Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

If you're like me, you do your research before buying something and I did so with these 12v Portable Tire Inflators and air compressors. After MUCH reading I finally got my decision down to 2 products. Here are the criteria I decided I needed and why I chose this Slime 40026 model over the other product I was considering, the Viair 88P. 1. The unit must work off the car battery and NOT the cigarette lighter. Lesser inflators/compressors work from the cigarette lighter jack but still have a high power requirement (15A or higher). This can potentially blow your cars' accessory fuse and cause more headaches than it solves. Direct connect to the battery insures the inflator/compressor gets the power it needs and won't blow any fuses. [TIE]. 2. I want an inflator/compressor that works fast, I don't want to sit around forever waiting for a tire to be inflated. Both models are rated at about 1.9CFM. In the real world, that equated to taking 30seconds to add 10psi to each of my sport 17" tires (245/40R17) that were all a bit low. [TIE]. 3. Has to be portable and easily storable in my small car. [SLIME WIN: Only the Slime comes with a carry case and has a handle on the unit, the ViAir 88p doesn't have the case or a carry handle]. 4. Has to be reliable. I will be keeping this stowed in my car trunk for emergencies and for tire maintenance. Whether it makes an actual difference or not, it does seem to makes sense it would...The Slime has Dual Cylinders while the ViAir has only 1. [SLIME WIN: Slime dual-cylinders, ViAir single-cylinder). The Slime and the ViAir both have almost exactly the same specs when it comes to performance and made the choice between the 2 extremely hard. But when I took into consideration the portability and storability, then the Slime easily edged the win. The Slime has the carry-handle, a storage case and a coiled-hose which all work together to get the job done, but then also packs up nice and tight to be stored away. The other little nicety that the Slime has, but not the ViAir, is an LED light to help light up the work area. That's very considerate since you're not always guaranteed a well lit area to work in. So that's why I bought the Slime, now here's what I think about how well the unit actually works; +++ THE PROS +++ + WORKS FAST + TWIST-ON TIRE CONNECTOR + CARRYING HANDLE + COILED HOSE --- THE CONS --- - SMALL BATTERY CONNECTORS - HARD TO READ TIRE GAUGE - FLIMSY CASE *** THE DETAILS & WRAP-UP *** While these inflators/compressors seem great for pumping up tires, and come with built-in tire pressure gauges, I don't put much stock in the gauges accuracy. A tire gauge is most accurate in their mid-range and the one that comes with the Slime reads from 0-150psi so it's most accurate in the 75psi range which doesn't help me with my car tires that are around 35psi! So I also purchased the Intercomp tire gauge (highly rated by Consumer Reports) to go along with the inflator. It is well regarded for accuracy, has a HUGE 4" easy to read and glow-in-the-dark display, and it's range is 0-60psi so its' accuracy sweetspot is right where I need it. I had swapped out my stock tires on my car with 17" summer sport tires sized 245/40r17. I checked the pressure and they all read 24psi (give or take a psi on each wheel). I'd like them to be 35psi. I connected the battery leads (red first, then black, as instructed), twisted-on the hose to the front passenger tire and flipped the on/off switch to on. Waited about 30 seconds then turn it off, I check the pressure with the Intercomp and it reads 35psi almost right on the dot, great. Repeat the process on the back passenger tire and get the same result. Repeat for the other tires and I'm done. Added 10psi to all 4 wheels in less than 5min, with a little portable pump, not bad at all! After the last tire was done I checked the unit for heat and it was cool to the ouch all around...Though the hose where it connects to the unit was rather hot (almost too hot to touch and hold). Afterwards everything goes back into the case fairly easily and I pack it away in the passenger side rear footwell (until I get a proper trunk organizer so it doesn't go flying around everywhere in the trunk) and it fits there no problem (which is a testament to how compact this unit packs away because of my small car (Scion FR-S). I don't doubt I would've gotten the same performance and results with the ViAir 88p, but it wouldn't have packed away so easily or compactly as the Slime does. This is a great little unit, I highly recommend it.