Craftsman Professional  27 Gallon Vertical Portable Air Compressor

This compressor was bought in November 2012 on an amazing sale ($400). So far, my overall thoughts are this is a great all around compressor. Yes, it did come low on oil as the majority of the other reviews said and yes, sears does not sale syn oil which it calls for. A very common home improvement store sales the bottles of syn oil in 16oz sizes for around $8. Best to pick up two, one to top it off for the break-in and one to change the oil once the break-in is completed. The drain on the bottom of the tank is 100% useless. At first I thought I could make it work but you need to go ahead and replace it with a street 90 with an extension and a nice ball valve. Probably end up costing an extra $15 or so after that?s said and done. I run this compressor a few times a week in my personal garage. Its uses are to air up tires, run an impact (Craftsman Professional Composite), run an air ratchet (craftsman Professional), and run a brake bleeder, among a few other random things. It runs whatever I need with no issues and man is it quiet! I had been using the small direct drive 3gal craftsman compressor and there is just not comparison in sound levels. If you are looking for a good, affordable compressor for your garage then this is most likely the compressor for you. Yes it does have some flukes but they are easily fixed. Ive had zero leaks with mine. And to the reviewer that said it wont run their DA that takes 5CFM at 150psi, this compressor does 7.2cfm at 40psi.. Gotta read for comprehension sometimes.

I was excited about getting this compressor despite the reviews....about the leaks and lack of oil. I did have to buy oil to add so I could do the proper break-in. but after changing the oil....the think was leaking like crazy! It was on the line from the tank...not easily tightened. I had to take everything off (including the electrical to stop the leak). I tried to get the store to repair it all I got was bring it back and we will get you a new one. Whay would I do this just to get another leaking compressor? They said I should have bought the service agreement...they they would have come to me to make the repairs..... Why is this? Do they know they are selling junk? just expect it to leak and be prepared to add oil right out of the box

I agree with previous reviewers that this is a pretty cheaply made and not well thought out compressor. But it does what it's supposed to do. That being said, let me describe some of the issues I've noticed. The first one is a pretty serious problem, the top of compressor head gets very hot when run continuously, and it is a natural spot to place your hand when adjusting the air or hooking up a hose. I'm actually surprised the nanny state "blow dryer in the bathtub" missed this, by the time the pain registers with your brain and you **** your hand back, it's too late, you've got a 3rd degree burn. I see no good way to mount a guard and I don't want to cover this with insulation as the heat needs to dissipate from the head. I guess you just have to remember not to place your hand there. As others have noted, the wheel assembly is the type that has a cap pressed on to retain the wheels. This may be a good idea for a Lil Red Ryder wagon but a 162 lb. compressor? Plus there is about an inch of play which allows things to bend and distort. I'm going to try adding some washers in between the cap and the wheels to tighten things up so there is no play. This should help. Another issue is the air outlet from the pressure switch is straight in line with the oil drain plug. This won?t be a problem if you are just going to hook a hose up but if you want to add a water separator it will obstruct the drain plug. I had to turn the ?? pipe coming from the tank to the pressure regulator counter clockwise to angle the air outlet away from the drain plug, this will give you enough clearance to remove the plug. One last issue, I hooked up a CP7201P Polisher that supposedly uses 5 CFM @ 150 psi. The compressor is supposed to make 7.2 CFM at 150 psi. Well, I hooked up the polisher and ran it with no load and watched the pressure in the tank drop while the compressor was running. The whole entire reason you buy a big CFM compressor is so that you get big CFM. I?m not going to knock off any stars from the review right now, I haven?t had a chance to run anything under load or adjust the tool yet, so maybe I don?t have things dialed in. But I will be watching this. If this compressor can?t produce what it advertizes, it?s going back home to Sears. One last observation, I don?t think the motor for this is a continuous duty cycle, it?s not marked as such. If it ever croaks and is out of warranty, it would be pretty straightforward to replace it with one, instead of just ordering the same one from Sears.

I followed the instructions on break-in, ran with tank drain valve open for 30 minutes. I then changed oil (no mention of this in instruction manual). Instruction manual does state the oil capacity as 18 oz. This is found in the exploded drawing for the compressor itself. I then pressurized the tank. It took 6-1/2 min. to fill and shut off at 152 lbs. The low pressure switch cut in at 120 psi. The compressor ran well and is running quieter now after about 3 hours of use. I am pleased with the performance. My biggest complaint is the drain valve...rather than one with the wing nut allowing you to tighten and loosen with your fingers, this unit came with a knurled threaded cap. It is impossible to drain by hand and requires one to get down on hands and knees and use a small set of pliers to operate. This design is inexcusable on a "premium" grade compressor. I replaced it with a street 90 and a ball valve. Be careful of clearance at bottom with this modification.

Everything looks to be well built on this. It's a bit pricey, but sometimes you get what you pay for and Craftsman tools are trustworthy.

Originally looking for a regular compressor for over a year for general purpose use. I saw this 27 gal pro-refurbished at the clearance section and paid $263 with tax. After testing it for 3 days, returned it due to leak and the manager immediately ordered a new compressor. The new unit arrived after 4 days: instruction is straight forward; powered it up, changed oil and worked golden since then...NO leaks.

Had to return immediately because of leaking oil. Last one in stock so I had to purchase a compressor elsewhere.

Had an old non-oil that was loud and took more room. I would suggest adding a small container of oil as it was low when I received it. Seems to work great and is reasonably quiet.

I bought this compressor afew days ago. When I had time, done the break-in as suggested in the instructions. Worked perfect! I used soapy water to check for leaks. None! Performed flawlessly! Needless to say, I am am pleased.

For the price this will make a nice home garage compressor. Very quiet and looks great!