Supersized rechargeable air pump review

[MK]

I have gone through a few of the $20-$30 rechargeable air pumps. I'm a fan of them and think they help save time and energy pumping up kites. They don't inflate to desired psi but take over half the work out of the equation before topping off with the Jenna J double pump.

I'm curious about the monster sized pumps I've seen. Recently, in Randy L's gear area on the Mother last friday I noticed a supersized one. A few questions:

1. does it save time
2. who makes them
3. are they worth it

I can see them being cumbersome but lugging it may compensate for inflation time and energy used to manually pump.

I did an unsuccessful search in the forum for existing articles so I apologize if this has been discussed previously.

Mike

[mdh01]

I've used the same Coleman battery powered pump for three years now...still going strong. I don't use a hose with it, but instead inflate directly through the kites larger dump valve (Slingshot kites). Inflates quick and doesn't really stress the pump much. A few more strokes with the regular pump and it's ready to go.

For me, it's a balance of what I choose to carry in my bag versus the effort to inflate the kite. The Coleman pump is a huge effort and time saver for anything over 11 meters in size and easy to carry.

Mark

[BBAddict]

RobH has one like this--definitely the best way to go IMO.

http://www.waterstrider.com/raft-air-pumps.htm

I have one of these rechargeable Ryobi pumps at has a low pressure/high volume to start with and a higher pressure setting that also has an auto shut-off at a defined pressure. Works pretty well to just set it to 7.8 psi and walk your lines out while it pumps your kite for you.

http://www.ryobitools.com/catalog/power ... tools/P730

...or you can switch to foil kites!

[Death Roll]

Mike,

Randy L has to use large pump because he needs to save all the strength his skinny little arms can muster when he kites. He usually has one of his assitants carry the pump down to the beach.

Adam

PS Randy L is usually generous enough to let other kiters use his pump as well, unless you can jump higher than he can, then he gets stingy!

[RandyL]

I bought the Ridgid cordless vacuum with out batteries for $50.00 at Home Depot. I just reversed the hose to the exhaust side and added some PVC reducers.
It works great and it will pump up around four kites in the summer, in the winter I think the cold weather effects the battery life, I can usually only get three kites per battery charge.
I'm sure most cordless tool brands carry some type of cordless vac or blower.

[MK]

Ooohh, sorry Randy to sign you up for some un-solicited grief. Royobi was the name I was looking for, thanks.

I did a search and found the Bravo one too, glad to hear the positive review. The price makes me really wonder if I can just suck it up and use what I have. But it looks like the perfect companion for inflating multiple kites.

Volo also makes a CO2 tank: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P3EchRnvYM[/youtube] But, it seems like too much to manage with getting refills. However, pumping your kite up in 30 seconds is attractive.

Foil is a great option. I'm always jealous when you guys are set up and riding within 10 minutes. Preliminary forecasts show light winds for this weekend for the crossing which reminds me of a Flysurfer Psycho II video titled "A light wind classic, no wind.. Real Fun!" [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP2EnN1Awyo&NR=1[/youtube] getting out and riding in super light wind.

Thanks for the feedback,

Mike

[RandyL]

Before I purchased the Ridgid we were forced to rely on Adam’s pump.

[MK]

Nice urine sample on the back counter

[Death Roll]

"Urine sample" ???? I thought it was a beer!

You guys are WAY to funny!

Adam

[RobH]

Here I thought the woman pump was going to be something completly different than the video showed. The Defender pump made a excellent christmas present thanks to Bluewater gal! It sells for $200 and the customer service from this place is excellent as I had one issue with the pump and they offered to pay for shipping to and back and repair. The issue is caused by letting the pump run longer than 15 minutes to the point it overheats - other that that the pump is rock solid - just way heavy! When your pumping for two or cant decide which kite to fly they are worth there money. On the negitive side some things on this pump are cheap and tacky such as the way the hose attaches, the battery connections and the bag rips out easy.

Link is below for the defender pump


http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... &id=771755

[JRN]

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. PUMP PORN!!!!!!!!!!!YES. WAIT. ADAM? BUZZ KILL!

[MK]

Ok, so I found one like Rob's on ebay. Did I end up bidding against any of you's?

