2025 test13 productsPower Tools
Which Air Compressor Brand Wins?
We compared 13 air compressor options head to head. DeWalt came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video. Shoppers cross-shopping air compressors, portable air compressor, air compressor harbor freight and air compressor for car land here for the head to head that settles it.
Winner
DeWalt
Price shown in test: $279
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Runner-up
Husky
Price shown in test: $159
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Budget pick
Fornax
Price shown in test: $135
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Weight | Claims | Noise | Fill To 100psi | Peak Tank Pressure | Cut In Pressure | Calculated CFM 85to 95psi | Suv Tire Fill To 40psi | Nailer Test | Overall Score Sheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1DeWalt$279 | 36.51 lb | 200 max PSI (far higher than the 100-135 PSI typical of the field), 3 CFM at 90 PSI, 71.5 dB claimed noise, 2.5 gallon tank (larger than most), two air hose connectors | started in the upper 70s dB, peaked at 80.7 dB, mid-pack | just over 32 seconds, using close to 1,300 watts, the highest energy draw of any brand | 200 PSI raw, regulated down to 137.7 PSI; best of all brands (Fortress 2nd at 136.6, Husky 3rd at 135.6) | 167 PSI, highest (best for tools needing continuous high pressure), added 33 PSI in 18.3 seconds; Husky 2nd at 104 PSI, Fortress 3rd at 101.7 PSI | 3.3, best of all brands (Husky 2nd at 2.75, Fornax 3rd at 2.7) | about 53 seconds, fastest of all brands (Husky 2nd at 59.6s, Fornax 3rd at 62.7s) | 10 impacts of reserve before the compressor powered on, 64 total impacts in one minute, by far the best of all brands ('ran circles around the competition') | best average finish of any brand (described as an average of about 3rd place across all categories); mid-pack on weight and noise but dominant on raw performance |
| 2Husky$159 | just over 43 lb | claims 80 percent quieter, 2.44 CFM at 90 PSI (transcript captions this as '2.4 4', likely a caption-splitting artifact of 2.44), 1 HP motor up to 135 PSI, metal silencer unlike other brands' plastic silencers | started around 74 dB, peaked 79.5 dB, remained quiet | 30.8 seconds, fastest of all brands, using 7.4 amps (about 890 watts) | 135.6 PSI, 3rd best of all brands | 104 PSI, 2nd best of all brands, fast refill around 14 seconds | 2.75, 2nd best of all brands | 59.6 seconds, 2nd best of all brands | 7 impacts of reserve, 42 total impacts, tied for 2nd place with Fortress and Makita | average finish of 3.9, 2nd best overall |
| 3Fornax$135 | 40.53 lb, heaviest at that point in testing | 2 gallon oil-free 'silent' compressor, 2.1 CFM at 90 PSI, up to 125 PSI, 1.2 HP motor, max claimed noise 65 dB | started 74.1 dB, peaked 76 dB, 2nd best (quietest) of all brands | 32 seconds (fastest at that point in testing), using 820 watts; tank finished at 117.8 PSI in 40.5 seconds | not tested | 83.5 PSI, cycle/refill time 11.77 seconds, 2nd fastest of all brands | 2.7, 3rd best of all brands | 62.7 seconds, 3rd best of all brands | 8 impacts of reserve, 41 total impacts | average finish of 5th place |
| 4Fortress$190, sold at Harbor Freight | 37.73 lb | 2.1 CFM at 90 PSI, ultra quiet 60 dB claim, 135 max PSI, brushless 1.2 HP motor claim, two air hose connectors | started 81 dB, peaked 82.2 dB | 32.1 seconds, using about 850 watts; tank finished at 136.6 PSI in 52.2 seconds, 2nd best peak tank pressure | not tested | 102.6 PSI, 3rd best of all brands, refill time 15.22 seconds | not tested | 73 seconds | 7 impacts of reserve, 42 total impacts, tied for 2nd place with Husky and Makita | not tested |
| 5Limodot$160 | about 35 lb, matching its own lightweight claim | ultra quiet 60 dB claim, 2.5 CFM at 90 PSI, a 'very fast' 14 second recovery time claim, 1 HP high performance motor, plastic muffler that protrudes and seems prone to damage | started around 69 dB (best yet at that point), peaked at 74.8 dB, the quietest of all 12 brands tested | 35.2 seconds, using about 790 watts; tank finished at 120 PSI in about 46 seconds | not tested | 88.3 PSI, refill time 13.21 seconds | not tested | 76.2 seconds | 7 impacts of reserve, 37 total impacts | not tested |
| 6Stealth$160, same price as Limodot | 41.58 lb | 3/4 HP motor, ultra quiet 60 dB claim, 125 max PSI, 1.8 CFM at 90 PSI | started 74.2 dB (about the same as Husky), peaked 78.4 dB | 32 seconds, using 6.15 amps (about 740 watts); tank finished at 125.2 PSI in just over 44 seconds | not tested | 96 PSI, cycle/refill time 11.41 seconds, fastest of all 12 brands tested | not tested | 83.5 seconds | only 5 impacts of reserve, weakest reserve of any brand, 35 total impacts | not tested |
| 7Vevor$104, the least expensive compressor tested | just over 32 lb | 1 HP, 2.1 CFM at 90 PSI, up to 120 max PSI, ultra quiet 81 dB claim, thick muffler cover, rubber muffler pipe, filter cotton | started 81.1 dB, peaked 82.5 dB | 34.1 seconds, peak energy demand 935 watts; tank finished at 120 PSI in 47.8 seconds | not tested | 86.2 PSI, refill time 14.45 seconds | not tested | 70 seconds | 7 impacts of reserve, 39 total impacts, described as performing well 'for a budget compressor' | not tested |
