VIAIR 300P Portable Compressor

Ideally I wanted an on board air compressor in my new FJ Cruiser for going off road. But I needed an air compressor now, so I opted for the portable kit thinking I would install it at a latter time. Now that I have it in hand and have used it, I am most likely going to keep it as a kit. It works perfectly on the FJ's 32" tires and on my wifes Honda Civic it fills them within seconds. When putting air in bikes, it puts out so much air you have to watch out not to blow the tires. I showed a friend of mine how well it worked and he ordered one for himself that same day.

Without any knowledge of other air compressors, I would have given this product two stars, maybe three at most. Compared to competitors that I have experienced, this is a four-star product. Deductions are based on the cons below:

* The yellow air hose is too "stiff" (or the air compressor itself is too light) and too short. If you try to pull on the hose, as you would have to do to move from the front tire to the rear tire, the air compressor would move with it and often topple. Well, if the air compressor moves forward, it usually pulls on the power cables, detaching the clamps from the battery terminals. If the air compressor topples, which it usually does, it twists the power cable, also detaching the clamps from the battery.

* The power cable is too short.

* The tire chuck's lever is a bit too hard to squeeze. Its tip is also too short, and I always have a hard time connecting it to the tire valve.

Other reviewers have already listed the pros.

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I have a van that has corroded aluminum wheels, and it is destined to always have a slow leak. The dashboard warning "low tire pressure" light goes off at some inconvenient time, when no service stations are close by, and yet the tire pressure can already be 5-6 pounds low. I hate to drive it a lot when the pressure is this low, so having this relatively inexpensive air compressor on the vehicle comes in handy over and over. I have also used it to service the tires of the trailer I pull with the van while on vacation, and I have been able to help any number of folks in parking lots with their flat tires.

This compressor does not have a reservoir, so the motor must be running to supply air. It cannot be used with air-powered tools. However, it is useful for inflating air mattresses, beach balls, other things like footballs, bicycle tires, etc.

It comes with a zippered canvas bag, with the compressor in one pouch and the coiled air hose in another pouch. It has a fairly long power cord with alligator clips to attach to the vehicle's 12V battery. The motor is powerful enough that plugging it into the aux power socket (aka cigarette lighter socket) is not possible. The cord is long enough that you can position the compressor mid-way on either side of most passenger vehicles. The rest of the distance to the tire(s) is taken up with the coiled air hose. The hose has a quick release fitting so that it can be quickly attached and detached from the compressor. The other end of the hose has a standard Schraeder valve fitting, which can be unscrewed to replace with the other fittings for balls and such, which come with the compressor. The hose also has a valve to release air from the tire, either continuously for deflation, or in small pulses in order to low the pressure by a couple of pounds.

The compressor supplies enough air that filling even a flat tire takes a very short time, perhaps a minute. Adding a few pounds to a low tire takes only a few seconds.

Build quality is decent. The compressor has some sort of muffler inside the carrying handle, so it is quiet. The is also mounted on a vibration damping metal plate.

Complaint: The compressor has a power switch located on the body of the unit, requiring you to run from the tire over to the compressor to stop the air once the tire is full. Some competing units have the switch on a separate cord that allows you to hold the switch in your hand while you monitor the tire.

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After burning out two $20 compressors from Harbor Freight, I decided to research online and buy something that really is powerful and works more than one time. The Viair 30033 330P is certainly powerful enough for my little Civic wagon. I don't think it warrants the $170 price tag, but it does seem to be what it claims to be online. There's no way the cords are long enough for a bigger truck or RV. I advise installing a dedicated, hard wired compressor in a big vehicle. The carry case is a cheap nylon bag and the overall quality is high for China: low by my USA standards. You can get it delivered quickly though. Mine arrived next day.

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The Viair 300 air compressor is an excellent product for both airing down and pumping up my 30 inch tires on my Jeep. You can use it anywhere with the 12 volt cable and pumping tires up is quite a bit faster than other 12 volt systems. I highly recommend it.

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