The "good" 12V compressor at Costco for $48.99 (4 Viewers)

[mabrodis]

At Costco last night and they had a Q-Industries (I think, or Master Flow) compressor, the good one that everyone likes. Price is $48.99, which is not a bad deal at all IMO. I bought several off Amazon for alot more than that for some friends.

It's this compressor: (sold under a different name)
http://www.amazon.com/Key-Parts-MV50-Portable-Compressor/dp/B000BM8RT8

Which is the same as this:
http://item.express.ebay.com/Vehicl...riesQQadnZAutomotiveQ20ToolsQQcmdZExpressItem

Is it lightning fast? No.

Is it as fast as an engine driven one or a CO2 tank? Ofcourse not.

But it will churn along without any problems for a long time, runtime is rated at I believe 40psi, 70-degree airtemp and 45 minutes of continous runtime! Pretty good for a cheap compressor that puts out descent air.

 

[slickrock]

That is a great compressor. Real strong and pushes out a good amount of flow. I have one installed as an OBA system in my FJ40 and I couldn't be happier. With a 3 gal. tank, I can run air tools as long as I am aware that it is a limited system. I can do lug nuts per tire and by the time I move to the next tire, the system is refilled.

 

[DuManchu]

Cool, gonna hafta pick one of those up tonight.

Thanks for the tip!

EDIT: Is it easily mountable? Say on a drawer system?

 

[slickrock]

yes easy

 

[Mace]

awesome compressor.. I have 2

 

[CoveredInRedMud]

Anyone had one of these for more than a couple of years, with continuous use? Does it put up with a bit of abuse/overuse?

 

[NorCalDoug]

given the price...if it lasts a couple years of heavy use, it'd be worth it IMO.

 

[mabrodis]

BTW, another use for this compressor is as a vacuum pump. I bought one for a buddy and he rigged it up to pull a vacuum in some bag (doing some epoxy/carbon-fiber-ish thing for one of his mech engineering projects, apparently curing epoxy in a vacuum makes for better curing or something)...we weren't sure it would work, but the 12V vacuum pumps he found looked identical to this (and cost alot more), so he tried it, has a car battery on the deck of his apartment with a battery charger to charge it up if needed...said it works great, even put on a vacuum switch to automatically kick the compressor on if the vacuum gets too low. Don't know how much vacuum he could pull, but I know he put a gauge on it to measure it.

 

[camcruiser13]

i also rock one under the dash in my 40, does all 4 tires in about 15 minutes going from 5-8 psi to 35psi.

small and compact is always good.

 

[GeoRoss]

Anyone had one of these for more than a couple of years, with continuous use? Does it put up with a bit of abuse/overuse?

Many of us have been using them for almost two years here in AZ. It get very hot after airing up 4 tires during the summer, but I have yet to have it cut out. I probably have 40-50 air ups on mine so far.

 

[mabrodis]

Just looking through a Costco magazine I had laying around...it's listed in there:

"Q-Maxx Portable Air Compressor. This portable 12-volt unit can be directly powered from your vehicle's battery with connector clips. Inflates standard tires within two minutes and 33" tires in four minutes and 10 seconds. Includes three needle adapters, 16' rubber hose and ballistic-nylon carrying bag. Item #133660"

Cool thing is since it's actually listed in this magazine, maybe it won't be a quickly fleeting item...would be nice if it was here to stay, since it's a great addition to anyone's vehicle, IMO...

 

[GeoRoss]

I am seriously considering buying a second unit to quicken air ups.

 

[mabrodis]

I am seriously considering buying a second unit to quicken air ups.

Me too

 

[photogod]

They had these at the store? I can't see it on line. I just got the new catalog today and they said they were going to be handling these and it is for sure on my list. They arn't at our store yet. Gotta get one.

 

[Tools R Us]

I have two, great pumps and cheap, what's not to like!

I have had them for a couple of years, they have aired my junk many times, most times others use them too.

 

[Montana Cruiser]

I am seriously considering buying a second unit to quicken air ups.

How? Running two at the same time or something?

 

[Mark W]

Chwtoy has been running a pair in parallel in his Tacoma. Operates the ARBs and fills a 5(?) gallon air tank for tire air up or whatever other use it may be used for.


Mark...

 

[High Desert]

I picked one up, have it strapped to the s/s left side battery tray...so far has worked great. I like the deflate function..

 

[High Desert]

Yep screwed up the copy.

Try this for the compressor reviews:

http://www.parksoffroad.com/prodreview/inflatortest/inflatormain.htm

Geez I can screw up these posts...

 

[GeoRoss]

How? Running two at the same time or something?

Yep.