I am getting back into armor building after a 15 year hiatus. I was given a new, unused Paasche single action airbrush, which will suffice for now. What I need now is a compressor. I'd really like to get one that doesn't make a ton of noise, and under $300 , if possible. The modeling world has changed tremendously over the years since I've been away, so I am not up on all the different manufacturers, etc. Can any of you kindly recommend a compressor that may fall into my category? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

John

This is a frequently asked (and discussed) question. You can find some of the previous threads on the subject below:

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Personally, I've been running a $40 Campbell/Hausfeld 2 gallon, twin-stack compressor for years. I bought it at Home Depot, unpacked it, outfitted it with a second pressure regulator and a moisture trap, and called it good. IIRC the whole setup ran me less than $70.

-YL

Hello John, SAVE YOUR MONEY ! ! ! this is my advice. I live in a small home with wife and new baby. I use a 1 gallon electric aircompressor from walmart ( also pawn shops ) $ 40.00 dollars thats it. Been workin great for 3 years. Just use a pressure regulator ( lowes ) 25.00 between compressor and airbrush. I have an aztec airbrush 10 years of good service no problems. As far as noise goes I put a/c on a towel and slid in side of old desk drawer. That greatly reduced noise. Also you could build a wood box ( with good spacing and airflow) and line it "egg-crate" cheap matress pad from store ( check goodwill for small trunk so you don't have to waste time building box. I know this sounds simple. BECAUSE IT IS ! ! ! I could probally paint mustaches on ant's for 10 hours straight with this set-up. Save your money for other things bro. Also instead of buying expensive individual hobby paints ( I just gave my dad 2 buckets full of individual bottles $ 300.00 plus worth ! ) for free. Try the cheap large containers of acrylic craft paint. It is all generally good quality these days. The secert is to use warm water to cut/ thin/ clean-up. Anyone who doubts it, I flew from wash.dc. to houston TX and got asked at least 100 times about the amazing model I was carrying. I should have built and brought a 100 of them, I would have been well off. Anyways my friend, use your brain not just your wallet. I hope this a major help to all. - Bobby

Hi,
After going thru several expensive "hobby compressors"= crap,crap & more crap, I bought a DeWalt D55140 on Amazon for $99 + 'free shipping' on a friends recomendation.
It is located right under the wife's bedroom.This woman wakes when knats f--t and claims she doesn't hear it(great recomendation,by itself).It is the quietest of several compressors I have. The only drawback is it is only a gallon tank,but as it's so quiet that is a non-starter.
I seldom offer advice,but this is a great tool.
Oh,did I say it has a built in pressure regulator,two gages(tank & regulated),flexible hose,quick disconnects and a bunch of inflation tools.
I'm not a big fan of Amazon but this a good deal.Then you could use the other $200 to buy a good airbrush. Just an old modelers 2 cents worth.
Jake