Interesting to know that CFM ratings aren't accurate with the Amazon unit. Pittsburgh unit airs up faster at 1.35CFM but the Amazon says their unit is 2.12 CFM. I personally use a Viair 88P rated at 1.47 CFM. For anyone that is new to using "tire inflators", make sure you keep them off the ground. The vibrations from the tire inflator will kick up dirt and sand. I have personally seized up a tire inflator because it sucked in dirt particles causing the compressor to seize up. Find a safe place on top of your engine bay to mount your tire inflator while you air up. Don't take chances! Be safe and have fun on your adventures!
You shouldn't subtract the time to check with the on-board, it's part of the test since you have no choice to check it as it goes since it doesn't have a in-line pressure gauge the other two have. Also, great video and review, very helpful!
You can add in inline gauge or simply time yourself filling up a tire from you’re preferred deflated pressure to driving pressure, then you wouldn’t need the gauge.
only a problem when its the only unit for all your mates to use also so its 10mins x number of vehicles. You can use the time it takes for smoke break or toilet stop etc. not a huge issue either way
When the truck engine is off, the battery voltage will drop around 2 volts (from 14.4 to 12.7V) impacting the compressor performance. So your ARB compressor is probably better, but the test was not quite perfectly accurate
AndreS123_03 I agree! And was the Discovery’s battery fully recharged before using the second (Amazon basics) compressor? The amazon basics definitely has nicer looking battery clamps though.
theturtle2121 you could see him turn the key to start the vehicle and you could gather from how shaky the camera was when he was hooking up the clips that the engine was running. No not stated but implied
I bought the Pittsburgh last year. It’s great for the half dozen trips I do per year. Definitely a good way to save money as you build your off road kit.
Ok let's up the budget a bit to the smitty built, tuff stuff 4x4 and and vivar models i.e. compressors that run 120 to 150 and compare them to the 500 compressor.
I have the Smittybilt and wouldn't buy it again. The Smittybilt gets extremely hot and isn't all that fast. I'm going to install ARB on board air and be done with it.
@@quintili1 Well go ahead and spend that $500 dollars, you got it. To me that was an unfair test. of course the 500dollar unit is going to be BETTER, Why, because those others are Budget Units. Why do they call them budget compressor units. Because that's what they ARE. Not to be compared with Top performance units. (An unfair TEST). So Money Mann. if you were on a (Tight BUDGET) Which one would BUY. I Put my money on the Harbor Fright or ALL-TOP Heavy Duty Portable 12V Air Compressor Kit Inflate is a good one as well. From Amazon. Hum, Which One would you PIC... Money Mann, We all would like to KNOW. PS. The dude that did the test, got his money from RUclips videos and other lite duty things, that's how he was able to afford that unit (he didn't have to work hard) for that unit. WE DO.
sounds like buy 4 of the HF units, pump up all the tires simultaneously plus have 3 backups in case one fails and you still spent about 1/2 the price of the ARB. Hmm.
For about $150 you can buy a smittybuilt portable air compressor that puts out 5.35 cfm. That's 4 times the output of the HF compressor. They also have portable dual piston air compressors in Australia that put out 10+cfm for the same $150usd.
Def had to be running otherwise yea the battery would have died like halfway through, if they are using a nice microphone it wouldn’t pickup much noise anyways as the exhaust is facing the rear of the car lol
Overall a very good review. Another point in Harbor Freight's favor is the placement of the air gauge. If for some reason you do need to string it out, having the gauge where the air is being input is much more convenient than on the body of the air compressor. One thing that could have been addressed in the review is the relative quality/strength of the clamps for attaching to the car battery. TFL Reviews was a good addition to their "franchise".
It appears that the gauge is helpful. But it only gives you an idea. I'm pretty sure the Harbor Freight manual says you need to have it running before attaching it to the tire. So you are not supposed to turn it off, look at the pressure on their gauge, and then turn it back on all with it all connected to the tire. I would use the gauge as a close guys and over do it by a few pounds. Then I adjusted it back down with a separate gauge. That is until my Harbor Freight compressor broke.
While I was sure the arb would win, you can't subtract the time you used to check the pressure, and you need to add an air gauge into the price of the arb unit.
Nothing stopping someone from using a regular air hose with 1/4 fitting to a tire filling chuck with integrated gauge on the ARB, so the time can and should be subtracted so we're comparing apples to apples (results as if they all had a gauge, not counting the variable created by a different method of checking tire pressure).
Except time isn't imaginary and you have to count the actual expenditure of time in filling the tire. He didn't have a gauge installed on the ARB so you can't use the excuse"if I had a gauge it would have been this fast" because it wasn't.
@@centrice12 Actually, you can use that excuse and it's perfectly valid for making an apples to apples comparison of air filling rate, not of air pressure checking rate.
Lol I bought this compressor at Harbor Freight today! The guy at the cash register warned me not to get the cheap ass one. He was right as the $65 one pushes 5X as much air. You have to hook it directly to the battery. I’ll be testing it out around Telluride this weekend. Oh yeah the Pittsburgh is $56 with the coupon.
you can buy 4 pittsburgh air compressors and fill all four tires at the same time and still spend less than half of what a arb compressor costs. great video
Max flow is more important for reseating beads or limping home if you've got a puncture on the trail. You'd have to wire up a pair of the HF pumps to keep up with the ARB.
