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Eastwood QST 30/60 air compressor

Cole2534

Diamond
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Location
Oklahoma City, OK
After being enlightened to the existence of a quiet yet moderately priced scroll compressor I decided to ditch the noisy Kobalt Lowe's special.

The unit was packaged in good fashion, secured to the pallet under the crate with thru-bolted brackets. It was totally assembled sans and electrical plug for the 10/3, 6' long electrical cord. Prior to startup I checked the oil in the reservoir and it was perfectly topped. This required removing the steel cover that protects the guts. The tube runs were well laid out, all nice and tidy. The lube oil reservoir is sizable, 3qts IIRC, and includes a drain valve with vinyl tube so that you may easily change oil without mess. There's also an oil cooler, a nice finned aluminum heat exchanger but no signs of a thermostat. The oil system also has dedicated filtration for particulates and moisture.

The 30 gal tank has a 1/2" ball valve at the main delivery port and another ball valve at 6:00 for a drain.

After some wiring I turned it on and it rumbled to life with quite a racket, much more than I anticipated. After some fiddlin it was some loose sheet metal that was easily remedied. Then you could tell how quiet the unit was- very quiet. It filled from 0 to 145psig in 2:53s, slightly under the 3min claimed in the manual.

There's a couple mods I'll do to it.
1) Add piping to the drain valve so that the valve is easily accessed. It also serves as a sacrificial place for moisture to collect that isn't the bottom of your tank.

2) Put a plug on the lube oil tank drain. Valves are handy, but they all leak.

3) Make a bracket to hang my filter/regulator and a manifold.


So far I'm excited, it's wonderfully quiet for 12.7scfm and it came on quality casters for ease of motion.

After some useage I'll update the thread with complaints, etc.

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It is my understanding the white filter is to remove moisture from the air, and I wonder where all that moisture goes? Does it get water in the tank like recip compressors do? They do look interesting, but not a compressor to be kept outside in my area, too cold for it. Shop is too small for it to be inside.
 
No, not an outdoor unit, but it's small and quiet it doesn't have to be.

As far as the water sep filter, I was wondering the same. The whole lube system blows down after a run cycle, maybe there's an auto-drain feature that vents the filter housing to tank?

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It is my understanding the white filter is to remove moisture from the air, and I wonder where all that moisture goes? Does it get water in the tank like recip compressors do?

For removing the moisture from the oil before sending it back through the system since the oil runs through the pump with the air in a scroll or screw type.

If you are used to having a piston compressor you will certainly enjoy the low noise constant air supply of a rotary. Surely an improvement from the Lowes special, and hopefully it works out for your needs. I am surprised that Eastwood can sell anything for $2k, it's just a cheap hobby supply from anything I've seen. For just over $4k you can buy a 5hp screw from an actual compressor manufacturer that puts out almost twice the air, and has shown to run for 40k + hours.
 
I’m looking at the same compressor , so I will definitely look to this thread for updates.

Regarding the comment on price, best I can tell $2050 includes freight with lift-gate service, and not to be a wise ass, but $4k is double the price. Small shops with few employees probably don’t need twice (25sfm) of air, and this Eastwood compressor is the smallest scroll compressor that I found. Running a big compressor with no load makes no sense ($$ wise) and it not good for it.

The Eastwood compressor (just the scroll compressor) is stated to have 100,000 hour life span(time will tell), and has a 3 year warranty , which can be upgraded to five years for an extra $550). At 24/7 use, five years is 43,000 hours

I’m not a Eastwood fanboy, I don’t think I ever ordered from them, but this compressor looks very good to me.


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Forgot to say thanks for posting the pics and the overview
Keith


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When I left the shop last night I turned the unit off with 145psi in the tank, when I return this afternoon I'll be curious to see how much is in it.

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Ive had a lot to do with rotary oil flooded compressors,and they generate lots of heat......if it only runs intermittently,you wont have any problems,provided you have adequate ventilation,and keep the cooler clean,especially with paint spray overspray.......if it overheats ,the oil will oxidize ,even tho its R&O,and shellac will block the filters......However the welded ally coolers have come down in price greatly thanks to car radiator technology,which helps the retail........those in cold climates should note the operating temps.....not below 40F,and damage to the filter unit if allowed to freeze,below 32F.
 
