So far this unit has performed pretty well. I used it to jump-start a raggedy old farm tractor, and the little box seems to have an impressive amount of cranking power (for short bursts, anyway).

I’ve used the inflator twice to inflate a car and a truck tire. It does the job with little effort. Takes awhile to get a tire up to pressure, but’s that’s normal with these little compressors. For it’s size, it’s quite adequate as an emergency air source. Took me about 8 minutes to bring the car tire up from 25 PSI to 45 PSI (under the weight of the vehicle). Really not that bad.

The truck tire took a bit longer, as I had to stop the unit prematurely to let it cool down. B&D recommends running the inflator for no more than 10 minutes continuously. Total time to bring this nearly-flat tire up to pressure: Just under a half-hour. Again, not too shabby considering how small this thing is.

I’m happy with the layout of the controls and indicators. Clear, easy to read, easy to access. Storage for the jumper cables is OK. I’d prefer to see them stowed in their own sealed compartment, but they seem pretty secure nonetheless. As long as you keep the clamps clean, there shouldn’t be any issues storing this unit in a car.

Storage for the inflator hose is cheesy. It’s stuffed into a very small compartment, and I don’t like all the bends you have to make in order to get it all inside. The small compartment also limits the maximum length of the air hose to about 2 feet. You must set the unit very close to the tire for the hose to reach the tire valve. Not a problem for me so far, but keep this in mind if you need a unit with a long reach. B&D could have definitely done better here.

A major gripe I have is that the inflator has no provision for a backup power source should the internal battery fail. Depending on how long this battery will remain charged in storage, you might find that it lacks the juice to power the inflator in an emergency. Why couldn’t B&D include a 12V cigarette adaptor for just this situation? For a unit that’s supposed to be a piece of emergency gear, this seems like a glaring oversight. You’d better hope that the internal battery is extremely reliable – without it, the unit is useless. Could have been a five-star rating if not for that issue.

Overall, I’m pleased with this purchase. Reliability will be the ultimate test, and I haven’t had it long enough to pass judgement yet. If it holds up season after season, and delivers the goods when really needed, I may change my rating to 5 stars. For under 100 bucks, I’d say give it a try.
Rating: 4 / 5