I just use a bicycle pump. High capacity with gauge cost about 20dls at walmart. Inflated my tire to 60psi faster than my air compressor. No need to plug it in and is a good little workout 👊
In the real world all 4 tires need to be aired up. A good test to include would have been filling up all 4 tires to see if either budget compressor would have overheated and shut down, making you wait for it to cool off before you could continue airing up again. If "speed is the name of the game" that could add SIGNIFICANT time to the process. Some budget compressors may need as much as 20-30 *minutes* to cool down. It would be really interesting to see that test.
An important factor is the compressor cycle time. Most need a cool down period between uses, say 40mins run time VS 20mins to cool. I have the Smittybilt 2781 (5.64CFM) and it takes me 4mins to get 4 285/70R17 tires from 20 to 30psi with a M.O.R.R. Flare 4 tire inflate / deflate kit. Speed is important when you get caught in the rain or have other things to do than look at a cheap air compressor.
I liked how you started the Pitts HF AC before attaching to fill, just as owner’s manual instructed. Nice comparison. My Pitts HF seems to work fast & fine.
Just mount one of these in your trunk/cab/box. Buy a cheap car stereo wiring kit to run it to battery(for the heavy gauge battery wire) I see them for $10-20 all the time at liquidation stores. Grab a 25ft hose from harbor and run it right off there. Make a quick disco clamp on the compressor and on the wiring connection that allows the use of battery clamps as well, in case it needs to be portable again.
I use a SuperFLow MV90. About twice the price/weight/speed of the compressors in this comparison. Good size for airing up 35" rubbers. Takes a few minutes per tire. Better value than the ARB option but not as compact/integrated.
I literally just bought the Pittsburgh and w/ a 20% Coupon it was right at $50, so great deal for sure. I was using an old Stanley Compressor to air up after Off Roading. This Pittsburgh smokes the Stanley (of course the Stanley is a multi use unit). Great Review!
build a DIY 4 tire air up kit for that ARB and you'll air up all 4 tires even faster than doing them individually. you get the max CFM out of the air compressor and they all balance out on their own to equal PSI.
I'm more likely to by a MORRFlate and help support another RUclipsr I really enjoy myoffroadradio.com/morrflate-off-road-4-tire-inflation-deflation-kit/
@@gGtplsTBUVyfKsEZfYtc That's just a rats nest of crap to carry around. In 20 years of wheeling I've never seen a person once miss a group ride because they couldn't air up or down fast enough.
Really awesome detailed review like I was right with you. Every time you got a result you showed it to us the camera. Fantastic! Hope your getting paid, cause I'm buying the harbor freight one
unless time is important, budget minded; I would use the Harbor Freight. Of course if you have ARB suspension components the cost of the ARB would be necessary. If the compressor is used often, the extra cost would be worth it.
No 18 second deduction for measurement should be permitted because during that time your vehicle installed pump is building pressure within the post-piston volume which even if it's just the hose would still be accepting then releasing the 18 second mass flow rate. Nevertheless your pump is still bad ass no doubt, but you can't easily loan it to a friend and it's mounted on your dash... My cheap unit is tucked up under my truck but it's still always there when I need it.
Always best to connect the red-positive first to the battery terminal, then connect the black-negative clamp to some metal part away from the battery. That way if is sparks, there is no chance of an explosion.
Lol.. been working on cars for 27 years . Never has a spark caused a fire. Leaking fuel causes fire. Oily engines cause fires. Sparks happen all the time you do not see. Why you should keep your engine clean and leak free. A clean engine is a happy engine. I bet you have one of those dirty dusty looking engine bay. Never cleaned it because your afraid of a spark. Lol and oil leak all over from previous oil changes..that is what catches fire
You only need 32 psi max on the road for a vehicle that weight. Look at the door jam and it will tell you max pressure. After 35 psi you will get lane wandering. Try chalk lines across the tread and drive 100 feet or more and look at the lines, it will wear in the middle for high pressure and even for correct pressure and on the sides for low pressure.
Chalk lines across tread is more useful than relying on doorjamb as doorjamb is based upon stock tires and wheels. Every tire has it's own load inflation index so doorjamb is pretty imprecise even if going with the exact same sized tire and wheel as factory. The only reason you wouldn't want to entirely rely on the chalk lines across the tread is if you drive aggressively, then the sides of the tires will wear faster despite the even chalk wear if driving in a straight line.
ok, the budget units are 1/10th the price of the ARB, but when most people run their budget compressors to air up their tires they have the engine running so you're running off of 14+ volts from the alternator and not just the 12.8v of just the battery, so your comparison is bias towards the ARB. is the ARB 10x better?
Excellent, thorough review Alex. Nicely done. IF the ARB had a gauge on the hose where you connect, it would be worth the money to me.(provided I wanted/needed such things) Since it does not, the runner up is the one with the gauge on the end of the hose. You say speed is the name of the game here. Speed of ARB wins, however, for me, convenience is primary. I don't want to be taking the chuck on and off repeatedly and then having to re-adjust because I went over, or under.
@@melissahill7930 If I fill up my tires using the air compressor in my garage, I do it the same way. Fill until I think it's where it needs to be and check with a gauge. I'm usually within a pound or two. Then I top off or deflate until I'm where I need to be. It's a simple one minute procedure.