Several of the people on another board I'm on have these. It's a somewhat mixed bag on them. A couple have had some trouble with them and then others have been trouble free. Most of the ones I remember having trouble, were early production units and there have been several changes made to address those problems. Overall, I think everyone was satisfied with them.
 
For removing the moisture from the oil before sending it back through the system since the oil runs through the pump with the air in a scroll or screw type.

If you are used to having a piston compressor you will certainly enjoy the low noise constant air supply of a rotary. Surely an improvement from the Lowes special, and hopefully it works out for your needs. I am surprised that Eastwood can sell anything for $2k, it's just a cheap hobby supply from anything I've seen. For just over $4k you can buy a 5hp screw from an actual compressor manufacturer that puts out almost twice the air, and has shown to run for 40k + hours.
Are you sure it's for the oil? It is my understanding from their videos that it is to remove moisture from the air, not oil.
 
All these types of compressor are whats termed 'oil flooded"....they have considerable internal leakage paths that are "blocked" by the lubricating oil.To work with pure air they would need to be made as accurately as an air bearing.....Anyhoo,the discharge from the compressor pump unit is actually a froth of oil and air.Consequently ,an oil separator is needed in the circuit to return the oil to the system ......However ,prospective buyers /users should take note "operating temps not lower than 40F,if the filters freeze,they will be damaged ,and may burst"....so no outdoor or cold workshop below zero.
 
I must say I find their "typical use depictions" a bit far fetched...how much auto body sandblasting will you do with 12 cfm?...And as mentioned ,the coolers must be kept clean....paint overspray will block the fins very quickly,as will woodwork dust.
 
That looks like an amazing little compressor!! Looks like it's really nicely built... I just bought a used screw compressor to address the noise of my 5HP piston, but if I had known about this unit then it might well have won out over the screw compressor to be honest! I love how compact this little thing is, and it's actually rated as a little bit quieter than my Kaeser which is amazing!
 
Are you sure it's for the oil? It is my understanding from their videos that it is to remove moisture from the air, not oil.

I was wrong in saying that I think. My Atlas Copco screw filters are labeled as an oil filter and an air/oil* separator filter. I will wager that the filter on this unit does not "dry the air" if that is how it is marketed, and serves the same purpose as the filter on my screw just with some marketing trickery in there maybe. (haven't seen the marketing videos for it, and maybe I am totally wrong)

I must say I find their "typical use depictions" a bit far fetched...how much auto body sandblasting will you do with 12 cfm?....

I got a kick out of that too. I admit to trying that before, and must say don't even bother... Even when I do blast using my shop air I have to use a 3/4" line with Chicago couplings to even get enough flow. It takes a ton of air to have worthwhile efficiency sandblasting I have learned from trying to cheat it.


Regarding the comment on price, best I can tell $2050 includes freight with lift-gate service, and not to be a wise ass, but $4k is double the price. Small shops with few employees probably don’t need twice (25sfm) of air, and this Eastwood compressor is the smallest scroll compressor that I found. Running a big compressor with no load makes no sense ($$ wise) and it not good for it.

The Eastwood compressor (just the scroll compressor) is stated to have 100,000 hour life span(time will tell), and has a 3 year warranty , which can be upgraded to five years for an extra $550). At 24/7 use, five years is 43,000 hours

You are right about half the price, but half the product I highly doubt it is close. I would equate Eastwood to Baileigh, just a Chinese tool supplier with maybe slightly better quality...but mostly better marketing than others. I got a few things from them 10+ yrs ago when I was into autobody, and nothing impressed me about it. (maybe they are different now idk)
If Eastwood made a lathe we would be looking at a thread with 5 posts telling someone to get lost I know that much...
(isn't my intention to come across that way, and I apologize to the OP if I am)

They probably know that nobody buying these will ever use it for 10,000 hours, most of their customers probably not even 1000 hours. The 100k hour mark sounds arbitrary to me. The screw compressors that you can find with tens of thousands of hours on them do have that from running 24/7 for years, because they are made for industrial and manufacturing settings which require constant use.

