Portable Air Compressor Question

[uintaangler]

I decided to go with a portable air compressor vs onboard.
Can anybody tell me how the MV-50 compares with the ARB CKMTP12?
The specs don't mean much to me as I don't really know how to read them, but the ARB seems to be dramatically more expensive

Thanks

 

[zelatore]

There are several variants of the MV-50 out there; it's a cheap Chinese compressor. I haven't used one personally but most people who do report surprisingly good results. No, it's not as durable as the big-name compressors but as you've seen, you could buy several of them for the price of an ARB or Viair.

Somewhere around here there is a thread with people discussing mods they've done to improve the MV unit. I think the single biggest change was to replace the stock air hose connector with a standard part as the stock one is a non-standard size which causes problems trying to use different things with it. And possibly adding a better intake filter. I'd have to dig to find the thread.

If I were going to be out on extended trips where I would need to rely on my compressor with no other options for days or weeks, I would likely skip it.
If on the other hand I was trying to keep to a budget and I knew that if it did fail the worst thing would be that I might have to drive slow and carefully for an hour to get to a gas station compressor, or rely on my buddy to air me up, then why not give it a try and save a few bucks?

FWIW, I run a Viair 400 myself. Cheaper than the ARB as I recall, but a solid unit and fairly fast. No complaints.

 

[Howard70]

OK for flats, but slow to air up

We carried an MV-50 for years & used it several times to fill up a repaired tire after a flat. It works fine for that as you're only filling one tire. We did use it a couple of times to air up all four tires - it's pretty slow for that and if the ambient temperature is hot the compressor can overheat. Once it overheats it shuts down and you might wait quite awhile before it will run again. Once we started airing down more often we went to an onboard system - much more convenient for frequent use.

Howard

 

[TwoTrack]

Everyone raves about the Puma 12v compressors. They are a little bigger but still portable and can be hard mounted if desired.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PUMA-12-VOLT-1-5-GALLON-OIL-LESS-AIR-COMPRESSOR-FREE-SHIPPING-/280790586347

 

[TripLeader]

I have a Viair 450-P. It does cost a lot, but I wanted to be sure to get a quality unit. A friend bought the 400-P. Maybe I should have done that and saved a few bucks...
_____
I went with portable so I could take it in other vehicles on long road trips if needed, instead of having it stuck in my Jeep all the time. I'm very happy with that decision.
_____
I agree with Zelatore that if you are never going to be too far away from a gas station then a cheaper one isn't the worst thing in the world. But with that being said, I like the peace of mind that I trust mine to work for years.

 

[7echo]

Is this similar or the same as the MV-50? Maybe one of these is a decent less expensive option?

http://www.harborfreight.com/12volt...showthread.php?p=4224503&highlight=compressor

 

[Martinjmpr]

If I can shoot some photos this weekend I'll try to my review/comparison of the MV-50 and the ViAir 90P, which are more or less at the same price point ($60 -$80.)

Bottom line is that they both work fine. I never had problems with my MV-50's even after 5+ years of use. The ViAir is a little easier to use but so far has proven to work fine also.

Is this similar or the same as the MV-50? Maybe one of these is a decent less expensive option?

http://www.harborfreight.com/12volt-150-psi-compact-air-compressor-69285.html?hftref=cj&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.garagejournal.com%2Fforum%2Fshowthread.php%3Fp%3D4224503%26highlight%3Dcompressor

That compressor looks like the ViAir but the hose looks like the one that comes on the Masterflow. Probably made by the same Chinese company.

 

[Willman]

I owned a MV-50 until it died. It was a good working compressor until i got an Extremeaire! That thing brings the air! Going strong for 7 years and counting! Great product that is very high quality!

http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=112

For the money, Viair does make a nice compressor.