@@melissahill7930 The onboard ARB only comes with the compressor and mounting accessories ($560). Does not even come with a hose. If you buy it as a kit ($670), you do get the hose with built in gauge. More than 3 times the cost, you could buy 12+ HF units for the cost of the ARB.
I have one of those Pittsburgh air compressors and it does pretty well and so far has held up. I will tell you though that after airing up two of those tires, it would be very hot. If I run mine for at least ten minutes it get extremely hot to the point that I turn it off when I'm done and let it cool off outside before I can put it away.
I'm still kicking myself for not buying more of the Costco units offered for $25 many years ago. It was 120vac or 12vdc with digital readouts with automatic target pressure cutoff. We still use it in place of that tank of a compressor in the garage and take it with us on trips.
To reduce the time required you need to idle the engine. It will keep the voltage between 13.3-14.7 volts. While you are idling place the compressor inside the vehicle on something soft to keep the vibration from damaging your interior and run the ac at high speed. You will need to extend your hose bu at the same time it extends the life of the compressor by reducing the heat. You did not tell us what the duty cycle time recommended by the manufacturer. Can you air up all four tires with the budget units with or without ac cooling without destroying each unit.
Having the pressure gauge on the end of the hose is an added benefit over the compressor mounted unit. Having it on the compressor does you no good unless you set the compressor next to the tire.
I own three of them with tire sizes 31,33 and 35. Hurting a bit on the 35’s but when I went to the 35’s 4 years ago I decided to wait until the little 88 died before replacing. Still waiting.
Good test, I purchased the harbor freight air compressor and I've aired up truck tires at a decent time. Not bad for the price, my dad liked it and ended up keeping it 😅 ill have to go get another one.
I'd like to see a comparison like this on TFL Bike. For dual-sport riders, we like to ride to the trail and then play. I'd love to see a compressor that fits on the bike or under seat, air down at the trail and then pump up before the ride home.
I would like to see you guys compare some of the 12V air compressors that plug into the cigarette lighter. Btw, the ones from Autozone suck. They always break in less than a year. They’re also $20 and I’d rather have something instead of nothing in an emergency situation, but I think you get my point. Again, another great 👍 video.
Cigarette lighter has thin cables and loses voltage, I have a cheap compressor from Lidl and replace the cigarette plug with clamps to connect to the battery and it works much better
I will probably get beat up for saying this, but I have had great luck with the overall quality of Harbor Freight tools. Also, you would get an additional 20% off the harbor freight with the readily available coupons
PSS. To all commenters on products like this, these units all have pros and cons you have to buy what is best for you and your budget. PERIOD.... And for someone to say do not buy amazon basics air compressor, that should not be said, many people out there may not be able to afford anything else, something is better than nothing, not defending Amazon but, they should probably still be good units. . And remember Amazon does not manufacture anything, they contract people to manufacture products for Amazon's brand name. On them they are basic, common generic, whatever you want to call them, that's what they are. There should be a fair review on any product that is reviewed on RUclips. Also some of these reviews are very biased towards other products take that in consideration as well, Remember, everyone has their favorite. And honesty is the best policy to give a fair review.
I run a vaiair 88P($65), it's decent but still not a $500 twin motor unit like your fancy ARB. Vaiair does have similar hardmount stuff to those if you want, they build air compressors for airbag systems.
Good video, I’ve used these types of compressors for years. Regardless of the brand I find you’ll want to find an air source at the park if at all possible, they’re all kinda slow
You might want to look at the RUclips (project farm). He does fair and equal testing and gives specs. The Pittsburgh actually did very well. As well it can easily be removed from vehicle. The price is also vastly less than your near$500 dedicated unit. Not that yours is bad. However for most people your choice is out of range price wise and slightly inconvenient.
It would have been nice if you had taken Decibel and Temperature data on the ARB as you had done with the other two compressors. Other than that, great test of vital interest to us that quantifies exactly what potential buyers want to know.
now you have to account for having 2 arb compressors on that unit.so if they gave me an arb shoot yeah ill take it but suppose you cut arb time in half then your more close on speed of the fill time.good job
I would have like to see a real world scenario where all 4 tires had to be inflated. How long would that take and would the compressor hold up? Are these budget compressor made to do this multiple times before they break? Or are they only good for the once in a life time when you can't get to a real compressor.
Buy 4 $60 compressors and get done before the ARB. They take less power and you have spares for when the ARB breaks. I bought two and hooked them together on a small tank.
Whatever you get, a moisture separator will be needed. I air down and back many times in the summer and the water buildup caused the tie pressure to increase 5 psi when driving and drops by 5 or more psi when cold. I bought one for my onboard ARB compressor and it self drains. I air down and back with a clip on dual hose to a T and gauge with fittings.
The PITTSBURGH compressor seems to have been redesigned and is now a lot smaller and the price is now $25 and looks to be highly rated. There are a lot of these types of compressors priced between $20 and $50.
Tsunami mf-1050 from pep boys is $59, and flows easily twice as much air as the harbor freight and Amazon compressors. the pressure gauge is awful, but you should be using a separate one anyway
So an ARB installed compressor which costs over $500 and requires the engine to be running or one of the 2 12 volt only units for approx $70. Depends on how much you want to spend on speed and reliability when you are on the road.
Don’t subtract the :18 since you have to stop and measure pressure. Should also add time to deflate from 46 PSI to desired 45 PSI. Next up - ARB versus PowerTank portable CO2 system. Hint: won’t even be close!