This thing seems gimmicky to me, and marketed as some cool new thing to guys used to working next to piston compressors in a home garage who will love the low noise and never even knew what a rotary compressor was. That is just my opinion on it of course, so don't take it too seriously.
Maybe it works out for Cole and proves me wrong, because it wasn't cheap I do hope he does okay with it. I will also voice my doubts about it though, and quite possibly people who don't have a strong need for air just don't know that reputable industrial screws can start being found at a bit over $4k.
 
Of course ,you will never have the operator come up and say.....have a look at this ,will you.....and see a vintage Jaguar XJ6 front end with a big slot cut in it from 600cfm thru a 1/2 nozzle (worn out 3/8)......Its said you can sandblast with 35cfm,but IMHO ,75cfm is the min for any kind of progress.
 
I have been using a little over 30cfm, and with only an 1/8" orifice. That has worked only well enough to be worth it when needed in a pinch on small items, or my personal projects. Most things just get sent out for blasting to shops far better equipped.
 
This thing seems gimmicky to me, and marketed as some cool new thing to guys used to working next to piston compressors in a home garage who will love the low noise and never even knew what a rotary compressor was. That is just my opinion on it of course, so don't take it too seriously.
Maybe it works out for Cole and proves me wrong, because it wasn't cheap I do hope he does okay with it. I will also voice my doubts about it though, and quite possibly people who don't have a strong need for air just don't know that reputable industrial screws can start being found at a bit over $4k.

I probably have more experience with and resources for gas compression than most. My day job for the first 8years or so of my career was field engineering for a gas pipeline company where we operate compressors from 5hp to ~16,000hp, screws, recips, centrifugals with gas turbine, elec, or engine drivers.

Part of my reason for choosing this was that the construction should be pretty user friendly for someone with my background. IMO, the real crux of longevity is going to be oil quality. With a unit like this I can install an oil thermostat if I want, add additional filtration or increase the sump size. This can all be done to a recip of course but you still have valves and rings to consider. The motor and pressure-trol are commodity items, so not really concerned about those.

I'd like to do an experiment with this unit where I retrofit it with a 3ph motor and VFD. I could add some logic in the VFD and use a pressure transducer to modulate motor speed with respect to discharge pressure or have a low pressure mode optimized for painting. On the flip side you could slow the unit down to keep the motor spinning instead of shutting off, but I'm not sure how to determine the low speed limit before your seal oil depletes and you get into massive blowby.



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Long time lurker, finally joined up to comment on this compressor. I had one for most of a year before finally returning it. To Eastwood's credit, they did eventually give me a refund on everything but freight.

I got it for the same reasons others have mentioned -- half the price or less of a screw compressor, should have been plenty of air, very quiet. When it worked, it was great.

Unfortunately, mine kept breaking. First the plastic fan that draws air through the oil cooler and motor melted itself off the shaft and jammed up the motor. Eastwood sent me a new motor and head, and it worked for a couple of months until it just up and quit -- motor had power but did not run. Eastwood replaced the whole unit with a new one (now rebranded as the "Elite" version, which seemed to have a bigger motor and head). Worked great until the pressure switch failed; Eastwood never sent me the promised replacement so I installed one from Square D. Then the fan on the new one came off the shaft, so the whole thing overheated. Eastwood didn't seem to be able to figure out how to send me a new fan blade (and I could not for the life of me find the replacement part anywhere -- I think they were modifying a generic blade), so I eventually got frustrated and convinced them to take it back and refund me.

Despite their reputation for customer support, I had pretty miserable experiences trying to get any help, which soured me more on the whole thing.

I'd guess I was running it pretty hard by their standards (using it 10-12 hrs/day, supplying the spindle pressure and tool change air for 3 CNC routers and doing some small soda blasting), and it's probably fine for their average occasional garage user. I did what I should have just done a year ago and bought a real compressor (a rotary vane) and life is wonderful now.
 








 
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