I got sick of reading about everyone else and added my name to the list this AM. Finally . . . no more mooching air fills!

I see they've raised the price to $549 . . . figured I'd better get one before it goes up again.

-- Jim

How are you filling now?

They seem to be working well, although I have to admit to being sceptical when they first came out. As long as you don't mind the setup and time it takes to fill it seems to be a great solution.

Bigbore guys certainy need a lot of air.

Lon

I was using scuba to 3000psi . . . getting fills at a local dive shop. But they'd make me pay $50 every year to hydro my tank, even though it's never been in the water. I'd fill my 4500psi tanks at Gary's on occasion.

-- Jim

admin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was using scuba to 3000psi . . . getting fills
> at a local dive shop. But they'd make me pay $50
> every year to hydro my tank, even though it's
> never been in the water. I'd fill my 4500psi
> tanks at Gary's on occasion.
>
> -- Jim

thats strict , here its a visual every two and a half years , hydro at five .
o2 clean every year if your using nitrox over 40% or blending using partial pressure.
however
ive hydro tested hundreds of cylinders , and if you actually get to watch the hydro test
you will see just how much they blow up like a baloon, its really quite scarey.
so dont knock the testing, ask if you can watch next time , its interesting.

Hope you enjoy yours as much as i've enjoyed mine. The FREEDOM from dive shops is worth it price tag then some. Have fun and hope it really serves you well.

They do work and i can fill each scube in a couple to three hours. TOTAL (run for an hour then rest it for 15-30 min)

Hey, we might need a shoebox users forum here!

I may have to adopt the Shoebox "Duty Cycle" as described above here. Work for an hour ... then rest 15-30 min.

Faz ... you're a GENIUS!!!!



GAry

Well, suit yourself but I'm not picking up the pace for anyone!

heehhe

GAry



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2011 12:00AM by barnespneumatic.

I got an email yesterday that my Shoebox is "ready to pay for" and should ship very soon after that. So now I'm looking at all the other hoses, connectors etc. that'll be needed to keep my two 4500 psi 88cf Airhog tanks filled. Great timing too, now that I have the Alpine back.

I'm post some pix as I get my rig put together and cranking up . . .

-- Jim

Jim,

Should be the "new and improved" model from what I read.

Lon

Heard the same as BigBore. The new ones are supposed to have better parts in it. SWEEEETTT!!

Update on my compressor. the shoebox is still great. But the HARBOR FREIGHT COMPRESSOR that feeds the shoebox on the low pressure side took a dump. What crap HARBOR FREIGHTS tools are. The good thing is i got a new one for free with the extended warranty. I can see that if i had to do it all over again, i would go with a high dollar high name brand compressor. oh well, you get what you pay for i guess......lol

Sweet . . . yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

I have a nice little Porter Cable pancake compressor I've been using to drive my framing / finishing nailers and other stuff around the house that's gonna get enlisted. It's been a great little compressor so far so we'll give it a shot.

-- Jim

I have been on list for three weeks now and am moving up, so there should be enough of us to put heads together on the machine and figure out whats best with it! Will post when I get it.
Hugh

Update: my Shoebox arrived today, along with the optional "rebuild kit" (plastic bag full of o-rings and other stuff). I've got to buy the necessary inline water trap and lithium grease, but other than that, I'm ready to go! I'm mildly impressed with the build quality so far -- seems substantial with a bit of heft. This is no cheapo, thrown-together unit. The proof, of course, will be in its operation and longevity.

We'll fire it up tomorrow PM . . . I've got a few Airhog 4500psi 88cf carbon fiber tanks to throw at it.

-- Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2011 11:50PM by admin.

Hi Jim,

Please keep us posted on the Shoebox performance.

Julio

Very interested in this shoebox and hope it work's well for everyone. When i fill my 4500 tank at the dive shop they disconnect all the other tank's. They do fill it to 4500 every time.db

Cool. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it.

The only parts that i think would even fail would be the seals in the pistons. Everything else seem built well enough for what the unit is. Even the drive chain has TENSION adjustments. Pretty cool.

I fired up my Shoebox for the first time a little while ago. I essentially duplicated Ced's setup with coiled yellow airline and the inline desiccant water trap from Harbor Freight at the low-pressure input side of the Shoebox. On the output side, I have an Airhog 88cf 4500psi carbon fiber tank that started at 3600psi. It's running right now . . . I'll be interested to see how long it takes to top off a tank like this as well as how long between Shoebox "rebuilds." I'll be stopping to grease the pistons every hour per what I've read on the forums etc. I have my stopwatch going . . . we'll see what happens.

BTW, didn't see any white lithium grease at Harbor Freight . . . some generic-looking stuff marked "general purpose lithium grease" but didn't want to take a chance. Home Depot across the street had a tube of "White Lithium Grease" for $3.68 I believe . . . same exact product I've seen in pictures on the various online threads. From what I've read, you're only supposed to lube the piston shafts rather sparingly anyway.