 

[moodywizard]

I had two MV-50's crap out on me after minimal use. I bought a viair 400p and mounted it under the hood of my FJ, works awesome and has not let me down. If you can wait a while look around for a used ARB compressor, even if they break you can send them in to ARB for repair. I also heard from someone that has the twin ARB compressor that if one compressor fails the other will still work to get you home...

 

[dennismc]

I used an Mv-50 for several years with no issues other than being a little slow. Recently switched to an onboard Extreme air and could not be happier. Definitely quicker and no longer have to pull out the compressor and open the hood to hook up to the battery but the Mv-50 certainly worked well for me and I'd still be using it if I hadn't come across a great deal on the Xtreme air.

 

[PolarBearX]

Hey!

I know you said no OB air.... but others might like this: http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?p=2028074#post2028074

I'm getting in on it as soon as I know GB price.

 

[Willman]

Recently switched to an onboard Extreme air and could not be happier. Definitely quicker and no longer have to pull out the compressor and open the hood to hook up to the battery but the Mv-50 certainly worked well for me and I'd still be using it if I hadn't come across a great deal on the Xtreme air.

Good to hear on your Extremeair! I sure love mine! This product does ship free. see our site for the code.

 

[bluejeep]

If you have a voltage inverter (DC to AC) onboard you open up the potential selections to AC powered compressor units. They usually run at much lower rpm and are quieter (not scientifically tested, just an observation).

I have Chicago Pneumatics (Harbor Freight!) units both in my wrangler (solid mount) as well as my Dakota. I like the Dakota method better, carrying an extension cord and moving the compressor to the item needing air, rather than a long air hose which I have in the jeep.

 

[guidolyons]

I have a MaxAIR 4.0 (same as the ExtremeAIR but a few bucks cheaper http://www.macsspring.com/4wdmaxair.aspx) and two MV-50 (one is listed as MF-1050 Master Flow Tsunami-it's the same compressor) ~$60 at Pep Boys/OReillys, etc.

The MaxAir doesn't get used much, I got it for another rig, and it's mounted in a big ammo can with jumper cables and a Anderson quick disconnect, so it is kind of big to lug around. I needed a smaller more convenient option for the wife's jeep.

Saw some good reviews of the MV-50, so I got one for my wife's jeep. Light, easy to use, and works surprisingly well. Most autoparts store 12v compressors would have trouble blowing up a beach ball before they overheat, but the MV-50 handles refilling the 37" BFG KM2s on my Scout no problem. I had a slow leak that was driving me crazy, rather than fire up the shop compressor, I'd use the my wife's MV50, it would be done filling the flat 37" before the shop compressor was done building up pressure. I bought another MV50 so we could have one in each car, along with a tire plug kit.

Don't even bother with cigarette lighter parts store cheapo compressors, any 12v air compressor worth it's salt is going to draw 30+ amps. If there's one upgrade I'd make for the MV 50 is some heavier gauge wire (stock wires is pretty small and can get quite hot) and a pressure switch. It's designed for an open ended screw on tire chuck. The first one I bought had a strange proprietary quick disconnect, but the last one I bought had a standard industrial style quick disconnect.

I'm hard mounting one in my Scout (with heavy gauge wire, 2.5 gallon tank, and pressure switch) to run the my rear ARB. I figure for $60 I can buy about 4 or 5 MV-50s for the price of an single stage ARB compressor or 8-9 MV50 twin ARB...

The Puma is a nice looking 12V compressor, no experience with it though. Good reviews on line though.

Now if you want some serious CFM...google York OBA (engine mounted AC compressor converted to air compressor duties)

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

My MV-50 fills up my tires without complaint from 15-18 PSI up to 30 in a reasonable amount of time. It does get hot, and the duty cycle is lower than the more expensive units. I am going to convert my AC to OBA this winter as a project... it is cooked so I might as well. AC is for the Grand Cherokee I also own. lol The XJ gets OBA.

Crazy CFM out of those pumps.

MV-50 is a good cheap compressor, I would almost buy 2 and haul them both (one spare).