So far, this is a fantastic tank. Being made out of aluminum it’s dramatically lighter and easier to casually throw around and bring from place to place. The shipping box it came in, was well packed, extra thick cardboard with straps and plenty of foam reinforcements. I’ve seen some complaints about the quality of the brass fittings. They do look kind of thin walled. I’ve been trying hard to not bump them very hard since that three-way contraption sticks out quite a bit. Even if I do end up, breaking the weakest looking tee fitting off, it’s just standard 1/4”fittings, everything except the on/off, Schrader, pressure, relief, gauge all in one manifold and it actually looks pretty well made. Read more
Not inexpensive but as long as you don't run over it, it will almost certainly last you your lifetime. If you are a buy-it-once person, do it - you won't regret it. If you aren't, buy a steel one for about half the price and it will probably rust out from the inside in about 10 years like mine did. Upon receiving, I loaded it up with 125PSI, closed the valve, and left it in the garage for a week - no air leaked out. Then I opened the valve and left my own personal hose (I prefer a long one) and fitting on it - still no leaks. So, the quality from the factory is very good. Welds looked nice and the paint job was good quality. Also, it has a water drain. Very few of these portable tanks have proper drains in the bottom. Read more
Pros: light (purchased the AL tank), nice design, nice features (1/4 turn drain, valve to isolate tank from brass, can be filled two ways) Cons: cheap brass, poor assembly Purchased this tank to match the California Air Tool compressor I purchased at the orange hardware store. I give in 3.5 stars because I really like the tank now that it works correctly. If you purchase this tank please be aware that your will need replace all most all the brass on that comes on the tank. It is cheap and clearly the part of the product that was skimped on the reduce costs. Had to replace all the brass in the in photo with higher quality products from the orange hardware store. The isolation valve and hose coupler leaked and the tee fitting split when replacing the leaky parts. Save yourself some time and have all of these on hand. All are 1/4” npt by the way. The tire chuck hose whip came with nipple finger tight only. Additionally it had an excessive amount of Teflon tape on the hose fitting end including tape covering the opening of the fitting. I also found this on the brass on the tank. This is very poor assembly quality that can damage your tools as the Teflon tape does not break down and clogs screens and jams tools. Sad to see California Air Tools put a sticker on the tank that proudly says it was assembled in the USA but has such poor assembly quality. Please leave the sticker off in future. Read more
I found the whole assembly well-thought-out for the casual user. The valve does a good job of keeping the air in when you want it to, the connections make it easy to either fill the tank or use it. Could they be tougher or better protected? Sure. But in casual use, this thing should last for a very long time. Key thing to longevity is to detach all hoses and other stuff while transporting it. You can't expect the tank valve to survive much abuse given how its installed vs. how the rest of the assembly acts on it. Welds on mine looked fine, just as the paint job. It's very light, and it stores a much more air than my compressor. Makes it ideal for quick refills of tires and like stuff, rather than having to lug a compressor and power cord around. I would also recommend it for large but intermittent loads, where your compressor can use it like a battery to store air that is going to be released in short bursts that exceed the capacity of the built-in accumulator. Using this tank in a fixed installation is likely a waste as similar steel-based tanks cost less. Downside of steel tanks, however, is that you have to watch for water (and the resultant corrosion). Read more
I carried this tank for a few months but never used it to air up anything, it leaked slowly but it's easy to refill and very lightweight. Before I got around to addressing the leak it stopped working altogether. Read more
Excellent Read more
Nice add on air capacity Read more
The California Air Tools 10 gal tank is a handy tool to have on hand, but the other reviews describing the fitting as cheap are correct. I ordered the 5 gal tank, filled it with 100 lbs of air, it leaked down to about 70 lbs over night. Couldn't find the leak. I returned it , and ordered the 10 gal tank. When the 10 gal tank arrived, I discovered that it had been purchased and returned by a previous customer. The tank had air in it and had some scuff marks on the bottom of the tank. I'm a bit disappointed in Amazon for pulling that sort of transaction. But, the 10 gal tank is much like the 5 gal tank, has cheap fittings. I put 100 lbs of air in it and it leaked down about 5 lbs within 2 or 3 hours. I soap tested it for leaks, but could not find any I can't tell why it is losing air pressure. I will keep it and replace the fitting if it becomes a real problem. Just be prepared to fill the tank before you use it, I don't know how long air will remain in the tank over a long period of time.. I did buy the aluminum tank, it is light, and well built. It should last a long time. I do plan to up grade the fittings later. Read more
