purchase: Prestaflator
Prestaratchet

 

Review

Campbell-Hausfeld FP2071 Portable Compressor

Street Price: $119.99

x As the self-appointed champions of making bike tire inflation easier, we're always looking for better options. Our basic comparison rule is that it has to be better and faster than a floor pump. Prestaflator has been an huge success in this area. 120 psi in a road tire in 5 seconds. 60 psi in an MTB tire in 8 seconds. It's only limit is you need an air compressor – and an air compressor needs an electrical outlet. Until now ...

The Campbell Hausfeld cordless rechargeable air compressor creates the first fully portable continuous instant inflation device. It has a tank. It has a motor. It has a battery. It has a handle so you can just pick it up and go! On first look, you might not take it seriously. Don't let the FM radio fool you. This machine can deliver air and it can do it anywhere.

When our test unit arrived, I still had not fully wrapped my mind around it. I noticed it came with a short air hose. I thought I might get a longer hose. NOOO. A long air hose would just get in the way. Without the need for an extension cord, you can just pick this thing up and bring it to the work. The unit only weighs 35 pounds, dimensions are 14.2 x 14.2 x 17.2 inches. It's small and light and moves with you.

Can it Deliver? Here are the stats: 135 psi maximum. As you use air, the motor will begin to refill when you get down to about 110 psi. Refilling it's internal 1.5 gallon tank from 110 psi to 135 psi took about 40 seconds. Filling it from empty took 4 minutes and 10 seconds. The unit also has a 12V power outlet to access power from the internal battery, perfect for charging your cell phone or running other automotive powered devices. The radio? Never tried it.

How about bicycles? We put this thing up to a challenge. First, we lined-up a bunch of road wheels and MTB Wheels. 700 x 23c road tires and 26 x 2.1 off-road tires. We wanted to simulate what could happen if a long line of bikes at an event lined-up for air, so while one of us was inflating, another was deflating the finished wheels so they could go back into the line.

We started with the road wheels. Our target pressure was 110 psi. Open the Presta valve and install the Prestaflator head – roughly 15 seconds. Inflate – 6 seconds. Remove the head and close the Presta valve – about 10 more seconds. Then move to the next wheel. After 25 tires averaging two tires per minute, the compressor kept-up. The motor was running constantly, but 110 psi was instantly available every time.

We moved over to the MTB tires right away. Our target pressure was 60 psi. Due to volume, inflation took more like 8 seconds. The compressor ran constantly again, and almost kept up. On average it had fallen behind about every fifth tire. The delay? About 15 seconds each time. 25 MTB tires later, and only about an extra minute overall compared to the road tires.

For this test we were in a competition with ourselves. In a real world situation I doubt the machine would have fallen behind at all. Let's not forget that every tire will not show-up completely flat, and that will make a very big difference. When we were done, the battery level light on the compressor still read full. We had inflated 50 flat and empty tires in less than a half hour. Anybody on a floor pump would have taken more than an hour (and a few energy drinks) to get the same job done.

Limits? Yes. First, it's not going to run heavy tools like air wrenches and grinders. Also, we chose 110 psi as our target pressure in our test for a reason. We knew it would not deliver fast, repeat inflations if we tried 120 psi. Even when this tank has 135 psi in it, inflating just one road tire brings the tank down to 115 psi. To get to 120 psi, the motor must be running to get there … so add another 15 seconds. That would still be faster and less tiring than a floor pump, but not nearly as thrilling as the instant gratification you get from a compressor that delivers. We've got our fingers crossed for a new model with a higher psi in the future.

The conclusion? Outside the shop this is our compressor and we love it. We carry it out in front of the office for quick fills before a group ride. We throw it in the car to provide instant service at events. If we hose-down a mountain bike after a dirty ride, we bring this out to the hose station to blow water off the small parts.

 

Other Recommended Models

Campbell-Hausfeld FP2080

Street Price: $153.00

 

 

 

 

Models Recommended for MTB Tires ONLY

Here's a few compressors for the budget-minded shopper. With only a MAX of 100psi, these will have continuously available pressure around 80 psi. They will not be suitable for high pressure road tires. At this pressure range, tanks below 2 gallons may require a few extra seconds to inflate 2 inch MTB tires up to 60 lbs.

Campbell-Hausfeld FP2028

Street Price New: $72.50 - Reconditioned: $39.99

 

 

Campbell-Hausfeld FP2048

Street Price New: $81.49

 

 

Campbell-Hausfeld FP2095

Street Price New:$96.66 - Reconditioned: $36.67

 

 

 

Please visit Campbell Hausfeld's website to review all their models and purchasing options.

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Very useful, unique cycling product.

~ Kenneth G. Merkel, PhD, PE