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793 Review
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Review on πŸ”΄ VacLife Air Compressor Tire Inflator, 12V DC Air Pump for Car Tires, Bicycles and Inflatables, Portable Auto Air Compressor with LED Light, 11.5ft Power Cord - Red (VL711) by Bryan Gallardo

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Good portable tire inflator at a great price

I live in Lubbock where temperature swings can be ridiculous, especially in November. We get a sudden change in temperature (from 80 F to below 32 F) with an oncoming cold snap that causes a sudden drop in tire pressure (about 8 to 10 psi). My main requirements were: compact, pressure gauge, auto shut off and low power consumption so I don't have to run it on battery. I own a 2018 Subaru Outback and since I recently had an oil change the service center refilled the tire pressure. So to test the tire inflator, I had to deflate both front tires to 30psi and set the tire pressure to 36psi on the tool. It was disconnected from the 12v socket while the engine was running, per the manufacturer's instructions. It took (roughly) less than 2 minutes to reach the target print. The inflator will fill it 0.5 psi above the set pressure to compensate for the pressure drop when the valve is shut off. The final tire pressure, measured with my analog gauge, was about 37psi, so according to the specs, the tool's accuracy is within +/- 0.5psi. The readings are very clear day and night. One potential issue I noticed was that the power cord was quite flimsy, especially when the inflator is rated at 10A. I noticed that the cord gets a bit warm, which would bother me if I use it for a long time. It's good to have a long power cord (11 feet), but if the higher resistance isn't offset by the thicker wire, then that's a problem. I don't mind paying extra for it. The air outlet pipe gets quite hot, but I think that's normal unless you have an intercooler, which a compact supercharger can't do. Overall at $27 this is a great product that gets the job done. I will update my review after using it more and I don't see this as a problem as it will be quite cold in a couple of weeks.

Pros
  • High marks for support and durability from testers
Cons
  • Negative result available