Review - Tote Air Compressor

[RidingOnRailz]

Note: this is not an endorsement or an attempt to sell this product.

I received the following Tire/basketball/inflatable pool float compressor: http://www.kaboodle.com/hi/img/c/0/0...AAAAAJJy3Q.jpg as a gift a few years ago.

I must say there is no greater luxury to never have to go to a gas station or garage to put air in your tires or leisure/sport items, especially with the number of facilities that charge for something that is God-given and essentially free! But I must also say that there is nothing like having to wait one minute per POUND of air inflated into a car's tire! That's right. This morning I checked my wife's tire pressure and they were all 4lbs psi too low(weather getting cooler, November into december, the whole spiel). Consequently it took me nearly FIVE MINUTES with this thing to inflate each tire! Nearly 20 minutes all around; plus it's cold outside. On a Toyota Corolla. Probably takes less time to psi out an entire 18whl tractor trailer plus the spare. LOL! And when running it is very loud even if you aren't standing right next to the item you are inflating! Pretty much it produces more noise per minute than air.

The PROS are, as stated above not having to drive to a gas station, and, the Tote compressor, shaped cleverly like a tire, has been very reliable the three years I've owned it. It probably is not very expensive to buy either. I would however not recommend it to those who need to adjust the tires on a SUV/light truck or larger vehicle. You might reach retirement age before all your tires have the correct air psi in them.

Hope this car care product review is helpful in guiding your purchasing decisions.

[Moppie]

Originally Posted by RidingOnRailz

Hope this car care product review is helpful in guiding your purchasing decisions.

Essentially your saying that buying a proper compressor will save you time, but if your on a budget then a simple cheap one will work, if you don't mind freezing your ass off in winter.

[MagicRat]

FWIW a couple of retailers around here sell these little compressors in two different price ranges. They look nearly identical but the higher-priced ones (approx $30) seem to work somewhat faster than the cheapies.

IMO these are handy to keep in the trunk for emergencies, but are too slow for regular use. Real air compressors (120 volt household current) are so cheap these days that almost every car owner with a garage can afford one. Even the compact $60 - $99 ones are way better than the 12-volt items.