When Quality & Quiet Matter More Than Price & Power
I'm an experienced hobbyist woodworker. Lately I've been tapped by my son's school for various projects such as bookshelves and work carts. A number of casework and trim projects are ahead for my household projects. I decided to speed things up by shifting to dado/rabbet joinery held with brads during glueup instead of biscuits. I researched compressors carefully around town and on the Web. Compressors available at the Borg and various local tool shops are gawdawful loud, heavy, and look to be made of cheap plastic and pot metal. It seems like most consumers want units that are cheap and powerful. I don't expect to use the unit for more than finish nailing, inflating tires, and blowing dust around the shop. The compressor will be carried around and used indoors. I don't mind paying more for tools that will last a long time. In my case cheap and powerful are low on the list. I'm looking for quiet, durable, and light.

The 1/2 HP Thomas seems to be right for me. It is conversation-level loud. Occasional indoor use won't send family members scurrying to other rooms. The unit is light enough to carry around easily, and its shape rides comfortably beside your walking legs (unlike pancake compressors). The unit seems to be assembled well using quality components.

The compressor only puts out about 1 CFM and has a 2 gallon tank. It will drive about a dozen nails before cycling on. There is plenty of capacity for inflating bike tires and topping up car tires. I only get several seconds of shop blowing before the unit cycles on, but that's OK for my home workshop use.

You will not be happy with this compressor unless your needs and preferences are similar to mine. It really doesn't put out or hold much air. So far it's looking like a good choice for me though. No durability experience since I haven't had the compressor for long. The factory replied quickly and completely to an e-mail question I had while shopping. I'll write again if my opinion changes over time.

Great little compressor!
I have several compressors - from a commercial "giant" model - down to this newest addition. I bought this for my hot rod trailer - and I needed a compressor that would run off a 3kw generator. I only needed this to air up the tires (75 psi on the trailer and 85 psi on the fronts of the truck) and the occasional "blow gun" for clean up. Not only does this little guy make 120 psi - it's quiet - light - and very nicely built! This is no imported junk! I couldn't be happier.