DEWALT Air Compressor, 225-PSI Max, Hand Carry with Wheels, 4-1/2 Gallon (D55146)

Bought this 2 months ago and used it on and off. Satisfied so far. Most of the specs are accurate, but prospective buyers may want more, please read on. Homeowners beware though, the compressor is not 1.5HP, more like 2.5. It needs a full 15A circuit to run, I measured it.First off, I'm a DIY homeowner. I owned 2 other compressors prior - a tiny 1.5G oiless and a 2HP 4.5G oil lube twin tank. The first one was confined to pumping tires (barely), 18G nailer and very small paint job (e.g., a door). Retired it quickly. The twin tank was a good as can be, short recovery time and sufficient air for most small air tools. However, it maxed out at 100psi and prevented me from using many tools. It has a long warm up time and the air usually contains a little oil. Finally, it was not mobile, the 60lbs "cube" must be carried using an awkward handle.Enter the Dewalt D55146. Its footprint is big for a 4.5G, but not bad in terms of storage since you can stand it up (tank on top). The unit is also heavy, weighing 80lbs. But it is surprisingly well balanced, not much worst than lifting my twin tank "cube". Of course, you normally just roll the Dewalt, no lifting necessary.Now the specifics. The reviews are mixed and, for 3 years, I could not decide (considering that my twin tank never failed, only my back). After New Year, the Dewalt's price dropped and I headed to the Web again. Found a youtube video about a guy who was given an old beatup version of this compressor. He took it apart and tried to rebuild it. This led me to the compressor's part list, part diagrams and price list (available at Dewalt). What I found:1) It has a brushed motor like an electric drill. Most pumps use an induction motor. Don't know how long the brushes last, but they are NOT cheap. Sold by the EACH at over $10.2) Compressor rated at 1750rpm, but motor probably runs much faster. It drives a large flywheel via a belt and the flywheel drives the piston rod. Sort of double gear reductions.3) The piston uses dry lube (or no lube). It's primary seal is rubber or silicon. Bore is around 2.5" with a short stroke. The piston/seal assembly can be had for around $30, not bad.4) The head is very simple. The valves sit on a replaceable gasket. It is not expensive either.5) The gauges and outlet are connected to a casted manifold. Although there is an affordable regulator rebuild kit, do not break the manifold, it costs $100.6) There are several revisions of the product. One I got in 2/2012 was "Type IV". Parts are mostly identical. The engine "mount" might have changed though. It seems very sturdy now. A review about broken mount was probably an older model.What I like about this compressor:1) Mobile. The tires are big. They are soft run-flat. Works well on rough terrain, though not smooth on flat surfaces. Rims are solid plastic, no bearing.2) Tubular frame, air tank and tire shaft are all welded together. The frame forms a cage that protects the inners, including the intake filter.3) Thick and flexible cord. Heavily shielded - 14 gauge but looks like 10. Around 6ft long.4) Nice gauges/outlet panel. The outlets are simple push in type, no need to pull back the sleeve. The regulator is not smooth, but works fine. Note that you must PULL the regulator knob out to adjust, then PUSH in to lock. Knob won't turn when pushed in. Procedure is printed on the panel. This may be why one reviewer was unable to turn the knob.5) Motor and pump are encased in plastic, keeping dirt away from the inners. It also channels air through the engine to keep things cool. The motor runs a fan at high speed and draws a lot of air.6) Air tube out of the pump is just warm/hot, not the usual burning hot. I touched the 3/8" aluminum tube and was surprised at how cool it was. Freshly pressurized tank is barely warm, meaning more useable air.7) Quality OEM intake filter. It is plastic, but has a replacable filter cartridge. Resembles a Solberg 6CFM model.8) No oil in the air. I can now use it to aerate my lawn.9) No warm up necessary. I put this last because I'm not sure. One reviewer said it took 15 minutes to warm up. The instruction says nothing about this. Seems unnecessary by design; besides, the pump stays cool during run.What I don't like about it:1) It needs a full 15A to run. It maxed out my Kill-a-Watt at >15A and >1800W. Be careful when using this on a household circuit.2) Like others said, you need to hold the unit at 45 degrees to drain the tank properly.During operation, the thing sounds almost abnormal. The pump makes little noise, but the motor whines and manufactures ozone. Tank reaches 100psi quickly. The remaining 100 takes a couple of minutes. Strokes slow down as pressure builds. Pump stops at 220psi and cuts back in around 160. And the cycle happily continues.Update June 2016-------------After 4 years of weekly uses, I have a few more things to report:1) Still running strong. The motor and pump make the same low pitch hum as before. More importantly, the tank pressurize in about the same time.2) The ozone smell disappeared after a few months.3) It is a steel tank after all. Rusty water comes out of the drain now. Not bad though, nothing like the stuff that came out of my previous twin-tank. As mentioned by many, draining this guy is no easy task.4) The female adapters are very hard to engage. I always worry about breaking them off since I have to push really hard on them.5) Although the tank has over 200psi worth of juice, the regulator cannot manage such pressure. In fact, setting the regulator beyond 140psi is likely bad. Why? See below.6) It started to leak ... very disappointed. But it turned out to be my fault. The leak came from the regulator. Upon disassembling it, I discovered that a plastic disc inside had deformed. It was probably caused by me setting the pressure too high, forcing the disc onto a stop repeatedly. Why? I used the DeWalt to fill a 7gal portable tank to 120psi (160psi rated), so the compressor needs to be at 150psi or so. My bad. For now, I just flatten the disc using a heat gun, so far so good.Update May 2017-------------The compressor is still running strong. Unfortunately, my regulator fix did not last. The repair kit (part #N008792) is expensive (~$20), but it did the job. Will have to see how long this last. I have high hope since the disc that failed before is now beefier (see picture, new one on the left, old one on the right). The disc fits tighter too.There was a comment about how I use a compressor to aerate my lawn. Basically, I wet my lawn well before hand. Then I just insert an HF blow gun with a long nozzle extension randomly into the soil and release some air. If the soil is loose, the air will escape with no resistance. But if is packed, the ground will puff up and loosen a bit.

