I must have hit the Metabo HPT lottery. Iโve not only been able to doย several (formerly Hitachi) tool reviews recently, but theyโve all been high-performers. Earlier, I put the Metabo HPT 8-gallon wheelbarrow compressor through its paces and found it to be excellent. Now I have what I hope is an equally excellent companion piece: the Hitachi 10-gallon Reserve Air Tank. With an 8-gallon compressor supplying two couplers that my crew couldnโt outrun, why in the world would I need a reserve tank? Great question. Letโs get to work.
Check out our Best Air Compressors article for our top picks across a variety of applications and uses.
The Case for a Reserve Tank
There are many reasons to choose a reserve tank. Supposeย you donโt have access to power, or the electricians need to cut the power for a while.ย With a reserve air tank, your work doesnโt have to stop. If you need to have severalย guys framing and another oneย finishing, the regulator canย adjust for the tool requiring lower pressure. If youโve got an electric compressor, you can use its cord to plug into a power source and use the air hose as your extension cord. Finally, a reserve tankย effectively turns smaller compressors (that you can easily outrun) into larger compressors by giving them a 10-gallon head start. Youโll be able to work more efficientlyโand with a nicer atmosphere.
First Impressions
The 175 PSI ASME-certified tank has 1/4-inch coupling sockets. Designed to provide consistent, sufficient air pressure, these sockets support up to five pneumatic tools operating 200 feet or more from the compressor. Four of the couplers are 3/8-inch NPT and regulated by the compressor while one 1/4-inch NPT coupler has its own regulator. The 40-pound tank can be taken a lot of places (like a roof!) that the 158-pound compressor cannot. That also means that the compressorโs loud motor can be moved away from the job site for a more pleasant environmentโprovided you like your coworkers!
The horizontal barrel features a handle that creates a roll-cage design. Itย protects both the tank and regulator pressure gauges. It also has an input shut-off ball valve, a safety release valve, and a 1/4-inch industrial plug. The tank sits sturdily on two steel legs. All the components look well-built, and the gauges are easy to read. It all addsย up to a promising toolย thatย I hoped wasnโtย full of hot air!
A Ten Gallon Hat Only Holds Three Quarts
I decided the real test of theย Metabo HPT 10-gallon Reserve Air Tank would be to couple it with our old pancake compressor. That seemed a better fit over the Metabo HPT 8-gallon wheelbarrow compressor. We couldnโt outrun the Hitachi compressor with our typical two-guns-at-a-time workflow, but we often outran our pancake compressor. This experiment would really test the mettle of the reserve tank. We let the pancake fill up the reserve tank and got to work. Ourย experiment, however, was interrupted. Unbeknownst to me, my brother unplugged the compressor to plug in the planer and forgot to plug the compressor back in.
We fired him immediatelyโฆjust kidding. We used two finish guns for over an hourโjust on the pressure from the reserve tankโbefore we realized what happened. It turned out to be a better experiment than I had planned! It revealed a benefit of the reserve tank that might not be immediately apparent. Itโs not uncommon to beย working concurrently with electricians who need to cut power to get their work done. Having the reserve tank means that our work doesnโt need to stop when the power does.
The Case for a Reserve Tank
Afterward, we returned to the original test and found that the reserve tank effectively turns a small compressor into a larger compressor by giving it a 10-gallon head start. Using the reserve tank makes it a lot less likely youโll outrun a small compressor with finish nailers. Of course, youโll still push the limits of the small compressor and reserve tank with a couple of framing nailers.
The five couplers are really handy. We donโt often have that many pneumatic tools working at once, but we likeย having the option. The ability to regulate one lower-pressure tool independently of the other four is also a great feature. Perhaps you want to run a finish gun while the other tools drive larger nails. Or, maybe one guy needs to run a sprayer while the others frame. Again, having the option is great.
Pro Tip:ย Use the bottom drain to remove moisture from the tank every day to prevent rust and extend the life of the tool.
The reserve tank allows you to locate a loud compressor away from the workspace. This makes it easier to communicate,ย and it generally creates a more pleasant work environment. In fact, theย Metabo HPT 10-gallon reserve air tank gives you as much as a 200-foot lead while maintaining consistent pressure to the attached pneumatic tools. Similarly, you can plug an electric compressor into a power pole using its own cord and effectively use your air hose as an extension. What a big benefit!
Metabo HPT 10-gallon Reserve Air Tank Features
- Safety Relief Valve
- Industrial Tank Pressure Gauge and Regulated Pressure Gauge
- Industrial Ball (Shut-Off) Valve on Input
- Four 1/4-inch Quick Connect Couplers with 3/8-inch NPT
- 1/4-inch Quick Connect Coupler (located on Regulator) with 1/4-inch NPT
- 1/4-inch Industrial Plug
- Roll cage design
- Steel tubular handle
- Steel legs
- Industrial ball (shut-off) valve
The Bottom Line
Knowing what I know now, I would have purchased a Metabo HPT 10-gallon reserve air tank a long time ago. It doesnโt hurt that Metabo HPTโs quality and attention to detail make this tank another win in a lengthening line of wins. Itโs a 175 PSI ASME-certified tank with five 1/4-inch coupling sockets.ย Four haveย 3/8-inch NPT regulated by the compressor and one is aย 1/4-inch NPT with its own regulator on the reserve tank. Itโs designed to run up to five pneumatic tools 200 feet or more from the compressor. Its components and design areย solid. We love the roll cage-shapedย handle whichย protects the regulator. Easy-to-read gauges and steel legs round out what makes this a solid choice. At 40 pounds, it can also go where larger compressors cannot.
Thereโs not much to talk about with a tank, and Metabo HPT joins other companies that produce well-designed products in this category. The more you use aย reserve air tank, the more likely youโll wonder how you made out without one. Keep thatย noisy compressor at the edge of the job site instead of in the middle of it.
I can easily recommend the Metabo HPT 10-gallon reserve air tank to you. At $139, you get lots of benefits at a great valueโand thatโs not a lot of hot air.
Metabo HPT 10-Gal Air Compressor Tank Specifications
