Porter-Cable CPF23400P 3 HP, 4-Gallon Pancake Compressor

List Price: $415.00
Category: Tools
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Product Details

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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Porter-Cable CPF23400P 3 HP, 4-Gallon Pancake Compressor

Customer Review: A good compressor to get you started.
Summary: 5 Stars

As far as flow capacity the PC 3HP is one of the best considering its price and weight. It's rated at 5.3 CFM at 90 psi. It is an oil free design, so it can operate on uneven ground. The oil splash designs are supposed to have greater durability but for my infrequent use it should be just fine.

Other than that what can I say - it pumps air. Supposedly it runs at higher pressure (135 psi max) than its competitors. This gives it the reserve of a 5 gallon tank, even though it is physically 4 gal. It is fairly loud, but I haven't listened to many other models to make an educated comparison.

Overall I think it's pretty sweet. Especially after I drove my first nail with the PC finish nailer I bought to go along with it. But that's another review...

*** One year+ update ***

I have now owned this unit for over one year and am pleased to report zero problems. I have used it quite a bit for high air flow operations, such as blowing off dust / debris and even running an air chisel to bust up concrete. It often runs full time for 5-10 minutes and is able to keep up with air demand.

However, I do agree the regulator assembly is not adequately protected from damage. If you are going to be regularly moving the compressor around, spend the extra... bucks and get the one with the roll cage. I actually ran a compressed air line out to my garage, so the compressor can stay put in the basement and avoid potential damage from moving it. In retrospect, I probably should have bukced up for the roll cage model.

*** 4-year update ***

I have owned this compressor for 4+ years now and am still completely satisfied. I did have one problem with a leaky pressure regulator. I was able to fix it a few times by disassembling the regulator housing but eventually stripped one of the connectors. I was able to obtain a replacement direct from PC, for less than $20, which I thought was pretty reasonable.

This past summer I decided to demolish my entire chimney, 35+ feet of brick and mortar. I used a hand held, air chisel to break up the mortar joints. The compressor was operating at 100% duty cycle for 10-15 minutes at a stretch, but couldn't quite keep up with continuous use of the air chisel. I figured it was time to buy a bigger model. As an last ditch experiment, I bought a 10 gal portable air storage tank, some extra quick disconnect fittings and rigged up a reserve tank in parallel with the 4 gallon PC tank. (yes, I am an engineer) My thinking was that I would run the crap out of my little PC and if it bit the dust, that was my excuse to buy a new compressor. I am amazed to say the PC compressor ran flawlessly for the entire chimney demo and still works fine today. As hard as I try, I can't kill the thing. I have more than gotten my money's worth from this machine.

Air Compressors

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