Milwaukee 12V Compact Air Compressor

[DynaGlide]

[member=66216]GoingMyWay[/member] I caught a screw in my Subaru ~15k miles ago. Not wanting to replace all 4 tires (necessary for AWD vehicles), I put the spare on and drove home and got out my tire plug kit I keep for my motorcycle and plugged the tire and put it back on. Haven't had a problem since.

 

[GoingMyWay]

[member=66216]GoingMyWay[/member], I give people Milton S-921 or S-925 pencil gauges as gifts.  My next choices are the S-923 straight pencil gauge or the S-931 dial gauge.

I've owned some dial gauges in the past that were difficult to use because of their shallow head.  Basically you couldn't get the gauge aligned well before pushing it on the valve stem and frequently had leaks.  The S-923 straight pencil gauge is probably the easiest to align and use on automotive tires.

Thanks for those suggestions.  I ended up just buying the Michelin Gauge since she's familiar with using mine.

[member=66216]GoingMyWay[/member] I caught a screw in my Subaru ~15k miles ago. Not wanting to replace all 4 tires (necessary for AWD vehicles), I put the spare on and drove home and got out my tire plug kit I keep for my motorcycle and plugged the tire and put it back on. Haven't had a problem since.

Yup, I think the plugs are pretty much as good as the patches in most situations.

 

[travisj]

I came to this thread late, but I appreciate the review on the compressor.  I definitely see one of those in my future.  It would be ideal for the kids bikes, lawn tractor, etc...

A couple of comments

Nitrogen is much more stable than compressed air.  I know it had been available for passenger vehicles for quite some time, but it has been used in racing applications for quite awhile.  I know several drag racers (cars and bikes) that run it because it less susceptible to temperature effected pressure changes.

Aluminum wheels are notorious for not holding pressure.  The expansion, contraction, and corrosion rates are all significantly higher than steel.

I have installed several nitrogen generators in a previous career.  When I installed draught systems, if a bar would go through enough Guinness, it would be in their favor to install a generator and a mixing valve to get the proper 75% N to 25% CO2 ratio to push the liquid without over carbonating.  The ones we installed were based off of a normal-ish looking air compressor and ran $3-5k.  Since there is a small percentage of nitrogen in the atmosphere in general, they are designed to separate the nitrogen from the other gases in compressed air.  A capital expense for the bar that could be depreciated and quickly would offset the cost of running separate nitrogen tanks to mix with bulk CO2.  Same principal would work for a tire shop assuming they push enough Nitrogen to make it worth while.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wpz]

Since there is a small percentage of nitrogen in the atmosphere in general, they are designed to separate the nitrogen from the other gases in compressed air.

Actually, about 78% of the earths atmosphere is nitrogen, so quite a large percentage.
This means the majority of gasses in compressed air is nitrogen already, you just need to get rid of the 21% oxygen and 1% other gasses.

 

[Cheese]

One more thing, adjust the pressures when the car is parked in the shade or garage.  I used to make a habit of adjusting them when the tires are cold, but found even if I drove the car 15 miles home, it really didn't increase the pressure more than 1-2 psi.  but if one side was exposed to the sun, the pressures on that side would increase up to 4 psi vs. the side in the shade.  If you set them all equal, that side will end up low when the tire temperatures normalize.

Ya I agree...I've made it a habit to adjust the tire pressures in the morning when the sun is still low on the horizon and the tires are all the same temperature.

 

[jeh]

On a related note, if you want a good plug kit to pair with your inflator, this is the ticket!  Between my neighbor and I, we have used 6-7 in the last 2 years.  Not a single leaky plug!  In his case, he usually tries with his auto store kit and one of two things happen.  The tool bends or the plug leaks before he gets the wheel back on the car.  If either of those happens, he calls me, I bring over the safety seal kit and in 10 minutes it’s all done, no leaks.  The plugs are better, the tools are better and the lube does help. 

https://www.amazon.com/Safety-Seal-KAP30-String-Storage/dp/B001DIECCK/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1538018776&sr=1-4&keywords=Safety+seal

The only negative is the reamer is on the large side, so you’ll need the wheel off the car to put your weight into it.  Forget about laying on your side and trying to plug a tire still on the car.

I bought a $7 kit at Walmart and have successfully repaired 3 tires with no issues. Anyone reading the FOG can fix a nail or screw flat. No reason to ever bothering to pay someone for that type of fix. Best of all if the repair fails you end up with a slow leak which puts you back where your started. Of course if the hole is on or near the sidewall you are most likely looking at a new tire.

 

[GoingMyWay]

I just watched this video the other day:  I didn't know that could happen to a tire unless it had been run pretty low on air.  The outside of the tire sure looked fine.  Maybe patching from the inside isn't such a bad idea after all...

