Air pump recommendations...

[fog53]

I have a Fanttik X8 Apex Tire Inflator... Fanttik is a new a new company (China), But their stuff seems high quality and has good reviews. I don't off-road, so I only need this for tire pressure maintenance or emergencies. It does seem to inflate faster than others I've had. I also have The Fanttik T8 Apex Jump Starter... They both fit nicely in the spare storage area.

Follow up question since your original post, have you had to use this inflator? and how did it perform. I'm looking, same a you for an inflator more for maintenance and not so much off road deflation/inflation.

 

[sajohnson]

Follow up question since your original post, have you had to use this inflator? and how did it perform. I'm looking, same a you for an inflator more for maintenance and not so much off road deflation/inflation.

Generally speaking, that can be a difficult situation to be in -- when you don't need the 'pro'/commercial version of something, but you want whatever you buy to be reliable.

Sometimes you can get away with buying something cheap, because you may never need it, or it will only be used once or twice. The problem of course is that it may break/not work when you need it to. My sense is that the overall quality of products from China -- particularly the lower priced stuff -- continues its downward spiral.

I don't pretend to know much about air compressors, but I know Viair (which may be made in China BTW) is one brand that is popular with serious off-roaders. We bought a Viair 88 for our RV. I've used it several times and it inflates those tires (215/85-16) quickly. IIRC, it was about $70-$75.

That's a lot more than some of the cheaper ones, but it's also not hundreds of dollars like some of the larger Viair units, and others.

One consideration is that while you can buy compressors for (say) $30 -- they are 'disposable'. Something like the Viair 88 (or similar) will likely last for decades -- esp. if it is not used often. It's impossible to say with certainty, but this may be a case where paying more up front costs less in the long run.

 

[NEFKANO]

Generally speaking, that can be a difficult situation to be in -- when you don't need the 'pro'/commercial version of something, but you want whatever you buy to be reliable.

Sometimes you can get away with buying something cheap, because you may never need it, or it will only be used once or twice. The problem of course is that it may break/not work when you need it to. My sense is that the overall quality of products from China -- particularly the lower priced stuff -- continues its downward spiral.

I don't pretend to know much about air compressors, but I know Viair (which may be made in China BTW) is one brand that is popular with serious off-roaders. We bought a Viair 88 for our RV. I've used it several times and it inflates those tires (215/85-16) quickly. IIRC, it was about $70-$75.

That's a lot more than some of the cheaper ones, but it's also not hundreds of dollars like some of the larger Viair units, and others.

One consideration is that while you can buy compressors for (say) $30 -- they are 'disposable'. Something like the Viair 88 (or similar) will likely last for decades -- esp. if it is not used often. It's impossible to say with certainty, but this may be a case where paying more up front costs less in the long run.

I have one of those cheap $30 air pumps/12v and now that I'm finding myself off road more and more and of course having to air down more often... I'll definitely need to "up" my air pimp game... with my new KO2s. I'm sure the Viair 88P, which seems to be the popular choice for those of us using 30 inch tires...will do the trick. No need to jump to the 300P, which was my next choice... Hopefully with Amazon Prime-Day coming up on the 11th, a mark down will be in the cards : )

 

[Mark S.]

... I'll definitely need to "up" my air pimp game...

I don’t think I would discuss those plans on a public forum.

 

[sajohnson]

I have one of those cheap $30 air pumps/12v and now that I'm finding myself off road more and more and of course having to air down more often... I'll definitely need to "up" my air pimp game... with my new KO2s. I'm sure the Viair 88P, which seems to be the popular choice for those of us using 30 inch tires...will do the trick. No need to jump to the 300P, which was my next choice... Hopefully with Amazon Prime-Day coming up on the 11th, a mark down will be in the cards : )

I really appreciate mfrs who publish specs -- the more the better. Usually that is an indication of a good product (of course there are exceptions). As I recall, Viair puts out very comprehensive specs, so it's easy to compare the different models.

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