Does anyone know anything about air compressors?

I'm thinking of getting one for DH for Xmas. He's mentioned it a few times since he does a lot of work around the house.
I just went on sears.com and I have no idea what I'm looking at. Does anyone know what to look for in one? What's important?

Re: Does anyone know anything about air compressors?

What is he planning on doing with it? Does he have a lot of air tools already? Does he want air tools? Will he be doing painting with it? How much space do you have?

You can get a small compressor, but the motor will run more to keep the air in the tank. If he does any spray painting, this will mess up the sprayer, and it won't lay an even coat of paint on a larger surface.

A smaller compressor is also portable, so if he has some nail guns, it's easy to carry a small 2.5 or 5 gallon compressor to where he needs it. If he only works in his "shop", you can get away with a bigger one.

Re: Does anyone know anything about air compressors?

my dad got a 5G one which we used and that was nice because I could actually lift it.

Re: Does anyone know anything about air compressors?

i have This One that i keep in my "shop"... works very well for small projects. its nice because it has a larger tank then most "portable" compressors and it also has wheels. so one the tank is full you can pull it around with you. ive had no problem topping off all 4 tires on my truck without the motor coming back on...

if he plans on working on a car with air tools or using it for spray painting, i would get something much larger....

the big question is really does it have to be portable or not?

Re: Does anyone know anything about air compressors?

Thanks all! I'd think portable would best. He'd be working with air tools and he mentioned it's good for car detailing (cleaning, but not painting).