Looks like you checked the temp at wierd spots, the upright aluminium part is where the piston is, where the high heat would be. not the body. random note... these oil-less compressors use a plastic, something like delrin as the piston rings, if they are run for too long (says on labels) the plastic melts making the compressor junk unless u can find a replacement part.
Might want to take in to consideration that the more expensive compressor was already running and probably full by the time you connected it to the tire, as with the other two you connected it to the tire as soon as you turned them on. Would that make a difference?
First of all most tires when leaking go straight flat also why not do this test with completely flat tires. It would give a better reading of the inflators if they could do it or not. I did it with the dewalt air compressor and worked great on my truck tires.
I got the HB compressor recently and did a few mods to it. Took the premenatly attached hose off and installed a quick disconnect that I gutted so its always open flow. Took off the plastic cover on the compressor head because it hold the heat in. Took the head off and smoothed the exhaust port. It's really decent for $70, I got it because I had a tire low and figured i'd rather buy a new cheap tire inflator to have in the truck than use the gas station air. I just hard mounted and hard wired it to the truck with a relay and 70psi on 100psi off pressure switch. Once I muster up the courage i'll buy an ARB but for now it'll most likely be replaced with a Smittybilt when this one shits the bed.
I’ve done a lot of off-roading, not once have I thought about airing down. I know it works for traction, but I don’t know that I like the risk of a shorter tire life. 🤷🏻♂️ Is it just me?
Just take 2 Harbor Freight compressors and connect hoses together and I'm sure it would give the ARB a run for the money since the ARB has 2 motors , not a fair comparison.
Nice job thank you, i previously saw ur vid some time ago but i recently picked up the Harbor freight unit. I'm on a budget and i normally do not go off roading too much but it will serve its purpose. Thx again
For the amount of money Amazon makes every year I expected better. but why am I not surprised, lol. But yeah I'd go with the Harbor Freight, it'll save me money in the long run for a little extra beer. 😀👍
Unless your are using these air compressors for a sports racing tournament, I fail to see why a few minute time difference should have any impact on the decision making process at all...
Interesting to know that CFM ratings aren't accurate with the Amazon unit. Pittsburgh unit airs up faster at 1.35CFM but the Amazon says their unit is 2.12 CFM. I personally use a Viair 88P rated at 1.47 CFM. For anyone that is new to using "tire inflators", make sure you keep them off the ground. The vibrations from the tire inflator will kick up dirt and sand. I have personally seized up a tire inflator because it sucked in dirt particles causing the compressor to seize up. Find a safe place on top of your engine bay to mount your tire inflator while you air up. Don't take chances! Be safe and have fun on your adventures!
You shouldn't subtract the time to check with the on-board, it's part of the test since you have no choice to check it as it goes since it doesn't have a in-line pressure gauge the other two have. Also, great video and review, very helpful!
You can add in inline gauge or simply time yourself filling up a tire from you’re preferred deflated pressure to driving pressure, then you wouldn’t need the gauge.
I agree. If your compressor is $500 and doesn’t come with a simple in-line pressure gauge then they are greedy.
Good video, rather save 400 bucks and just wait the extra 10 minutes for 4 tires to fill
only a problem when its the only unit for all your mates to use also so its 10mins x number of vehicles.
You can use the time it takes for smoke break or toilet stop etc.
not a huge issue either way
With the 400 bucks you can buy an extra unit and run both simultaneously ;-)
ChevyNglockMan Hahahaha I’m with you mate, I like my $400
Fernando Briseno exactly right mate
hi C...
'
who is a word - BUCKS -...
bucks are the animals and names of males...
44 tires are alot of tires...
44 tires are equal 11 vehicles
When the truck engine is off, the battery voltage will drop around 2 volts (from 14.4 to 12.7V) impacting the compressor performance. So your ARB compressor is probably better, but the test was not quite perfectly accurate
The others are probably supposed to have the engine running too.
AndreS123_03
I agree! And was the Discovery’s battery fully recharged before using the second (Amazon basics) compressor? The amazon basics definitely has nicer looking battery clamps though.
Engine was running!
The Fast Lane Car
Ah, that was not stated in the video.
theturtle2121 you could see him turn the key to start the vehicle and you could gather from how shaky the camera was when he was hooking up the clips that the engine was running. No not stated but implied
I bought the Pittsburgh last year. It’s great for the half dozen trips I do per year. Definitely a good way to save money as you build your off road kit.
Ok let's up the budget a bit to the smitty built, tuff stuff 4x4 and and vivar models i.e. compressors that run 120 to 150 and compare them to the 500 compressor.
I have the Smittybilt and wouldn't buy it again. The Smittybilt gets extremely hot and isn't all that fast. I'm going to install ARB on board air and be done with it.
Shitty bilt sucks. Plastic where there should be aluminum as in the "heat sink". Slow. Poorly built. Garbage.
@@quintili1 Well go ahead and spend that $500 dollars, you got it. To me that was an unfair test. of course the 500dollar unit is going to be BETTER, Why, because those others are Budget Units. Why do they call them budget compressor units. Because that's what they ARE. Not to be compared with Top performance units. (An unfair TEST). So Money Mann. if you were on a (Tight BUDGET) Which one would BUY. I Put my money on the Harbor Fright or ALL-TOP Heavy Duty Portable 12V Air Compressor Kit Inflate is a good one as well. From Amazon. Hum, Which One would you PIC... Money Mann, We all would like to KNOW. PS. The dude that did the test, got his money from RUclips videos and other lite duty things, that's how he was able to afford that unit (he didn't have to work hard) for that unit. WE DO.
sounds like buy 4 of the HF units, pump up all the tires simultaneously plus have 3 backups in case one fails and you still spent about 1/2 the price of the ARB. Hmm.
