Current options for moderate duty scuba compressor?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Before and after pictures man, also for the thigh bone is connected to the kneebone
and for voyeurs

No soup for you!


Give Gabe Kaplan a call man for bits and have my beer with him for me

305 430 0863
305 430 0550

 
Before and after pictures man, also for the thigh bone is connected to the kneebone
and for voyeurs

No soup for you!


Give Gabe Kaplan a call man for bits and have my beer with him for me

305 430 0863
305 430 0550

I don't have before pictures. They would have been too terrible to take. I will get some mid project pictures as a starting point.

You are the second person to point me towards filter techs. They are a great source of parts & supplies.
 
After trolling around ebay a bit, I ran across some small Mako compressors that ran on 110vac & put out 3cfm. They seem to be older. Does anyone have experience with these? Are parts available?
 
This is more than a little scary - This top 6 list of compressors is all Chinese junk. #3 looks like a Bauer Jr. Buyer beware when buying second hand or grey market. It appears that knock offs are out there.
 
A little more info on the Mantus compressor -
Second stage rings should be changed after 200 hours
The filter cartridge looks like a Bauer P0 filter. It is said to last 20 hours
 
This is more than a little scary - This top 6 list of compressors is all Chinese junk. #3 looks like a Bauer Jr. Buyer beware when buying second hand or grey market. It appears that knock offs are out there.

#1 rule of YouTube reviews - stop playing if it uses text-to-speech voice over.
 
#1 rule of YouTube reviews - stop playing if it uses text-to-speech voice over.
I agree that the format made it suspect, before I even knew the content. My comment was mostly directed at the fact that it appears a chinese version of the Bauer now exists. If one were shopping for a Bauer, it would now be prudent to be sure it is the genuine item & not a knock off.
 
Now might be a prudent time to take a quick look at some math, pertaining to operational expenses. These are just ballpark estimates. Specific examples will need to be calculated with actual data pertaining to specific equipment, using specific filtration media, running on power at a specific cost, and a specified maintenance schedule.

For the 3-4cfm machines, the filter system seems to usually be a water separator, followed by a second canister with a cartridge inside. Cartridges look to last about 20 fills of an AL80 tank on average, but that varies with temperature & humidity. Hot & humid kills them more quickly. Cartridge prices vary, but for these little machine, $50 seems to be a common price point. If you refill the cartridges yourself, the cost looks to be more like half of that, perhaps less. If we look at a $50 cartridge every 20 tanks, that comes out to $2.50 per fill.

Next lets look at power. If you run a 13 amp 220 single phase motor for 20 minutes, that’s 13 x 220 / 3 = about 1Kwh. Depending on where you live & what time of day you run the compressor, that might be anywhere from $0.11 - $0.60 at current prices that I am aware of. If you run a 120vac motor for 30 minutes at 30 amps, that’s 120 x 30 / 2 = not a big difference.

Now lets take a glimpse at maintenance. If you figure in a $600 valve kit every 500 hours, along with a quart or two of oil & a little time, that’s about $700/500 = $1.40 per hour or maybe $0.50-0.75 per fill.

If you buy cartridges, that might be -

$2.50 filtration + $0.25 power + $0.75 maintenance = $3.50 cost of fill.

If you load your own cartridges, you might be able to knock about a buck to a buck & a half off of that.

If you compare that to paying $6/fill, you are saving maybe 50%. If I figure in my cost of gas to drive to & from a shop that is 45 minutes away, in my truck that gets poor gas mileage, the advantage improves.

If you use 4 tanks per week, that’s roughly 200 tanks per year. At a savings of 50% on a $6 fill, that’s about $600/year in savings. At that rate, a $3k machine would take 5 years to pay you back, if you assume that the machine is trash at the end of that time. If the compressor still works, then you are further ahead by the resale value of the compressor.

Again, these are just ball park numbers for consideration. Your mileage may vary.


Not exactly sure of the total my system is looking somewhere between 6 and 7k. Actual money saving will take a very, very long time. Conveyance though is priceless.
 
i'm looking for a compressor

Alkin W31 Mariner
Nuvair MCH-6 / 3E Coltri 2700$us

davy compressor - 3100$ can

kaen compressor

tuxing dgw-100gs

both last look similar and seem copy of bauer... any experience with them?

many bauer compressor on ebay from india... look very suspect
 
The alkin is rated for continuous run, the coltri is not.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom