Customer Reviews

VIAIR 300P Portable Compressor

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ideally I wanted an on board air compressor in my new FJ Cruiser for going off road. But I needed an air compressor now, so I opted for the portable kit thinking I would install it at a latter time. Now that I have it in hand and have used it, I am most likely going to keep it as a kit. It works perfectly on the FJ's 32" tires and on my wifes Honda Civic it fills them within seconds. When putting air in bikes, it puts out so much air you have to watch out not to blow the tires. I showed a friend of mine how well it worked and he ordered one for himself that same day.

After burning out two $20 compressors from Harbor Freight, I decided to research online and buy something that really is powerful and works more than one time. The Viair 30033 330P is certainly powerful enough for my little Civic wagon. I don't think it warrants the $170 price tag, but it does seem to be what it claims to be online. There's no way the cords are long enough for a bigger truck or RV. I advise installing a dedicated, hard wired compressor in a big vehicle. The carry case is a cheap nylon bag and the overall quality is high for China: low by my USA standards. You can get it delivered quickly though. Mine arrived next day.

The Viair 300 air compressor is an excellent product for both airing down and pumping up my 30 inch tires on my Jeep. You can use it anywhere with the 12 volt cable and pumping tires up is quite a bit faster than other 12 volt systems. I highly recommend it.

I have three problems with this Viair. One: Made in China. No reason it can't be made in U.S.A. Two: The gauge is mounted on the valve stem side of the air hose. To easy to drop the gauge on the ground and bang it around. Should be fixed mounted onto the compressor it self. Three: Gauge only is 0 - 100 psig. Could be 120 psig.

Other then that, Viair is a very good product. Compact, quiet and light. My tire size is 22.5. Started pumping at 90 and went to 100 psi in less than two minutes. Very impressed. Carrying case is excellent, as well as the extra fitting that come with this unit.

Without any knowledge of other air compressors, I would have given this product two stars, maybe three at most. Compared to competitors that I have experienced, this is a four-star product. Deductions are based on the cons below:

* The yellow air hose is too "stiff" (or the air compressor itself is too light) and too short. If you try to pull on the hose, as you would have to do to move from the front tire to the rear tire, the air compressor would move with it and often topple. Well, if the air compressor moves forward, it usually pulls on the power cables, detaching the clamps from the battery terminals. If the air compressor topples, which it usually does, it twists the power cable, also detaching the clamps from the battery.

* The power cable is too short.

* The tire chuck's lever is a bit too hard to squeeze. Its tip is also too short, and I always have a hard time connecting it to the tire valve.

Other reviewers have already listed the pros.

I love this little bugger; have had it for a couple of years now. Just the thing you need as an occasional off-roader like I am. It works exactly as stated in its sales pitch and as reviewed in various off-road magazines. If you need to pump up some 35's then you might go up a bit, by this services my 8x32 BFG T/A just fine. Buy it!

I have a van that has corroded aluminum wheels, and it is destined to always have a slow leak. The dashboard warning "low tire pressure" light goes off at some inconvenient time, when no service stations are close by, and yet the tire pressure can already be 5-6 pounds low. I hate to drive it a lot when the pressure is this low, so having this relatively inexpensive air compressor on the vehicle comes in handy over and over. I have also used it to service the tires of the trailer I pull with the van while on vacation, and I have been able to help any number of folks in parking lots with their flat tires.

This compressor does not have a reservoir, so the motor must be running to supply air. It cannot be used with air-powered tools. However, it is useful for inflating air mattresses, beach balls, other things like footballs, bicycle tires, etc.

It comes with a zippered canvas bag, with the compressor in one pouch and the coiled air hose in another pouch. It has a fairly long power cord with alligator clips to attach to the vehicle's 12V battery. The motor is powerful enough that plugging it into the aux power socket (aka cigarette lighter socket) is not possible. The cord is long enough that you can position the compressor mid-way on either side of most passenger vehicles. The rest of the distance to the tire(s) is taken up with the coiled air hose. The hose has a quick release fitting so that it can be quickly attached and detached from the compressor. The other end of the hose has a standard Schraeder valve fitting, which can be unscrewed to replace with the other fittings for balls and such, which come with the compressor. The hose also has a valve to release air from the tire, either continuously for deflation, or in small pulses in order to low the pressure by a couple of pounds.

The compressor supplies enough air that filling even a flat tire takes a very short time, perhaps a minute. Adding a few pounds to a low tire takes only a few seconds.

Build quality is decent. The compressor has some sort of muffler inside the carrying handle, so it is quiet. The is also mounted on a vibration damping metal plate.

Complaint: The compressor has a power switch located on the body of the unit, requiring you to run from the tire over to the compressor to stop the air once the tire is full. Some competing units have the switch on a separate cord that allows you to hold the switch in your hand while you monitor the tire.

I had been looking for a 12v portable compressor to carry in my camper. I looked at several compressors available at local retail outlets, none had enough power to inflate my air bags on my pickup with my camper loaded on it. However, the Viair 300p that I subsequently purchased had more than enough power. It is simple to use and an impressive compressor for a compact. It can inflate my pickup tires from 65 to 80 psi in about 2 minutes. I love it.

I bought this to pump up the 33"(LT285/65R18) tires on my Land Cruiser (FZJ80). The local gas station's courtesy inflater would only pump them up to just over 50 lbs. pressure (spec is 65 lbs.). The VIAIR 300P pumped them to spec in just a few minutes per tire. Relatively low noise level. The unit appears to be of high quality.

You may need to extend the connection to the battery to reach all of your tires. Other than that it is an excellent piece of equipment. Longevity is yet to be determined, but based on an initial assessment I would expect this to be long lived.

I've owned this product for about one month. This air compressor is solidly built, is very quiet, and will add about 10 psi of pressure to my Dodge Neon's tires within 30 seconds (each tire). The unit is bigger than what I was expecting, but I did want something more powerful and reliable than the cheap compressors that cost around $20.
Here's the downside, and the reason this product doesn't have 5 stars: The Power Cord Is Too Short; Much Too Short. For $149, the manufacurer could have at least added another 6 to 9 feet (2-3 meters) of power cord to the existing length. A Dodge Neon is a short automobile and I could barely reach the right rear tire (battery is on left side). The compressor kept on falling over while trying to stretch out the coiled plastic airline. With the airline stretched out, the compressor is too far away to turn on; you have to get up away from the tire to turn it on and move back and forth to read the air pressure. Also, where I am at, it is well below freezing. I was worried that the coiled plastic airline would kink or crack off while stretching it out.
At this time, the Short Power Cord and coiled plastic airline are my only complaints. If you have a longer or taller vehicle, you'll have a difficult time trying to inflate your rear tires, that is, if you even can reach the rear tires.