Lightweight Air Compressors

My life changed 30 years ago when my boss showed up on our jobsite with a used 2-gallon, 1-horse air, belt-driven compressor and a couple of roofing staplers. That old compressor chugged day in and day out, just barely keeping pace with our tools but driving our production to a new level.


My life changed 30 years ago when my boss showed up on our jobsite with a used 2-gallon, 1-horse air, belt-driven compressor and a couple of roofing staplers. That old compressor chugged day in and day out, just barely keeping pace with our tools but driving our production to a new level.
As the company grew, we went through half a dozen big compressors, but that little machine powered on in its new role as a mainstay of our pick-up and trim-out work for the next 15 years.
Today, I run three compressors of different sizes for different jobs, but my lightweight, easy-to-carry, 2-gallon unit gets the most use. For trim, siding, roofing, and occasional framing nailer shots, it suits a lot of the work I tackle these days. And it handles without complaint most of the 20 pneumatic tools I use.
Knowing well the utility of a compressor this size, I set out to test 12 newer hand-carryable units with tank capacities ranging from 1.5 to 2.6 gallons, and output rates from about 2 to 4 cubic feet per minute (cfm) at 90 psi. These are units that can typically handle a few trim nailers, and even a roofing or framing nailer for some jobs; they're probably the smallest models you can use to do some of everything.
Included were models from both broad categories of compressor pumps, oil-free and oil splash. The six oil-free models are the Bostitch CAP1516, DeWalt D55141, Grip-Rite GR152CM, Maxus EX...
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