The ARB has 2 motors, so why not have 2 of the harbor freight compressors going?
Who is going to carry 4 compressors?
Could also get 12 compressors, use 4 simultaneously and have 8 + 3 spares with you.
Good luck attaching four compressors to the battery terminals simultaneously lol! Still a good point...
For about $150 you can buy a smittybuilt portable air compressor that puts out 5.35 cfm. That's 4 times the output of the HF compressor. They also have portable dual piston air compressors in Australia that put out 10+cfm for the same $150usd.
This Young Man is a Great Addition To The Team at TFLoffroad. Super Job!!!
Freedom Quest Network look how thin he is?
SSG Squidward -listen to how dumb you sound
Shouldn't you have tested the 2 budget compressors with the engine running to be a fair comparison to the ARB?
Considering the underhood noise when connecting the battery clamps, I'm assuming the engine was running due to power draw.
Def had to be running otherwise yea the battery would have died like halfway through, if they are using a nice microphone it wouldn’t pickup much noise anyways as the exhaust is facing the rear of the car lol
Overall a very good review. Another point in Harbor Freight's favor is the placement of the air gauge. If for some reason you do need to string it out, having the gauge where the air is being input is much more convenient than on the body of the air compressor. One thing that could have been addressed in the review is the relative quality/strength of the clamps for attaching to the car battery. TFL Reviews was a good addition to their "franchise".
looks like you can set the gauge on the amazon one to shut off at desired pressure.
It appears that the gauge is helpful. But it only gives you an idea. I'm pretty sure the Harbor Freight manual says you need to have it running before attaching it to the tire. So you are not supposed to turn it off, look at the pressure on their gauge, and then turn it back on all with it all connected to the tire. I would use the gauge as a close guys and over do it by a few pounds. Then I adjusted it back down with a separate gauge. That is until my Harbor Freight compressor broke.
While I was sure the arb would win, you can't subtract the time you used to check the pressure, and you need to add an air gauge into the price of the arb unit.
totally agree! I was thinking the same thing.
Yes and also why not screw the other ones on then hit the start switch and timer 🤦🏻♂️
Nothing stopping someone from using a regular air hose with 1/4 fitting to a tire filling chuck with integrated gauge on the ARB, so the time can and should be subtracted so we're comparing apples to apples (results as if they all had a gauge, not counting the variable created by a different method of checking tire pressure).
Except time isn't imaginary and you have to count the actual expenditure of time in filling the tire. He didn't have a gauge installed on the ARB so you can't use the excuse"if I had a gauge it would have been this fast" because it wasn't.
@@centrice12 Actually, you can use that excuse and it's perfectly valid for making an apples to apples comparison of air filling rate, not of air pressure checking rate.
Good Video. Forgot to mention about the duty cycle and that can be a huge factor
I got a 40$ hypertough air compressor that looks very similar to both of these from Walmart a year ago and it still works great.
Thank you for reviewing gear people can actually afford
Lol I bought this compressor at Harbor Freight today! The guy at the cash register warned me not to get the cheap ass one. He was right as the $65 one pushes 5X as much air. You have to hook it directly to the battery. I’ll be testing it out around Telluride this weekend. Oh yeah the Pittsburgh is $56 with the coupon.
Have you been still using the air compressor? Looking to get this one haha. Was wondering if it’s holding up
you can buy 4 pittsburgh air compressors and fill all four tires at the same time and still spend less than half of what a arb compressor costs. great video
Max flow is more important for reseating beads or limping home if you've got a puncture on the trail. You'd have to wire up a pair of the HF pumps to keep up with the ARB.
I just use a bicycle pump. High capacity with gauge cost about 20dls at walmart. Inflated my tire to 60psi faster than my air compressor. No need to plug it in and is a good little workout 👊
Not so good if you're out in the desert though.
@@sferg9582 I live in the desert ;). Have inflated tires while it's about 100° out here
i forgot about this option! they work great for airbags
I found someone else who does this.
Bicycle pump is expensive and slow. For $25 you can get a decent inflator.
In the real world all 4 tires need to be aired up. A good test to include would have been filling up all 4 tires to see if either budget compressor would have overheated and shut down, making you wait for it to cool off before you could continue airing up again. If "speed is the name of the game" that could add SIGNIFICANT time to the process. Some budget compressors may need as much as 20-30 *minutes* to cool down. It would be really interesting to see that test.
Great points.
An important factor is the compressor cycle time. Most need a cool down period between uses, say 40mins run time VS 20mins to cool. I have the Smittybilt 2781 (5.64CFM) and it takes me 4mins to get 4 285/70R17 tires from 20 to 30psi with a M.O.R.R. Flare 4 tire inflate / deflate kit. Speed is important when you get caught in the rain or have other things to do than look at a cheap air compressor.
I liked how you started the Pitts HF AC before attaching to fill, just as owner’s manual instructed. Nice comparison. My Pitts HF seems to work fast & fine.
