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Is Harbor Freight's Most Budget-Friendly Air Compressor Worth Buying?
By RON BAKER
Harbor Freight is a great place to look for a budget air compressor and offers a variety of choices. McGraw had the two most budget-friendly options.
These budget compressors are the McGraw 3-gallon, 1/3 horsepower, 110 PSI oil-free pancake air compressor and the 8-gallon, 1.5 HP, 150 PSI oil-free portable air compressor.
The $59 3-gallon compressor has two nearly identical variations: the hotdog and the pancake. Both have the same tank size, decibel loudness rating, and horsepower.
The pancake and hotdog also have the same PSI rating and SCFM air flow rate — 90 and 40 PSI. The pancake is half a pound lighter and has a slightly lower amperage rating of 3.2A.
It takes slightly longer to fill from 0 psi at 223 seconds versus the hotdog’s 214 seconds. However, either will likely satisfy your home air compressor needs.
The 8-gallon $159.99 McGraw rolling compressor is a great deal for medium-duty workspaces, with 150 PSI and a 4.1 SCFM airflow rate at 90 PSI.