CAMPBELL HAUSFELD 30 Gallon Horizontal Air Compressor, Single Stage 3.7 HP, Portable, Heavy Duty, 135 Max PSI - Ideal Portable Air Compressor for Home Improvement Projects

Before I bought this compressor, I read all the reviews. and it almost turned me off from the purchase. There is nightmare after nightmare about very poor shipping packaging and leaky fittings. I did notice most were very old reviews. But, I contacted Campbell Hausfeld and I was assured that since the compressors were top heavy they tended to flop over in the trucks if not secured to the walls. They informed me the compressors were now shipped and bolted to a hardwood pallet which was wider than the wheel base and front support. This was then placed inside a very heavy duty cardboard box. and the box was strapped with the banding in three places. My compressor arrived with NOT SO MUCH as a dent in the cardboard and strapped to the side of the delivery truck. Upon opening the box the compressor had ZERO damage and not even a scratch to be seen. It came with the 230 volt cord attached. I had to add compressor oil, and could not wait to test it out. Since many reviews stated every fitting leaked air or oil.Well, Campbell Hausfeld must have been listening, I failed to find a single air leak nor an oil leak. I used a spray of soapy water and there was no leaks at all. But I charged it up to full pressure of 125lbs and shut it off and checked it every day for a week. It never lost a signle pound on the air gauge! The output regulator works very well and the gauges appear to be very accurate. I have not put the compressor through a rigorious work yest so I can not testify to how it will perform on a long term, but right noe, I could not be happier about this compressor.

First of all, let me start by saying I did a lot of work researching other air compressors on-line reading customer reviews like the one I am writing. That said, here it goes. For me, I was seeking an air compressor I would use with my father in-law to build a 16'x18' deck on the back of my house, so I needed one with a lot of power and reserve. The first air compressor came damaged to me. I found the damage after the shipper left. The damage was a broken pump wheel. The entire wheel was broken off the spokes. I called Campbell Hausfeld. They explained to me that Amazon would prefer that I call them because the product was damaged upon arrival. So, I called them and they handled everything perfectly. The customer representative gave me the option of exchanging the product or returning it for a complete refund. I opted for an exchange. I received the second one no more than 5 days later (I pressed Amazon for that because I was taking vacation the following week to start my project and needed it then, not the following week).The second one arrived in perfect condition. I used the compressor; I worked it very hard and am completely satisfied with its performance. However, after three and a half months (purchased last week of July 2009) I noticed the paint flaking off the tank and rust underneath the paint. I know this might not seem like a big deal, but I was looking at it from the view point that the tank may be leaking air and the moisture from the condensed air may be causing the paint to flake. Anyhow, after I spent $[...] I expect it to still look like new after just a few months. Besides, in the rare event I decided to sell it, would anyone be interested in purchasing a rusty air compressor even though the owner states "works great even though it looks bad"? I think NOT considering a rusty tank is typically a sign of a leaky tank. Furthermore, how is that my father in-law's compressor looks great after building his 2,800 sqft home himself nearly 20 years ago? In the end, I just want mine to look like the rest of my tools - in great condition from taking care of them properly.Moving on, I called Campbell Hausfeld and they said tank paint is covered. The only problem is they want to replace my shiny blue tank with a crummy, dull, grey primer colored tank. I know some of you might be thinking no big deal, but again I paid $519.99 and I expect $519.99. I bought this product for two reasons. First, it was made in the United States of America [I only buy American made (a product manufactured by an American company headquartered in America and not just assembled here like those cheap foreign cars). Second, I purchased it because I knew it could handle the demands I would require of it while building the deck and working on my vehicles as a hobby (no I am not a union laborer - I am a professional, 4 year degreed individual).Anyhow, to conclude this review, I am very happy with the compressors performance; however, I am and dissatisfied with Campbell Hausfeld's cheap fix/replacement option for my rusting tank. I am still in the process of convincing Campbell Hausfeld of replacing my tank with painted one. I will keep you posted as to what comes of all of this.I hope my review was helpful? My intention was to inform future purchasers not to dissuade or persuade.Regards,Mark, Ohio[...]

Everything I read from other negative reviews came true for me. One of the motor mount bolts had rattled loose during shipping and was lying in the bottom of the carton. I found the nut wedged beneath the pump housing. The other three motor mount bolts were not tight and required attention. I guess torquing bolts to spec is too costly at the CH factory.20 minutes into the break-in run the pump pulley began chattering against the protective grate. The pulley set screw had come loose and the housing was the only thing keeping the pulley from flying across my workshop. I got lucky and I found the set screw on the floor. Of course re-attaching everything and aligning the motor, belt and pulleys was a trick. Lucky for me I'm an experienced mechanic. Since CH is clearly too cheap to put lock washers on the motor attachment bolts and they're too short to simply add lock washers, I had to replace them with longer, higher quality bolts. Then, getting the proper tension on the belt was a pain because CH no longer puts a belt tensioner on their units. It's a simple screw-type mechanism that's been on CH compressors for years but I guess the accountants deemed them too expensive to continue.Clearly I got spoiled with my older CH compressor which had much better build quality. Speaking of my old compressor I had to take the handle off my old compressor and put it on the new one because the handle that came with the new unit was overly bent and creased during the manufacturing process. Same handle, same design but thinner metal and horrible build quality.This thing has a "Built in the USA" sticker -- never mind the Chinese motor and pump. "Assembled in the USA" is probably more truthful but assembly seems to be the worst thing about this unit. The CH workers in Leitchfield KY should take more pride in their work and question the shoddy assembly standards.After the bad break-in experience I went over this thing and re-torqued every fastener after applying loctite. It's worked well for over half a year now but I'm keeping a watchful eye on it. And of course my sight glass is leaking oil which everyone seems to be complaining about. I've tried tightening it a couple of times but it's made from cheap plastic so it can't take much. I just ordered an aftermarket sight glass with metal housing and threads. $8 bucks full retail on Amazon which means it's probably a $1.50 part if CH wanted to add a little quality to remedy something that everyone has complained about for years.If you like fixing things on new machines in order to get them working properly this Campbell Hausfeld compressor is for you. Fixing new products to get them functioning correctly is something I've come to expect from products sold at H Freight. It's not what I would expect from Campbell Hausfeld.In parting I would like to offer my congratulations and a shout out to the corporate bobbleheads at Campbell Hausfeld for finding multiple ways to maximize profit on a tried-and-true compressor design. You've improved it all the way to terrible.