Is VIAIR the portable compressor to get?

According to this the Harbor Freight/Pittsburgh Automotive one is a better buy. Cheap at about 30 bucks shipped and still uses metal components internally instead of plastic. If you are looking for a cheap just in case compressor to keep around for occasional use I doubt you can go wrong with the Pittsburgh Automotive one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTpSgUyyBA8

EDIT: Yes, I know this is a stupid suggestion. Move along... nothing to see here. Whatever you are about to say... it has probably already been said by someone else.

 

I'm not watching an 18 min video but there is no way that Harbor Freight accessory powered compressor is going to outperform a Viair compressor that is connected directly to your truck's battery.

Those accessory compressors are meant for emergency air situations - aka you have one tire that is going flat and need to fill it up. If you use one of those compressors regularly to fill up four 33 - 35" offroad tires from 10psi to 35 psi, I guarantee you it's going to crap out fast.

Plus those accessory ones drain the hell out of the vehicle battery since they usually operate with the vehicle off according to the instructions. The Viair compressors are meant to operate connected directly to the battery with the vehicle running so you don't drain the battery at all.

That HF one may very well be faster at filling up a single tire but it won't last long under the kind of work load demand that a Viair compressor is designed for

 

Ok. Sorry to have made the suggestion in the first place.

 

I didn't mean for it to sound that way, sorry. Just want people to know because those accessory ones are very tempting to purchase due to the lower price point, and those review videos do make them look good. But those videos never test them the way that most people on here intend to use them. I actually did buy one of those as my first compressor and it didn't last long, wasn't the HF one though it was a different one.

 

It's all good. Newish here so not trying to make the wrong kind of waves. I should have read more of the thread to get the particular use case. FWIW there was a ton of variability between the performance of the ones in that video and I agree that most of them were crap... but the HF one was distinctly less crappy than all of the others. As for me, the HF one will satisfy my worries for emergency situations for the time being. Maybe I will look into something more robust if I am airing up and down tires very often when off roading.

 

That's true, I assumed based on the situation I and some others here use them for but not everyone needs a compressor for offroad use. They are legit for on-road/emergency usage, the Viair one and ones like it would be overkill in that situation

 

Even the Viair struggles to do all four tires. It gets sooooo hot it's freaking dangerous.

Eventually, I'll be getting rid of my 88P for an ARB single or dual... or a more expensive Viair. The 88p simply isn't enough for 4x truck tires, especially in the Vegas heat.

 

I ran the 88p for a couple years, it was a workhorse but it does slow down when it gets hot, and it gets extremely hot after 4 tires. I would let other guys use it that didn't have air compressors after I was done, and I'd have to leave it in the bed to cool down on the way home.

I recently upgraded to the Viair 300p and it's about twice as fast as the 88p, gets hot after 4 tires but not as bad. Any compressor will get hot after filling up 4 offroad tires though.

 

I'll be ordering the 88p for myself as a christmas gift, cant spend too much so $65 shipped sounds great to me to have for emergency days.

 

It's a great little compressor, my only advice with it (and any of the heavier duty compressors) is to carry spare fuses for it. I think the 88p uses a 10a or 15a fuse...but if that fuse pops when you're using it, the compressor won't run until you replace it. Just buy a few extras and keep them with your kit. I had 2 fuses on mine pop in the 2ish years I used it regularly.

 

its not 20a? 20 amp?

 

Yeah, don't get me wrong it's a great little compressor. Just wish I saved n bought one bigger, better, etc.

 

I don't remember for sure, it might've been...I'm sure it's listed in the specs for it

 

I ran the 88 for over a year. no issues but was slow. Upgraded to this last year... Fast but not as fast as the twin ARB, or CO2...

 

what brand is that?

Ideally I want to get an ARB single or dual and mount it inside my engine bay, or the bed of the truck... I should just sell the 88p and put the funds towards an ARB compressor. Well, or a bigger Viair cuz they do make great stuff.

 

my 88p came in a few days ago, but haven't had time to try it out. I will this weekend for sure.

 

Bulldog Winch compressor

 

That looks a lot like my Superflow MV90 which I’ve been well satisfied with for several years. Around $130 from Tool-Discounter with no tax and usually free shipping.

 

And the Smittybilt... Bet there's a few other brands as well.

 

Depends on what tires you're talking about. The 88P is really only designed to handle small truck tires at most. The stock 265/70/r16s (31's) are about what this one is rated for. It'll do more, but it will struggle, even according to the manufacturer.

My 400p gets hot (warm?) after doing all 4 of my 32's, but remember these things have thermal cutoffs too, so whatever temp it's getting, if it's not shutting itself off, that's still not a "dangerous" temperature.