# Forum Home Renovation Tools & Products  Taurus 2HP Air Compressor (from aldi)

## d00biez

hi everyone 
i just bought one of these units from aldi on the weekend for $119. i just saw it there and made an impulse purchase. havent used it yet and before i unpack it i wanted to know if anybody has one or has used one before ? i only intend to use it for basic home reno stuff - nail gun, spray gun etc for small jobs. 
thanks in advance, 
db

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## watson

I had a look at one when they were on special a few weeks ago, and they look the same as all the Chinese made compressors in that price range. For home use they are fine..........I've had a G-force (insert any other Brand Name in the $99 -$120 price range) for about 5 years, using it for Brad nailing up to 50mm....spraying ...Tyre pumping....engine cleaning...water rocket launching....just bought a Taurus Sheet Metal shears (haven't tried it yet..but it's built like a sh it brick house.
Instruction manuals are bad....as all the chinese one's appear to be.
Don't forget to open the water drain every so often, and if it requires oil......keep it topped up. 
I wouldn't use it for trade use....but it'll be the bees' knees for home use.

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## Bedford

> just bought a Taurus Sheet Metal shears

  Ok I confess, I did too, I just couldn't help myself at 29 bucks. It certainly seems solid and cuts great as well. :Smilie:

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## d00biez

sweet! yeh its in no danger of trade/over-use at my place.  
thanks for the tip on draining and the oil. 
cheers 
db

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## watson

> Ok I confess, I did too, I just couldn't help myself at 29 bucks. It certainly seems solid and cuts great as well.

  Tomorrow day.....is the big trial.
Oh and D00b.....any tools you get for it...keep and use the air connector covers.
Bloody Mud wasps just love that diameter hole  :Doh:   :Doh:

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## Bedford

One thing I did find with the shears is that they use a lot of air, and the little compressor was running nearly all the time, where my old bigger one didn't have to run as much. I don't know if this is just the holding tank size difference, or if the older (twin cylinder) one just pumps up quicker. It's still good though and don't forget the earmuffs. :Smilie:

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## watson

[quote=Bedford;796881 It's still good though and don't forget the earmuffs. :Smilie: [/quote]  *What????*

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## d00biez

just an update on my aldi "taurus" air compressor- 
so far so good! ive been using it for framing and architrave nailing etc with 50mm brads (warning - it takes 16g not 18g brads, they are a little bit harder to find) and stapling. i tried out the spraygun that came with it on some skirting and quad and it went really really well imho. the pot size is about 700ml by my measurement and i was surprised how many coast you can get out of that if you stay 15-20cm back and do nice even coats.  
one thing with spraying tho, as with using the air gun, the little compressor is fairly active (moreso with blowing) so i wouldnt recommend it for heavy duty spraying but as watson said, great for bits of diy at home. 
oh- i snapped off the oil cap on the first day. some of the plastic parts arent very sturdy so be careful. im currently using a cork in place of the cap! a decent tradeair hose is a must too, the one it comes with is like trying to use a piece of wet spaghetti. 
the taurus brad nailer i bought with it ($29) has been awesome. struggles sometimes with hardwood but i think thats more the compressor than the gun. 
8/10 from me.   :2thumbsup:

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## d00biez

> just an update on my aldi "taurus" air compressor- 
> so far so good! ive been using it for framing and architrave nailing etc with 50mm brads (warning - it takes 16g not 18g brads, they are a little bit harder to find) and stapling. i tried out the spraygun that came with it on some skirting and quad and it went really really well imho. the pot size is about 700ml by my measurement and i was surprised how many coast you can get out of that if you stay 15-20cm back and do nice even coats.  
> one thing with spraying tho, as with using the air gun, the little compressor is fairly active (moreso with blowing) so i wouldnt recommend it for heavy duty spraying but as watson said, great for bits of diy at home. 
> oh- i snapped off the oil cap on the first day. some of the plastic parts arent very sturdy so be careful. im currently using a cork in place of the cap! a decent tradeair hose is a must too, the one it comes with is like trying to use a piece of wet spaghetti. 
> the taurus brad nailer i bought with it ($29) has been awesome. struggles sometimes with hardwood but i think thats more the compressor than the gun. 
> 8/10 from me.

