Facts to Know When Buying a Portable Car Air Compressor
Tire Pressure Gauge
Some portable air compressors sport many different features, while some don’t. Whatever it features, it is indispensable to have a tire pressure digital gauge on your tire inflator. A portable pneumatic compressor might not have a pressure gauge, which is why it does not fit for inflating tires. One thing you must know is that you are not under or over-inflating your car tire when you are filling it up. You will have to rely on guessing and noticing how hard the tire feels to the tough without a gauge. Sometimes, this is a mess up even for experts.
Automatic Shutoff Feature
A pressure monitor helps users to notice precise readings and pressure measurements in real time, so it will help you to know exactly when to stop. However, if there is an automatic shutoff feature, it is even better than that. The best portable car air compressors come with this automatic shutoff feature, which allows you to pre-set a particular PSI and shut off the air supply automatically when the air pressure in the tire comes to that point. This powerful feature assists you to prevent the air pump to exceed the maximum pressure, and that is the reason why it is known as a safe and suitable feature to try out even for beginners. This feature is only available in higher-end options with a premium price point. However, if you can operate the pump manually with good experience, you can skip this feature as well.
Corded or Battery Powered
You can also refer to more advanced categorizations to consider in the electric portable compressor category, like whether it is a corded air compressor or battery-powered. You can charge up a battery-operated air compressor and make it ready to use at any time anywhere. However, on the other hand, the corded ones rely on a 12v portable air compressor socket like the cigarette lighter of your vehicle or a power outlet in the trunk space, which some cars do not have. The best portable air compressors are battery-powered ones because they are more convenient and offer you easy access.
Power Source
Most of the portable air compressors are powered by electricity, but there are also some of them powered by gas. If you want a portable air compressor for an indoor setting like a garage or workshop, an electric model is the suitable handheld air compressor for you. It is because the smoke produced by gas-powered portable compressors would not have any place to let them out. It is also easier to maintain these electric-powered compressors. They also have a noiseless operation. You will only need the power cord and electricity access to work with them.
Performance Rating
A performance rating of a travel air compressor shows how much air it can provide in a specific unit of time. This measurement type is much like the tank capacity and decides what particular purpose a certain mini air compressor is good for. If your plan is to use it on a pneumatic air-powered tool such as a nail gun, you must check the performance rating of the nail gun. If the measurement is standard cubic feet per minute (SCFM), you must have a portable air pump that goes with that number. For an optimal operation of a tire inflator, a 2 SCFM portable air compressor will fit in.
Overheating and Cooldown
Different portable air compressors offer different time periods to get overheated. They vary according to how long users can use them without overheating. All these require a cooldown phase. However, it will be much better to go as long as without them. The description of the product or user manual will let you know about these durations. It is very important to avoid having to wait a very long time after filling up each tire. Most of the portable air compressors require 10 minutes duration after heating up. However, it will be disruptive and impractical if you are in a hurry. A perfect portable car air compressor will fill up all four tires to the most favorable air pressure before the compressor needs to be cooled down. Most of the inflators can achieve that with small hatchbacks or sedans of middle size. However, we recommend you to be more specific about these specifications if you have a truck with huge truck tires or SUVs, as those tires take noticeably longer to fill up.
Tank Size
Every portable air compressor for bikes and cars must have a place to stock all its compressed air that will get pumped into a tire later, construction equipment, or air-powered pneumatic tools. All these cases need various tank size capabilities for effective results, which is why it is named as one of the main things you must look at. It is required to have at least 4 to 6 gallons of tank size to power up a DIY pneumatic tool with a portable air pump. Make sure that it is too small for larger and more powerful tools. A tire inflator only requires 1 gallon of a tank for accurate functioning.
Hose and Cord Length
If you want to buy an air compressor that fills your tires, the hose and cord length are major roles to consider when it comes to enhancing user experience. To fill up tires, you must have a cord and hose with a length of as much as you can get. Sometimes, you may experience your car tire stuck on one side of the road without any space to leave the machine on the traffic side, especially if it is a busy and confined road. Sometimes, all of your car’s power ports would be useless even if it has many of them. Considering all the facts, we recommend you select a portable air compressor with a long and coiled hose that gives a long length without tangles.
