to maintain the compressor. To look at it another way, suppose it's true, no grease needed, (hard to imagine), if you then decide to check and relube every so often, you certainly aren't going to hurt anything. One thing that a periodic relube does is catch wear before it has a chance to do damage. The piston seals and plastic bearings could wear to the point of scoring the cylinder, which effectively ends the life of the compressor. So, I choose to do some simple maintenance and get that warm fuzzy feeling that I'm doing something that will extend the life of the compressor. I have toyed with the idea of not maintaining them, and seeing how long they last, but it's so simple, infrequent, and takes like a half hour, so it just doesn't make sense to me.
 
I'm not really sure what's going on there. The first gen CS2 used oil/grease and had a port to check it. Then the second gen eliminated the port, and called for no gease for the first year. Now the line is no grease.
We all know mechanical things break, and lubrication is what makes the world go round. With that said, you can draw your own conclusion on whether or not to maintain the compressor. To look at it another way, suppose it's true, no grease needed, (hard to imagine), if you then decide to check and relube every so often, you certainly aren't going to hurt anything. One thing that a periodic relube does is catch wear before it has a chance to do damage. The piston seals and plastic bearings could wear to the point of scoring the cylinder, which effectively ends the life of the compressor. So, I choose to do some simple maintenance and get that warm fuzzy feeling that I'm doing something that will extend the life of the compressor. I have toyed with the idea of not maintaining them, and seeing how long they last, but it's so simple, infrequent, and takes like a half hour, so it just doesn't make sense to me.
As a maintenance mechanic on equipment I agree! If it's easy to service and prolongs life it's well worth it. Kinda reminds me of the lawnmowers with "lifetime" oil and no drain plug. That would drive me crazy 😅 It's about 25% of the cost of a Hill compressor.....hmmm.
 
As a maintenance mechanic on equipment I agree! If it's easy to service and prolongs life it's well worth it. Kinda reminds me of the lawnmowers with "lifetime" oil and no drain plug. That would drive me crazy 😅 It's about 25% of the cost of a Hill compressor.....hmmm.
Exactly, I have seen those mowers and I agree, it's crazy.
 
I run a GX E-L2 (battery powered cs2 basically) and it has been fantastic. I only use it to top off guns with tubes and it is fast. I would say the thing to add to it is an inline filtration on top of the little one already on. I use the air venturi filter with a male foster attachment. I haven't used it enough to need maintenance yet but when the time comes it looks pretty simple.
 
I run a GX E-L2 (battery powered cs2 basically) and it has been fantastic. I only use it to top off guns with tubes and it is fast. I would say the thing to add to it is an inline filtration on top of the little one already on. I use the air venturi filter with a male foster attachment. I haven't used it enough to need maintenance yet but when the time comes it looks pretty simple.
Thats about what I would use it for, and maybe a 2L range top off tank. Topping off guns (bottle and tube) maybe two or three times a week max. Enough guys here have endorsed them so now I'm considering these if/when the time comes. And agreed on the filter, the one that comes with is a bit too small imo. My though process is this for next year: 1. Buy Hill Compressor...OR 2. buy this little guy and a real nice scope for the S510....hmmm.🤔 🤩
 
Thats about what I would use it for, and maybe a 2L range top off tank. Topping off guns (bottle and tube) maybe two or three times a week max. Enough guys here have endorsed them so now I'm considering these if/when the time comes. And agreed on the filter, the one that comes with is a bit too small imo. My though process is this for next year: 1. Buy Hill Compressor...OR 2. buy this little guy and a real nice scope for the S510....hmmm.🤔 🤩
One of my compressors is the GX with two 18 volt rechargeable batteries and It's been running well for over two years. It's gotten slower at filling rifles and even after a teardown and lube it just keeps on chugging along at it's slow but steady fill rate. Can't go wrong with a nice GX!
 
...I am glad I bought my GX E-CS3-1 pump...I used it for the first time and was surprised at how quite it was...

...it made short work of a 480cc tank...

...how many trust the auto shut off to work...???...
Mine has not let me down yet shutting off automatically. I trust mine as it has not give me a reason not to yet. I set it and turn it on, go outside and fill a bunch of mags, and when I go back in it has shut off and the rifles are ready for use! I guess I'm trusting it too much?
 
I can't leave the immediate vacinity while filling so I'm OK not having auto shutoff. The CS3 has an adjustable relief valve and I would adjust it to the highest gun I fill. That would give another layer of protection.
But since it doest take long to fill I just don't use it. That's not to say it's not completely safe.
 
...I am glad I bought my GX E-CS3-1 pump...I used it for the first time and was surprised at how quite it was...

...it made short work of a 480cc tank...

...how many trust the auto shut off to work...???...
Have you tried any of branded or aftermarket batteries in it .. I guess they claim manketa ones fit and work
 
You could buy another Airgun, then you probably would need a compressor 😁😂.
I just want to say.....your a terrible person 🤣 In my mind It goes like this: Buy compressor so I can shoot guns I own more. Once own compressor realize I can (should?) maximize the purchase and buy a .30 cal air hungry beast or something similar. That makes more fiscal sense no? 🧐🤭
 
I just want to say.....your a terrible person 🤣 In my mind It goes like this: Buy compressor so I can shoot guns I own more. Once own compressor realize I can (should?) maximize the purchase and buy a .30 cal air hungry beast or something similar. That makes more fiscal sense no? 🧐🤭
I’m here for you, bro. Anytime, whether it be the voice of reason or insanity. 😂 I like your idea of a 30 cal that would be great.👍👍
 
@Danman , I wonder how much more I would shoot if I had a compressor? A lot more, I already go through 1500 pellets a month easily, hand pumping. I understand that the Ghost is a beast to fill by hand though. Just something I was thinking about money wise when factoring compressor costs.
 
@Danman , I wonder how much more I would shoot if I had a compressor? A lot more, I already go through 1500 pellets a month easily, hand pumping. I understand that the Ghost is a beast to fill by hand though. Just something I was thinking about money wise when factoring compressor costs.
I got My S510 (first pcp) last spring in March. I bought waaaayyy to many tins of pellets/slugs over the year but the only tin I emptied to date was a 250 count 18gr AA tin and I'm very low on a 500tin of 16gr AA pellets. I have probably 5,000 pellets and 1000 slugs in .22 on standby easily. So I probably safety shoot 2000/3000 pellets a year going off that. The compressor benefit would be on "range days" at my parents I could shoot more that the 55 shots per gun I get in one go, I could take compressor with, esp helpful when testing pellets. For plinking and hunting the handpump is fine. I also think you can better control moisture ingress (into the pcps) with a compressor.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create FREE account

Create a FREE account on our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Back
Top