VIAIR 450P/45043 Automatic Portable Compressor, Tire Inflator Kit, Air Compressor for Truck, Jeep, SUV, and Car Tires, Portable Air Pump Kit, Car Accessories, 100% Duty Cycle, 150 PSI/1.80 CFM, Silver

I live in South Florida and there is not a gas station within miles of me that has a working air pump. After plugging a tire and driving for the better part of a hour to find an air pump that is not out of service, or in service but still broken, or wouldn't steal my quarters, I decided to get my own. I've gone through a few inexpensive Black & Decker Power Stations but they would never fill-up the entire tire, they were extremely loud, and broke frequently. After doing some research I have finally found Nirvanna.Some of the things that I expected but turned-out better than I hoped:1. Quiet. I knew people said this thing was quiet but I was VERY impressed when I turned it on the first time. Perhaps I have never heard a true quiet compressor since all the ones I used sound like a Mac truck engine but this one is more than acceptable. I can use it in the middle of the night in my condo's parking lot without the slightest worry of waking my cranky neighbors. Plus when you release the trigger it shuts off. I like that.2. Lots of power. This fills tires up fast! I do not have experience in filling light trucks or SUV's yet but from the speed it fills my bicycle, car, and motorcycle, I have a good idea that a larger vehicle would not be a problem for this work horse. Oh, and filling smaller things are easy too, just squeeze the trigger in spurts.3. 100% Duty Free. Not common for a portable compressor. I hated using a compressor then having to go away for 15 minutes then coming back to continue filling one tire... it would take forever for me to fill four. While at work I filled-up all four of my tires, two of them were real low (22psi out of 44psi). My co-workers saw me using it and asked if he could use it for his as well. Off my car onto his and his were under 20psi's and we had his entire car done in a few short minutes.4. Nice tote bag. It fits and protects everything you need.5. Great reach! No more dragging a heavy compressor from wheel to wheel, now you just leave it in one spot and the super long coiled cord does the rest.6. I like how you can lock the air chuck onto the valve. Many of the gas stations have this stupid system where you have to fight with it and constantly apply pressure to the valve as air leaks everywhere. The air chuck is not too big so it fits inside small hubcaps fairly easily, and there are no leaks!7. It has an simple pressure release valve right on the trigger. It doesn't happen so much with cars but when I overfill my bicycle a little too much I can reduce the pressure with a push of a button and without having to remove the air chuck from the bike.8. Nice large PSI gauge display.9. Zero vibration! The compressor stays put the entire time.Some of the things I expected as a drawback and kind of still are:1. It's heavy. I'm a big strapping man and I do not have any trouble with it but some folks will find this to be a deal breaker. Especially if you have a bad back or you are elderly.2. The trigger should have a lock (like gas pumps) where you can let go for a while. You will need to hold that trigger the entire time, and despite filling-up the tires fast if you have bad knees this could be an issue. I find the trigger easy to grip and compress but a simple lock feature would have been nice.3. Not the most convenient. It is not too bad but it is not just turn on and go. You will need to connect it to the car battery, then you need to connect the hose and the trigger. The hose is snap in so I find I am getting this done quicker each time I use it but it is more time consuming than a battery operated one.4. I wish the PSI gauge would light-up for night reading. Every compressor I ever owned had this feature, from the real tiny Slime ones to the larger Black & Deckers, why not the 450P?Overall you are paying a premium price for a premium product. I am glad I went with the 100% Duty Cycle version as I feel it is worth the extra bucks. I hope this helps

When you buy something that really works well, it's always a rush of pleasure. This device is great.When weather turned cold, we had two cars with low tires, and the hose on my previous compressor fell apart due to age and cold. I thought about just replacing the hose, but I didn't really like the older compressor very much anyway. After considerable investigation, I bought this device, worrying a little about the size and weight and the need to connect it directly to the battery.However, my reservations are gone now. Once everything was hooked up carefully (since it was my first time to use an inflator trigger device, I was taking my time), it was a very fast. I increased the air pressure by two to four pounds on 8 tires so fast that I was a little disappointed the process was over. On the other hand, I have a communal parking situation and the neighbors don't like do-it-yourself vehicle repairs in the garage, so I was able to do the whole thing before anyone could drive buy and get annoyed.Observations:The 450P is a well-made attractive device in its chrome finish. The carrying bag is useful, but nothing special.It is surprisingly quiet. I have owned six small tire inflator compressors and the noise level on this one was refreshingly quiet, with much less "rattle." This is also a plus for the neighbors.The device itself is heavy--about 10 pounds. I keep it in its satchel in a plastic tub with jumper cables, gloves, first aid kit, extra fuses and miscellaneous small tools. It's not trivial to lift the device with one outstretched arm, in its carrying satchel with hose and inflator device, unless I bring the tub close. My spouse would not be able to use it easily.The automatic cutoff was a little slower than I expected, but it definitely worked, and is a very nice feature. This is also good from a neighborly point of view.The gauge goes to 160 pounds and this is not appropriate for normal passenger car tires, because it makes the divisions too small to accurately read pressures in the 30 to 40 pound range. 0-60 or 0-100 options would be a welcome upgrade on the built-in gauge. It is important to release the trigger before reading the pressure. I bought an auxiliary tire gauge, which I would have preferred not to need. I would have gladly paid extra for an optional well-calibrated gauge in the preferred range.The quick connect is heavy duty and has a strong spring that might be a problem if you have arthritis. If the quick connect is not fully engaged, the pressure gauge goes up very high when the clamping lever is engaged--a quick sign that it's not completely on the valve stem.The reinforced hose is a nice touch. The hose is long enough reach the rear tires of a Chevrolet Tahoe easily, but not quite all the way around to the farthest tire on my spouse's much smaller car.While I don't really like having to raise the hood on my car to connect the compressor to the battery terminals, the alternative is much worse. After years of using them, I have come to the conclusion that a cigarette lighter power source is really inferior. The connections turn out to be unreliable, cutting off when I am attempting to air the tire, requiring multiple trips back to the connector. Even with acceptable amperage rating for my fuses, other compressors would occasionally blow a fuse on their second startup. This always made me wonder if the connector had come loose again or if the fuse was blown or if the compressor had overheated or died.

Works well. We bought this compressor to keep our truck camper and Jeep tires and spares inflated to the proper PSI. The Viair 450P is 100-percent duty cycle. Most portable consumer-grade air compressors are not. The 450P can be used continuously for about an hour, and then needs to cool down for about 15-minutes. Be careful as some parts of the compressor get mighty hot and will definitely burn your hide.The Viair 450P connects to your vehicle’s battery. Make sure the engine is running as the unit has up to 23-amps draw for the compressor DC motor.The compressor is very useful to reliably air up in a timely fashion and to not overheat or damage itself. It is also good for inflating toys and sports equipment. It can also be used to purge the fresh water lines, water heater, pump, and faucets for winterization. It should be used with an air regulator (~30 PSI).One of the best things about the 450P is the synthetic rubber base. The non-skid bottom and feet also limit sliding on most surfaces, and will not damage most surfaces. It works well in sand, on firm mud, and on wet grass, asphalt, and concrete. The base and feet are easy to clean and keep the compressor upright and stable.On the subject of compressors, I have something of a warning story. When I was a kid, I heard about a man that needed to air up a large farm tractor tire. He had a small portable air compressor with a sufficiently large battery, but the compressor output over time was low volume and slow to air up anything. So, instead of staying with the compressor, he connected it to the almost totally deflated tire and then went off to check on other things. He got distracted and forgot to return. I was told the resulting exploding tire was pretty loud, but nobody got hurt.