Battery inflator or small compressor?

sovietspybob

sovietspybob

sovietspybob

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Been thinking about getting an inflator to keep the tyres in the cars at the right levels as i'm struggling to use my double barrel foot pump these days as my health isn't very good.

I've got a few Ryobi tools already so seen they do a couple of different inflators and can get one around the 50 quid mark which seem to have ok reviews but then i've always fancied a compressor as it can be used with lots of other things, even just blowing dust out of stuff would be really handy in the garage.

Looks like i could get one of those small 24litre ones for around 100quid, so twice the price of a stand alone inflator but could be a lot more useful. Screwfix have a few for the right kind of price and at least with them i can take it back to the store if it falls to bits in a few months rather than taking my chance with ebay or amazon.

What are peoples thoughts on the small compressors, are they worth it or are they going to be too compromised and cheap to be of any real value? I don't plan on spraying cars or anything with it but i guess the small ones might struggle with die grinders or hammer chisels?
 
BUDFORCE said:
Is there a reason you can't/don't want to just get one that plugs into the cigarette lighter?
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I didn't see the point in them really, what do you do when you want to pump up the tyres on your bike or an air bed, i don't want to lug a car battery around especially when i already have lots of ryobi 18v batteries anyway.
 
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I asked a similar question but was more looking for a fixed one than an emergency backup so went with a compressor and it's been perfect. I believe Ryobi do a couple though that might be decent, still yet to buy into a multi tool system so no idea what they're like.
 
iamdjdz said:
I asked a similar question but was more looking for a fixed one than an emergency backup so went with a compressor and it's been perfect. I believe Ryobi do a couple though that might be decent, still yet to buy into a multi tool system so no idea what they're like.
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What kind of compressor did you get if you don't mind me asking?
 
I bought a decent size air compressor years ago along with a large selection of air powered tools for loads of different jobs. One thing you need to consider about air compressors if you are going to use air tools is buy a compressor that can actually supply enough air to them. The majority of the cheaper ones simply don't supply enough air and you will be constantly waiting for the tank to refill. My brother in law made this mistake and bought the cheapest compressor he could find that came with tools. It was tiny and I told him it wouldn't do what he wanted but he was adamant and kept saying that if it couldn't supply enough air for the tools why did it come with tools? Needless to say the first time he used the air wrench (windy gun) it ran out of air really quickly and actually took longer to get the wheel nuts off one wheel than he would have done with a normal socket set.

If you are not going to be using tools in the future then buy a decent air pump instead. Not a cheap one, a decent one which should last you a long time.
 
Thanks for the replies, i doubt i'd be using many serious air tools as i've already got quite a lot of the Ryobi battery ones like impact wrench and angle grinder, drills etc, it'd be mostly for doing tyres and blowing dust off things i think.
 
sovietspybob said:
Thanks for the replies, i doubt i'd be using many serious air tools as i've already got quite a lot of the Ryobi battery ones like impact wrench and angle grinder, drills etc, it'd be mostly for doing tyres and blowing dust off things i think.
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ryobi doing there christmas specials now , buy a package and get a free tool on top , even though i have the small compressor for the car (and a 100litre in the garage)
i am tempted by this package ...HomepagePower ToolsCombo KitsRCK183-120SLK

uk.ryobitools.eu

Combo Kits | Power Tools | Ryobi

Combo kits from Ryobi, one of the world's most innovative power tool manufacturers. Browse our range of electric and cordless combo kits and power tools.
uk.ryobitools.eu uk.ryobitools.eu
183.99 for a battery/charging unit /compressor/torch and impact gun with sockets +a free tool from there list doesnt seem bad.


i already have 2 of the torches and am very impressed with them.
 
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yeah that does seem ok value, i rate that impact wrench really well, i've had mine years and not come across a bolt it couldn't undo.