  i feel pretty stupid right about now. have just returned from holidays and straight after i wrote the above post (before i went away) the compressor carked it. i say "carked it" but more specifically i believe its blown a gasket somewhere as the motor and the pump run continuously, but very little air is stored in the tank. i have left it on for 10mins and then dumped the tank and there is only about 15seconds of medium pressure air stored. i was doing some fairly intensive air gun dusting in my workshop right up until the failure. 
i called aldi and they referred me to the 3rd party warranty company "helpline". they represent the overseas companies that build the products for aldi (and also myers and djs i think). i spoke to helpline and i was fairly uninspired. they asked me 3 times to make sure the release valve and safety release valve werent engaged lol. after that they asked me to check for leaks (there may be air escaping from near the air filter) and then asked if i had my receipt. unfortunately the aldi receipt ink faded away (silly me for not photocopying it) and i threw it out since the unit seemed to running well. sadly, the warranty certificate alone is not enough to get them to do anything about it even tho i suggested printing out my credit card statement for the purchase. 
not sure what i will do now but the cost of repair will probably be comparable to the cost of the unit so i may look to upgrade to something more reliable.  
anyone purchasing this unit should beware of the return policy and understand that spraying and blowing for long periods are not ideal for this unit. i still say it was fantastic for nailing. 
cheers 
dooby     :Blush7:

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## nethern

I was thinking of buying one from Aldi. Lucky me I did not. Thank you for your review.

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## d00biez

quick update - i pulled the top of the air intake off and one of the two "reed" valves is snapped in half. its a small reed looking piece, about .5mm thick and about the length and width of a 3rd of a paddle pop stick. a helpful chap at helpline endevoured to get me a replacement valve for no cost but that was 2 weeks ago and i still havent heard back from him. 
will post back if any further updates.

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## Bloss

Got to push harder on that warranty. Australian law makes the _retailer_ (ie: ALDI) responsible for warranty obligations regardless of what the retailer tries to tell you. Just because the retailer uses inks that fade (they nearly all do) doesn't remove the obligation - all you need to do is provide proof of purchase and your credit card record is sufficient (and that this is an Aldi branded product). 
They might warrant the item for 1 year - but you will find most booklets will say things like 'this item will give you many years of service' and the actual statutory warranty is what would reasonably expected to be an average  service life of such an item used as described and intended. So you might have trouble if it was used in a commercial or trade way, but otherwise  you should expect at least 2-3 years of good home. 
You need to take this up with the Manager at the Aldi store you bought it from and be persistent and firm but not angry. There is no such thing as 'manufacturers' warranty - only what is conferred by the Trade Practices Act. There is a contract between the retailer and the supplier/ maker of the product, but your contract is only with the retailer - you are the retailer's client not the maker's and the retailer has to honour the warranty. 
So don't give up yet.

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## markr

As far as I am aware, if you go back to Aldi where you purchased the machine and tell them the date you brought the machine the will search the records and reproduce the receipt for you, you can also do this at Bunnings.

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## d00biez

> Got to push harder on that warranty. Australian law makes the _retailer_ (ie: ALDI) responsible for warranty obligations regardless of what the retailer tries to tell you. Just because the retailer uses inks that fade (they nearly all do) doesn't remove the obligation - all you need to do is provide proof of purchase and your credit card record is sufficient (and that this is an Aldi branded product). 
> They might warrant the item for 1 year - but you will find most booklets will say things like 'this item will give you many years of service' and the actual statutory warranty is what would reasonably expected to be an average  service life of such an item used as described and intended. So you might have trouble if it was used in a commercial or trade way, but otherwise  you should expect at least 2-3 years of good home. 
> You need to take this up with the Manager at the Aldi store you bought it from and be persistent and firm but not angry. There is no such thing as 'manufacturers' warranty - only what is conferred by the Trade Practices Act. There is a contract between the retailer and the supplier/ maker of the product, but your contract is only with the retailer - you are the retailer's client not the maker's and the retailer has to honour the warranty. 
> So don't give up yet.

  thanks blossy and markr for taking the time to give me some further avenues of enquiry (good points raised blossy). i shall certainly attend at the store and have a polite discussion with the manager to plead my case. will be back with more updates soon..

