

Consumer Reports has found DeWalt heavy-duty cordless drills to be strong performers, as well. If you’re shopping for a cordless toolkit and prize having a great inflator, we would choose the DeWalt for its combination of overall good performance, simple-to-use features, quiet operation, and use of logical hose storage. (See our test results for cordless drills for insights into compatible tools.) Of course, these can also be bought as stand-alone items, with a battery and charger.Īs you will see below, there is a tire inflator for all needs and budgets.
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We think drivers would be more likely to maintain the proper tire inflation if they owned one of these models.įor many consumers, the choice will be dictated by which cordless tool set they own or plan to purchase. It's more convenient to be able to top off at home, however. Times ranged from around 40 seconds to a little over a minute, a reasonable range, though longer than a plugged-in compressor found at a service station. By contrast, the handheld tire inflators took longer and some overheated performing that sustained task.Ī real advantage for these larger compressors is that most allow you to set the target psi, then walk away and let it do its job-you don’t need to remain crouched, holding the air nozzle in place.Ī more typical use is topping off tires-adding a few psi to bring them up to the proper setting.

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Our technician timed how long it took to inflate from 0 to 35 psi, representing a freshly mounted tire or one that has gone completely flat, and he also timed inflating from 30 to 35 psi to simulate a common need to top off a tire.Īll models did well in both situations, with one taking as little as 4 minutes for a full 0 to 35 psi inflation. These models are versatile and easy to use, and save you from tethering to a car outlet, dragging around an extension cord at home, or handling a filthy hose at a gas station.įor our evaluation, we used a midsized car tire. Most of the inflators in our latest tests are bigger than handheld units (the Makita in this group is more like a handheld than the others), and most share batteries with cordless toolkits from those companies. These were inexpensive and easy to use, but they were short on features and took a long time to do their job. We evaluated smaller, handheld cordless tire inflators in 2017-the kind that look much like a cordless drill. We bought five cordless air inflators from popular brands: Bauer, Craftsman, DeWalt, Makita, and Milwaukee. These inflators work with the battery from a cordless toolkit and can even be used to inflate other things, like air mattresses and bicycle tires. Monthly tire pressure checks are quick and easy to do at home, but adding air pressure requires an air compressor.įor many drivers, this means running down to a local service station, but cordless air inflators for home use can tackle this chore with ease. Proper tire inflation is key for optimal fuel economy and safety, and to maintain even treadwear.
