[Shop-talk] Enough with vacuums, on to the opposite, compressed air

[David Hillman]

    I have a filter/regulator/lubricator assembly from McMaster-Carr 
plumbed into the air lines in my shop ( part number 4957k54 if you are 
curious ).  The filter bowl has failed, and is leaking substantially. 
This is the second time the unit has failed since I bought it five years 
ago.  McMaster may send me a replacement assembly again -- I just 
called them this morning, and am awaiting their formal response.  The 
filter unit is available separately for about $100.

    For a fairly simple product that was north of $200, a MBTF of <3 years 
is not acceptable... especially if I wind up spending the $50/yr to fix it 
in the future.

    Can anyone recommend a better quality alternative, that I can install 
and forget about for a while?  I don't need super precise regulation, or 
particularly high pressure capacity.  The current unit is +/- 1 psi up 
to 150 psi, and that's fine for my use.  Alternately, I could keep the 
regulator/lubricator portions of the modular McMaster unit, which seem 
relatively trouble-free, and just add an upstream standalone filter.

    Thanks.

--
  David Hillman