Air Regulator

I installed one in a pneumatic-driven hydraulic pump unit. It regulates pilot air supply at a constant pressure. So far, it has worked as intended. The gauge is easy to read and the pressure adjustment knob is easy to manipulate. No problems yet… been in service nearly a year now.

This may well be the best regulator I've seen. If I have one complaint, it's that the gauge seems small. That's no surprise, though. It's integrated into the regulator, and the whole block is rather small. Even so, it's a small complaint. Everything is well-marked and legible, and I am most impressed with everything else about it.I use a 30-gallon, oil-lubricated automotive compressor to run an airbrush. This is probably overkill, but for 5 minutes of noise, I get 2-3 hours of quiet work time. Unfortunately, my compressor has been eating regulators at the rate of one a year, though the last one only lasted 2 months. They work fine at 40 lbs, and may even work well at higher pressures. But sooner or later, when I run the pressure up to 80 or 90 lbs to fill a tire, the thing fails. As you may know, a regulator usually costs $20 to $60. It's a bother.The regulators I've bought at the Big Box stores seem really cheap. Their performance has been lackluster with several pounds of pressure loss when I actually start spraying. I've had replacement regulators fail right out of the package, too. Not good! With respect to most of the actual failures, I've since learned that it is extremely important to raise and lower the pressure slowly - more slowly than I've been doing it. Raising and lowering the pressure too quickly puts undue stress on the springs and seals. But the pressure and quality issues are still a bother, and I still needed a new regulator. So, I chose this one because I-R is a respected brand, this looked well-made, and the price was right.I'm happy to report that this is an outstanding piece of hardware, and apparently bargain priced. Other sites want $40 to $50 for the same unit. First, this has a very handsome, modular design. Second, all the parts seem well-made and fit together nicely. To adjust the inner range band, you do need to carefully remove the front housing, It snaps off and reveals the gauge assembly. Then, you move the yellow arrows as desired to set your pressure range. You pop the housing back into place and all is good. If you want the pressure knob on top, you remove the housing, remove a couple screws, carefully turn the gauge assembly 180 degrees, replace the screws, and replace the housing. Done!Once installed, I found the regulator has very little pressure drift - maybe a pound or two. Very Happy! Visiting the I-R site, I found that the company recommends putting a dirt & water filter between the air source and the regulator. No stock consumer compressor I've seen has this, and I've noticed buildup of contaminants in a couple of my worn regulators. So, this seems prudent and I will soon install a good filter unit to better protect my regulator.I recommend this as a very good, bargain-priced replacement regulator. I expect this to perform better and last longer than any other regulator I've tried. I will try to post updates over time. Thanks for reading.

If you are like me and were wondering why your pressure drops from 90psi to 60psi when using your air tools and were hoping to alleviate the issue with this particular regulator you will be disappointed. You'll be disappointed because although the advertised CFM is around 60 you'll get a fraction of that with no drop in pressure. Actually, I don't think you will get close with anything in the 1/4" size. So what happens is you set the psi at 90, for instance, and actually get 70 or 80, if your lucky, and depending on the air tool you're using. While many tools advertise "average" air consumption you'll likely be using twice if not three times that amount with this regulator as it is not able to accommodate the air flow. So for my impact wrench, I was actually feeding it 60psi when the unit was set to 90. For my impact gun it was even lower. While you can increase the pressure on the regulator and set it while the tool is "open", this is not a good fix since different tools vary in the amount they consume and therefore you risk running a higher PSI or just not getting the maximum torque or performance.To solve this problem you need a regulator that will allow a large amount of air to flow through unimpeded. I chose to purchase the Speedaire 4ZM21 Regulator 3/8" NPT, which has a maximum CFM in the 200's (as apposed to IR's 60) and it solved my problem with flying colors. Now, it would be unfair to compare the two products because they are in different leagues and that's not what I'm trying to do. The Speedier requires a 3/8" connection which you can find adapter fittings for. Now the pressure drops by only 2-5psi max as apposed to 15-30. I was able to find it for $45 which is definitely expensive, although a great deal for this particular regulator, and I did not plan on spending that kind of money initially, but doing some research and finding that my tools wouldn't operate how I wanted them to I decided it was worth the investment.Now to further complicate things, you'll need a filter (or no filter depending on what you're running) that will not limit or restrict airflow either. Regulators and filters that post line pressure drop graphs are probably the ones you want to look at and I would stick to those in the high 100's or low 200's as advertised max CFM. It's unfortunate you have to shuffle through the marketing figures but that's the way it is in today's consumer world.Having said this, the product is built solidly and seems like a great little regulator IF you know what you're getting. I thought the advertised CFM would solve my issue of pressure dropping and it did no such thing and you should not expect it to either unless you're using an airbrush or something tiny.Hope this helps someone as it took me quite a while to figure out.

