Compressed air is the service everything else in the workshop hangs off. Rattle guns, blow guns, spray guns, tyre inflation, and whatever air tool you buy next year. Undersize it and you spend the next decade waiting for the tank to catch up.
We stock two types. SP Tools piston compressors from 50 to 270 litres, which suit the stop-start way most garages and workshops actually use air. And ELGi rotary screw compressors for continuous duty, where you have multiple people on tools or a spray booth running. If you need to move the compressor around, the portable range is the wheeled subset.
Piston or rotary screw
Piston (reciprocating)
Fills a receiver tank, shuts off, kicks back in when pressure drops. That matches work that comes in bursts: rattle gun, then nothing, then a bit of grinding. Lower purchase price, simple to service, and the cast iron pumps SP Tools use last. The trade-off is noise and duty cycle. It is not built to run flat out all day.
Rotary screw
Built to run continuously. Steady flow instead of cycling on and off, far quieter, and with the packaged refrigerated dryer you get clean dry air at every outlet. Higher up front, cheaper per unit of air over its life. Needs three phase power.
Browse rotary screw compressors
How to size an air compressor
Start with air delivery, not horsepower
Horsepower is a marketing number. Free air delivery, quoted in L/min or CFM at a stated pressure, is what tells you whether the compressor will run your tools. Add up the air consumption of everything you might run at once, then add around 30 percent headroom. A compressor that never gets a rest wears out early.
Then check the pressure
Most workshop air tools are rated at 8 bar, roughly 116 PSI. Truck tyre work and some specialist gear wants 10 bar or more, and that changes which units are suitable. Tell us up front if that is you.
Tank size buys time, not air
A bigger receiver means fewer motor starts and a steadier supply through peak demand. It does not increase how much air the pump makes. If the pump is undersized, a bigger tank just delays the moment you run out.
Check your power before you order
Most of the SP portable range runs on single phase 240 V. The SP50 and the entire ELGi screw range need 400 V three phase. Confirm what is at your wall first, because retrofitting three phase is not cheap.
Budget for air treatment
Compressed air carries water. In an Australian summer that means moisture in your lines, your spray gun and inside your tools. A dryer and line filters are part of the system, not an accessory. The ELGi CTD packages include them.
Air compressor FAQs
What size compressor do I need for a home garage?
For a rattle gun, blow gun and tyre work, something in the 50 to 100 litre range handles it. If you plan to spray paint or run an orbital sander for any length of time, size up, because those two jobs eat far more air than people expect.
Can I run a screw compressor at home?
Only with three phase power, which most residential garages do not have. A piston compressor is the practical choice for the majority of home setups.
How noisy are air compressors?
Piston compressors are loud enough to matter in a suburban garage. Rotary screw units are dramatically quieter, which is why workshops put them inside rather than in a shed out the back.
Do you deliver Australia wide?
Yes, free shipping Australia wide. The SP50 and the ELGi units ship on a pallet and need forklift or tailgate access, so let us know what your site can handle.