Edward the Compressor

mlv ("mlv" ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

TBH, I'd say the pressure gauge was far less useful than the illumination. They tend to be utterly crap on the compressors - if they work at all... I'd just keep a separate pressure gauge in the glove box.

You want to make it truly useful? Don't buy a compressor. Buy a jumpbox. Something like this:-

I've never found a good web source for these things - the one I've got is a shonky off-brand thing bought for £20 from a stand at a car event several years ago - and it's invaluable.

Even if you only use it as a compressor, and never need to jump-start anything, it really scores because of the internal power source.

As for the illumination - I wish I'd had it with me last week when I had to change a flat in the dark and wet...

I agree, Costco have a good one at sub 50 quid, it includes an inverter, so even useful for running light mains stuff! Buy it, try it, return it if you don't like it, there is no risk.

I had one for years which was fairly big and incorporated a torch and it worked just as well as I wanted it to. not fast, but it did do the job. In the end (after 15 years or something) it wouldn't hold the pressure anymore so I bough a super-cheap one which is tiny in comparison. It does the job but you get very bored waiting for it to pump up. Seeing as you'd rarely need more than about 40psi anyway, I don't see how the 200 or 300 psi is such a great feature. If anything it makes the gauge harder to read.

Michelin do one with a digital guage which works well. Available from Halfrauds etc. The analogue guages on all the units I have ever seen are worse than useless. Why do they put guages on which will go up to 200psi? Problem with the self-contained ones, (jump start type) is that if you just keep it in the car, you can guarantee the day you need it the battery will be discharged.

I've found that Maplins one is fine for the job

MW

I'm not quite sure why you/him really need one...what's wrong with one of those (well made, not halfords for example, where the pressure gauge is highly inaccurate) blue foot pumps? It takes only ten to fifteen pumps to infate a normal tyre in my experience, and has a much simpler method of operation. I've found most compressors to be rubish.

Well, I don't need one, although I thought at the time it might be useful - but it wasn't.

Maybe my nephew has to go through the same learning experience.

Nothing, that's what I use and I bought mine way back in the late 60s. It still works just fine, although it's on its second pressure gauge.

Fecking adverts:

'Compact power pack ideal for petrol vehicles up to 1600cc and diesel vehicles up to 1500cc'

It's not going to be any good for the 2.5 litre Focus ST in the pictures...

Brian presented the following explanation :

I have one which came with both the mains wallwart charger and a ciggy plug type charger. Rather usefully it has a built in automatic charging system in that it shuts the charge off, once it is fully charged - so it can be left plugged in, on charge all the time. I paid £19.99 for it at a car booty. I'm not convinced they have the capacity to crank a car over though, I remember it struggling to even turn the bike over.

Harry Bloomfield (Harry Bloomfield ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

As does mine. Forget trying to charge it from flat on the ciggy lighter, though - it's really just for charge maintenance.

Mine certainly does. I've used it many, many times to jump from on 2.0 four pots, and from

Tyr has brought this to us :

Rubbish is a bit strong. They are fine for the occasional adjustment of pressure. I carry and use one for adjusting the rear tyres between towing a caravan and driving solo (4PSI).

Adrian expressed precisely :

Perhaps mine uses a different automatic charging system....

Plug it into the mains and a light comes on and a relay clicks. When fully charged the relay clicks again and the light goes out - I assumed that click indicated that it was getting the full voltage output of the charging system. It seems to be a one shot charge process, reinitialised by the first application of power via the charge socket.

Plug it into the car ciggy outlet and it does the very same so far as the relay clicking goes. The difference being that it restarts the charge process every time the car is restarted. The voltage output at the ciggy lighter socket will not be that much lower than that at the battery from the alternator as in 13.8 to 14.4 volts.

Because they *can* pump something up to that - perhaps a bicycle tyre, etc.

I've got a cheap jump start pack from Lidl which has a compressor and the battery stays charged for ages.

Thus spake Tyr ( snipped-for-privacy@uefuefuefuef.com) unto the assembled multitudes:

That must be a bloody big foot pump then. I have a 'normal' foot pump and

15 pumps adds no more than about 5psi to the tyre pressure. To bring a tyre up to operating pressure needs something of a marathon session, but it's good exercise :-)

It's the only car that matched her jumper. I also like to see her husband eventually came out and did it for her in the end.

Independent, from cars own electrics, illumination is definately a plus point of the jump packs, specially in winter. Onboard pressure gauge may as well tell you the time in Karachi for all the use it is. Pocket digital ones are pretty cheap nowadays. Double barrel foot pumps are better , but must be one ginormous foot pump that can take a car tyre from flat to full in 15 pumps.

Adam