I own the Harbor Freight compressor and it has worked very well when needed.
I currently have this model Harbor Freight pump in my truck. I have no complaints so far.
Just mount one of these in your trunk/cab/box. Buy a cheap car stereo wiring kit to run it to battery(for the heavy gauge battery wire) I see them for $10-20 all the time at liquidation stores. Grab a 25ft hose from harbor and run it right off there.
Make a quick disco clamp on the compressor and on the wiring connection that allows the use of battery clamps as well, in case it needs to be portable again.
I use a SuperFLow MV90. About twice the price/weight/speed of the compressors in this comparison. Good size for airing up 35" rubbers. Takes a few minutes per tire. Better value than the ARB option but not as compact/integrated.
The auto shut off feature would be the main selling point for me. Set it and forget it. Come back when the compressor shut off.
You need to check out the midrange compressors. Superflow MV50, TJM, etc. I've found the superflow is actually a little faster than the ARB for me.
I literally just bought the Pittsburgh and w/ a 20% Coupon it was right at $50, so great deal for sure. I was using an old Stanley Compressor to air up after Off Roading. This Pittsburgh smokes the Stanley (of course the Stanley is a multi use unit). Great Review!
build a DIY 4 tire air up kit for that ARB and you'll air up all 4 tires even faster than doing them individually. you get the max CFM out of the air compressor and they all balance out on their own to equal PSI.
I'm more likely to by a MORRFlate and help support another RUclipsr I really enjoy myoffroadradio.com/morrflate-off-road-4-tire-inflation-deflation-kit/
@@gGtplsTBUVyfKsEZfYtc That's just a rats nest of crap to carry around. In 20 years of wheeling I've never seen a person once miss a group ride because they couldn't air up or down fast enough.
Really awesome detailed review like I was right with you. Every time you got a result you showed it to us the camera. Fantastic! Hope your getting paid, cause I'm buying the harbor freight one
I bought the HF compressor. The rubber hose gets very hot just filling one tire to 35 psi. You should check the temp there at discharge hose.
unless time is important, budget minded; I would use the Harbor Freight. Of course if you have ARB suspension components the cost of the ARB would be necessary. If the compressor is used often, the extra cost would be worth it.
No 18 second deduction for measurement should be permitted because during that time your vehicle installed pump is building pressure within the post-piston volume which even if it's just the hose would still be accepting then releasing the 18 second mass flow rate. Nevertheless your pump is still bad ass no doubt, but you can't easily loan it to a friend and it's mounted on your dash... My cheap unit is tucked up under my truck but it's still always there when I need it.
You should have the engine running on all of them makes it faster and doesn't drain your battery.
Always best to connect the red-positive first to the battery terminal, then connect the black-negative clamp to some metal part away from the battery. That way if is sparks, there is no chance of an explosion.
Lol.. been working on cars for 27 years . Never has a spark caused a fire. Leaking fuel causes fire. Oily engines cause fires. Sparks happen all the time you do not see. Why you should keep your engine clean and leak free. A clean engine is a happy engine. I bet you have one of those dirty dusty looking engine bay. Never cleaned it because your afraid of a spark. Lol and oil leak all over from previous oil changes..that is what catches fire
You can’t deduct time when in real time on the trail ALL your time counts
Getn 1 to plug up punctures so even a 15min compressor saves me the 4 hour breakdown turn-a-round time
You only need 32 psi max on the road for a vehicle that weight. Look at the door jam and it will tell you max pressure. After 35 psi you will get lane wandering. Try chalk lines across the tread and drive 100 feet or more and look at the lines, it will wear in the middle for high pressure and even for correct pressure and on the sides for low pressure.
Chalk lines across tread is more useful than relying on doorjamb as doorjamb is based upon stock tires and wheels. Every tire has it's own load inflation index so doorjamb is pretty imprecise even if going with the exact same sized tire and wheel as factory. The only reason you wouldn't want to entirely rely on the chalk lines across the tread is if you drive aggressively, then the sides of the tires will wear faster despite the even chalk wear if driving in a straight line.
ok, the budget units are 1/10th the price of the ARB, but when most people run their budget compressors to air up their tires they have the engine running so you're running off of 14+ volts from the alternator and not just the 12.8v of just the battery, so your comparison is bias towards the ARB. is the ARB 10x better?
Excellent, thorough review Alex. Nicely done. IF the ARB had a gauge on the hose where you connect, it would be worth the money to me.(provided I wanted/needed such things) Since it does not, the runner up is the one with the gauge on the end of the hose. You say speed is the name of the game here. Speed of ARB wins, however, for me, convenience is primary. I don't want to be taking the chuck on and off repeatedly and then having to re-adjust because I went over, or under.
Why are you subtracting the time to check? In real life you wouldn't want to know the pressure?
If you start from a known pressure (15 psi) after just a few times you'll know how long it takes to fill your tire, so you can go by time alone.
@@melissahill7930 If I fill up my tires using the air compressor in my garage, I do it the same way. Fill until I think it's where it needs to be and check with a gauge. I'm usually within a pound or two. Then I top off or deflate until I'm where I need to be. It's a simple one minute procedure.
@@melissahill7930 All they need is a different attachment on the hose to integrate a pressure gauge to the ARB hose...
