I’ve been thinking about compressors since yesterday. Prices for some heavy-duty machines were fixed by the amount of parts they would need over their life span. With the rise of so called “pirate part suppliers”, the revenue flow had slowed down. Now years later, most rotary screw air compressors consist of a controller, piping, enclosure, motor, and an air end by a manufacturer. While the filters, belts, lubricating fluid, starters, and motors are all available without the manufacturer. Therefore, when you are considering a new air compressor, an additional concern should be local service and parts availability.
Some manufactures say “built for a life time” but what they don’t say is that for this lifetime you must buy proprietary parts from them at their price. We are talking controllers for many thousand dollars and other idiosyncrasies that you can only get from them at their price.
I have also heard a technician say “if we don’t service it, you will void the warranty”. This is not true and there was a court case some years back to affirm this.
Subsequently, when you buy an air compressor you are tying yourself to a manufacturer and local distributor for about 10 years or more, and besides the obvious of price and availability, you should carefully examine your distributor supplier. Beware that some distributors will only work on certain machines which can limit your options if you already have existing compressors. Also, the internet is a great price equalizer and a way to avoid sales tax, but what would you do when there is a problem and the supplier is in Ohio or someplace else? Aircomo team offers more than 100 years of air compressor experience and stand ready to help in all kinds of situations.