Good DC tire inflator?

I've got a couple older Kobalt ones I like, but they're not available anymore. Haven't really been thrilled with what I've seen at Lowe's, HD, Amazon, ebay, etc. I'm looking for these features:

• DC power. Leaning toward cigarette lighter plug. I'm not totally opposed to a self-contained battery, but for emergency roadside use I'd hate to find out I forgot to charge it, or that it doesn't have enough capacity.
• Auto shutoff
• Reasonably small
• Enough power to top off decent-sized tires without overheating
• Long enough cord to actually reach the back tires

What are you guys using that checks these boxes?

Which battery powered tools do you use ?

I think most of the tool companies now make inflators that use the regular 18-20,v batteries , 

The best ones I ever used were the old Coleman ones , nice heavy motors ,  12v lighter plug .

Many of the cheap ones have fancy plastic around a 50 cent motor !

Here is one on Ebay , there are blue ones that were put in early 911 Porsche

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Coleman-Portable-Air-Compressor-Inflate-All-150-12-Volt-w-Case-Works/184380691220?hash=item2aedf21314:g:7~EAAOSwPSBfIZHf

In reply to Will :

My GMC Envoy had a cigarette lighter plugged in pump good for the air shocks or tires. 

I've got one of the $50ish Chinese ones you can get fro HF, Northern and the like. It's been a trooper. Doesn't see a ton of use but when I do, it's airing up 33" tires 4 at a time. It gets blistering hot but hasn't shut off. I've upgraded the hose so that I have plenty of reach, but between the cord length and the hose it was doable originally, just tight. Be aware, anything that plugs into the cig lighter will be limited. Those aren't really rated for enough current to do the job, so either it's a dinky motor or a decent motor that can't get the amps it needs. Go for battery clips instead. 

I use a slime pump for my motorcycle. An extension is easy to do. I set my dad up with one for his Rialta. For battery power, I like my Ryobi.

Call this crazy.  I did until I saw it in action.

Bike pump.  The tallest, largest diameter one you can find.

It can inflate an automotive tire to 40psi remarkably fast.  About as fast as taking a bicycle tire to 100psi.  And waaaay faster than anything that is small and plugs into a cigarette lighter can do.

Will and I were walking around the paddock at the RXNC in 2014 with one and reseating peoples' beads for them.

frenchyd said:

In reply to Will :

My GMC Envoy had a cigarette lighter plugged in pump good for the air shocks or tires. 

This is the right answer right here. Buy yourself a GMC Envoy and remove the pump!

I've given Viair 84p as Christmas gifts to a few folks, they all seem to like them.

Grandpa gave all the grandsons (we're all within 5 years of each other) these old Campbell Hausfeld 12V compressors when we were in our early-mid 20s, I've still got mine and it has saved my bacon, and other's a few times.

I've also got a random cheap Slime brand compressor in one of the cars, came with a bottle of slime it works, but it's slow.  I've got a much better Slime brand compressor in my work truck.  I believe it's this Slime Pro Power, or an older version of it.  I've had it for 4 or 5 years, and it too has more than paid for itself.

Finally, I keep a Master Flow Tsunami in the Jeep.  It's a beast, but draws too many amps for a cigarette outlet, have to alligator clip it direct to the battery.

The Viair stuff is very good. I have one that I haul pretty much everywhere. It will top off a autocross tire to 25 psi or a RV tire to 80 psi or a off road tire back to highway pressures in a hurry. 

I have a couple Viair units. One that plugs into the power port/ cigarette lighter I use for the cars and another with alligator clips that hook to the battery I keep in our  motorhome. I check air pressure each  morning on the motorhome before driving. Keep pressure at 95 psi and larger unit has no issues topping off pressure if needed. Depending on how you use some of the Viairs have a continuous use rating. I think good value for the money.

I've had a couple of 12v compressors. My Viair is in a class of it's own. I can't over emphasize how good it is.

It'll top up an autocross tire as quickly as my garage compressor with 150 psi in it's tank.

Viair FTW!

I have an 87P which comes with alligator clips for 12V battery power. You can get the 85P with a cigarette lighter adapter. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CDWJRZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Either way I recommend getting a threaded Schrader to locking style chuck adapter. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0873BRGJB/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3LR7MTFDFPOY1&psc=1

The Viair stuff looks nice, but I'd really like something with an auto-off feature. Doesn't look as if those have it, do they?

