Many people often wonder what exactly the differences are between an oil-free compressor and an oil, or oil-lubricated, compressor. The answer is really quite simple, but in order to better understand it, we’ll first need to explain how a compressor, whether oil-free or otherwise, works.

Deciding whether to buy a horizontal or vertical compressor is really pretty easy. Aside from a few minor details, such as drainage, it’s pretty much a matter of storage and preference. It’s much easier, for instance, to choose between a vertical compressor and a horizontal one than to sort out the differences between an oil-free and oil compressor.