@@melissahill7930 The onboard ARB only comes with the compressor and mounting accessories ($560). Does not even come with a hose. If you buy it as a kit ($670), you do get the hose with built in gauge. More than 3 times the cost, you could buy 12+ HF units for the cost of the ARB.
best way to air up tires, get a scuba tank. you can air up tires stupid fast and 1 tank will last a long time and only costs like $5-$8 to refill.
Yeah buddy used one filling up a lawn mower tire. Tire blew up and the rim took his balls off
@@jamesavery6671 wow, I've never heard of anyone doing that , poor fella
@@SpeakEazy850 i made that up 😂 but seriously id be a bit cautious if it don't have a regulator
@@jamesavery6671 🤣🤣🤣
I have one of those Pittsburgh air compressors and it does pretty well and so far has held up. I will tell you though that after airing up two of those tires, it would be very hot. If I run mine for at least ten minutes it get extremely hot to the point that I turn it off when I'm done and let it cool off outside before I can put it away.
I'm still kicking myself for not buying more of the Costco units offered for $25 many years ago. It was 120vac or 12vdc with digital readouts with automatic target pressure cutoff. We still use it in place of that tank of a compressor in the garage and take it with us on trips.
It looked like the Amazon unit had a "SET" button. Is that for setting a shut-off point when it reaches a prescribed pressure? You didn't say.
Yes that is what it’s for
To reduce the time required you need to idle the engine. It will keep the voltage between 13.3-14.7 volts. While you are idling place the compressor inside the vehicle on something soft to keep the vibration from damaging your interior and run the ac at high speed. You will need to extend your hose bu at the same time it extends the life of the compressor by reducing the heat.
You did not tell us what the duty cycle time recommended by the manufacturer. Can you air up all four tires with the budget units with or without ac cooling without destroying each unit.
All the tests should have been done with the engine (and 14v output of the alternator) running. The ARB had a bit of an unfair advantage.
Having the pressure gauge on the end of the hose is an added benefit over the compressor mounted unit. Having it on the compressor does you no good unless you set the compressor next to the tire.
The Viair 88p is another great portable compressor.
I own three of them with tire sizes 31,33 and 35. Hurting a bit on the 35’s but when I went to the 35’s 4 years ago I decided to wait until the little 88 died before replacing. Still waiting.
That's the one I have... excellent choice. I run 33s Wildpeak AT3W Falken.
I have the same one. Should have been in this test instead of the Amazon one.
I have the same one. Bought for $64.99. I recommend the Viair 88p as well.
Got the 400p... It's nice
Good test, I purchased the harbor freight air compressor and I've aired up truck tires at a decent time. Not bad for the price, my dad liked it and ended up keeping it 😅 ill have to go get another one.
Biggest thing reliability and speed of use. Being on the side of the road won't give a crap about noise,weight, or style so long as it works.
Woah, you have a Land Rover that runs!
The difference in SPL would have me buying the Amazon one.
Aye I've had that harbor freight one for years and it still works great 😂😂 nice video!
Can u run it straight for all four wheels or does it need a break.
@RollinRat ok...so i shuld be good with 4 tires..
I'd like to see a comparison like this on TFL Bike. For dual-sport riders, we like to ride to the trail and then play. I'd love to see a compressor that fits on the bike or under seat, air down at the trail and then pump up before the ride home.
I would like to see you guys compare some of the 12V air compressors that plug into the cigarette lighter. Btw, the ones from Autozone suck. They always break in less than a year. They’re also $20 and I’d rather have something instead of nothing in an emergency situation, but I think you get my point. Again, another great 👍 video.
Cigarette lighter has thin cables and loses voltage, I have a cheap compressor from Lidl
and replace the cigarette plug with clamps to connect to the battery and it works much better
I will probably get beat up for saying this, but I have had great luck with the overall quality of Harbor Freight tools. Also, you would get an additional 20% off the harbor freight with the readily available coupons
PSS. To all commenters on products like this, these units all have pros and cons you have to buy what is best for you and your budget. PERIOD.... And for someone to say do not buy amazon basics air compressor, that should not be said, many people out there may not be able to afford anything else, something is better than nothing, not defending Amazon but, they should probably still be good units. . And remember Amazon does not manufacture anything, they contract people to manufacture products for Amazon's brand name. On them they are basic, common generic, whatever you want to call them, that's what they are. There should be a fair review on any product that is reviewed on RUclips. Also some of these reviews are very biased towards other products take that in consideration as well, Remember, everyone has their favorite. And honesty is the best policy to give a fair review.
I run a vaiair 88P($65), it's decent but still not a $500 twin motor unit like your fancy ARB. Vaiair does have similar hardmount stuff to those if you want, they build air compressors for airbag systems.
I just bought the one at the harbor freight and it's awesome!
The little compressor that came with my wife's Jeep works as well as the harbor freight model.
Quality video. I'd like to see the harbor freight compared to other compressors now. And also a comparison of winches, and lights.
Good video, I’ve used these types of compressors for years. Regardless of the brand I find you’ll want to find an air source at the park if at all possible, they’re all kinda slow
You might want to look at the RUclips (project farm).
He does fair and equal testing and gives specs.
The Pittsburgh actually did very well.
As well it can easily be removed from vehicle.
The price is also vastly less than your near$500 dedicated unit.
Not that yours is bad. However for most people your choice is out of range price wise and slightly inconvenient.
You had your vehicle running the whole time right?
