In my quest to find a reliable, well engineered, strong and fast compressor, I feel I have found "THE ONE". Names such as AireTex, NuAir, Bauer and Sheldon have always been at the forefront of my top pics. But like most, over the years, I let cheaper compressors dictate what I buy. Why? Because they were cheap and more of my went towards MORE airguns. That is a bad way of thinking but, its typical. Its like scopes and guns, many people buy very expensive rifles and only want to spend $200 (MAX) on a scope. In the back of my mind, I knew this mentality would have to change. And many cheap compressor failures backed this theory.
COMPRESSOR PAST: To date, I have owned 1st a Shoe Box, then a Altaros and then an Air Venturi compressor. The Shoe Box always filled my tanks but its main downfall is that it was always time to "rebuild" the compressor which consisted of replacing worn o-rings throughout the unit and piston guides. And it was slow. The ShoeBox served me well but, I then bought the Altaros thinking its would be much better but to know avail, it broke within 6 months of ownership. Back to using the ShoeBox until something better came along. The above 2 mentioned compressors also relied on a shop compressor to make them work. They required a minimum of 90 psi Input from an external source. So, it wasn't just the cost of the airgun compressors but, they needed life support which also obviously COST! Once the Altaros broke, it was time for something better, bigger and something that did not require a separate compressor input. Something that could compress air all by itself. And the Air Venturi 4500 psi compressor came along. The AV compressor looked like a REAL compressor and at $1200, I thought it was worth it. The 1st Air Venturi I owned, didn't last 6 months. Thank God it was still under warranty so, I returned it for a replacement. Upon inspection by the AV tech, he found the connecting rods to be broken and the motor frozen as a result of it. The unit was replaced. I have now had the replacement AV compressor for over 2 years and she still works well. I cant afford to be without a compressor so, even though the AV is still working after 2 years, the fear of it going out like the 1st one, dredged in the back of my mind. After my buddy Doug Noble started selling Alkin Compressors, it was time for me to finally purchase what we airgunners call a "high dollar" compressor. It was time to look into ALKIN. And research I did.
SHOEBOX COMPRESSOR