-- Jim



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2011 12:08AM by admin.

Update: up to just under 3,900psi in an hour . . . call it 275psi / hour for an 88cf 4500psi tank so far. Stopped to grease the pistons, then fired it up again. 150psi 2.6 cf pancake compressor is kicking on every 20 minutes or so for maybe 45 seconds.

-- Jim

I'll drop off some tanks for you to top Jim. You need the practice.

You gonna set the alarm to get up every hour all night?

Nobody has said ... I'm curious ... what's the total for the entire collection of parts, fittings, odds and ends, hoses, dryer, etc., etc? From the electric plug to the air in the tank?

Gary

Nah, I'll just run it a few hours here, and a few hours there, and let it rest. No reason to keep it running all night. Just gotta plan ahead, and don't forget to fill your tanks back up when you get back from shooting.

Well, let's see: $620 for the Shoebox including rebuild kit and shipping, under $15 for the extra airline and desiccant water trap from Harbor Freight, and $3.68 for the lithium grease. I already had my carbon fiber tanks, yoke, shop compressor, and almost all the necessary fittings and Teflon tape etc (they came with my oil-less compressor when I bought it a few years back). Figure my nice little Porter Cable compressor and a box full of fittings would be around $100 if I bought them new. The Shoebox uses a 110V 1/3 hp motor that Tom Kaye estimates costs about $0.05 / hour in electricity. Also factor in that I didn't have to add a 220V line to get up and running. It's easily still 1/5 the price of a breathable air compressor system (and you do change your Triplex filters, right Gary)?

A bonus I discovered last night: as the Shoebox fills the tanks so gradually, there is *no* warming / heating of your tank due to the sudden pressure increase while filling.

Now, would I like to have a Bauer etc.? Of course. But for someone who's not filling every day, this seems like it will work just fine as long as you keep an eye on it, and maintain it properly. Only time will tell.

-- Jim

Oh ... so touchy ... .... hahaha

I just wondered because nobody had posted the prices all compiled.

Just so you know ... you can always buy compressors as "either" 110 v or 220 v. Your choice.

I think you are closer to 1/3 the price. And, you have to consider your time in monitoring, greasing, repairing, etc. and being "on deck" for the entire time it's running. Hope it all works out well for you. I'm not bashing it. I'm only comparing experiences. I bought my Bauer for around $3,000 about 8 years ago. Something like that. I sat it on the bench, have not done a thing to it since. Refills a tank in about five minutes. I think Kent bought his used Bauer for around $1,200 with gas motor. It needed nothing and has been used hard for several years now. Even filling tank after tank after tank at our shoots. There's a part of this whole thing that is "beating the system" and that seems to be a large part of the satisfaction for the unit.

Hats off to the designer. I wish him all the best.

Gary

Come on Gary, you know me . . . I'd never try to beat the system.

-- Jim

im still having trouble seeing a box of o rings hacking the pace blowing air and who knows what up to that pressure , personally id be saving a wee bit longer and pick up an old diving compressor.
but
best of luck to those who have bought shoe box , the idea is great , but honnestly guys , stand one beside a bauer or the likes , and see where the money has been spent. i dont see the sense in owning a ferrari and pouring chip oil and avgas mix in the tank. you guys own what in my eyes is some of the finest engineering available on the plannet , all your gun asks to function is lead , and clean dry air.
its not a huge list of stuff. and your too mean or lazy to give it one of them.
when your begging for seals to be replaced , with luck that will be all , dont say no one mentioned it.
id put the money into another couple of scuba tanks , or a real dive grade compressor ,,,,,, filters and all.
still just my thoughts , im not going to comment on it again.

Noted Tom, and yeah, I'm thinking about output air quality too. All I can tell you is that I haven't read of a single incident where anyone's gun was damaged because of air compressed by a Shoebox. The manufacturer, Tom Kaye, is actively selling these products for filling expensive paintball markers and airguns, and he's got decades of experience in R&D with this type of technology. He invented the original Automag paintball gun over 20 years ago now I believe. Anyway, would I be interested in a supplemental filter on the output, just to be safe? Sure. In fact, I read somewhere that someone is thinking of developing one already. But there are a lot of other guys in the field using the exact same rig I've got, and besides the routine o-ring replacement, they haven't had any problems. Again, only time will tell.

-- Jim

do a quick search for personal air filter , if its low flow like airgun use there are a few on the market at realistic prices that may help with the peace of mind thing.
any big scuba online seller will have them listed. hth

Just have to make sure that any filter you use is rated for the working pressure. Pretty big difference between the input and the output on these rigs.

Ok, JIM, i'm checking in on you and your NEWBORN...lol. How is she doing and what do you think of it so far?

Oh ... so you're back!

Is that "other forums" I smell on your breath?

Jim,

Did you notice any changes incorporated in your new shoebox? I heard there were some improvements since the first ones.

lol....Honey, why i don't know what you mean. I'm going brush my teeth.......................GEEZ!