aviography

Any recommendation for a portable air compressor to keep in the car?

I had a compact Canadian Tire unit bought a number of years ago when it was on sale for $10, worked for quite some time with occasional use, but the poorly made cigarette lighter plug eventually cracked to pieces.

I replaced the plug with a more durable unit, only to find out there may be a stalled compressor now which causes high current draw and blows the fuse after a short while, i.e. it's not a dead short.

A compact, reliable, reasonably priced unit is what I'm looking for inputs on.

TIA

wildcat077

Get the "Slime" tire repair kit,it comes with a small air compressor and a bottle of "slime" tire sealant, it goes on sale fairly often at CDN Tire,very compact and comes in a nice little pouch ... i keep one in our three street vehicles.

Cheers
Phil

DJF1

I actually have this:http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mo...l#.VH2UM_np_2s

especially in the winter you never know when you will need it. I have used it a few times, very useful.

ronnie993tt

This combined with a booster pack......wait for it to go on sale for under $30.....
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/he...l#.VH91Ymd0xjo

aviography

Still haven't bought any yet, the biggest issue I've had with these low-cost units is the cigarette lighter plug, it's so cheaply made that it often snags in the socket and then breaks during use, I guess what can you expect from a $10 unit? (when it's on sale)

I looked at various units on line, even the more expensive units seem to suffer from the cheap plug issues, or blows fuses either in the plug, or the socket in the car, just what you don't need when you need to use the compressor.

I might end up getting a unit that clips to the battery terminal to avoid the fuse and cheap plug issues, something like this perhaps even though it's not really compact anymore.

jumper5836

I got this one awhile back when it was on sale. Think I picked it up for around $20.
It is small and I carry it around for track days. Like that I can set the pressure I desire and walk away until it turns off. That way I can do other things while filling my tires back up to pressure.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mo...l#.VIGp9Wd0yJA

Knight

I've got the exact same one, very reliable so far and convenient when using the digital psi setting. Sign up for a notification from CT to alert you when it goes on sale, it comes up fairly frequently at 30-40% off.

terene

Ken I picked up a Michelin unit at Costco a number of years ago when it was on sale. Have been very pleased so far.
Terry

kgoertz

Diddo. 2 years in counting. The digital cut-off is especially useful when filling multiple tires. Just wish it would remember the setting so you didn't have to enter the setting (from 0) every time.
And the cigarette plug has been okay so far.

wc11

Option maybe?

aviography

Will,

I was looking at the VIAIR ones as well, wanted to make sure the reviews confirm the cigarette lighter plug is solid, and doesn't blow fuses in the car which can be an issue with the high PSI units, which is why they often come with spring clips to connect directly to battery terminals.

Saw this on Canadian Tire Boxing Day flyer for $15, looked promising and great price until I started reading the reviews, another piece of crap it seems that won't last too many uses. http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/au...ml#.VJyujtBMBg

I wish DeWalt or Makita would make a solid compressor with good warranty the mfg stands behind, so the consumer could trust they are buying a quality product that will last, rather than a BIC disposable piece of junk, I don't mind paying more for quality and durability, tools I buy need to work reliably when I need to use them, that shouldn't be too much to ask?

canuck964

+1 on the cig lighter plug and fuse issue.

Experienced this personally so now I only use compressors with the battery connections.

aviography

I almost bought the VIAIR 70P from Amazon.ca http://www.amazon.ca/s/?ie=UTF8&keyw...l_4vuz4j2sju_e

Then saw this http://www.bellautomotive.com/BellAi...-1-32000-8.htm by Bell Automotive in the Partsource flyer today, 50% off at $21+tax.

I checked it out in the store, the cigarette lighter plug is substantially better constructed than the ones I typically seen on cheap tire compressors, and it doesn't snag in my lighter socket either unlike the cheap ones.

The unit has a small LED work light, includes a thin fabric zippered pouch, and the part that sold me is the Lifetime Warranty printed on the package, so I should be set for life.

There are other Bellaire tire inflator models also on sale at similar savings, but this one is light and small, good enough for the infrequent use I need it for.

Sir5n

Me too, at Crappy full priced but works great!