Anybody know anything on portable, compact compressors?

A

AmadeusM

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Bought one for 13 bucks new at a Fleet Farm type store, and it says it's rated up to 260 PSI. Next to it there was a more expensive model rated only at 70 PSI. Either would do as my car's tires are 30 PSI.

Question: is the 260 figure overrated? Am I missing some fine print piece of info?


Thanks. :)
 
It'll probably reach 260 psi but that won't do you any good. Volume is more important as long as it'll reach the pressure you want.
 
It plugs into the cigar lighter, right? The cheap ones work but they take about 15-20 minutes to pump up a tire if it's really flat to start with.
 
ANYTHING that you can plug into your lighter really is ..dinky. A barely adequate (for shop use that is) compresor is somehting like 20amps 230v 80 gal. For just using an air nailer one of the little pancake machines is okay. As said anything that requires a lot of air ie air tools, spray guns, sandblasting takes at least a 20 gal compressor. Pressure ratings are not as inportant as cfm (cubic feet min) or scfm (square? cubic feet min). 230psi at .0001cfm is kinda a joke. Most machine, even big ones are usaually rated at approx. 120 psi. anything over that requires special valves, fittings, hose etc.
 
I have a Campbell Hausfield that I got at Walmart for $11.00. It's OK for emergency automotive use but I can pump up a road bike tire up to 100 psi a lot faster with my Supergo floor pump.
 
Well, the Chinese POS that I have allegedly does 0.7 CFM. I suppose that's still better than calling the gas stations in my area to find out which have air (most do not), and definitely better than blowing through the hose myself. :)

Tell me more about the Supergo pump..what is that?
 
The one Jeeperaz linked to is pretty good. Checker Auto Parts had them for $24.99. I can't believe how well it's constructed!

Win
 
I actually used one of these some years ago. I had acquired a cheap one from a tag sale and threw it behind the seat of my truck and forgot about it. One day I had gone out on the local pond in the canoe with my girlfriend to do a little fishing. When we arrived at the pond we noticed that some a$$hole had parked their vehicle on the boat ramp and left it there. We lugged the canoe around it and ended up having a nice day on the water. While we were out there we saw a couple of guys in a bass boat who were a bit unfriendly. Didn't think much of it though.

Anyway, we decided to go in for the day and as we approached the boat ramp we saw the unfriendly guys ahead of us pulling up to the ramp. One guy hopped out and went up to his vehicle which was sitting there with two flat tires. He starts jumping around hollering and cussing. At about that time the local police chief pulls up. He was this really cool native American dude with a long black braid down his back. He gives the guys a ration for parking there blocking the fire truck pumping station. It was hilarious!

Meanwhile the one guy is pissed and he's moaning that someone has deliberately deflated the tires and his cell phone won't work here so how is he supposed to get his tires pumped back up? I sighed and volunteered my little 12v compressor. It did the job and those standoffish jerks suddenly became my best friends, imagine that!

A few years later I got to know Chief Bixby a little bit socially and I mentioned the incident. It turns out it was he who had let the air out to teach them a lesson! :D He was disgusted that I had saved the situation and would have prefered to let them squirm for awhile more.
 
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