Which Portable Tire Inflator Brand Wins?
This head-to-head test of 8 portable tire inflator options has the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Some figures on this page were transcribed from the test video and have not been independently re-verified. Treat the numbers as a close guide and watch the full video for the exact readings.
Milwaukee M12 Compact Inflator
Price shown in test: $137.55
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
35 PSI test time
- 1Milwaukee M12 Compact Inflator5 minutes
and 30 seconds, fastest pump tested
- 2Harbor Freight Pittsburgh Chicago Electric 12V inflatorabout10 seconds
slower than the Milwaukee, roughly 5 and 1/2 minutes total, using auxiliary vehicle power this time instead of a power converter as in the earlier video
- 3Ryobi One+ 18V inflator6 minutes 24 seconds
total (an initial run of 5 minutes 52 seconds read about 32.5 PSI on the analog gauge, requiring extra time to finish)
- 4DeWalt6 minutes 40 seconds
- 5Bauer7 minutes 50 seconds
- 6Wyostuff WUYASTA Double Cylinder Foot Air Pump8 minutes 42 seconds
- 7Air Hawk Pro12 minutes 15 seconds
to inflate a 215/70/15 tire, per the video's chapter marker; this duration is not spoken aloud in the narration
- 8Avid Power 20V automatic cordless inflatornot tested
35 PSI test accuracy
- 1Milwaukee M12 Compact Inflator
measured at 35 PSI, gauge very accurate
- 3Ryobi One+ 18V inflator
gauge read about 3 PSI high, showing 38 PSI when the tire actually had 35 PSI
- 4DeWalt
pump gauge showed 34.8 PSI, measured right at 35 PSI
- 5Bauer
pump gauge read 35.5 PSI, manual gauge showed 36.5 PSI, fairly close
- 6Wyostuff WUYASTA Double Cylinder Foot Air Pump
overinflated to 38 PSI
- 7Air Hawk Pro
inflated to 36 PSI, about 1 PSI over the 35 PSI target
- 8Avid Power 20V automatic cordless inflator
digital gauge read only 18 PSI when the tire actually measured 48 PSI on a separate gauge; the automatic shutoff failed to trigger at the programmed 35 PSI and the pump had to be shut off manually at 48 PSI
- 2Harbor Freight Pittsburgh Chicago Electric 12V inflatornot tested
80 PSI (20 minute cap) test result
- 1Milwaukee M12 Compact Inflator
gave up at 17 minutes 14 seconds, reaching 56.5 PSI on manual gauge (56 PSI per pump gauge); battery indicated low and heat was noted as an issue
- 2Harbor Freight Pittsburgh Chicago Electric 12V inflator
shut off at 13 minutes 24 seconds, producing 46 PSI
- 3Ryobi One+ 18V inflator
survived the full 20 minutes, reaching 58 PSI, second place behind the DeWalt
- 4DeWalt
reached 59.2 PSI at the 20 minute cutoff (measured a little over 59 PSI), first place ahead of Ryobi and Milwaukee
- 5Bauer
survived the full 20 minutes reaching 49.5 PSI per its own gauge (52 PSI on manual gauge), briefly the leader before being passed by the Ryobi
- 7Air Hawk Pro
shut off at a little over 18 minutes, reaching 35 PSI, not enough to fully inflate the light truck tire
- 8Avid Power 20V automatic cordless inflator
gave up at a little over 13 minutes, reaching 43 PSI
- 6Wyostuff WUYASTA Double Cylinder Foot Air Pumpnot tested
All measurements (1 more)+
Weight
- 7Air Hawk Pro1.91 lb
- 1Milwaukee M12 Compact Inflatornot tested
- 2Harbor Freight Pittsburgh Chicago Electric 12V inflatornot tested
- 3Ryobi One+ 18V inflatornot tested
- 4DeWaltnot tested
- 5Bauernot tested
- 6Wyostuff WUYASTA Double Cylinder Foot Air Pumpnot tested
- 8Avid Power 20V automatic cordless inflatornot tested
How it was tested
- time to inflate a car tire to 35 PSI
- pressure gauge accuracy at the 35 PSI target
- time and maximum pressure reached inflating a light truck tire toward 80 PSI within a 20 minute cap
- noise level (quietest pump contest)
“In my opinion, the Milwaukee M12 is the best pump for tires under 40 PSI because it inflates very quickly. However, it runs out of legs pretty fast once you get above 40 PSI making the DeWalt the best pump for over 40 PSI.”
Brand head-to-head scoreboards featuring this test
Data notes and caveats
No single overall winner: the video crowns per-pressure-range favorites (Milwaukee M12 best under 40 PSI, DeWalt best over 40 PSI), so winner is left null and both verdicts are captured in the verdictQuote and each product's notes. Avid Power is separately called out as unsafe to buy due to a failed auto shutoff and inaccurate gauge. The description's Products Tested list and its affiliate links also name Kobalt and WORX cordless inflators, but neither brand is mentioned anywhere in the transcript with any test data; flagged to data/re-pull.txt as the transcript appears incomplete relative to the description, and confidence is set to low per that gap. Two visually similar but distinct Harbor Freight branded products appear: the cordless lithium-ion Bauer (tested fresh, $112.98 kit) and the corded 12V Harbor Freight Pittsburgh/Chicago Electric pump (winner of a prior video's 12V showdown, retested here via auxiliary power for comparison, not purchased new for this review).
