California Air Tools 2010A 1.0 HP Ultra Quiet and Oil-Free Air Compressor, 2 Gallon Aluminum Tank, 60 dBA Noise Level, Silver

This is one of those buy to last tools verses getting the cheapest thing you can find for one shot use. That said its good value for the money.This compressor works well indoors (nice and quiet) for airbrushing, blowing off parts, driving pneumatic tools, maintaining tire pressure for cars and bicycles,... All around a great air compressor for home use – compact and convenient to carry though a bit heavy– that can easily handle commercial jobs (see painting caveat below.) You'll want to add a moisture trap for airbrushing. But this isn't the compressor for your LPHV paint gun (think spray painting fences or cars.) This compressor can easily handle the Low Pressure required, but it can't manage the continuous High Volume needed. I suppose if you're patient and attentive you could manage painting a fence a few boards at a time as you deplete and re-pressurize the tank on this compressor. But really...

Quiet and relatively light weight. Can’t think of anything that could be done better.

This is a workhorse, a quiet, efficient machine. Set it up in garage and there’s no noise in home. Quite excellent.

I love this compressor. First off it's waaay quieter than my pancake compressor, it's lighter, and the control & air drain are on the same side . . . which I like. Upgrade! My only ding is . . . I use this for a CNC machine off-loader system plus a hose to clean the machine. So, I need two outputs not one. (This was easily solved by installing a different, two place output fitting.) The pancake compressor is now retired to the garage for inflating auto tires.

I've contained a lust for California Air Tool compressors, for years. However, they seemed too pricey. Plus, I already had a couple compressors that functioned perfectly fine, but they're loud as all-get-out. Now that the CAT compressors are within my budget and I've gotten a bit older, maybe wiser (think about "1970's rock concerts"), I treated myself to what I consider an indispensable piece of equipment.The 1 HP 2 gallon with Aluminum tank is pretty easy to carry. While running, you can, literally, have a normal-voice level conversation while standing 4 feet away. It's compact enough to stash under one of my workshop shelves and doesn't suppress or disrupt any sense of calm while I'm obsessing over some perceived-essential wood shop task (should I hang my coping saw on peg board, keep it in a drawer or throw it on the work bench). It doesn't trip a 15-Amp breaker. My 15-gauge Makita finish nailer will set a 2 1/2" nail through 1" thick Hickory stair treads into Pine stair stringers, all day long. My 16, 18 and 23-gauge nailers and/or staplers aren't a challenge for this guy. It'll give me enough air blast to dust off my saws before storage and pump up my 80 PSI truck tires.My Gal was impressed by the quietness when I turned it on for the first time. As usual, she was expecting my pre-unboxing accolades to be hyperbole and excuses for buying a tool. Honestly, she said, "Wow", with zero sarcasm, in her normal that's-really-cool-but-it-doesn't-cook-dinner voice. She'll have to listen to my 25-year-old, cast-Iron pump, 20 gallon compressor I use in our garage, until it's, hopefully soon, replaced with a California Air Tools big-un. I might run that noisy, old, oil-dripper a lot, just before a new garage-size CAT unit gets delivered.Also, assembly, was excessively simple. It took about a minute, but I tortured myself for a few seconds, pondering the optimal position for the air intake tube. I decided on pointing it downward, towards the outboard side, thinking that would provide a clean path for cooler-air intake. My Gal, offered no objection. Like, I woulda listened, anyway. I coulda heard her though, if she had. This thing is very quiet.P.S. I don't expect it to keep up with my bump-fire framing nailer or an air ratchet. I haven't tried, either. That's not why I bought it.

The first unit that I received would instantly trip multiple Ground Fault circuit breakers. I sent this one back and tried again. The second unit I received had no problems. Yes, the unit IS quieter than most but not completely silent as would be suggested by some videos on the Internet. (I won't use Google or YouTube.)The overall quality looks pretty good. Light in weight due to its aluminum construction. I like having an aluminum tank because it is more resistant to corrosion than steel. I purchased this unit as a back up air compressor. My home has a four-cylinder oil-less air compressor (Made in USA) with a fairly large tank (about 20 gallons). Compressed air is distributed using standard copper pipes to a few strategic locations throughout the house. You guessed it, I'm a retired engineer and find compressed air to be invaluable.We have the usual warning at the end of the power cord telling you not to use an extension cord. Some lawyer probably recommended this. You see, an air compressor has a motor. Whenever an electric motor starts there's an in-rush current that can be 10X, or more of the running current. This means that if you have an extension cord their may be an excessive voltage drop whenever the compressor starts. So, definitely do NOT use a long 16AWG extension cord. However, a shorter (10-25 ft.) 14 or 12 AWG extension cord should not be a problem. Do your own research on extension cords.I think that the California Air Tools 2010A Ultra Quiet and Oil-Free 1.0 HP 2.0-Gallon Aluminum Tank Air Compressor, would make a nice air compressor for a "normal" person who just needs to fill up some automotive or bicycle tires. It would serve well for a contractor running only one tool at a time. It's not big enough to run a crew.