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Oil-free or oil air compressor

Updated: 21.10.2026

Six of the seven 24 litre compressors in this comparison are oil-free. One is not. The Einhell TC-AC 190/24/8 is oil-lubricated, listed at £129.95, and a similar title makes it easy to pick. An oil free or oil air compressor choice here is about maintenance, noise, and whether oil can reach a spray gun. It does not, by itself, buy you more air. Shelf prices for the set are on the [24 litre air compressor comparison](/hub/compressors/air-compressor-24l). Review notes are from UK-dated amazon.co.uk reviews. This is not a lab comparison of pump life. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Six of the seven 24 litre compressors in this comparison are oil-free. One is not. The Einhell TC-AC 190/24/8 is oil-lubricated, listed at £129.95, and a similar title makes it easy to pick.

Our top picks

Hyundai Hyundai HY7524X 24L

Best overall

Hyundai Hyundai HY7524X 24L
9.4/10about £149.95
View offer
Einhell Einhell TE-AC 24 Silent

Alternative

Einhell Einhell TE-AC 24 Silent
9.0/10about £169.93
View offer
Einhell Einhell TC-AC 190/24/8

Alternative

Einhell Einhell TC-AC 190/24/8
8.4/10about £129.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The one oil-lubricated listing
  2. 2.What oil-free does and does not mean
  3. 3.Noise is not the same choice
  4. 4.When to pick which

The one oil-lubricated listing

The TC-AC 190/24/8 is the only listing here that needs oil in the pump. The bullets say 1,100 W continuous and 165 L/min. The table says 1,500 W and 2 hp. UK reviewers use it for tyres, blowing, a small spray gun, and seating a motorcycle bead. The table lists a 5 metre hose, and reviewers say none was in the box. They also describe a PCL outlet and a continental two-pin plug. If you cannot fit a BS 1363 plug safely, that is an electrician's job.

What oil-free does and does not mean

Oil-free, on the other six listings, means you do not add pump oil and you do not schedule an oil change. SGS Engineering's buyer guide says an oiled pump can put oil in the line and spoil spray work, while an oil-free pump avoids that route and wears differently. The Hyundai and the Orazio turn up manufacturing debris: shot-blast media in a new Hyundai tank, weld spatter in an Orazio tank. None of these listings includes a coalescing filter. Gun demand is on the 24 litre compressor for spraying page.
Hyundai Hyundai HY7524X 24L

Testsieger

Hyundai Hyundai HY7524X 24L
9.4/10about £149.95
View offer

Noise is not the same choice

The oil-free SIP Airmate V215/25 is listed at 97 dB and £159.00, while its title says low noise. Its single UK review, dated 29 January 2018 and scored 3.0, says ear defenders made the noise usable. Only the Einhell TE-AC 24 Silent states 57 dB LpA, at £169.93, and UK reviews call it quiet enough for a garage without ear defenders. It states no airflow. Buying the SIP keeps that 97 dB. HSE says the 80, 85, and 87 dB(A) action values do not apply to the public's non-work exposure.

When to pick which

Choose oil-free when the air has to stay clean and quieter than 97 dB. Choose the oiled Einhell only for a detached workshop if you will keep oil in the pump, tolerate 97 dB, and fit a BS 1363 plug before the first start. Check the oil plug, the gasket, and the level. Eight bar times 24 litres is about 192 bar litres, under the 250 bar litre line in Schedule 1 of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000. A householder inflating tyres is not automatically that dutyholder. Draining and the safety valve are on the how to use a 24 litre air compressor page.

Common questions

Which machine in this comparison needs oil in the pump?
Only the Einhell TC-AC 190/24/8. It is listed at £129.95 with 4.1 from 251 ratings, 97 dB, and 165 L/min that is not labelled as free air delivery. The other six — Hyundai, Bimson, Hychika, Orazio, SIP, and the Einhell TE-AC 24 Silent — are oil-free. One UK reviewer bought the lubricated model thinking a description said oil-free. Check the model code on the listing you open.
Will an oil-free compressor put oil in the paint?
An oil-free pump is how you avoid pump oil in the airline. It does not guarantee a clean gun. Tank water still condenses, and Hyundai and Orazio reviews mention debris in new tanks. Spray guidance treats water and oil as causes of craters, and it says a gun should not be fed from a lubricator. Start from an oil-free machine, drain the tank, and do not assume a filter was in the box.
Is the oil-lubricated Einhell quieter?
No. It is listed at 97 dB, and UK reviewers call it very loud. The oil-free SIP is listed at the same 97 dB. The quiet listing here is the Einhell TE-AC 24 Silent at 57 dB LpA. A bare 60 dB or 65 dB line is not an LpA.
Can I spray from the oiled machine if I add a filter?
A coalescing filter is what spray guidance points to when oil mist has to come out of the air. A water trap does not do that job. This Einhell listing does not include a coalescing filter. UK reviews already describe oil leaving the pump, and they describe the machine struggling with an LVLP gun. A filter you buy later does not fix a leak at the cylinder head, and it does not add airflow.
Does oil-free mean I never drain the tank?
No. Oil-free means you do not change pump oil. Moisture still collects in the receiver, and oil-free reviews in this set still talk about tank water. Open the drain after use. If you run the lubricated Einhell, the condensate can carry oil, and that waste does not go into a rainwater drain. The how-to page covers the drain and the safety valve.
Does oil-free mean a longer or a shorter life?
Neither these listings nor the UK reviews state a pump-life hour figure. Garden Review's longer service life for an oiled pump, if you change the oil, is a rule of thumb for trade machines, not a measurement of the TC-AC 190/24/8. What is evidenced is maintenance: oil-free skips oil changes and still needs a drain; the oiled Einhell needs oil in it, and reviewers found plugs, gaskets, and leaks.

Related pages

24 litre air compressor buying guide

Air compressor 24 l

Best 24 litre air compressor and who should skip it

24 litre compressor for spraying: what the gun needs

How to use a 24 litre air compressor in the garage

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings below. Listings checked on 19 October 2026.

  1. Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, Schedule 1 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE: Pressure Systems Safety Regulations overview (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE research report RR1226 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK: Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 24 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. HSE: Noise at work, employer duties (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. HSE INDG271: Buying new machinery (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  9. amazon.co.uk listings for the seven compressors in this set (retrieved 19 October 2026)