Anyone who has used an air compressor in a small workshop will be aware that, after a while, all you can hear is the whine of the machine. And that’s long after you’ve turned it off!

If you long for a machine that whispers rather than shrieks, the ‘Clarke Shhh’ Air 30 Quiet Run Compressor is for you. It never raises its voice above 43dB (which is equivalent to quiet speech). But the main point is that it offers genuinely top-notch high performance, shifting 0.88 cubic feet per minute and delivering 8bar (115psi) maximum working pressure.

With its 190W motor, it’ll comfortably handle anything from domestic to light industry spraying, stapling, pneumatics, blowing, testing and inflating. It’s pleasingly priced at around $350 and it’s ergonomically designed to be exceptionally portable and easy to carry. And it’s so quiet you could probably turn it on it the bedroom in the middle of the night without waking sleeping beauty beneath the duvet!         

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This little beast is compact, portable, sturdy and gutsy. Fantastic for when you need a staple- or nail-gun with added oomph, the Bambi HT3-2P is ideal for tradesmen working on site. It comes with a twin cylinder high speed pump, and boasts superb air flow with wholly oil-free air even at high pressures. The 3-litre air receiver is very cleverly designed, functioning as a frame with an integral grab-handle.

With noise not exceeding 59dB, this air compressor is quieter than many in its size and power range. It can run most staple- and nail-guns and can be used to supply compressed air to range of other machinery and installations. The Bambi HT3-2P comes with a quick-release bayonet-type fitting and an output pressure gauge. Weighing in at just 10kg, it delivers a maximum pressure of 8bar.

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You might be about to meet the ultimate portable garage air compressor: the compact Clarke Mini Air Compressor, to be precise. It is almost soothingly quiet; well, OK, that’s an exaggeration. It’s an air compressor, after all. But it doesn’t exceed 55db; in Air Compressorland, that’s a breathy little whisper.

And with its aluminium body it’s genuinely, delightfully light, weighing just 4.5 kg. Maintenance free, it comes equipped with a 99W/230V motor which comfortably displaces air at 1.53 cubic feet per minute and delivers a maximum working pressure of 2.8 bar. And that’s oil-free air, ideal for brush work.

A well designed carry handle makes it easy to lift from place to place and there’s an easy-to-use on-off power switch, a pressure gauge and pressure release valve, and the whole lot sits atop a set of sturdy rubber feet. And at around $115, it’s better value than the Airmaster Tiger 8/36 Oil Free Air Compressor.

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This little beast is compact, portable, sturdy and gutsy. Fantastic for when you need a staple- or nail-gun with added oomph, the Bambi HT3-2P is ideal for tradesmen working on site. It comes with a twin cylinder high speed pump, and boasts superb air flow with wholly oil-free air even at high pressures. The 3-litre air receiver is very cleverly designed, functioning as a frame with an integral grab-handle.

With noise not exceeding 59dB, this air compressor is quieter than many in its size and power range. It can run most staple- and nail-guns and can be used to supply compressed air to range of other machinery and installations. The Bambi HT3-2P comes with a quick-release bayonet-type fitting and an output pressure gauge. Weighing in at just 10kg, it delivers a maximum pressure of 8bar.

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If you’re looking for peak performance, solid safety and fantastic value for money, you’d be clinically deranged not to take a look at the extraordinary Airmaster Tiger 14/60 Air Compressor.

What makes it stand out from the crowd? The most obvious thing to note is the ‘Tiger’ name, which stands for top quality DIY and semi-professional equipment. But this little beast comes with a hunky direct drive, V-twin, 14 cubic feet per minute air compressor pump. And a stonking 50 litre air receiver. And a 3hp, 230V motor with thermal overload protection.

Oh, and a thumping 8 bar (115 psi) working pressure – it’ll not just put a permanent parting in your hair but clear your own and your neighbour’s guttering of leaf grunge in a jiffy. Ideal for blow cleaning, paint spraying, tyre inflation and stapling, at just $430 this little Tiger is a must for any garage.

