Customer Reviews

Slime COMP03 12-Volt Air Compressor with Gauge and Light (300 PSI)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I used the compressor to add air to 4 tires, approx. 5-7 psi per tire and it worked fine, didn't take too long. However, there are 2 problems with the device - 1. After adding air to 2 tires the rubber inside the nozzle was already ripping and becoming unattached so that it would get in the way when trying to connect it to the valve stem, after 4 tires it was very ripped up. 2. The compressor vibrates so much that you can't put it onthe ground while running or it falls over. I guess that's the price you pay for the light weight of the compressor. While the rubber seal is a concern, it's not enough for me to return the compressor because it did work. I only hope the seal doesn't get so bad that the nozzle won't keep a good connection with the valve stem.

I just got this tire inflator and when I went down to the garage to pump up the tires, I was disappointed to see that this device actually has an amperage requirement to work properly! I have two relatively new Hondas(08 Pilot and 06 Civic) and neither of them seem to comply with this device. Their power outlets are rated 10A, whereas this device needs a 15A minimum. So actually 12V is not the only requirement for this compressor to work, it needs to be coupled with proper amperage.

I contacted the manufacturer(Slime) and the customer representative responded to me saying that the device might work(or blows the car's fuse) but there is no guarantee that it would work with less than 15A. So basically I ended up in a "try at your own risk" situation having bought this inflator.

I am returning this item sooner. I would also suggest Amazon.com to put in more detailed product information for this item. I wouldn't have bought this item in the first place if the amperage requirement was listed here.

The product is very nice. It blows up a tire within just a few minutes. The only bad thing is the cord that goes from the cigarette lighter to the tire isn't quite lone enough. It is great for cars, but it won't reach my back tires on my truck.

Pro - quickly filled a tire from 10 psi to 30. (< 3 minutes)
Con - light weight requires you to hold the compressor so it doesn't bounce around or flip over. Also, for it's size it's pretty loud.
Overall- worked well, you just have to hold it down on a flat surface during the entire fill time.

Value is good in my opinion: attractive, self storing, very compact and light weight, illumination and compressor each have their own switch, current draw (amperage) tested quite OK for my 10A cigar lighter, electrical cord is flexible and feels substantial, and the plug that came on my unit appears to be high quality. Inflation performance is slower than I would like but in the end OK due to selecting the Slime unit primarily for emergency road use where the priority is simply having a working compressor, whether it is fast or slow being secondary. Gauge accuracy was comparable to several other tire gauges on hand. Noisy but again OK for the price.

Somewhat concerned about reports of high amperage draw, I rigged up the plug with alligator clips and connected the unit directly to my car battery so I could check the actual amperage draw of my unit with two well calibrated ammeters. Both ammeters tested the Slime unit to draw 6.2 amps when pumping at 42 psi. This is well below the 15A fuse rating that is stamped on the fuse holder that comes integral with the unit's cigar lighter plug. (The fuse in the holder was in fact a 15 amp fuse.) My car is a 2000 Nissan with 10 amp fused cigar lighter. Using the particular Slime COMPO3 unit I purchased gave me no trouble on this subject and neither the plug nor the cord ever got hot. Keep in mind that a fuse rating does NOT necessarily indicate normal current draw. The fuse is there to keep the unit from catching fire in case of malfunction. Therefore, actual current draw (except for brief transients, say, at a startup) should always be well below what would cause a fire if maintained indefinitely in the subject unit and therefore actual current draw under steady state conditions should in fact normally be well below the fuse rating on any equipment.

I purchased the Slime COMPO3 for road emergency. I would not use the Slime COMPO3 for this routine maintenance unless it was all I had. Routine maintenance of proper tire pressure is something I perform in my garage with a low cost 120 VAC compressor that is satisfyingly fast and far more convenient. It has a small tank, 25 ft coiled hose and quick release air chuck with integral pressure gauge. It is always plugged in and ready to use, reaches everywhere I want without hassle, and then stores immediately by virtue of the coiled hose. Five minutes every other weekend or so is plenty to keep four tires always just about right.

Although the toggle operated tire chuck that comes with the Slime COMPO3 appears more or less similar to what comes on all tire inflators regardless of price, none of the toggle operated chucks are very satisfactory in my opinion: sometimes awkward or actually impossible to operate with a weak hand, or cold and numb fingers, and then difficult to remove without wasting air from the tire anyway. Therefore, like I would do for any tire inflator, I immediately cut off the OEM tire chuck and installed an inexpensive lock-on tire chuck of the quick release variety. This adds three to six dollars for the chuck plus another two dollars for a fitting (1/4 ID hose barb X 1/4 MPT) required to properly adapt the tire chuck to the hose. The quick release tire chuck makes it effortless to connect or disconnect with the tire valve stem while suffering negligible air loss (a very brief "pffft"-sound) even with cold, wet, aching hands and fingers in a January snow storm - the very time the Slime COMPO3 may be needed. If you make this modification, you will want to wrap the hose with electrical tape in the vicinity of the cut when cutting off the old fitting. This will keep the fabric cover from unraveling.

Very satisfied for the money.

The Slie compressor really turned out better then I could imagine. I had read some reviews that indicated problems with the seal, but I have not run into those problems. The real benefit of this compressor is the ON/OFF switch and the pressure indicator. I tested the accuracy against a standard pressure guage and found it right on the money. It makes it much easier to fill to the desired pressure. Great product.

I may have used this thing 2 to 3 times at best since I bought it back in May 2008 and the inside of the seal has already ripped up so that I cannot even get it to attach to the tire valve. Can I say 'Rip Off'? Look elsewhere and pass this one up!

I got this compressor like a year ago. I agonized deciding between this cheap option and other fancier, more expensive compressors. Boy, did I make the right decision. It works perfectly well. I keep my SUV tires in perfect shape. It does the work. The only tiny caveat: make sure you have a proper tire gauge. The gauge incorporated in this compressor goes into the 100's, so it is impossible to read the difference between, say, 28 psi and 32 psi.

What can you say, every car should have one. I ordered two, one for my car and one for my wife's. Works great, no problems with it at all so far. The gauge on it lets me use it just to keep my tires properly inflated between rotations. Great to have in case of an emergency.

I bought this little guy more than 6 months ago, used it a few times and this compressor worked like a champion all the time. I even used it to inflate while under load (three barrells of water was in a pickup). This little device is working great for me. The light is a handy addition too