Maxus EX8403 21 Amp 5 HP 80-Gallon Cast Iron Oiled Two-Stage Vertical Compressor

• 21 Amp 5 HP 80-gallon cast iron oiled 2-stage vertical compressor provides up to 10,000 hours of pump life
• Ideal for automotive and job site tasks
• 2-stage 2-cylinder, and oil-lubricated cast iron pump for long life and durability
• Offers oil sight gauge, high airflow, and 175 maximum PSI
• 5-year limited manufacturer's warranty

I have owned this compressor for about two weeks so far so I can only comment on setup and limited use, as well as voltage requirements that prospective owners should know about before purchasing any air compressor.

I installed it at my place of business and quickly realized that the motor is wired for 230 volts, but my service supplies 208 volts. I emailed Campbell Hausfeld and they replied within a week,telling me that the motor requires a minimum of 215 volts to operate. I then called Emerson where the compressor motor is made and they told me that they do not recommend running the motor on 208 volts, and that the motor is not capable of being rewired for 230 volts.

Further research led me to hire a electrician to install a "buck and boost transformer" to raise my voltage from 208 volts to 230 volts. This was the solution I chose, rather than return the compressor and buy one that ran at 208 volts, because my research showed that the compressor would run more efficiently at 230 volts than at 208 volts. After all, if I couldn't achieve the maximum cfm that the compressor is capable of then why bother with a 2 stage compressor in the first place? The transformer cost $ 138.00 and the electrician another $ 180.00 for his expertise.

When the installation was complete we threw the switch and the compressor ran perfectly with a moderate amount of noise and hardly any vibration (I bolted it to the concrete floor with neoprene pads under the feet). So far I have only used it for about two hours on one project, but from what I can see it works perfectly. It builds pressure up to 175 psi as listed, then sits idle until the pressure drops down to 125 psi. I have another project coming up within the next two months and will follow up this review at that time.

UPDATE: I have now owned this compressor for about 18 months and I am happy to report that it has worked perfectly. The only con that I can see is that there is a very slight dripping of compressor oil that seems to be coming from the drain plug and dripping down the side of the air tank over time. I see this as an extremely minor issue because the level of compressor oil is still where I started when looking at the glass "bubble" on the side of the unit. I have not had to add any compressor oil to the unit. In hindsight, I should have removed the oil drain plug and wrapped it in teflon tape before filling the unit with compressor oil. I would definitely recommend this compressor.

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I should say that the unit did have a bad pressure switch on arrival but CH got that rectified quickly. Since, the initial problem there haven't been any and it has worked as expected. I have it in my hobby shop and it easily keeps with anything and everything I do. I have heavy air consumption tools and it has no problem keeping up, it could handle 2-3 times what I do and still keep up LOL.

This unit makes single stage, 60 gallon compressors sold at the BORG look and perform like toys. ;-)

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Love the Compressors section advertisements.

First this compressor is manufactured in Singapore. Should you need parts or anything else for the compressor head in the future this may be a concern.

Advertised as a seven and a half, 7.5, Horsepower compressor. I was planning on replacing my 5HP compressor until I found the amp rating on the motor was the same as my 5HP compressor. Physics says you can't get more power from the unit than you take from the wall. This is a 5HP motor. I don't care what the placard says. Amazing this type of advertisement is even allowed. Poor consumer that doesn't know a thing about electricity. He is at the marketers mercy.