past Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This written report covers:

  • The trouble
  • Air Venturi compressor
  • Temperature gauge
  • Technical
  • Pressure level gauge
  • Oil lubricated
  • Fill hose
  • The test compressor
  • Start time performance
  • I am impressed!

Today I first a written report that's going to take a major touch on your airgunning world. Fifty-fifty if you are a dyed-in-the-wool jump-gun user, this report should have an influence on how you view the world of precharged airguns.

The problem

Precharged pneumatic guns work by storing a large supply of compressed air that they utilize in measured amounts with every shot. They are the oldest type of airgun — dating back to the centre 1500s, we think. And the challenge has always been how to get compressed air into them.

I'm not going to give a lot of history today, considering I want to go correct to the betoken. So let me bring you up to speed. The claiming has been to produce a high-pressure compressor that compresses air to iv,500 psi in a reasonable corporeality of time, and to brand that compressor as easy to operate every bit possible, considering the people who use it will have little to no prior knowledge of compressors. All of that must exist done at a cost people can afford.

The problem has been heat. When air is compressed, heat builds. At the pressure we are talking about, heat builds rapidly to the betoken that things like seals can't take it and beginning declining. The armed services solved the problem many years ago by throwing money at information technology. The 3-cylinder compressors found in bombers and some tanks (to ability onboard pneumatic systems) are extremely effective at dissipating heat. Their cylinder heads are finned and made of material that acts as a heat sink, to draw the heat away. If you have $10,000 to throw at the trouble, you can do it this way, too. Better withal, you can buy a surplus air compressor from the military machine for as little as $one,400, and you are almost washed. Of course it will counterbalance 150 lbs. and will crave a massive conversion to get information technology to run on AC current (they come prepare for 24-28 volts), and so better effigy on a full of $3000 to be safe. When I got into PCPs, that was almost all that was available.

I could proceed and on, just I really don't want to. I volition if you forcefulness me, and believe me — I practise have the stories — but can we all only agree that compressing air to four,500 psi is non easy, and let it become? Please don't play dumb and wonder if a shop compressor can practise the job, because it can't. We are talking about air pressure that until the past 10 years was in the realm of the exotic to incommunicable for the average person.

Air Venturi compressor

Enter the Air Venturi air compressor. This is a 76 lb. home unit that will fill a carbon fiber air tank very chop-chop. It's the size of a pocket-size cooler. When I say it works very rapidly I hateful that in comparison to anything else that is on the market at or very nearly to the same price. AirForce Airguns has a much larger shop compressor that is faster, so if y'all have $10,000 to $14,000 to spend, that's the style to go. The Shoebox Compressor tin fill your tank, as long as you have the time to do it. Program on a few days, if y'all want to be around to watch it as it is filling.

Air Venturi compressor
Air Venturi's compressor is a compact unit that works well for the habitation user.

Hand pump

I take owned and tested dwelling air compressors since the first one, made by FX (a Swedish manufacturer of PCPs and paw pumps), hit the scene in the belatedly 1990s That ane used a hand pump mechanism that was automatic with a motor, and many compressors even so use that blueprint approach today.

FX compressor
The FX compressor made many years ago was ane of the showtime made for home use. It used a manus pump mechanism at its eye. It only pressurized to 3000 psi.

I was surprised to meet that the Air Venturi unit of measurement does non have a hand pump at its heart. It has two existent cylinders, only like compressors that offset at $2400. It likewise has a full control panel that includes separate switches for the cooling system and compressor. The cooling system is turned on before starting the compressor and if it won't turn on, the compressor volition not kickoff. And information technology has one more gauge that I've never seen on some other compressor. It's a estimate that I never desire to be without, now that I've seen it in action.

compressor switches
Cooling organization switch at the upper right is turned on first. Information technology's covered by a transparent vinyl cover. Once it's going the compressor tin be started.

