Kei Lau Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I received my latest Micro Mart catalogue and saw this new Paasche compressor. The $265 price is the cheapest I saw in US. Micro Mart is running a 20% off on any order campaign which will bring to price down to close to $200, $212 to be exact. I cannot find this product on the Paasche website and have not seen it in person. I will be very interested in seeing a user review. If the compressor works as well as their made-in-Taiwan DA400R, it is a winner. The spec reads like the DA400R. It also have a tank and a cover. It sounds like a competition to the Sparmax TC-620 or TC-5000. but at $100 cheaper. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Airspeed Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I seriously considered one of these before I bought my D3000R. If it works as well as my D3000R does (and I have no doubt it does), then it's a winner. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kei Lau Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 I seriously considered one of these before I bought my D3000R. If it works as well as my D3000R does (and I have no doubt it does), then it's a winner. One thing that I am not comfortable with the Paasche D3000R is its Chinese origin. If the DC600R is made in Taiwan like the DA400R, I would expect much higher quality. Beside, the DC600R can supply 1.2 CFM at up to 60 psi vs. the D3000R at 0.3 CFM at 30 psi. The DC600R can support 2 airbrushes and a much more versatile setup. Of course, the DC600R also costs twice as much at Chicago Airbrush Supplies. If budget is a consideration, I would also pick the DA400R over the D3000R any time too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Airspeed Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I'm not concerned about the Chinese origin of my D3000, nor do I run multiple airbrushes. I have had no issues at all with my D3000 in the three years I've owned it. My low quality, Chinese made compressor works just fine................... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kei Lau Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 I'm not concerned about the Chinese origin of my D3000, nor do I run multiple airbrushes. I have had no issues at all with my D3000 in the three years I've owned it. My low quality, Chinese made compressor works just fine................... I will have to say that the Chinese compressor are improving too. A good indication of the durability is how hot the cylinder head gets. I have this general rule of thumb. Force the compressor to run continuously for 30 minutes. If the cylinder is only warm to the touch, it is very good. If it is hot, but you can keep your hand on it, not too bad. If the cylinder head is too hot to keep your hand on it, it is a bad unit. You can do a better test with a laser thermometer. Under 110°F, very good. Over 140°F, not acceptable. Because the Chinese compressor varies widely in quality control, the result is not very predictable. It is best to find a local vender with good return policy. Test the unit at home. If not good, return it. In 2011, I tested a FongHua Bida (AS186) compressor with tank. It is $40 US dollar plus shipping from Northern Tools in the Minnesota. No a bad deal for infrequent user. The noise is no higher than a typical airbrush compressor from Iwata or Sparmax, but the pitch is slightly higher, just barely. It is not the supersilent type at $600, but you can talk comfortable without raising your voice while airbrushing. The Northern Tools compressor cylinder head (the part with the vertical heatsink fins) gets as hot as those house brand sold at TCPGlobal, BearAir. If you leave it running continuously for 30 minutes, it is about 45 degrees F above room temperature. It is quite acceptable since the compressor has auto-on-off and would never run continuously. In normal use, the head will barely get warm to the touch. The auto switch turns on and off at 45 and 60 psi respectively. These are very good to allow good pressure margin for different paints in most airbrushing jobs, except not quite enough airflow and pressure for T-shirt airbrushing. The airflow was very steady with all of my airbrushes. As usual, with compressor at this price point, your milage may vary. As far as I can tell, the Airbrush Depot TC-20T is the same compressor. There are some positive feedback on the 20T compressor at this forum. But you have to pay more than at Northern Tools. Northern Tools apparently has one shipment of the airbrush compressor each year. Different models at different year. But it always went very quickly because they typically charge half of other airbrush specialist vendors. They sell the higher end models compared to Habor Freight which sell the cheapest they can get. You can sign up for their email promotion. However, don't expect the next shipment until summer 2013. If you really want a decent compressor, look at the ones at Hobby Lobby. Their top 2 model are both excellent values. To me. spending $200 or so on a compressor that last many years IS inexpensive. Looking at the shape and configuration, I suspect that the Paasche D3000R is the same as those I discussed above. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
balls47 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I take the other route when it comes to air compressors. I like a multipurpose unit that I can also use for pumping up tires, using small air tools such as an air nailer, etc. Some of the negatives of a larger compressor are noise, weight, buying extras such as an H2O trap and extra regulator, and so on. If you are looking for just a hobby compressor, I'm not your man. Good Luck! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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