Makita MAC2400 2.5 HP Big Bore Air Compressor vs California Air Tools 8010 Ultra Quiet 1.0 HP Air Compressor

The Makita moves the most air at working pressure and is the only one here whose maker publishes a running horsepower figure alongside the maximum. The California Air Tools 8010 wins any room you have to stand in, at 60 dB against 79.

Makita MAC2400 2.5 HP Big Bore Air Compressor

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The most air at working pressure by a wide margin, and the only spec sheet here that gives you a running horsepower figure as well as a peak one.

• Delivers 4.2 CFM at 90 PSI and 4.8 CFM at 40 PSI, which is roughly double the California Air Tools unit at working pressure.
• Makita publishes Maximum Horsepower at 2-1/2 HP and Running Horsepower at 2.1 HP, so the usable figure is stated rather than implied.
• Oil-lubricated cast iron pump running at 1,730 RPM, which Makita ties directly to both the 79 dB figure and pump durability.
• Sustains 130 PSI in a 4.2 gallon twin-stacked tank, enough to run two nailers.

• 79 dB is the loudest here and unpleasant indoors without hearing protection.
• 77 pounds, so this is a compressor you site rather than carry.
• Oil-lubricated means checking and changing oil, and keeping the unit level.

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California Air Tools 8010 Ultra Quiet 1.0 HP Air Compressor

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Sixty decibels, which is the only spec in this comparison that changes whether you can use the tool in a room with other people in it.

• Published at 60 dB, nineteen below the Makita, which is the difference between talking over it and not.
• An 8 gallon tank, the largest here, which buffers a modest pump for intermittent work.
• Oil-free pump, so no oil checks and no level requirement.
• California Air Tools publishes a 70/30 duty cycle and a 30 to 60 minute maximum continuous runtime, which most makers leave out entirely.

• 2.20 CFM at 90 PSI is the least air here, so it will not keep up with a framing nailer in continuous use.
• The spec page still leads with 1.0 HP (Rated/Running) and 2.0 HP (Peak), printing a peak figure two decades after the settlement that was meant to retire them.
• One year limited warranty, the shortest in this group.

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Side by side

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the Makita MAC2400 2.5 HP Big Bore Air Compressor - The most air at working pressure by a wide margin, and the only spec sheet here that gives you a running horsepower figure as well as a peak one. Choose the California Air Tools 8010 Ultra Quiet 1.0 HP Air Compressor instead if garage, basement and indoor work where noise is the binding constraint and the air demand is intermittent.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Air Compressors: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).