# Air Compressors For Airbrush Below are air compressors I've used on my journey and quick notes about them along the way. ## No Name Brand With Tank There are many no name brand compressors for airbrush that all look the same, like the Master airbrush pictured below. ![[Pasted image 20230427210747.png]] I started with one of these and used it for 10-15 years. After a while, I decided maybe I should get something different. Mine is 69 or 70 dB when running. It takes 3 minutes to fill initially. Can run airbrush off tank for 30 seconds solid, then compressor kicks back in for another 1.5 minutes or so. ## Makita I bought a Makita MAC100Q compressor. I opted for this one because I am a Makita fan for my power tools, and the price was not bad. Below are some of my initial notes. - Seems louder than the old one, I should measure (supposed to be 58dB which is less) - It definitely fills faster (perhaps this is because it's 1/2HP vs 1/5HP). From empty (untimed) it takes maybe 30-45 seconds. Maybe 15 seconds during painting. It lasts longer. I think even though it seems louder, I prefer it over the old - The pressure gauge readout is a little harder to dial in. It's meant for much higher PSI so the increments are larger than old one. Not too big of an issue if going by experience, but for new people it may be hard - The worst part was getting an adapter to go from the 1/4 quick connect to 1/8 for airbrush hose. It could've been easier if I just went to Home Depot to begin with and buy the right part. The come in industrial style and automotive style there. Industrial is the right kind, and I was able to combine an industrial quick connect with a 1/4 to 1/8 coupler and that was it. Before I got the quick connect from HD, however, I had ordered a 15 part pack from amazon thinking it would be enough - it wasn't. Then I ordered a 1/4 quick connect that I thought would be the missing part, but of course it wouldn't fit in quick connect slot and is a different style (seems to be neither automotive nor industrial). I tried removing the quick connect from the compressor and just use couplers and build it out with my parts I had collected. I could get them connected, but even with teflon tape it made a loud noise. I think one of my parts (the odd one) must've not been exact or same thread type or something (it seems there are two thread types). It threaded, but didn't feel quite right and definitely didn't seal fully even with teflon. So far I'm pleased. It wasn't as quiet when running as expected, but it doesn't run very long and I've done a pretty long session with it already and for the most part it doesn't even have to run. It's size is a little larger than the old compressor, but it fits in the same spot under my workbench no issue. ## No-Name Silent Storm Oil (Spraygunner) Not to be confused with random cheap brand compressors first mentioned, the name of this brand is No-Name. In 2025 Spraygunner did a Kickstarter compaign for the "Silent Storm" which was an oil compressor and pitched extremely low dB ratings for noise. I ordered it. The short version is it seems to have some quality control issues. When it first arrived, one part had already fallen off during shipment. I did reach out and their customer service was excellent and helped me get it hooked back up and it turned right on. However, shortly later I took a break from painting and came back about a year later, and it ran for about 10 minutes before shutting off. In total, I got about 10-20 hours out of it max. To be clear, the compressor was super quiet and lived up to it's name. When it was running, it was very quiet. It was a bit odd shaped and bulky, though, and I wasn't a huge fan of the on/off being a footswitch. Maybe good in theory, but harder for me to use with my setup and harder to know if it was actually on or off when it wasn't running at all. [Silent Storm air compressor owner's manual/tech video - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=647&v=gD7PWaBq00Y&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fspraygunner.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY) ## Gaahleri Compressors Next on my journey I ordered two Gaahleri compressors. This brand seems new and I needed a quick replacement for my broken silent storm (the MAC100Q also had an issue at the time when pulled from storage). I got their mid tier GT-918 and then a small portable GTS-06. The GT-918 was similar in size as the original nameless brands I had tried online. It works similarly. It is a little quieter than them, but louder than the silent storm for sure. The tank size is relatively small, but it does have a tank. The GTS-06 is a much smaller tabletop one. In fact, they even have one smaller now that looks like an ipod almost. The GTS-06 is small enough to set on a table, travel, or be a good backup compressor as needed. It doesn't have a tank, but honestly it's not that loud when it's running either. For the price, I'm glad I got it. I think if you are looking for a compressor in the $100-150 range, my initial impression is this brand is one to consider. They look and feel nice at least, and while there aren't substantial differences in the GT-918 and other brands of similar size compressors, it does seem a little bit nicer. Also, I got one of their nicer airbrushes and I actually like that one a lot - keep an eye on this brand. ## Sparmax TC-620x At the same time as the Gaahleri compressors, I also ordered a sparmax. Out of frustration perhaps, I wanted to be sure I had a working compressor and backup because I had two fail at the same time. The sparmax so far is my favorite. It wasn't cheap by any means, though. It's as quiet as the silent storm, but doesn't require oil. It's shape is better and less awkward than the silent storm, although it is unfortunately slightly too tall to fit where I used to keep my compressor under a workbench by a couple inches. So far, it's worked great from the moment I plugged it in. The pressure doesn't drop hardly at all when spraying, everything is just super consistent.