 

[GoingMyWay]

Project Farm did a comparison of several cordless tire inflators.  He recommended the Milwaukee M12 for tires under 40 PSI:

 

[ColossusX]

On sale right now at Acme.
https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-m12-...pact-charger-power-source-bundle-deal-112119/

 

[RKA]

I love these things!  I have an older ryobi like the one he tested.  I hate it.  The gauge is inaccurate, you have to hold the trigger to keep it running (rubber band solves that) and it's slow.  But the kit I got included a 1.3ah battery and I think PF was using a 4.0ah or something, which could easily account for the difference. 

I have both Dewalt and Milwaukee platforms but went with the Dewalt because it can run on a 12V socket if necessary and the increase in size was inconsequential to me.  Otherwise they are probably pretty close as long as you're putting a larger battery on the Milwaukee (3-6 ah).  I love that you can set the pressure and it stops where you want it.  And the gauges are pretty accurate.  Previously I would overfill with the Ryobi by 2-3 lbs, come back with a proper gauge and drain until I hit the mark. And the battery was full in the spring and still indicates 3/3 bars on a 5ah battery.  I've used it to top off 3 the tires in 3 cars and the off season tire set in two of those cars (essentially 5 sets of tires were topped off).  And I've used it to refill a tire I had to plug, so it was probably down to 10 lbs and I brought it back up to 38 lbs.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

Makita now do a 12 v version. As much as I like Makita, I think the design/shape of the Milwaukee and De Walt is better.

 

[Alanbach]

Toolnut.com also has the Milwaukee tire inflator bundled with a battery, a charger and a usb power source for $99. Great deal!

 

[rst]

My daughter who lives in FL called to catch up and mentioned that she was at a pay for air pump as her tire regularly, albeit slowing, loses pressure.  I had bought the Milwaukee pump when they came out and I had multiple chargers so I bought two more batteries and sent the kit and kaboodle to her.  I had bought the original pump on sale and just replaced it for the same $79.00 bare tool that i paid originally.

 

[jeh]

On a related note, if you want a good plug kit to pair with your inflator, this is the ticket!  Between my neighbor and I, we have used 6-7 in the last 2 years.  Not a single leaky plug!  In his case, he usually tries with his auto store kit and one of two things happen.  The tool bends or the plug leaks before he gets the wheel back on the car.  If either of those happens, he calls me, I bring over the safety seal kit and in 10 minutes it’s all done, no leaks.  The plugs are better, the tools are better and the lube does help. 

https://www.amazon.com/Safety-Seal-KAP30-String-Storage/dp/B001DIECCK/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1538018776&sr=1-4&keywords=Safety+seal

The only negative is the reamer is on the large side, so you’ll need the wheel off the car to put your weight into it.  Forget about laying on your side and trying to plug a tire still on the car.

I bought a $7 kit at Walmart and have successfully repaired 3 tires with no issues. Anyone reading the FOG can fix a nail or screw flat. No reason to ever bothering to pay someone for that type of fix. Best of all if the repair fails you end up with a slow leak which puts you back where your started. Of course if the hole is on or near the sidewall you are most likely looking at a new tire.

I’ve fixed a truck, an SUV, and lawnmower tire with no problems whatsoever. Anyone can do it and they work. In a world where everyone has unlimited money you would buy four new tires every time you had a flat. That is not reality. Plugs have been in use for probably 100 years.

 

[Cheese]

Just received a notice from Toolnut.  The small M12 compressor is on sale for $99 with free shipping.

I paid $79 for just the bare tool 2 years ago.

 

[Alanbach]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]  - Have you seen that Milwaukee just introduced their M18 portable air compressor? It’s 68db so pretty quiet. It’s a bit pricey at $349 tool only but still, another nice add to their platform.

 

[Peter_C]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]  - Have you seen that Milwaukee just introduced their M18 portable air compressor? It’s 68db so pretty quiet. It’s a bit pricey at $349 tool only but still, another nice add to their platform.

Should have been in a Packout format like everyone has been asking for. *shakes head*

My wife is happy with the Viair compressor I bought for her car. She uses it twice a year or so to check air pressures and top up as needed. As it is all in one kit with pliers and a plug kit, one of our friends borrowed it to repair a screw hole. Makes me more comfortable knowing she can get herself back on the road quickly. New tires help keep flats away too.

 

[Cheese]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]  - Have you seen that Milwaukee just introduced their M18 portable air compressor? It’s 68db so pretty quiet. It’s a bit pricey at $349 tool only but still, another nice add to their platform.

Ya thanks for that Alan......I keep the little M12 in the garage and use it for inflating tires. Just set the pressure where I want it and I'm good to go. No going back and forth between the air hose and an air gauge just to get the correct pressure in each tire. Each tire is the same pressure and the TPMS display on the dash verifies that.  [smile]

 

[Michael Kellough]

I keep my M12 inflator in the car because I need it so often. I seem to have a bad rim. It’s amazing how much air you can get out of a little 17wh battery.

 

[rst]

Liked mine so much I gave my first one to my daughter in St Augustine and bought another.