| 8Greteefor$120 | 35.2 lb | ultra quiet 60 dB claim, 1 HP four-pole motor, a 13 second recovery claim, claims it can fill the tank in only 45 seconds, up to 120 PSI with 2.5 CFM at 90 PSI | peaked 76.4 dB, 3rd best (quietest) of all brands | 36 seconds, peak energy demand 860 watts; tank finished at 119.9 PSI in 47.4 seconds | not tested | 86.7 PSI, about the same as Vevor, cycle time 12.65 seconds, 3rd fastest of all brands | not tested | 81 seconds | 7 impacts of reserve, 36 total impacts | not tested |
| 9Kobalt$179 | just under 45 lb, heaviest of all brands at that point in testing | 80 percent quieter claim, 'two times the motor life' claim, 3/4 HP induction motor, two oilless pumps, integrated control panel with two gauges and a regulator, 1.7 CFM at 90 PSI claim | peaked 76.7 dB, described as better than most other brands despite being the heaviest | 41.4 seconds, using just over 6 amps (about 720 watts), notably slower than Husky/Stealth/Limodot; tank finished at 122.8 PSI in 59 seconds, about 15 seconds slower than Stealth | not tested | 90.1 PSI, refill time 18 seconds, notably slower than most other brands | not tested | just over 90 seconds, described as pretty slow | 8 impacts of reserve, only 35 total impacts despite the 3/4 HP motor | not tested |
| 10Campbell Hausfeld$185 | 41.23 lb | 2.2 CFM at 90 PSI, 125 max PSI, quiet operation claim of 65 dB, oil-free pump; the marketing material claims 2 HP but the box it ships in claims 1 HP, an internal claim conflict the presenter calls out directly | started noisier than average, grew louder with tank pressure, peaked 81.6 dB, louder than most other brands | 35.2 seconds (tied with Limodot), using about 900 watts, described as 'pretty thirsty'; tank finished at 129.3 PSI in 53.5 seconds | not tested | 94.44 PSI (transcript captions this as '94.4 4', likely a caption-splitting artifact), refill time 17.34 seconds | not tested | 71.3 seconds, a little faster than average | 8 impacts of reserve, 40 total impacts, described as better than average | not tested |
| 11Craftsman$142 | captioned as 'just over 19 12 lbs', almost certainly a caption artifact of 19.12 lb; matches the packaging's own claim of about 19 lb | 1/3 HP 'hot dog' style motor, 125 max PSI, claims about 19 lb weight, a 45 second recovery time claim, 0.5 CFM at 90 PSI claim, heat dissipation and overload protection claims | started around 92 dB, peaked 95.5 dB, one of the loudest brands despite being lightweight | 2 minutes 5 seconds, using only about 395 watts (less than half most other brands' energy use); tank finished at 123.7 PSI in 2 minutes 50 seconds | not tested | about 96.7 PSI, refill time 37.9 seconds, slow | not tested | almost 6 minutes, tied with Eastwood for the worst result | only 6 impacts of reserve, 19 total impacts in one minute, less than half the speed of the cheaper Fornax | not tested |
| 12Eastwood$130 | just under 18 lb, the lightest of all brands | pancake-style compressor with a 3 gallon tank (larger than most competitors' 2 gallon tanks), 1/3 HP motor, 100 max PSI, claims 0.6 CFM at 90 PSI, 2.5 amps, 87 dB | started 85.4 dB, peaked 91 dB, notably louder than its own claim | 3 minutes 20 seconds, using only about 235 watts (weak motor); tank finished at only 99.7 PSI despite the larger tank | not tested | 83.5 PSI, refill time a little over 35 seconds | not tested | almost 6 minutes, about 5 times longer than Vevor and Greteefor despite the larger tank | powered on after only 5 impacts, then struggled badly on recovery, delivering only 13 total impacts in one minute, one of the weakest results | not tested |
| 13Makita | about 45 lb (captioned as 'about 45 12 pounds', likely a caption artifact) | 1 HP electric motor, ultra quiet 60 dB claim, lightweight design claim (44 lb), 2 CFM at 90 PSI claim, complete roll cage design, single hose coupler (unlike most brands' automatic dual setups) | quickly reached 82 dB and continued climbing, peaked 87.9 dB, one of the louder brands | over 37 seconds, using around 868 peak watts; tank finished at 134 PSI in 57 seconds | not tested | 99.66 PSI (transcript captions this as '99.6. 6 psi', likely a caption artifact), refill time 15.53 seconds | not tested | just under 66 seconds | 7 impacts of reserve, 42 total impacts, tied for 2nd place with Husky and Fortress | not tested |
How it was tested
- noise level, starting and peak dB while filling the tank
- weight
- time and energy use to reach 100 PSI and to fill the tank completely
- cut-in pressure and cycle/refill time
- calculated CFM (time to build pressure from 85 to 95 PSI)
- time to fill an SUV tire to 40 PSI
- framing nailer impact test (impacts before power-on, total impacts in one minute)
- overall weighted score sheet, converted to average first-to-last place finish
“the Dwell came in on top with the best average finish of third place. It finished in the middle of the pack for both weight and noise. However, when it comes to raw performance, it ran circles around the competition. It is pretty expensive, but it would definitely be my choice if the budget allows.”