I've got one of those small battery chargers that comes with that pack and it's ok but nowhere near as solid as the bigger (maybe older?) style so i hardly ever use that one.
 
sovietspybob said:
I didn't see the point in them really, what do you do when you want to pump up the tyres on your bike or an air bed, i don't want to lug a car battery around especially when i already have lots of ryobi 18v batteries anyway.
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I have a D cell battery powered pump which comes with various tethered attachments for things like airbeds, small enough. For the car I have a Ring pump which runs off the car socket, cheap enough (£35-45 depending on when I've bought), digital display and small rotary lets you more precisely set psi (or bar) and has an LED light on the front which makes life a bit easier. Packs up nice and compact and comes with a nylon bag and a football/lilo inflator attachment which I promptly lost. :D I just stow it either in the boot or behind / underneath a front seat. Also bought several for family members.

Though if you're committed to Ryobi as a life partner then the 18V ONE+ High Pressure Inflator is currently a few quid off at Halfrauds.
 
If you have the room you cannot beat an air compressor. Yes the initial investment is a lot more. My ABAC was £800 RRP although I bought mine used so didn't pay anywhere near that. It is about the most powerful you can go before going 3 phase.

The positive is you make the money back as the tools are generally cheaper than their electric counterparts. Negative is it is a waste of money if you are not going to use it to its fullest.

I use it for air tools which are far better than anything battery operated, spraying, tyres etc. I did my fence panels last year and it was a doddle. Normally took me hours doing it with a brush but took half the time with a compressor. Simply tape off the posts and get busy. Was a much better finish with a lot more even coverage. I pumped up my kids paddling pool in seconds. Have to be careful though as it nearly burst :P
 
ShiWarrior said:
This was asked fairly recently :

Portable battery powered air compressor?

I want to get one of these, reviews looks very good. Watched some videos and they seem to work, albeit slow. Other than that, anyone got a similar one? https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09JZWJ2QY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&psc=1
forums.overclockers.co.uk forums.overclockers.co.uk
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LOL, as if people understand what search engines are for
 
I've got one of these myself and I really like it. Pumped a totally flat van tyre up in about 4 mins and got me to work so I could just get on and sort the tyre out later. I quite often get given a vehicle to use which has a tyre that's low due to slow puncture and this lets me just sort it out quickly and get going. £60 well spent.
 
M4xson said:
I've got one of these myself and I really like it. Pumped a totally flat van tyre up in about 4 mins and got me to work so I could just get on and sort the tyre out later. I quite often get given a vehicle to use which has a tyre that's low due to slow puncture and this lets me just sort it out quickly and get going. £60 well spent.
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Just bought the exact same one after reading lots of reviews where this always seems to come out top or close to top/
 
adam cool dude said:
If you have the room you cannot beat an air compressor. Yes the initial investment is a lot more. My ABAC was £800 RRP although I bought mine used so didn't pay anywhere near that. It is about the most powerful you can go before going 3 phase.

The positive is you make the money back as the tools are generally cheaper than their electric counterparts. Negative is it is a waste of money if you are not going to use it to its fullest.

I use it for air tools which are far better than anything battery operated, spraying, tyres etc. I did my fence panels last year and it was a doddle. Normally took me hours doing it with a brush but took half the time with a compressor. Simply tape off the posts and get busy. Was a much better finish with a lot more even coverage. I pumped up my kids paddling pool in seconds. Have to be careful though as it nearly burst :p
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Thanks for the info its good to hear first hand experience of a compressor, i'm still so undecided as i can't really justify spending more than 100odd quid on anything at the moment so i'd only be getting into the low end compressors which probably would be no good for air tools. I don't really have the space in the garage for a really big compressor or the money to buy it and to be honest so doubt i'd get a whole lot of use out of air tools as i already have a few battery ones and don't do as much car stuff as i used to so it'd pretty much just be for blowing up tyres and blowing stuff off, only thing which would be useful is one of those needle scaler things to chip off the **** from welding but as i think that's essentially an air chisel i doubt the smaller compressors would run one well?

Also thanks for all the other people recommending plug in inflators which i've said about 5 times i have no interest in :p
 
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