When I first open my shop 10 years ago, I just brought the air compressor I had in my home garage to the shop with the intention it would get repalced with a bigger two stage 240 volt unit or even a 3 phase unit, but 10 years later I'm still blasting with the same compressor and it does the job for me, which is on a professional level, meaning bead blasting everyday. I've got the big 3 foot Skatblast cabinet and the air compressor is a 110 6hp 6.6 CFM Husky unit, bought when on sale at Home Depot, cast iron motor. Quite hoinestly it does the job, when you compare to my buddy's set up, same blast cabinet 10hp two stage air compressor, I say his work time before you need to give the compressor a rest is 7-8 minutes, my work time before I need to give the compressor a brealk is maybe 5 minute, so not alot of difference for about $700 in the differenc in the cost of the compressors. Here's the deal almost any compressor you put in your home garage will exhaust your air compressor in 5-8 minutes of blasting time, and as you get into blasting, you'll quickly relaize that about as long at one time as you want to blast anyway. People I think look at a blasting cabinet before they get one as great thing, and they are great for this type of work, and very much needed, but blasting in cabinet is about as much fun as a kick in the privates
, so 5 minutes at time is very acceptable work time.
I can't say enough good thing about a TIP Tools Skat Blast cabinet, the nozzles are way better than the HF/Northern variety, and the foot feed is a much better choice than the hand trigger, the light in the Skat Blast is normal flood light and it works alot better than the cheaper units lights. Here's the deal though if you have the HF type units and you would like to spruce it up a bit, you can got the TIP Tools website and buy upgrade for your cabinet, replacment gloves, dust vaccums, bettrer tips (I use the graphite ones, they are more expensive but outlast the regular ceramic ones 10 to 1) better nozzles, differnet types for media, I use fin glass I do alot of clean steel and carb bodies in my cabinet, but if you are stripping rust and paint you could go for aluminum oxide for example. Anyone who has or wants a blast cabinet needs to visit TIP Tools website.