I was a little fixated on beating the bidder and paid less attention to the amount....I ended up winning but it was a shallow vicotry since it was $120 after shipping. When you throw money at stuff that has uncertainties it is harder to enjoy the purchase. Especially when you are closing in on the purchase price of a new one.

It came without a charger and hose...as stated in the ebay ad. Can anyone see where this is going? Of course I tried it when it came by pushing the on button and the battery was almost dead. And then I heard some grinding noise.

Now, I don't know how this is supposed to sound so my satisfaction for finding out if I got a lemon was not only postponed but coupled closely with shame and depression as well as the need for more parts. No emotion too out of control but not fun to have excitement, satisfaction, shame and depression combined in its own emotion

I ran to Radio Shack to see if they had a charger that would work. I tried some modificaitons of adapters and car chargers. Sales associate assured me it will work, not sure about your car but the worst you will do is blow a fuse. Do you know if it is reverse polarity (he asked me, I was clueless, still am). I tried anyway, no car issues but it didn't work so I returned it with no loss except time.

I ended up ordering from http://www.waterstrider.com the charger and hose $38. That included shipping. Now at $158 and yet to blow up a kite I've charged the battery for 24 hrs (to make sure) and hit the on button. The thing revved up and startled me, good thing I was wearing my brown pants.

All appeared right BUT it started kicking out some black particles. It cleared after a few seconds and I quick cleaned up the mess it made in the kitched before my wife saw it. I recalled Rob H.'s post stating don't let it run too long so I took it apart to see if there were any abnormanlities. Nothing obvious but the pic shows the High Speed motor and impeller where I believe some concern resides. It works and I'm hoping it is just how the thing operates but if something breaks this is my bet:

IMAG0054.jpg (24.3 KiB) Viewed 7884 times

And the hose doesn't quite fit. Not too concerned about the hose since a hardware store trip will take care of it.

I've tested it, not on a kite yet, but adjusting the pressure sensors. The high speed fan is used to do the lions portion of inflating and then once it recieves too much back pressure pistons kick in and the high speed fan turns off. The pistons drive more air in at a slower pace but until the PSI set point is satisfied, then automatically shuts off! This feature works swimmingly.

I may need to do more with the high speed fan though. It's not looking like I'll save much on this deal. But, I'll be glad to share some air with y'all. Let me rephrase before someone like Steve jumps on that last sentence: I'll be glad to share some kite air with y'all.

Mike

[RobH]

Hey Mike - bummer on the ebay no joy. Search for the pumps in kiteforum as there is allot of detail about issues and mods for these pumps. It seems the 2ndary pumps are prone to failure and replacements can be ordered when they fail (if I remember right the replacement for that was 20-30)
They also mentioned to be carefull on what type of charger is used for the gel batteries and the mods that people were installing added a switch so you could manually switch between the high and low volume pumps instead of letting the electronics in the pump decide when to switch over.

I know Jerry and Rick picked up the NSI pumps, I cant find those online so have no idea how they compare

Good luck

[MK]

Rob, just read the thread, very detailed, good read, thanks.

Looks like I'll get some good use out of this pump but will now be prepared for known low pressure issues. I will definitely keep the pump stable while in use to avoid gyro damage. I happened to hold the low pressure/high speed in my hand while it was running and noticed the gyro effect. It's a pretty simple procedure to replace the low pressure fan and around $15 to $20 for the part when I need it.

Here's the kiteforum link: http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2342773

Mike

[Tom L]

I've used the Scoprega for years. NSI used to sell them & they replaced a couple of my first ones on warranty. The last one has gone 4 seasons like a champ. Like the KF thread says, never ever move it when it's on.....gyroscopic procession will screw up the low pressure fan. I love mine but I consider myself lucky that it has gone so long with out any repairs. They have new models that look the same which are supposed to have some of the problems fixed.

[Tom L]

Mike,

Sorry, I'm out of town on my laptop and didn't get the time to read your post thoroughly. The black particles are a sign that the impeller is rubbing against the housing on the low pressure pump. I had the same problem years ago, on one I replaced. I took apart the housing & inspected. This is caused by moving the pump while operating. Not sure that yours is shot but it may be on the way. The company is pretty accommodating. They are Italian. Try emailing them for a replacement impeller & housing if it goes out on you. http://www.scoprega.it/

PS I've been using a cig lighter adapter charger from Radio Shack for years also.