Tyre inflator advice

[Shaky]

Having bought what I thought would be a good quality 12v socket tyre inflator it has managed about 4 months of light use and given up. Any advice from you guys on a good one that works and more importantly LASTS. I will be using it on cars and a truck and hopefully a Grenadier later on in the year 

Cheers Shaky

 

[emax]

I don't have one, but ARB has a good reputation. They are however not exactly bargains.

 

[Shaky]

Thanks Emax, whilst I am a big believer in “you get what you pay for”, like you allude to they are on the higher side of way too expensive. I just want something that is capable of blowing up a tyre and not giving up the ghost which a lot of the offerings not capable of. 

 

[emax]

In German 4x4 forums they often point to this one, but I can personally not give any assessment:

https://www.jgs4x4.co.uk/t-max-12v-air-compressor-heavy-duty-portable-tyre-inflator-adventurer/

This is a UK offer, but there are other sources as well. At Amazon it's currently not available but this is anyway not (any more) my favorite place to buy.

(yes, Amazon is fast, easy, comfortable - but the small ones get killed by Amazon one after  the other ...).

 

[emax]

A general advice: look for the weight. As a rule of thumb I'd dare say: The heavier the more durable.

Short story: in the eighties, I wanted to buy a CD-player. But I haden't any clue how to select. So I walked through the shelves and weighed every model in my hands. Finally I bought the heaviest one, not knowing what I had bought.

Some years later it turned out, that this was the best CD-player on the market, it was an Onkyo. The weight came from the toroidal transformer inside - something which one hardly finds in consumer electronics at the low end. In that time I had never heard about Onkyo, but I picked the best player just because I believe in the rule that heavier components are statistically better than light ones.  ;-)

 

[blueTdi]

In German 4x4 forums they often point to this one, but I can personally not give any assessment:

https://www.jgs4x4.co.uk/t-max-12v-air-compressor-heavy-duty-portable-tyre-inflator-adventurer/

I bought the like compressor about 10 years ago and it still works. Use it to inflate the tires on my Defender ocassionally or on the garden tractor. Comes with all the equipment you need and is good value for the money.If you need a compressor in the desert where tires are de- and inflated more often I would recommend a real heavy duty one with a reservoir and fixed installation on the car.

 

[Shaky]

Cheers guys. I will look at the oneEmax has suggested. I don’t need one fixed such as an ARB but do agree that would be the best way to go for regular deflation of tyres etc.

 

[Paachi]

I would recommend the Viaair 425. It’s a really good compressor that my friend has hard mounted in his vehicle and it performs very well. If budget no bar then extreme air seems to have a very good reputation. But no first hand experience there. 
What I like about ARB products is the warranty. If it goes bad they will replace it no questions asked. 
Also I do recommend, if hard mounting, to add a tank. The utility goes up and compressor load goes down. 

 

[emax]

If you are a good craftsman, a modified one way camping gas cartidge should work. it is light and can AFAIK stand 15 bars.

 

[Shaky]

Cheers guys. I can mount one unfortunately as it has to service up to four vehicles. I think the £250 mark is the absolute max I would go for. Some of these things you pay £100 for are no better than the £15 specials you get from Aldi or another cheapo supermarket. That’s why I want to pay the extra and have confidence in the thing and know it won’t fry it’s guts after topping up a couple of tyres.

 

[Paachi]

@Shaky I think you could explore building one yourself with some really good quality components and mount them in a pelican case. With careful arrangement you could have a killer rubber mounted damped system with a Viaair (or similar quality) compressor, 12V and Anderson plug inputs, a small 1-2 liter air tank and a 2 way or 4 way bi-directional hose..all contained in a nice portable case.

Something like this:  https://masterflowair.com/products/air-armor-m240

 

[eddyoz]

Which ever compressor you decide on,make sure it has decent wiring and direct connection or Anderson type plugs to the battery ie not cigarette lighter.Heavy duty compressor draw a lot of current so keep vehicle motor running.

 

[Shaky]

Some great advice and I may even look at mounting one in a peli case, especially as I have one knocking about.  Good luck to everyone who is able to order tomorrow. I will be gleefully handing over my £2k ? 

 

[Arkaig]

I will be gleefully handing over my £2k ? 

Me too ?

 

[globalgregors]

I carry one of the ARB portable units which comes in a tackle box which handily also fits a deflation device and tyre repair kit.  This served well for a global trip however as blueTDI mentioned for remote areas/arid climate/convoys/larger tyres one would probably want the twin compressor + tank version. Expensive maybe but I've got a decade of use out of mine and it was second-hand (though shop-fresh) when purchased.

 

[Sledge]

I have also used the ARB unit for well over 15 years now and I can not fault it.
It gets worked hard in hot dusty conditions and never missed a beat. Unlike most units that are throwaway the ARB is serviceable.
The only bad thing I can say about them is that in hot northern Australian conditions I find I need to replace the air line hose every 4-5 years.