Outstanding Compressor !

I got the compressor in about 2 days, seeing as it came from North Texas, so yay Amazon! After reading some of the reviews, I was a little weary, but it looked in new condition and all the knobs and switches worked (on/off switch seemed oddly loose, but I think that's by design). BEWARE!!! I read the English part of the manual cover to cover, and there was absolutely NO MENTION of the "break-in" procedure; thankfully, at least one other reviewer did mention it so it made me suspicious. Upon going to the DeWalt site and downloading the manual for this exact model, I did find the section for the break-in period, and it even warns you NOT to skip it (basically run the compressor for 15 minutes with the drain plug open and then close the drain plug to let it come to full pressure).I did use the compressor once to run a nailgun, and it worked pretty well. Not as quiet as some, but certainly not as noisy as others. Other reviewers were correct about having to tilt it 45 degrees in order to drain the tank; it even alludes to that in the manual. I did notice during the break-in period the tank got hot (or at least very warm); I don't know if that's normal or not, my last compressor didn't, but I don't think I ran it enough for that to happen.I also did opt for the 300 psi rated hose, but I got mine at a local store. Make sure you get some 1/4" quick disconnects and make sure you get at least a 3/8" diameter hose (the diameter bit is straight from the manual)!So far, I definitely like this compressor (oil-free rocks!). I took one star away because of the seemingly missing section of the manual, which is my main concern right now. I will post an update if I find out anything new about this, but for now, here is the link for the manual from the Dewalt Site:UPDATE: 8/12/2015As I was reading through some of my old reviews, I realized I've had this thing for 5 years! Still going strong, and I while I don't use it every day, it's there when I need it. Only thing I've had to do so far was to replace some seals (easy, with a kit) on the knobs. Definitely glad I got this thing.[...]EDIT 7/21/20I've had this for 10 years, and still working! I had to rebuild the seals (easy procedure), but the compressor still runs! Great buy.

Excelente producto

I like the fact that this compressor can store upright, but the listing had mislead me because the compressor has two 3-in-1 couplers that only accept Industrial/Milton (M), Aro (A), and Automotive/Truflate(T) couplers yet was described as having a High Flow couplers and it does not accept the Harbor Freight High Flow/Milton V/Flexzilla High Flow /Euro 7.2mm connectors that I have so I had to purchase extra couplers to rectify it. For most people, this will not be a problem but for a contractor grade compressor, that would be the difference in being able to drive nails as fast as you can accurately go without starving for air.The weight of the compressor indicates that it is made of abundant amounts of steel and is not a problem ordinarily since it has wheels that allow you to roll the compressor like luggage. The downside to the weight only comes when you have to pack it away without a loading ramp to a bed of a truck. One person can definitely lift it but it would be much better with two people to avoid strain.The compressor always maintains a tank pressure that is higher than 150psi before it kicks on again. the maximum regulated pressure is only up to 150psi so that is one downside since you can't utilize the higher pressures, but also an upside since most tools are not mean't to be run higher than 150psi anyway.All in all, a good compressor.