Are you in need of compressed air? If so, you might have been to the market to get it, right? However, in the market, you will find two types of products containing compressed air. One is an air tank and another is an air compressor.
Hence, as a newbie to the air compressor industry, you might have no definite idea about them. You know although they have fundamentally similar functions, they are also different from one another in several cases.
Hence, we will compare these two products and discuss them. Then, you can get a better idea about these two.
Comparison Table Between Air tank and Air compressor
| Topic | Air tank | Air compressor |
| Size | Smaller | Larger |
| Portability | Can be carried | Cannot be carried |
| Capacity | Less than air compressor | More than air tank |
| Weight | Lightweight compared to air compressor | Heavier than air tank |
What is Air tank?
People generally use an air tank to hold compressed air. If you own a workshop or a garage, you might feel the necessity of compressed air for various jobs. An air tank can be the perfect solution for you.
It is compact and quite handy. However, the compact shape does have some caveats. But, if you are to travel a lot, an air tank is definitely a good choice.
Pros-cons of Air tank
What is an Air compressor?
An air compressor is mainly used in industries to compress air. You can use an air compressor either to supply air or to convert the power stored in the air into mechanical energy.
Moreover, an air compressor can be used to convert air pressure into electric and chemical energy.
An air compressor can typically be divided into two categories. The first one is positive displacement while the second one is a dynamic displacement air compressor.
Pros-cons of Air compressor
The Difference Between Air tank vs Air compressor
An air tank boasts a number of differences from an air compressor.
For instance, an air compressor is much heavier when compared to an air tank. The reason is quite simple. An air compressor has a larger volume, unlike compact-shaped air tanks. That’s why air tanks weigh much less. Also, unlike air tanks, air compressors tend to take up a lot of space.
Moreover, if you have to carry compressed air with you, whatever the reason may be, an air tank is far easier to carry around in contrast to an air compressor.
However, an air compressor can carry a large amount of gas. On the other hand, the carrying capacity of an air tank is much smaller.
Furthermore, you cannot convert air in an air tank. On the other hand, an air compressor can compress the air through the application of pressure.
Also, many air compressors nowadays can be used as both compressors and tanks. In contrast to that, the air tanks have no such feature.
An air tank is used to carry out smaller and quick operations. On the contrary, an air compressor is better suited for carrying out larger projects.
Air tank vs Air compressor: Similarities
Air tanks and air compressors have one fundamental job, which is acting as a reservoir for compressed air. In that respect, both are quite similar.
You can argue that an air compressor is basically an air tank with some extra functionality.
Air tank vs Air compressor: Which One To Choose
Whether you will need an air tank or an air compressor really depends on your needs. If you own a small workshop or garage, it would be a waste of money to get an air compressor.
Likewise, getting an air tank for commercial uses will not suffice. As mentioned previously, in case you are someone traveling across the country, you will find it easy to carry an air tank. Your vehicle may not even be capable of carrying an air compressor.
Also, if you do have to do simple and quick jobs, using an air compressor would be inefficient. For long-term projects, an air tank surely won’t be sufficient.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Although they are similar in functionality, they have some subtle differences between them.
Answer: The answer to this question is slightly complicated. After compressing the air in an air compressor, you will need to store it in a tank. In that sense, you must have an air tank to use an air compressor. However, some recent models of air compressors can also be used to store compressed air by themselves. Then you won’t need an air tank.
Verdict
In this article, we have covered almost all the things there is to discuss related to air tanks and air compressors. We hope that you now understand among these two which one is the most suitable for you. We think that this article will eliminate all the confusions you had regarding this matter.
Best of luck.