This little regulator is very accurate and you can switch the orientation from left to right. Unfortunately, if you have a Husky/Campbell Hausfeld Air Compressor you will not be able to put the top cover back on as shown in the pictures. If it had fit I would definitely keep it!

I wouldn't want my brand stuck on something that most likely came from china with worthless directions. As I installed it in not exactly ideal conditions, I was could not quite see it and the entire center part unscrewed and the spring and washer came came out. That is not something I would have ever expected, to basically unscrew in half in the center. It was a replacement for a Harbor Freight getter done compressor, I should of just went there and picked up their part. But I am modifying my towable and wanted to see if the larger version of this would be a good fit for the accessory I am adding. No I would not recommend. Harbor Freight got last 10yrs. The quality is not there and you don't know to it arrives

Works fine. Easy to adjust. Gauge can be removed and relocated to other side for those who require a right to left flow.After approximately 3 months, unit developed a leak at the adjustment knob.As was suggested by another reviewer named Tom, I attempted to clean the unit.Here's how:Remove the top cap using an Allen key - rotate approx ⅛turn, then pry out gently (or apply air pressure to unit and the cap will get blasted out - be careful if using this method...)Remove the cap, spring, and plastic assembly inside.Use a cleaner or paper towel to clean out debris... Mine was filthy with rust and other contaminants.Use non-chlorinated brake cleaner or similar and spray the innards and all pieces out really well, and then blast with compressed air to remove cleaning solvent.Lubricate the o rings and reinstall all parts. Don't forget the spring!Cycle pressure adjustment from max to min a couple times to seat the o-rings.Voila, leak fixed for a total cost of $0.00 and about five minutes of time.Two stars deducted because this basic information was nowhere to be seen in any product documentation or on the manufacturer's website.EDITED AGAIN: another star deducted because after thoroughly cleaning the unit, it only worked for about a day before again developing a leak.

I bought this regulator a short while ago to complete another air drop project in my shop. I wanted a line close to the door so I can drag an air hose outside quickly to work on stuff outside the garage. When it was delivered, I examined it closely. I am plenty anal about my tools so I try to learn as much about them as possible before forming an opinion. This is a pretty simple devise and it does work as stated in the Amazon ad. It is nothing fancy. It won't dance, drink beer or shine your shoes. It's just an air pressure regulator. It does not come with a mounting bracket so you'll have to re-engineer one if you intend to mount it on a wall. One strike against. However, I discovered that it has some hidden features. I like my regulators to have the adjusting knob on top. I found that the gauge is removable. Just unscrew the plastic bezel ring around the gauge and remove the two Philips screws holding the gauge in. Turn the gauge 180 degrees, re-install the screws, re-attach the bezel and PRESTO! The gauge is now correct. Furthermore, the gauge can be moved around to the back by removing the rear air vent and swapping places with gauge. Neet!This thing does Not leak air (Yet! - if you dismantle it, make sure you tighten the screws well) and it works pretty well.So far, so good. I'll post an update it something changes.Overall, a nice little regulator.

What a difference from the stock cheapo regulator that came with my compressor. With cheapo regulator set pressure to 90psi, connected my impact wrench, almost 15psi drop in pressure. Installed this new ARO regulator from Ingersoll Rand. same setup, my impact wrench pressure set on regulator to 90psi, ran wrench, barely 5psi drop in pressure!! what a difference. Now the impact wrench runs really well. No leaks or other issues, just a great quality product. Highly recommend this unit.

I upgraded to this 3/8” from the lame factory regulators on my work site compressors, and noticed the line pressure got a lot more stable on things like nail guns. I can actually turn the pressure down, and get better nailing. Of course I also switched to 3/8 lines and high flow couplings, but what a relief when I tossed the factory 1/4” ones out!

Very nice product from IR, good quality. Simple and compact no leak at all. Would buy again.