Makita MAC700 Review by woodbutcher1, November 23, 2008

• Overall Rating

I was looking for a smaller, lighter, oil lubricated portable air compressor that was a little easier to carry up a flight of stairs then the bulkier and heavier Hitachi EC12 twin stack compressor I’ve been using for years. After extensive research I purchased the Mac 700 sight unseen, and the only complaint that I have is that it is heavier then I would have liked, weighing in at just under 50 lbs. Most of the weight lies in the oil lubricated pump, which is very quite and has excellent recovery time, from 0 to 135 psi in 55 seconds. The Mac 700 is very well built with attention to detail. The handle is positioned well with good balance, the air coupler is the push lock style, even the air filter is designed for easy service. The tank has four rubber suction type feet which keep it from damaging floors, the tank drain is the quarter turn type for easy draining and the motor has a sight glass for an easy check of the oil level. Besides the weight issue, I would highly recommend this compressor.

Makita MAC700 Review by Robert, February 28, 2009

• Overall Rating

This air compressor is the ideal unit for the homeowner; well-built, produces less noise compared to pancake compressors and the air delivery is sufficient enough for small to medium sized projects.

Makita MAC700 Review by G. Pepera, March 16, 2009

• Overall Rating

After reading the reviews about how heavy the MAC700 was, I purchased a Rol-Air FC1500HS3 which has essentially the same specifications and only weighs about 34 lbs. Unfortunately, it was so loud I could not stand to be in the same room with it! I took it back and purchased the Makita from Amazon and could not be happier. It’s pretty darn quiet and although its heavy… its not that heavy. I use it mainly in my shop and only occasionally have to move it. It has enough air volume to run a small paint sprayer and handles the usual Brad / Finish / Framing nailers with ease. I like the oil level sight window and the easy drain valve. I would not hesitate to recommend this unit to others.

Like many others, mine came with a damaged motor cover, but I did not notice it right away. After nearly a month, I decided to try and get it replaced. I didn’t want to exchange it because it seemed absurd to send 53 lb items through the mail for a plastic cover. I sent Amazon an email and called the Makita call center at the same time. My first call to Makita ended in frustration. They refused to replace the cover under warranty and explained that I would have to go through Amazon. So, I called back again and a different associate was much more cooperative and immediately agreed to send me a cover under warranty.

Makita MAC700 Review by Joeyjoejoe, May 2, 2009

• Overall Rating

I was in the market for a nice compressor for homeowner type of stuff. My first big project was putting up some crown moulding. I knew I would need a portable unit, and since it would be inside the house with me, preferably a quiter one. I searched and searched only to keep finding this unit being mentioned. The thing that really sold me (aside from a solid rep for Makita tools) was that someone had posted it doesn’t draw much power at start-up. A lot of the other units can trip fuses when first starting up because they pull so many amps. This little guy claims only 14.5 amps….well within my old home’s comfortable limits. I’ve had problems in the past with other items and didn’t want to have to worry about walking down stairs to trip the switch every other ten minutes. I also liked that it wasn’t as highly priced as I would think. Sure it isn’t the biggest and best, but at right around $170, you can’t get much better. Some sites will have it with free shipping every now and then, so keep an eye out, otherwise shipping from other stores can really add up. I was able to pick up some other tools and accessories, which could have been purchased as a package with this compressor (although it would cost considerably more). I would say spend on this compressor and skimp on some other items. You will not regret this purchase. I plan to finish my deck and then re-roof later this year with this little guy. Cheers!

Makita MAC700 Review by AW, May 6, 2009

• Overall Rating

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. We left the older model out, under a saw table, in rain, snow, 100 degree heat – you name it. Never had any problems with it.

I’ve only had this one for 2 days, so I can’t speak much about it other than to say it’s quiet enough to use and talk at the same time, and it feels very well built. It’s also heavier than I expected, but the carrying handle makes moving it around easy on the back.

One thing – I had read the other reviews that mentioned shipping damage and hoped for the best. When it arrived, I checked the box, and there was only one small ding in a corner. What I should have done was kept the FedEx driver there until I actually got it out of the box. 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.

I fired it up and it ran fine, so I decided to keep it. I’ll try to hammer out the bent leg at some point. 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. The manual doesn’t explain what goes where when you open the box, but it’s reasonably self-evident. 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. There’s a window into the oil reservoir so you can see how much oil is in it. 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. After that, you should be good to go. 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.

Makita MAC700 Review by carrier58, July 23, 2009

• Overall Rating

Love this air compressor! Nice compact size(21″ high x 18″ long x 10.5″ wide), and weighs only 50 lbs.(I did weigh it). It is quieter than most other brands. It is fast, took 1 minute to fill to 135 psi, and 20 seconds from 100 psi to 135 psi. Will easily run one air tool such as nailers, drills, grinders, but not high volume air tools such as sand blasters. It is very stable when sitting on it’s suction cup feet on a solid floor but needs to be tied in position when being hauled in a vehicle. I saw in many reviews on other sites that a lot of these were damaged in shipping. I was lucky and mine wasn’t mishandled.