Customer Reviews

Bon-Aire SRC-50 12-Volt Tire Inflator and 12 Volt Power Pack

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I used this inflator for about two years approximately 10 times a year for car/bike/lawn tractor/wheelbarrow tires. It takes at least five minutes to inflate a normal car tire from semi flat. Obviously very handy and portable when inflating garden equipment.
Mine just stopped working yesterday, and when I took it apart I figured out why: the small metal bladder that is inside the piston compressor broke of, jamming the piston. Could not be fixed, so I chucked it, and am now looking for a new one.

I purchased mine from Amazon a few days short of a year ago, and love it. It has worked perfectly on various tires, including car, bicycle, and other sports equipment, and is small and light enough to keep in the trunk. The ability to set the lighted guage to the desired psi and have it stop automatically is extremely convenient. With a Schrader to Presta converter it works well for those tires too.

Note: apparently this type of battery should be stored fully charged and not discharged completely, otherwise you will damage it. (Found this out the hard way, but I still like the product enough--after more than two years--to purchase a replacement unit for cordless use, and keep the old one for corded use.)

Original review: August 2009

I bought this Bon-Aire tire inflator for its auto-shutoff capability, as my car has wheels that restrict access to the tire valves and it's hard to get in there with a tire guage to measure the air pressure. The auto-shutoff works well and this inflator is faster than my old Campbell Hausfeld inflator. Another advantage is that the connector at the end of the hose is metal (looks heavy duty), not flimsy plastic like on the Black & Decker ASI300. I was a little concerned when I heard something small rattling around inside the unit after I received it, but it hasn't affected the performance of the unit. To me, the only drawback of this unit is that it auto-shutoff control is analog, not digital. That's why I give it 4 stars instead of 5.

Update: April 2011

One issue I've found with the auto-shutoff is that amount of pressure put out by the inflator varies depending on the ambient temperature, instead of staying constant. I would like to just adjust the pressure setting once and leave it in that same position all the time, but I can't with this unit.

I have been using this product for last 4 years. I believe that Autozone where I purchased it had it before Amazon. I have been using iot on my performance car during autocrosses as aslo race track all the time all of these years. Of course I used it on some balls, regular tires e.t.c. It is great product.

Minor flaws are:

- The attached nozzles can be lost easily, because that tiny comparment is poorly designed with loose door/closing flap that I lost first year.
- Electric terminals to connect battery (I disassembled it when it stopped working for a moment) are poorely designed or manufactured from incorrect material that does not provide any springing force to fight vibration. (Yes I am electrical designer with degree from some European unvirsity and we had subjects on such designs many years ago!) Engineers who design some compressor based utility should remember that selection for materials and connections is also based on level of internal vibrations to withstand. Trivial shaping metalic terminals resolved the problem, but it may come back over time. No need to send for warranty repair as techicians usually do not understand what happens and they will follow standard replacement procedure with no givin second thought to how to fix it (you may only lose time).
- Cover for for 12V socket is a piece of flimsy rubber that never stays put in the socket. You know this kind of rubber is perhaps used for condoms, but people came up with hard plastic covers for 12V car sockets long time ago (see your own car to get the idea).
- Most passenger cars do not run on more than 35PSI and the self-shutoff gauge has scale up to 250-300PSI making very inaccurate setting for lower pressures (most of the cars - all passenger - use lower pressure in tires!).

Other than those flaws the product is great and I wonder why so few companies make CORDLESS inflators with pre-set shutoff charging from 12V as well as 120V.

This was an easy purchase, with a quick delivery. Product was perfect. I'd gladly buy from this vendor again

Works great! Guage was accurate within 1-2 psi for car tires and bike tires. A bit noisy, but not bad if you stand a few feet away. Make sure to not continuously plug in the recharger to electric socket (will damage the built-in battery). Very convenient that you can carry this device anywhere. Plug adapter to the air valves is strong and easily connected. I felt the product is well worth $45 and recommend highly.

We needed to use this and did, the first week we owned it- great to have at home and on trips.