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The Wolf Apache 3 is a brawny but compact little warrior: a hybrid air compressor, it boasts a beefy 2HP 230V direct drive motor, displacing a creditable 8.1 cubic feet of air per minute.

The long-life oil-lubricated pump is super-efficient, and the compressor has two air outlets as well as an air pressure regulator, which means you can set the pressure to precisely the level you want it at. The greedy air receiver gulps in an impressive 24 litres and it’s an excellent little machine for light industrial applications or the home workshop.

The five-piece air tool kit includes a 10 metre air hose with quick connectors, a tyre inflator, gravity feed spray gun, blow-gun and long nozzle sprayer. But you need to act quickly if you want one – it’s been produced for the Holiday season in limited numbers. For around $140, it’s a gutsy little beast at a bargain price.

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If you think that 8 bar is a tad underwhelming for an air compressor, think again: the terrific little Wolf Dakota 13.2 CFM compressor more than manages where it matters most – the volume of air delivered up to 100 pounds per square inch. For a general purpose compressor it’s not just adequate, it’s brilliant. It comes with a quiet, slow-running, twin-cylinder belt-drive pump powered by a positively Herculean 3HP/240 volt motor.

We’re often told that size doesn’t matter, but in the world of air compressors, volume per minute does – the Dakota 13.2 shifts a hefty 375 litres per minute without breaking into a sweat. This little beauty will operate nail guns, staplers, spray guns – just about any air tool you can imagine lying around in your garage in fact. With an air output regulator and twin outlet quick-release couplers as well as a new bargain price of $450, we can all keep a Wolf in the garage!

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This little beast is compact, portable, sturdy and gutsy. Fantastic for when you need a staple- or nail-gun with added oomph, the Bambi HT3-2P is ideal for tradesmen working on site. It comes with a twin cylinder high speed pump, and boasts superb air flow with wholly oil-free air even at high pressures. The 3-litre air receiver is very cleverly designed, functioning as a frame with an integral grab-handle.

With noise not exceeding 59dB, this air compressor is quieter than many in its size and power range. It can run most staple- and nail-guns and can be used to supply compressed air to range of other machinery and installations. The Bambi HT3-2P comes with a quick-release bayonet-type fitting and an output pressure gauge. Weighing in at just 10kg, it delivers a maximum pressure of 8bar.

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Anyone who has worked with air compressors will know that, handy though they undoubtedly are, they’re frequently noisy beasts, assaulting the eardrums relentlessly.

If the prospect of air-compressor tinnitus makes you wince, consider the new innovation produced by the Bambi Company – a silent, oil-free air compressor. The company’s HT range uses an ultra-efficient ‘horizontal twin piston pump unit’ (hence the ‘HT’) which produces 100% oil-free air. Not only are the units exceptionally compact they are (virtually) silent, too. High air output at pressure is effectively guaranteed by the piston ring design and the ‘sealed for life’ bearings.

The HT range is optimally suited to applications where low-noise oil-free air is essential, such as dental compressors and other scientific instruments, stapling, autoclave locks and door controls. If you work with any of these, you can trounce any threat of tinnitus with a new Bambi HT Air Compressor.

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If you’ve ever noticed your car tyres looking a bit squishy but haven’t got time to stop off at a garage, this handy little device could well be your knight on a white charger, albeit a diminutive one.

It’s extremely compact, weighing just 1.3 kilograms, and it comes with an easy to read back-lit LCD display, a storage compartment for the power lead and air line and a storage case to put it in. Just plug it into the cigarette lighter, and the 12V Digital Car Air Compressor will set to work effortlessly inflating your tyres, shutting off automatically when the pre-set pressure is reached.

Capable of inflating a tyre in under 3.5 minutes, it reads pressure in several scales (psi, bar or kpa – just select the one you’re most familiar with) and it comes with a strong work light and even a red warning light if you need to inflate at the side of the street.

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