Best portable air compressor under $200?

[Sverige]

Looking for a portable air compressor to stash in the back of my truck for trips. Plan to move it between 2 trucks so don't want to mount/hardwire anything. Any recommendations from folks here? I was looking at a TJM one and a VIAR one. My trucks have 33" tires and I would primarily want the compressor for filling up after a day offroad.

 

[2000UZJ]

I have used a MV-50 on all 4 305's (8PSI-42PSI) with no cool down time and it worked great. $60 IIRC

 

[bamabrock]

I keep this stored in the back and would be perfect for what you are wanting to do.
12 Volt, 150 PSI High Volume Air Compressor

 

[Tapage]

Dunno if it's what you look for .. but

https://forum.ih8mud.com/camping-outdoor-gear/166969-puma-12v-compressor.html

great option ..

 

[slowLC]

I use a mv 50 that was 50 brand new. Just pulled it out to air up 33s yesterday after wheeling and it worked flawlessly.

 

[Irish11]

I hard mounted an MV-50 in my Tacoma and will probably do the same thing in my cruiser. Great little compressor. I ported mine pretty easily, upgraded the wires to thicker gauge wire, and ditched the cheap filter for a better one. All and all $70 into it and it works awesome almost 2 years later.

 

[Sverige]

So it sounds like the cheaper compressors perform pretty well for filling up tires and it may not be worth the extra $100+ that the big name brands charge for their portable air compressors? Or do the TJM/VIAR/ARB compressors do something more than the $60 ones?

 

[titanpat57]

Dunno if it's what you look for .. but

https://forum.ih8mud.com/camping-outdoor-gear/166969-puma-12v-compressor.html

great option ..

Yep...$227 off of Fleabay..inc. shipping

 

[rusty_tlc]

I keep this stored in the back and would be perfect for what you are wanting to do.
12 Volt, 150 PSI High Volume Air Compressor

I've been using one of these for a couple of years, works well. I had to get an ammo box to carry it in because it's pretty hot after filling 4 tires from 17 PSI to 30 PSI

 

[Tools R Us]

The Puma is my favorite, but these are also good and more portable. Amazon.com: Master Flow MF-1050 Tsunami High Volume Portable Air Compressor: Automotive

 

[hoser]

So it sounds like the cheaper compressors perform pretty well for filling up tires and it may not be worth the extra $100+ that the big name brands charge for their portable air compressors? Or do the TJM/VIAR/ARB compressors do something more than the $60 ones?

Take a look at the Superflow MV90 and the Smittybuilt 2781. They might be the same compressor, I'm not sure. But they are both are faster than the MV-50 and under $200.

 

[Tools R Us]

So it sounds like the cheaper compressors perform pretty well for filling up tires and it may not be worth the extra $100+ that the big name brands charge for their portable air compressors? Or do the TJM/VIAR/ARB compressors do something more than the $60 ones?

The "name" ones have a nice brand name and maybe even a sticker? Some of them have a strong "family resemblance" likely made in the same factory? The MV50 is very similar in look/performance to one of the Viar models at a fraction of the price, the Puma is close to the Extreme Air and includes a tank, etc, at ~1/2 price.

A bunch of local users have been beating on MV50's since 2005, have proven to be very durable. The failures have been rare, wiring and hose related. On some the connectors were not crimped as tight as they should be, in most cases, simply re-crimping them solved the issue, a couple have rewired them.

In our experience, air up races, the MV50 is on par with the similar Viar model, they are slightly faster than the Harbor Freight unit. A couple have run the MV90, not impressed, both are now gone replaced by Pumas.

IMHO, the MV50 is a good unit, portable, etc. One strategy that some of us used is; run two, one for each side, makes airing up twice as fast and allows redundancy. This was mainly because we were early adopters, they were not proven, so paranoid about reliability, now, , they work well.

When/if stepping up, I would skip the MV90 and go straight to the Puma. They have better performance, allow for the use of low draw air tools, blowing out the interior, etc. They cost a few bucks more, draw more amps and are less portable (mine is mounted, wired into the rig). But they are well proven, solid, strong units, I have been beating mine hard since 2007 with zero issues. There are now a bunch of them in our club with zero failures.

 

[prado t]

I use a 24V ARB compressor for my lockers with the Inflator kit for well over 5 plus years. It gets used on average once a month for re-inflating my 315 75 R16 Cooper STTs from 12 psi to road travelling presure of 40 psi. Its not portable , but excellent kit!


Anything that the others above have mentioned is "good kit" !