DEWALT D55146 Review by Mark, February 25, 2009

• Overall Rating

I purchased my DeWALT D55146 and have a reoccurring problem. I had it for 3 months when it began leaking air from around the pressure adjusting valve. I took it to an authorized repair shop. It was repaired under the warranty, but the part was on back order and it stayed in the shop for over 4 months. The same problem has again occurred and of course it is now out of warranty. I took it back to the shop and I’m told the repair kit is on back order until September.

I am very disappointed with this compressor and the availability of parts! It has spent almost as much time in the shop waiting for parts as it has in service. The fact that the replacement parts always on back order would seem to indicate that there is a problem with the design and/or manufacture of this model.

The specs for this model look great on paper, but it has not performed well.

DEWALT D55146 Review by Anh N, March 13, 2009

• Overall Rating

I’ve done a lot of research before deciding on this purchase. Luckily, Lowe’s had it for 349 plus 15% off during their Tools World sale event until 4/11/07.

The other reviews pretty much say it all, so no need for me to repeat.

Follow the break in steps.

It takes about 80 seconds to fill the tank to 200 psi, so it should be quick to do little things like pumping the tires, … non-construction work.

Used it to build a potting station with a finish nailer. It was a little loud for the garage, so I just left it outside. A hearing protector wouldn’t hurt either.

I will update more as I use it more. The upcoming project will be building an overhead storage in the garage using framing and palm nailers.

DEWALT D55146 Review by Earl S, March 28, 2009

• Overall Rating

I did a whole lot of research “for several months” on compressors before I purchased this model ! I compared this compressor with almost all the top compressors in and around it’s price range,and the very long list includes top models from….Ingersoll Rand, Maxus,Rol-Air,RIDGID,Craftsman,Hitachi,Porter-Cable,etc!

But what sold me on the DEWALT D55146,is that it collectively had more power,the best useful features and the best overall quality for the money, more so then any of the other models that I looked into,and believe me, I looked into a ton of different models!
The DEWALT D55146 has 200 PSI, 5.2 SCFM @ 90 PSI,which gives me power to spare and room to grow!

The DEWALT D55146 Belt Driven Pump “Belt Driven Is A really Big Plus” runs at a very low speed “1,750 rpm” and in return the noise level remains very quiet “78 dBA” for a compressor,and because the pump is running at such a low speed it puts less stress on the pump,most other compressors pumps run at,at least twice the speed which means their working twice as hard,and still most of the same size compressors in this price range can’t put out 200 PSI !!!!

The D55146 has nice big Strong 10″ pneumatic wheels on it,that makes it very easy to move around,and I love the wheels on the D55146,they are very high quality wheels!

The D55146 has a vertical stand feature that allows a user to save space by transporting or storing the compressor in a vertical position,and I just love this feature,it saves so much space and makes it so Convenient to transport and store !!

The D55146 has two handles on it,one to lift/carry it with and the other one with adjustable height to help you roll it !
I have owned the D55146 for over a month now, and have used it several times so far, mostly for light duty jobs like filling up my 11 gallon portable air tank and blowing/cleaning out equipment,heaters,fans,computers,etc.I will start using it with air tools later on!

Still,the bottom line is the D55146,fills it’s four and one half gallon air tank at a very fast rate,I would estimate that it takes no longer then 45 seconds or so to fill it’s empty tank to 200 PSI from a cold start! It also has a very quick compressor recovery time and this is very important to me because I don’t want to have to wait around for the air tank to refill itself while constantly running low on air, and this unit does a great job at keeping the air supply constant! The compressor kicks on when ever the air supply goes below 160 psi,and it turns its self off when it reaches 200 PSI !

So just by doing the math,you can imagine it keeps the air flow and air tank very well replenished,and I am a witness to this fact! You can also use the D55146 with a 50 foot cord rated to handle 15 amps with no problems ! I have never had any problems cold starting the D55146,and overall the DEWALT D55146 runs smooth as silk, and with 200 PSI and 5.2 SCFM @ 90 PSI,the D55146 has a lot of power,and within it’s price range and for it’s size,it was near or at the top of it’s class for power,over all quality and useful features!

If you need a compressor in this power and price range then the DEWALT D55146 would be a really great choice !!!! I highly recommend it !!!!

DEWALT D55146 Review by K. Borchers, April 4, 2009

• Overall Rating

After my last cheapo compressor died in a horrible texturing accident (after five years of faithful service, may it rest in peace at the landfill), I felt like it was time for the real deal. Things that drove me to pick this model in particular:

- Wheels, beautiful wheels — last one was a dual tank 70 pound behemoth. This compressor is heavier, but those wheels make life so much easier. Granted, I could’ve used a hand-truck before, but having it all integrated as a single unit is a huge bonus. Not looking forward to the first time I get to heave it into the truck, but for now, it gets around the shop just fine. The handle extends easily and quickly for smooth portability.

- 200 PSI, will I ever use it? Well, um, not likely. However, the more important numbers: 5.4 CFM at 90 PSI is pretty great. Opens up alot of options in terms of running a variety of air tools. While I probably won’t ever run more than two framing nailers at a time, this compressor should have no trouble with any other air tools I could conceivably use.

- Low noise. At least, lower noise. Air compressors are noisy beasts, no doubt. This one is pretty tolerable in comparison. Fair warning, the 15 minute, no load warmup period is the noisiest this compressor will be. Once the warmup is over and you close the drain to start building air pressure, the RPM cycles down (almost sounds like it’s laboring at first, but it chugs away all the way up to an honest 200 PSI). The normal cycle on is at about 160 PSI, and it runs at around 1750 RPM. It’s pretty calm sounding, again, as compressors go. No accompanying vibration.

- Price. It’s not cheap, but this compressor compares very favorably to others at this price point in terms of features and technical details.

So far I’ve only used the compressor for finish and brad nailing. The Dewalt has proven way overqualified for that job. No problems at all to this point. If issues develop in the future, I’ll edit the review.

Only gripe thus far: One of the wheels was flat when I opened the box. The tubes are replaceable 410/350 x 4 utility tubes. I just did some creative flat repair. Luckily I had a reliable source of air to pump the tire back up! Take note, if you have a tire that goes flat while the unit is stored upright, it will fall over . . . so keep an eye on the tire pressure.

Happy, erm, inflating.

DEWALT D55146 Review by S. Clark, May 23, 2009

• Overall Rating

Well made, sturdy product. Fits the bill to run nail guns. Have not had a need to run two guns at once but I am confident it will. Like it a lot better and it is a lot quieter than my Porter Cable job site compressor which was recently stolen.

DEWALT D55146 Review by A. Stein, August 3, 2009

• Overall Rating

No sooner could UPS have dropped off my Dewalt compressor. It was rolled out (nice) to the back forty and put to work building the barn. It worked non-stop for 4 days framing a two story barn. The tank is easy to drain air and water out of at the end of the day. It never blew the temporary 15 amp plug that supplied the power for construction. It has enough house power to run two framing nailers at the same time. I love it and look forward to many years of performance.