Temperature gauge

This compressor has a temperature approximate! It isn't even labeled on the exam compressor I am using, but information technology didn't take a genius to figure out what it is. I told you that heat is the enemy of the seals in compressors so a temp gauge is a wonderful way to monitor things.

temperature gauge
The temperature approximate tells you the temperature of the cooling system, I think. When this film was taken the compressor was non on and was sitting in my threescore(ish)-caste F, garage. Gauge reads 16.4 degrees C which is 62.viii degrees F.

Technical

This compressor runs on 110-volt lx-bicycle AC business firm current. There is no provision for whatever other current at this time. I'one thousand running it on a 20-amp household outlet and there is a 6-foot extension chord betwixt the compressor and the outlet.

The compressor is water-cooled and the user services the h2o level. It holds nearly 5 quarts of water.

There is a large dessecant air filter in line with the air intake. The compressor does non accept a water vapor purge that operates while information technology ius running, but when the bleed valve is opened after filling, h2o vapor is diddled out.

Pressure gauge

The user sets the desired fill pressure on the pressure level judge, non to exceed 4500 psi. And then the machine is started, and when the force per unit area rises to the gear up point, the compressor turns off.

fill gauge
Set the desired make full pressure by pushing in on the ruby button and turning the needle it moves to the desired pressure. When the larger make full needle contacts the gear up needle, the compressor switches off. The cooling organization still runs, though. This gauge is labeled in both bar and pounds per foursquare inch (psi).

Oil lubricated

This compressor is lubricated by oil. I mention this because all the compressors on the market lubricate differently. The ones that use a hand pump use grease. My Omega SuperCharger uses grease. But the compressors with conventional pistons all seem to use standard compressor oil that can be bought at any automotive store, and the Air Venturi uses either that or 5W40 motor oil. Information technology holds 1/3 of a quart of oil, and a sight glass tells you instantly where things are.

oil sight glass
Look through the sight drinking glass with the compressor on a relatively apartment surface. Oil should be but over the dot in the heart of the glass.

Fill hose

The fill up hose is permanently attached to the compressor and ends in a 4500 psi female Foster fitting. You can fill many airguns directly with simply this hose, simply if y'all have a carbon cobweb tank, its hose probably ends with a female Foster plumbing fixtures, as well, then you need a Foster male person to male adaptor.

fill hose
Fill hose .

The exam compressor

The exam compressor has been around a long time. Pyramyd Air tested information technology thoroughly, then they loaned to to an airgun writer to examination. Information technology came to me with a lot of apply on it, but I read the transmission and was able to put it into operation correct away.

First fourth dimension functioning

The first time I used it, I filled a 98-cubic-foot carbon fiber tank (yep, the tank is larger than my normal 88 cubic-human foot tank) from 3800 psi to 4500 psi in about 15 minutes. Folks — that'due south flight for a home compressor! My Omega SuperCharger would accept at least an hour to fill the aforementioned amount.

The temperature rose quickly (5 minutes) from under xx degrees Celsius to about sixty degrees, and so information technology leveled off. At the finish of the fill up the temp was 64.4 degrees C. Subsequently I switched off the compressor (and left the cooling organisation running) the temp dropped virtually 15 degrees in 15 seconds. Then it declined more slowly. Afterward fifteen minutes the temp was downwards to 23 degrees C and I switched off the cooling system.

When I bled the line before disconnecting, the compressor wearied a large amount of water vapor from the air filter. The purge was long plenty to requite me conviction at that place is nothing left behind.

I am impressed!

I've never seen a dwelling house compressor that works too or as fast as this 1. Sure, the compressors that cost $3000 work that fast, only they aren't much faster, and their maintenance is far greater. This one requires yous to watch the oil and water levels and that's it. Right now I am thinking virtually buying this one for my personal use.

My plan is to exam the compressor very thoroughly for you. Aye, Chris U.S.A ., there will be more pictures. I volition show you what'due south behind the curtain.