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## d00biez

well knock me down with a feather - after taking the advice of blossy and markr i contacted aldi head office and spoke with an empathetic and lovely lady there.  
not only did she listen to my tales of woe, she issued me a new receipt (they couldnt print off the old one, it was purchased too long ago) and undertook to speak to the warehouse guys and see if they could salvage any parts from other returned units. 
a week later i received an express post satchel containing two brass or steel gaskets, two new "reed valves" AND a new oil cap which i accidentally broke (see earlier post) with a note saying "good luck finishing off your renovations!", 
i havent put the new parts in yet and i dont know for sure that they will fix the prob but i have a hunch they will. 
so, after eating some humble pie, i have to say ALDI far exceeded my expectations and im really pleased with the outcome. thank you a.h if you happen to read this! 
thanks everyone   :brava:  
doobz

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## m6sports

You would be very surprised to know who makes some of Aldi`s products 
My Mother worked at WELLA and they were making alot of the Shampoos, Conditioners and Body Washes for Aldi before they closed down and production got moved to Thailand  
and i remember her telling us that Aldi required higher standards then what Wella required of there products

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## d00biez

yeh that is surprising! ive been a pretty keen aldi shopper for a while.. you cant get everything there but its great for alot of stuff, in bulk, and cheap. 
i did hear from someone (mightve even been in this thread) that their stuff like compressors and power tools are all made in china and they make the cheap ones as replicas of a "name brand" model and then just stick different badges and some cheaper bits on like plastic air hose and crappy oil caps etc on them?

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## d00biez

my little aldi 2hp compressor is fixed ! put the new reed valves in (slightly tricky), put the head back on, plugged it in and turned her on... BOOM! perfect. very happy. 
if anyone else has this problem with the generic air compressor type (bunnings/super cheap/aldi) let me know i'll be happy to share some tips for getting it going again. 
cheers

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## Terrian

Damn nice way to do business and to spread a good word about your company name (all at the cost of SFA)

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## d00biez

> Damn nice way to do business and to spread a good word about your company name (all at the cost of SFA)

  mate couldnt agree with you more! i had very low expectations and was completely blown away (no pun intended!!) with aldi's customer service. really, they couldve told me it was a warranty problem and brushed me off. 
cheers

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## conrod

Hey Doobz, can I have your old reed valve I also have a broken one and one good one.
Cheers Kev.   :2thumbsup:  kevinminibarry@hotmail.com or cloverleafdesigns@yahoo.com.au

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## d00biez

> Hey Doobz, can I have your old reed valve I also have a broken one and one good one.
> Cheers Kev.  kevinminibarry@hotmail.com or cloverleafdesigns@yahoo.com.au

  youve got mail!

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## Ricardito

Let say that Aldi had high standards up to three years ago their own brands were superlative compared to known brands at other supers. These days Aldi is a little different much more well known and aldi is meeting fierce competition from the big two.
As far as tools is concerned well there is always Home Hardware and Mitre 10 own brands that can match Aldi's prices and quality sometimes

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## d00biez

> Let say that Aldi had high standards up to three years ago their own brands were superlative compared to known brands at other supers. These days Aldi is a little different much more well known and aldi is meeting fierce competition from the big two.
> As far as tools is concerned well there is always Home Hardware and Mitre 10 own brands that can match Aldi's prices and quality sometimes

  hi mate, dont you mean the "big two" are meeting fierce competition from aldi !? certainly in europe they are dominant but here i think they are still trying to establish and corner their target demographic. 
from what i understand about the budget DIY range of tools/hardware, they all come from the same place (PRCH) and most likely from the same conveyor belt !!!    :Yikes2:  
anyway this post was about sharing my experiences with others and i thrashed the hell out of that compressor (and have been all week now that i replaced the reed) and im really happy with it. the $30 brad nailer is awesome too. 
cheers 
dbz

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## yqzhou

Hi mate, 
That is the exact same problem I face at moment. I bought the same Taurus 2HP Air Compressor  from Aldi, and used it for several time. Now the air presure is too low to operate properly. Would you mind letting me know how to fix it?
Thanks!

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