The unit is compact, but much heavier duty than similar Cr*ftman compressors I saw at Sears. It recycles quickly and fills the tank in less than 20 seconds. It came with a good owner's manual and a bottle of oil. I would recommend this unit to anyone looking for an occasional use compressor and does not want something large or loud.
An Airbrushing Powerhouse -

I use it to power airbrushes along with an added-on airbrush regulator/gauge/moisture trap. This is exactly what I wanted for airbrushing. It has a much longer lifespan than "airbrush compressors". The airbrushes work consistently all throughout the refill phase. This is the muscle car of airbrush compressors even though it was made in Taiwan. It's right there as high as you wanna go to get the tank filled up.

It only runs for 15 seconds to recharge from 100 to 125+ psi, which is great. 5 to 10 minutes of airbrushing in silence, and when it comes on it does have some volume, but it is so much less noise than an oilless. It's the large exposed part of the motor that you can easily reach and tighten up with a screwdriver.
Great compressor, but check the box thouroughly before signing for delivery! - After working with a friend's older version of this compressor for the last eight months, I decided to splurge and get my own. If this compressor is anything like the older model, it's going to last forever. Never had any problems with it. It looks like someone must've dropped it, and from a pretty good height! One of the legs was bent about 2 inches, so the compressor would rock when set down. Fortunately, the compressor itself (external tubes and gauges and whatnot) are all fine. It's annoying, but I don't want to go through the exchange process and be without air for another two weeks.

The startup process is fairly simple. There are two plastic plugs on the compressor that need to come out. One covers the oil filler, and one covers the air intake port. You replace the plug on the air intake port (topmost plug) with the included air filter, and you replace the oil filler plug with the included oil cap. Before you run it for the first time, fill it (with the included oil) until the oil line is midway in the window. Then, open the air release valve at the very bottom of the air tank and run the compressor for 20 minutes. Check the oil level periodically, of course!

On a related note, I also bought the Campbell Hausfeld MP520010AV air tool accessory kit to get me started. For the price, I'm happy with that too.

Compared to electric power tools, Campbell Hausfeld air tools save you both time and money. The initial cost of an air tool is significantly lower than its electrically powered counterpart, and the average life is longer. Air tools also deliver more torque and higher revolutions-per-minute than electric tools, helping you complete your jobs more quickly and effectively.

FEATURES

• Large, 8-gallon tank for extra storage
• Oil-lubricated cast iron cylinder pump for long lasting, reliable performance
• Wheels and handle for easy portability
• Delivers 4 avg scfm @ 90 psi

SPECIFICATIONS

• Delivers 4 avg scfm @ 90 psi

Product Description
8 Gallon, 15A Cast Iron Air Compressor, Oil Lube Pump With 2.2 SCFM, 125 PSI.
found in HL5501's reviews:
Sturdy, portable, cheap oil-lubricated compressor... But noisy! -

Let me start by saying that I can't live without an air compressor. Those of you who don't have one have no idea how much you'll use it and what an integral part of any household project or repair it will become when you finally have one. That being said, let me explain why I bought this particular compressor and what I think about it thus far.

Until recently, I had an 8-gallon oil-free compressor that was handed down to me from my dad after I bought him a large stationary garage unit about 6 years ago. This thing lasted about 13 years with very regular use with a few repairs over the years. This is absolutely unheard of with an oil-free compressor. In order to replace the blue tarp roof provided by FEMA with some actual shingles, I will need a compressor to power my roofing and framing nailers. Portability and reliability are important factors in order to assist with the reconstruction efforts of the community once the repairs to my home are complete. This is why I decided on an oil-lubricated compressor. Although I had great success with the aforementioned oil-free compressor, I do understand that this was more the exception than the rule. It is hard to find an oil-lubed compressor that is both portable and affordable., making them very difficult to get in and out of your truck/car by yourself, let alone getting them up a flight of stairs. Also, be careful to choose the right voltage input. Many oil-lubed units only run on 240V, so those of us without that luxury have to look for the 120V versions to run in our homes. The pressure switch is mounted to a post that is welded to the tank. On one of the wheels, the threads of the bolt completely stripped with very little effort at all. I may replace both wheels with some larger pneumatic ones for added portability in the future. This compressor does not come with oil, even though the instruction manual says "only use the oil that was shipped with the compressor." The other thing that you will run into is that it does not come with a coupler to connect an air hose to. Although this is very common for air tools not to come with the required fittings to connect it to a hose, there is one difference here. I have never seen a quick-disconnect air hose connector (the hose end that has the sleeve to release the connection) with male threads on it. (a brass pipe nipple for you plumbers out there)

Use:
The Campbell Hausfeld HL5501 overall seems to be a very good compressor. If you are looking into this compressor because of the reduced noise level that oil-lubed compressors are known for, then you will be disappointed. This compressor is every bit as loud as any comparable oil-free unit. The box advertises "125 psi max pressure", so I don't know if the guage isn't accurate or what, but the pressure switch is adjustable so this is easy to fix.

Conclusion:
I would recommend this compressor to the handy home user that wants the reliability and longevity of an oil-lube compressor, but doesn't want to spend a lot of money. It's easy to wheel around the house or garage and light enough to bring to your buddy's house to help with a weekend project. I would not recommend this compressor if the noise level is a big issue, but be prepared to spend a lot more money for a belt-driven unit.

Let’s face it: This compressor’s big, heavy and loud, with a max psi of 150. You can run three or four guns at once off it with a splitter and have no air supply problems whatsoever. It’s built tough for the job site (and the trips to and from), with a full roll cage to shield your pump and motor.5 gallon, oil-free contractor style compressor is packed with features. It starts with the oil-free pump which is designed for durability and long use. It also packs 150 PSI in the tank for longer tool run time. The high-flow air regulator and two-port removable console are winning combinations for contractors. Having the ability to remove the console gives the user the opportunity to remote air regulation and gain higher air pressure closer to the job site.

Technical Details
Tank capacity: 4. Air delivery at 40 PSI: 7.

What's in the Box
C3151 Job Boss Compressor, mobility kit, manual.5 gallon, oil-free contractor style compressor is packed with features. It starts with the oil-free pump which is designed for durability and long use. It also packs 150 PSI in the tank for longer tool run time. The High-flo air regulator and 2-port removable console are winning combinations for contractors. Having the ability to remove the console gives the user the opportunity to remote air regulation and gain higher air pressure closer to the job site.

Product Description
Includes Compressor, Mobility kit, ASME safety valve, Operating manual, Limited one-year warranty.
found in C3151's reviews:
way to go portercable - This the best compressor on the market it keeps up with 2 framing nailers with no problem all day this machine is for constuction not for paint gun with high volume you need a bigger tank 10 gallion or bigger. My Dad's friends were amazed on how well it kept with my DAD's 2 FC 350 FRAMING GUNS RUNNING THEM AT 90 PSI all day long. The only problem we had with is setting the psi,it was set after one or two try's it works real well.
Used it today for the first time - I use an air hammer to break out the old windows and they require a lot of air. This compressor worked well with some catch up time but hey, it's only a 4 1/2 gallon tank. Cord wrap is fairly useless, handle makes it portable, regulator worked, switch and air release are protected.
Dependable and... dependable -
I've been using this compressor for about 3 months now. Nailing, stapling, and air cleaning. What I don't particularly care for about the unit is the airflow adjustment valve. and I don't trust it for the compressor's duraction.

05 update: I noticed one reviewer griped about this tank's compressor turning on frequently while using an air wratchet or something. that's an unfair assessment. Using such tools would cause the same reaction on any tank with the same air gallon capacity.