CALIFORNIA AIR TOOLS CAT-1P1060SP GAL 56DB Air Compressor

It’s compact, quiet, simple to operate, and does probably more than most people need, just in case you want more for a special job. A very distinguishing friend of mine recommended California Air Tools pumps because he knows I hate junk, and I’m very pleased. I’m pretty sure others will be too, unless you need higher pressure or capacity, and that’s something you can find with a bigger model from California. They’re really good products.

I got tied of pulling out 150: of hose Everytime I needed air in barn..nothing major but waste of time....I did some looking around and found this unit......very quiet, vibration free and adequate tank for its size....your not going to run a service shop with this but for small jobs, nailers, tires I even did tractor tire, just took two or three cycles refilling holding tank....I installed on small shelf up.on wall....comes with small but very nice accessories kit..... worth the money

This is a super quiet compressor that works well. I wish it could handle a little stronger PSI load for auto painting (takes a moment for it to catchup sometimes when spraying) however this is a great small compressor that is very very quiet and lightweight. I can paint in the garage while the family sleeps inside at night and this compressor is quiet not waking anyone up. Good value

Excellent product! I have been doing construction for 12 years now so I have been around many different styles and brands of compressors. I wanted something I could easily carry into a customers house and do my trim/finish work and not wake the dead while doing it! This is the quietest compressor I have been around. Now some of the other ones I have been around that are this size are very quiet as well. This I is quieter than a lot of them for sure. Highly if you are looking for something to tackle small jobs this is a excellent product for that. I have been using this compressor for 3 years now and it still functions like new. I believe that California Air has it figured out when it comes to building quality compressors. If you are debating on anything it should be how big you need, not what brand. You found the the brand. It is still my favorite when someone tells me they got a new little compressor and they will brag about how quiet it is then they hear this and want to know where to get.

Not exactly silent, but much better than other similar sized normal compressors. Great for learning to airbrush so far.

Like the size and noise level, but one gallon of compressed air doesn’t last very long! I should have gotten a2 gallon tank! Other than that it’sa great product!

You can have this running in the same room and and almost not even hear it running. I can carry on a conversation and keep working. Weight isnt bad little heavy but i believe it is due the the frame. But it protects the pump and motor so I am ok with a little extra weight

You have to hear this to fully appreciate how truly quiet it is. You can hold a quiet conversation with this running right next to you and never have to raise your voice. Im blown away how well it performs. Best compressor Ive ever had! I literally run that night in my basement and wife cannot hear it in room above me.

Super quiet, powerful, and small and portable. Works well for small jobs around the house like filling bike tires and blowing out computers. However, tried to use it for a third time and it completely died. Worked for about 10 minutes and then nothing. Tried everything to get it to work. Past return date so contact California Air tools to see about returning it. Customer service was AWESOME and directed us to a secret reset button. Turns out that if your compressor gets accidentally unplugged during use (which was the case for us), you have to push this button to reset the compressor. Location of reset button not noted anywhere in instruction manual. Pushed reset button and compressor came back to life.

California Air Tools charges more than competitors for the same tank capacity / air output and in trade, you get a noticeably quieter device. Not zero noise quiet, but more than quiet enough. The downside to this specific affordable CAT unit is that the tank is just 1 gallon and after only a few seconds with a air gun (blow dust off), the compressor is already back on and recharging. So this is okay for a brad nail or stapler, or for a low-volume air gun. But it is not intended for production work with, say, a framing nailer, and no way is it powerful enough to do spray painting. I got the unit reviewed here, the CAT-1P1060SP unit (left in my photo) over the similar-specs CAT-1P1060S (right in photo) because theres a cage around the compressor (except, oops, when you attach the muffler to the back, that sticks out) and because theres a panel with two gauges, pressure regulator, and quick coupler. The unit I got is about $10-$15 more than its workalike, but I plan to haul up to our summer cabin and back and wanted one with more protection when its banged around in transit. The only thing I dont like is the power on-off lever which, I wonder, how durable it will be. You can buy, separately, a 5- or 10-gallon auxiliary tank for ~$50 (5-gal steel) to $125 (10-gallon aluminum) from CAT. That would solve your problem of air supply running out, but so would spending $200 for a CAT compressor with more capacity. 4-5 years ago I bought a 2-hp, 10-gallon CAT air compressor that is also quiet and CAT calls it ultra-quiet but its still noisier that the 1-gallon unit I just got. I know I paid $50-$100 more than for a cheaper, noiser compressor, and Im glad I spent the extra money. My experience with CAT service / support is mixed. It hasnt needed any service. But the first compressor came with the rear supports / vibration-damping lags out of alignment and missing parts. A year later (seriously) CAT sent me a completely different quote replacement part unrelated to what was wrong, and in the meantime Id been to Home Depot and bought a bunch of big flat washers to use as leveling shims. If you need ultra, ultra quiet, there is a thousand-dollar CAT compressor with 1 hp motor and 8-gallon tank in a noise-containment cabinet.