By Cheri Sicard
Having an air compressor in your truck or RV makes good sense. In the video below, the team from the review channel Unbox Rex rated their top five picks of air compressors for truck tires. And in this instance, we are talking light trucks.
They compiled the list based on a number of criteria including quality, price, durability, user experience, and more.
Unbox Rex’s list of the 5 best air compressors for trucks
#5 HausBell portable air compressor: Rex especially loved the HausBell’s small size— it weighs under two pounds. The air hose on this unit measures almost two feet in length, and the power cord is 10 feet long, so it can reach all four tires. It has a max 150-PSI working pressure. The air compressor attaches to the 12-volt outlet in your truck. It has a digital display so you can see what’s happening, and it has an auto shut-off so you can set it and forget it. There are attachments that allow you to also fill bike tires, balls, inflatable floats, and pool toys. It comes with a three-year warranty too. On the downside, it’s not as fast as the other compressors on the list.
#4 DeWalt 20V MAX: This compressor can run via a 12-volt plug or be plugged into a wall outlet. It has a max 150-PSI working pressure and is faster than most compact compressors. It has deflation features that can quickly drain air from a tire or air mattress. With sturdy construction, this compressor can take a pounding. It too has an auto shut-off feature so you never over-inflate.
#3 Joyroom Tire Inflator (currently unavailable on Amazon): This compressor has a max 150 PSI working pressure and can inflate a light truck tire in only 3 to 5 minutes. It runs on DC power but does come with a cigarette lighter converter. This is the most economical inflator on the list. It too has a digital readout and automatic shut-off feature and comes with a 10-foot power cord. On the downside, portable air compressors are prone to overheating and this one runs hotter than the others on the list.
#2 EPAuto 12V DC: Ideal for a multitude of tasks, the EPAuto 12V DC weighs just 3.8 pounds. It provides a high pressure of 70PSI and 1.06 cubic feet per minute of airflow. The air hose is two feet long and the power cord measures 9 feet in length. It also has a “set it and forget it” option that automatically shuts off when the desired air pressure is reached. A variety of adapters allow you to also use it to inflate sports equipment. On the downside, it will pull up to 15 amps, so you need to make sure your 12-volt outlet can support it, or you may blow some fuses.
#1 Slime 40026 2X: This compressor is impressively durable and because it is a “double pumper,” it has 2 pistons and a faster rate of inflation than the others on the list. The only complaint Rex has was that the air hose screws on. This was fine for inflating tires but proved a challenge for the airbags on his truck. The time it took to remove the hose caused a large loss of air.
##RVT1114
The Viair compressors are better than any of those on this list, IMO.
I have found any of the various models from VIAIR to be an excellent option.
My Dewalt compressor (like the one reviewed) has a screw on connector too. I bought a quick connect to male screw connection to make connection to the tire easier.
I have the DEWALT 20V MAX Tire Inflator, Compact and Portable, Automatic Shut Off, LED Light. It works good for my TT.
No VIAIR’s made your list. I thought those were the most highly rated. I’m looking to get a new compressor as the old Slime one I have (bought in 2012) is no longer working.
I thought very highly of RVtravel till this post and the fact that there were no VIAIR’s in the article .
Hi, G.Brown. Sorry we didn’t meet your expectations when we recently posted this video for our readers’ information (which was produced by someone else, BTW, or we would have included VIAIR). You’ve apparently not been reading RV Travel for very long because we’ve posted several rave reviews about VIAIR since 2017, with the most recent mention of that product in May. If you go to RVtravel.com and search for VIAIR, you’ll see several posts there where we highly recommend VIAIR, including this one from Nanci Dixon: https://www.rvtravel.com/aircompressor974/ Have a good day. 🙂 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Another important measure of air compressor quality or usefulness is the duty cycle or allowable run time. Many have a duty cycle of only 50%, meaning 10 minutes on – 10 minutes off to cool down. The duty cycle was only given for one of the listed compressors. Also the one that lists 70 psi max is not going to do much for most RV tires.
I think the video must have been written by AI as several commonly used words were pronounced wrong.