In 1993 I bought the biggest air compressor Craftsman sold, a 5hp 30 gallon single stage. At the time it was the biggest single phase 220 volt compressor you could buy. The tank has developed a pinhole leak & a replacement is no longer available. I was going to buy a 60 or 80 gallon tank for it, then I saw how much that would cost & I started looking at 80 gallon 2 stage compressors. I was considering the Kobalt that Lowes sells for $950 (made by Campbell Hausfeld) then I discovered the pump life rating is only 10,000 hours. Looking at the automotive & shop equipment suppliers there seems to be a wide range of brands (and varying reviews on quality) in the $1000 - $1700 range.

For those of you that have 2 stage compressors in your shops what brands seem to work good & which ones should I steer clear of? Thanks.