It would have been nice if you had taken Decibel and Temperature data on the ARB as you had done with the other two compressors. Other than that, great test of vital interest to us that quantifies exactly what potential buyers want to know.
now you have to account for having 2 arb compressors on that unit.so if they gave me an arb shoot yeah ill take it but suppose you cut arb time in half then your more close on speed of the fill time.good job
Picked up a Smittybilt Compressor on Amazon for $109.. and it pumps at 5.6 cfm..... 150psi max
Why didn’t you run truck with the other compressors?
I would have like to see a real world scenario where all 4 tires had to be inflated. How long would that take and would the compressor hold up? Are these budget compressor made to do this multiple times before they break? Or are they only good for the once in a life time when you can't get to a real compressor.
The harbor freight brand and land rover has the same build quality.
Buy 4 $60 compressors and get done before the ARB. They take less power and you have spares for when the ARB breaks. I bought two and hooked them together on a small tank.
Amazon basic has auto shut off which I haven't seen till you mod other compressor or go in the top their air compressor.
I'm curious about the tire deflators, are they worth having for airing down?
You can't subtract any time for you the gauge that's a disadvantage that have unless you put one in the system
I was expecting 50sec max for ARB at that price. You should not subtract any time since hose has no gage so you have to do the checks.
I got a compressor from Amazon. Took me a half hour to fill up a paddle board to 15psi
Whatever you get, a moisture separator will be needed. I air down and back many times in the summer and the water buildup caused the tie pressure to increase 5 psi when driving and drops by 5 or more psi when cold. I bought one for my onboard ARB compressor and it self drains. I air down and back with a clip on dual hose to a T and gauge with fittings.
Was the vehicle engine on during these tests? Would that have affected the speed of the inflation?
The PITTSBURGH compressor seems to have been redesigned and is now a lot smaller and the price is now $25 and looks to be highly rated. There are a lot of these types of compressors priced between $20 and $50.
No, they still sell two tier options, they still have the more expensive one.
... that is the difference of spending 30 minutes to re-inflate your tires or 10 minutes that's pretty significant
Tsunami mf-1050 from pep boys is $59, and flows easily twice as much air as the harbor freight and Amazon compressors. the pressure gauge is awful, but you should be using a separate one anyway
You should not subtract the time to use the gauge that's a plus for the others that the $600 pump does not have
Question is, which one has coupons from time to time?
So an ARB installed compressor which costs over $500 and requires the engine to be running or one of the 2 12 volt only units for approx $70. Depends on how much you want to spend on speed and reliability when you are on the road.
Don’t subtract the :18 since you have to stop and measure pressure. Should also add time to deflate from 46 PSI to desired 45 PSI.
Next up - ARB versus PowerTank portable CO2 system. Hint: won’t even be close!
This Dude Looks Like Sid from Hey Arnold🤣
Is he wearing Beatle Boots?? =))
Looks like you checked the temp at wierd spots, the upright aluminium part is where the piston is, where the high heat would be. not the body.
random note... these oil-less compressors use a plastic, something like delrin as the piston rings, if they are run for too long (says on labels) the plastic melts making the compressor junk unless u can find a replacement part.
Might want to take in to consideration that the more expensive compressor was already running and probably full by the time you connected it to the tire, as with the other two you connected it to the tire as soon as you turned them on. Would that make a difference?
First of all most tires when leaking go straight flat also why not do this test with completely flat tires. It would give a better reading of the inflators if they could do it or not. I did it with the dewalt air compressor and worked great on my truck tires.
I got the HB compressor recently and did a few mods to it. Took the premenatly attached hose off and installed a quick disconnect that I gutted so its always open flow. Took off the plastic cover on the compressor head because it hold the heat in. Took the head off and smoothed the exhaust port. It's really decent for $70, I got it because I had a tire low and figured i'd rather buy a new cheap tire inflator to have in the truck than use the gas station air. I just hard mounted and hard wired it to the truck with a relay and 70psi on 100psi off pressure switch. Once I muster up the courage i'll buy an ARB but for now it'll most likely be replaced with a Smittybilt when this one shits the bed.
I’ve done a lot of off-roading, not once have I thought about airing down. I know it works for traction, but I don’t know that I like the risk of a shorter tire life. 🤷🏻♂️ Is it just me?
Just take 2 Harbor Freight compressors and connect hoses together and I'm sure it would give the ARB a run for the money since the ARB has 2 motors , not a fair comparison.
This was a great idea for the budget minded or off roaders just getting into it. Well done...Oh and more videos on the D3 please
Nice video, pretty useful. One question: It wasn't clear for me why the car had to be started when using an air compressor, why was that? :/
Nice job thank you, i previously saw ur vid some time ago but i recently picked up the Harbor freight unit. I'm on a budget and i normally do not go off roading too much but it will serve its purpose. Thx again
For the amount of money Amazon makes every year I expected better. but why am I not surprised, lol. But yeah I'd go with the Harbor Freight, it'll save me money in the long run for a little extra beer. 😀👍
45 psi is a lot for that car. Isn't it?
I like these tech /gear reciews.
Picked up the HF compressor today with a 25% off coupon. Thanks for the video and recommendation.
Should I get the 2 year warranty? For the harbor freight one
actually you shouldnt take the time off for checking the pressure. Without the gauge you need to keep checking.
Unless your are using these air compressors for a sports racing tournament, I fail to see why a few minute time difference should have any impact on the decision making process at all...