19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Something Different Inside, January 18, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Porter-Cable CPF23400P 3 HP, 4-Gallon Pancake Compressor (Tools & Home Improvement)
...The pressure supplied is more than sufficient for average duty use. The recovery time is not to bad. The price is reasonable. However with those positives let me get to the other side.
First, ..., the guages are exposed in a poor design and can be a serious potential liability. It can easily be broken off. The consumer needs to make special note of this.... Although most of these models are on the display floor, having four legs, I found that a good deal of them only have three legs. This makes it hard to stay upright any of the time. It rolled around the back of my van at every stop, go, turn, you name it. I even tried surrounding it with other items to box it in. It is so top heavy, it falls on its side anyway. A slight tug on your air hose is enough to send it rolling.
The four legged version is satisfactory but, watch out for that three legged version its a nightmare. I exchanged it for the roll cage model. I'll tell you about that one on that review.
I AM OUT.....
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good compressor to get you started., October 5, 2000
This review is from: Porter-Cable CPF23400P 3 HP, 4-Gallon Pancake Compressor (Tools & Home Improvement)
I shopped extensively for a light duty compressor based on the following criteria: price, weight, and flow rating. I found the PC 3HP pancake style to be the best model that fit my needs. First the price...this model comes in at about the mid-range of the portables. It features the same motor and compressor as the PC 3HP twin stack model but is $40 cheaper and about 10 pounds lighter. I also thought it would be a little more compact and easier to move around. Given the twin stack has a few nice features, like dual quick connect fittings and a gage console, but I just didn't think I would need them.
As far as flow capacity the PC 3HP is one of the best considering its price and weight. It's rated at 5.3 CFM at 90 psi. It is an oil free design, so it can operate on uneven ground. The oil splash designs are supposed to have greater durability but for my infrequent use it should be just fine.
Other than that what can I say - it pumps air. Supposedly it runs at higher pressure (135 psi max) than its competitors. This gives it the reserve of a 5 gallon tank, even though it is physically 4 gal. It is fairly loud, but I haven't listened to many other models to make an educated comparison.
Overall I think it's pretty sweet. Especially after I drove my first nail with the PC finish nailer I bought to go along with it. But that's another review...
*** One year+ update ***
I have now owned this unit for over one year and am pleased to report zero problems. I have used it quite a bit for high air flow operations, such as blowing off dust / debris and even running an air chisel to bust up concrete. It often runs full time for 5-10 minutes and is able to keep up with air demand.
However, I do agree the regulator assembly is not adequately protected from damage. If you are going to be regularly moving the compressor around, spend the extra... bucks and get the one with the roll cage. I actually ran a compressed air line out to my garage, so the compressor can stay put in the basement and avoid potential damage from moving it. In retrospect, I probably should have bukced up for the roll cage model.
*** 4-year update ***
I have owned this compressor for 4+ years now and am still completely satisfied. I did have one problem with a leaky pressure regulator. I was able to fix it a few times by disassembling the regulator housing but eventually stripped one of the connectors. I was able to obtain a replacement direct from PC, for less than $20, which I thought was pretty reasonable.
This past summer I decided to demolish my entire chimney, 35+ feet of brick and mortar. I used a hand held, air chisel to break up the mortar joints. The compressor was operating at 100% duty cycle for 10-15 minutes at a stretch, but couldn't quite keep up with continuous use of the air chisel. I figured it was time to buy a bigger model. As an last ditch experiment, I bought a 10 gal portable air storage tank, some extra quick disconnect fittings and rigged up a reserve tank in parallel with the 4 gallon PC tank. (yes, I am an engineer) My thinking was that I would run the crap out of my little PC and if it bit the dust, that was my excuse to buy a new compressor. I am amazed to say the PC compressor ran flawlessly for the entire chimney demo and still works fine today. As hard as I try, I can't kill the thing. I have more than gotten my money's worth from this machine.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Quality, Great Service, August 22, 2001
This review is from: Porter-Cable CPF23400P 3 HP, 4-Gallon Pancake Compressor (Tools & Home Improvement)
There are a lot of pancake compressors on the market, but this one stands out for two reasons. First, the quality is better than most of the oiless models out there. Second, the Porter Cable service organization. If you're *anywhere* near a medium sized or larger city, spare parts and repair are just a phone call away.
For the remodeler working alone, or the handman looking for a small compressor for the shop, this machine is an excellent chice.
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