Costco has a 12volt Air Compressor that is the best that I have seen in the under $50 price range. This pump has a snap on 20' hose, air filter,
and air gauge. For Reviews go to http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?p=1790624Diver - 3-3-2007 at 12:24 AM
Oops !!
That's the one that listed over $75 on the Nomad Tienda.
Looks like a nice unit.oldjack - 3-3-2007 at 03:45 PM
Just from COSTCO with the new compressor... also got the one( mentioned elsewhere) from Harbor Freight Tools same price more power... just being
careful... the HFT compressor seems more substantial... now to get the d___ things on the airlines....bajalou - 3-3-2007 at 05:41 PM
Have had the one from Harbor Freight Tools for several months and it works great - fast fill up from flat to 20+ or more. Very happy with it.BajaNomad - 3-3-2007 at 08:44 PM
The one in the Tienda is from the same company that supplies Costco. It's labeled slightly differently though. Only thing I've found is that most
places that have sold this company's units in the recent past haven't carried it for very long. I don't know why. Could be an issue with the
supplier. Quality reports seem to look really good though.
My understanding is that at one point you could buy them for $25 at Checker/Kragen in 2005. Apparently this was because they were discontinuing them
and put them on sale at that price. But no more. Speculation is that Checker/Kragen/Shucks customers didn't like using the alligator clips for power
versus the cigarette lighter models. Reference: http://www.gearinstalls.com/pepboys.htm
This may also end up being an issue for a mass-seller like Costco. The ones here in the Tienda are straight from the main supply source, and they've
indicated to me that there will be no issues in getting these from them.
Because of the supply/demand issue in the recent past, I saw some people price these MasterFlow/SuperFlow units over $100.
These compressors seem to be very similar to the units from Harbor Freight.
Here's a review I found of the SuperFlow/MasterFlow unit compared to the Harbor Freight unit:
I now have one of these myself, but haven't put it to good enough use to report on it.
Do I need to mention that purchases from the Tienda here are a direct means of supporting this site?
No worries.
--
Doug
[Edited on 3-4-2007 by BajaNomad]bajaguy - 3-3-2007 at 08:51 PM
Looked at one at COSTCO today....sure is a little bitty thingbaja Steve - 3-3-2007 at 08:54 PM
I have been using the Master Flow for about 5 years and it works great. One thing I would watch is the cord heats up by the time you fill four tires
in a row. Mine is with clips and I would worry about the plug in type because of the wireing in the auto or pickup.losfrailes - 3-8-2007 at 02:00 PM
Here is one on Ebay that is one of the best. Even though the Buy It Now price is 49.95 + Shipping (9.95), I made an offer of 40 bucks and the gal
jumped on it.
You might even try for less, they are clearing out their stock according to the post.
Got a chance to use one of these over the last week in Death Valley. Very pleased with how quick it would bring tires up at high inflations. I was
going from around 45# up to about 70#. Seemed to take only about 3 minutes per tire.....much faster than any of the other 12v pumps I have owned and
faster than my old standby; a B & D Powerstation from the early 90s that I invert power on.
On the down side, the one I got at Costco comes with only a 16 foot hose and I really hate having to open the hood just to operate a 12v pump. In
fact, with my F350 Super cab, it would take some real wrangling of the cables/hoses just to reach my rear tires IF I didnt have a battery on either
side of the engine compartment. Fuggedabout any trailer tires!
I am going to modify mine to be able to use it with a standard cig lighter type plug. The pump itself is fused at less than my power plugs in the
truck so I am not worried about heating issues. The pump gets hot but the clips/wires do not appreciably.
[Edited on 3-19-2007 by Hook]
[Edited on 3-20-2007 by Hook]Cypress - 3-19-2007 at 03:28 PM
It's all about PSI's.How many?How soon? How long.?Martyman - 3-19-2007 at 03:34 PM
Will these air compressors work to fill inflatable boats like a Zodiac?msteve1014 - 3-19-2007 at 04:23 PM
They will, but it will take forever because of the volume of air you need to fill a boatHook - 3-19-2007 at 06:03 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Martyman
Will these air compressors work to fill inflatable boats like a Zodiac?
I cant imagine anything that's portable working much faster than the foot pumps that come with many inflatable boats, Marty. They are pretty high
volume. I could literally pump up my 7 footer in less than 5 minutes and its not too hard on the old calf.David K - 3-19-2007 at 06:06 PM
This one from Harbor Freight fills three times faster than the cigarette lighter ones... 6 psi per minute (1 psi per 10 seconds)... or 5 minutes from
10 psi to 40 psi.
The Coleman or other cig. lighter models only filled at 2 psi per minute (1 psi per 30 seconds)... or 15 minutes from 10 psi to 40 psi.
It connects to the battery, like jumper cables do, and has a gauge (not accurate, but once you know the error, just fill to the corrected point).
Since I got this one, I heard that Baja Nomad's Tienda now offers one like it... That way you can support the site!
[Edited on 3-20-2007 by David K]
ncampion - 3-19-2007 at 08:18 PM
Watch out for the ebay unit. It's rated at 14 amps, the others are rated at 30 amps. It's actually about amps, not psi. I've had the Harbor
Freight model for while and it seems to be good quality and defiitely puts out the air! I hav not really had an opportunity to "stress" it yet, but
so far I'm impressed for the price.bajalou - 3-19-2007 at 08:26 PM
Need to start the Harbor Freight unit before attaching it to the valve stem. If you attach first, sometimes it will blow the 30a fuse. - carry some
spare fusses.David K - 3-19-2007 at 11:03 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by bajalou
Need to start the Harbor Freight unit before attaching it to the valve stem. If you attach first, sometimes it will blow the 30a fuse. - carry some
spare fusses.
Really? Well, I was lucky the five times I used it so far!4baja - 3-21-2007 at 06:34 AM
these still cant seal a bead if you need too like the co2 cyliders can. i have a 5 and ten pounder. i allso carry a backup 12 volt thou.cymeryss - 3-21-2007 at 08:21 AM
The MV-50 is a great air compressor for the money, as I assume it is what is sold in costco under a different name. About 2 years ago they were sold
for $25, now they run for $50 in pep boys.
I have used mine for about two years, maybe a total of 40 times, never had any issues and it was able to fill all tires from 15-33 psi without the the
thing cutting off because of heat, and that was in laguna salada (just make sure you put it in the shade).
I also top-of my F470 zodiac. It does take a while but if you don't have a large volume foot pump and don't want to use your scuba tanks its a great
sub.
I would recommend it to anybody.bajalou - 3-21-2007 at 08:36 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by 4baja
these still cant seal a bead if you need too like the co2 cylinders can. i have a 5 and ten pounder. i all so carry a backup 12 volt thou.
Gasoline will take care of the bead, just like they do it in the tire repair shopsHook - 3-21-2007 at 08:41 AM
The one being sold at MY Costco is a Master Flow Q-Maxx MF-1052. 3 year warranty, supposedly.
It also has a cute little air filter that the ebay units dont seem to have.
How many?
How soon? How long.?