Not that I'm aware. I did the bike pump route for a while but got tired of it and bought a Viair too. 
Between that and my electric impact I don't think I'll ever need a compressor. 

Honestly the ones that use alligator clips directly off the battery, are about 10 times faster than the DC ones. Depending upon use an application, they're the way to go. In paddock, DC works, in reseating a bead, alligator clip time.

CAinCA said:

Viair FTW!

 

I have an 87P which comes with alligator clips for 12V battery power. You can get the 85P with a cigarette lighter adapter. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CDWJRZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Either way I recommend getting a threaded Schrader to locking style chuck adapter. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0873BRGJB/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3LR7MTFDFPOY1&psc=1

Great suggestion! I bought it!

Mine's an 87P also. I said it was fast, I thought of this example. You'll actually spend more time airing the tire back down than you do initially filling it.

Another good thing about it, is it has a really long power cord, and also a

really long hose. I leave the power cord secured, and just leave the pump next to the battery. The hose is long enough to reach all four tires easily on a standard sized car or truck.

captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:

Honestly the ones that use alligator clips directly off the battery, are about 10 times faster than the DC ones. Depending upon use an application, they're the way to go. In paddock, DC works, in reseating a bead, alligator clip time.

I’m sure I understand, but to be accurate, alligator clips to the battery gives you access to 12VDC (nominal) at high current capabilities. The cig. lighter (accessories port) gives you 12VDC (nominal) as well, just will not handle very much current (amperage). 

So they are both “DC”

Usually cig lighter ports have a 10amp fuse. If any of the pumps actually got close to pulling 10 amps they'd probably pump pretty quickly, but anyone building something and putting their name on it has to give a WIDE berth to blowing that fuse,  so in reality anything made to plug into that port is sort of dinky. I've had better ones and worse ones, but i honestly prioritize small size and low noise/vibration over speed for my uses since the only use i have for a 12v pump is to stay in the vehicle permanently and annoy me as little as possible. That means take up the least amount of space and not give me a headache when it's running. I think my favorite one that i currently own is roughly 7x7x2", but i forgot the brand.  Clearly my uses are not the same as for off-roaders and using them at autocross. If i was doing that I'd probably buy whichever one could use the same battery as the 1/2" cordless impact i'd also be carrying. 

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

CAinCA said:

 

Either way I recommend getting a threaded Schrader to locking style chuck adapter. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0873BRGJB/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3LR7MTFDFPOY1&psc=1

Great suggestion! I bought it!

I can only take partial credit for that one. One of the younger guys at the track showed me the one he bought last weekend. :^)

Their entire group had Milwaukee cordless compressors. Apparently they come with a threaded end too.

Vlair

I can't seem to find it now, but one of the off road magazines, Petersen's, Fourwheeler, or JP maybe, did a shoot out on 12V air compressors.  I remember reading it in print years ago, and I know I found and read the article again in the last 2 years, because Amazon says I bought my Masterflow Tsunami in October of '18, and I hunted down that article again before making my purchase.  Maybe when TEN Publishing imploded that article vanished?

That article for sure had Viair and ARB products, probably Oasis and some others.  The much more affordable Tsunami did very well in there testing, and has been a pretty common pick in the off road world.

I suspect that the COVID has hindered its import as it's not available/out of stock on Amazon and even Masterflow/Superflow's own websites.

Quadratec shows it in stock though, and it's about the same price I got it from Amazon for.  I've bought a lot of Jeep parts from Quadratec over the years, they're legit, in case you're not familiar with them.  The soft top on my TJ is even a Quadratec brand top.

https://www.quadratec.com/products/92044_0006_07.htm

In reply to californiamilleghia :

I had that very same compressor for years.  I don't recall what happened to it but was a jewel.  

I love my Viair, but no auto-shutoff.  I am not sure that I would trust that anyway.

Makita finally has one for my battery, so its on the X-Mas list, and it has the shutoff feature.

In reply to spitfirebill :

still lots more on ebay  or at swap meets / yard sales if you have them in your area , 

only colors I have seen are the tan ones and the powder blue porsche ones , 

I am sure Coleman  made a newer model , not sure if the pump was as large.....

Those Viair compressors are fancier than my home compressor!  

Not priced bad either!