ABAC AB5-2180VQP 5 HP Quiet Power Two-Stage Air Compressor - 80 Gallon Vertical, 175 PSI, 16.6 CFM, 66 dBA

The ABAC AB5 VQP runs at just 66 dBA, about the level of normal conversation, by wrapping the pump and motor in a low sound enclosure cooled by a 600 CFM fan. You still get the full 16.6 CFM at a maximum 175 PSI of ABAC's 5 HP two-stage T39 platform, so nothing is traded away on airflow or pressure to buy the quiet. That is what lets a real compressor sit inside a working space instead of being banished to an outbuilding or a closet. Choose 230V single-phase (AB5-2180VQP) or 230V three-phase (AB5-2380VQP).

Key specifications

• Model: AB5-2180VQP, 230V single-phase, Warthog part number 8090304307 (ABAC part number 2021119412)
• Model: AB5-2380VQP, 230V three-phase, Warthog part number 8090304331 (ABAC part number 2021119413)
• Noise level: 66 dBA
• Motor: 5 HP
• Pump: T39 two-stage hybrid, aluminum with cast iron cylinders
• Air delivery: 16.6 CFM at max pressure
• Maximum pressure: 175 PSI
• Tank: 80 gallon vertical, ASME tank and safety valves
• Dimensions: 39 x 24 x 80 in
• Weight: 527 lbs single-phase, 513 lbs three-phase
• Enclosure: low sound cabinet with 600 CFM cooling fan
• Control: fully programmable control panel
• Standard: automatic tank drain, magnetic starter, high temperature switch, low oil level switch
• Warranty: 2 year full, assembled in the USA

What the enclosure and the fan actually do

Boxing in a compressor is the easy part. Keeping it cool once it is boxed in is the engineering, and it is the reason a quiet machine can be rated the same as an open frame one instead of being derated. ABAC builds the 2-Stage Quiet Power Series for extensive use, meaning a steady air supply rather than short bursts, so the cabinet carries a 600 CFM cooling fan to regulate pump and motor temperature through long run times. The high temperature switch and the low oil level switch back that up, and the fully programmable control panel lets the control parameters be set to the duty pattern of the room the machine actually sits in rather than left on a factory default.

How it compares

Against the open frame AB5-2180VP, which drives the same T39 pump to the same 16.6 CFM at 175 PSI on the same 80 gallon vertical tank, the VQP gives up nothing on output. What you pay for is the cabinet and the fan. Step up to the 7.5 HP AB7-2180VQP and you get 22.3 CFM at 69 dBA in an identical 39 x 24 x 80 in cabinet, so the choice between the two is airflow first: take the AB5 when 16.6 CFM covers the tools and the quietest possible machine matters most, and the AB7 when a second operator or a continuous sander will outrun it.

Single phase or three phase

Both versions deliver 16.6 CFM at 175 PSI, in the same 39 x 24 x 80 in cabinet, at the same 66 dBA, so the decision is made at the electrical panel rather than on the spec sheet. Take the 230V single-phase AB5-2180VQP where the building has no three phase service. Where three phase is available, the AB5-2380VQP is the better long term machine and is the lighter of the two at 513 lbs against 527. Size the circuit to the motor nameplate either way, and have the connection made before the machine is delivered.

Typical applications

Dental and medical suites, dealership service areas next to a showroom, cabinet and finish shops, equipment rooms sharing a wall with offices, and any floor where staff or customers are within earshot of the compressor all day. The vertical 80 gallon receiver holds the footprint to 39 by 24 inches, so the machine sits against a wall rather than eating bay space, and the automatic tank drain means nobody has to remember to crack a petcock at the end of a shift.

What to pair it with

Compressed air leaves a two-stage pump hot and saturated, and in a space quiet enough to need this machine the air is usually feeding work that water will ruin. Add a refrigerated dryer from the ABAC COOL series, sized above this machine's 16.6 CFM rather than exactly at it, plus a filter regulator at the drop if the air goes to paint, plasma, or instrument work. Keep a spare set of filters and a change of pump oil on the shelf. Part of ABAC's 2-Stage Quiet Power Series from the Atlas Copco group. See the full range of piston air compressors and all air compressors.