Portable, battery-operated tire inflators are one of those tools you don’t realize how much you’ll use until you own one. I made the jump a few years back when the tool brand I use launched a portable inflator that used the same battery platform. Since then, I’ve pulled it out for every low bicycle tire, pool floatie, and yo-yoing seasonal tire pressure light that’s come across my path.
So when I came across the Powools tire inflator — a small, compact, USB-rechargeable device that claims it can do the majority of what you’d want a tire inflator to do, all for 20 bucks —while surfing Amazon a couple of months ago, I hit the buy now button to see if those claims were legit or just full of hot air.
Powools Portable Tire Inflator
A compact cordless tire inflator with 150 PSI, a rechargeable battery, built-in LED light, and auto shut-off for precise inflation every time.
The Tool
The Powools Portable Tire Inflator is a compact (2-3/4-in. wide x 5-1/4-in. tall x 2-in. deep) inflator that weighs roughly a pound. It comes with a storage bag, a USB-C charging cable, an air hose, four separate nozzles and adapters for bicycle tires and sports equipment, and a user manual. It features five preset inflating modes, an onboard rechargeable battery, and a built-in LED flashlight.
The $20 standard-capacity inflator (you read that right — less than a lunch outing to Chipotle) claims it can reach up to 150 PSI, top off 6 PSI on a standard car tire in less than a minute, and inflate two car tires, 25 bicycle tires, or 60 sports balls on a single charge. Bold claims for a twenty-dollar tool. Time to find out if it could back them up.
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How I Tested It
I wanted to put this thing through the wringer, and the simplest way to do so was to see if it backed up the “6 PSI in under 1 minute” and “two car tires on a single charge” claims. I was also curious about how long it would take to charge back to full, and, since tire inflators are basically small compressors with a piston, I wanted to see how loud it was.
First up, the two inflation tests. On the 6 PSI tire top-off test (Powools claims a 30–36 PSI range, but my wife’s Subaru’s tires only go to 33 PSI, so I tested 27–33 PSI), full inflation took 1:39 — definitely a bit longer than the 1 minute Powools claimed. The two-tires-on-a-single-charge test also didn’t fare as well as the brand claimed. I deflated two tires on my wife’s Subaru to 6 PSI each. With a full battery, the portable tire inflator fully inflated one tire to 33 PSI but only partially inflated the second to 21-1/2 PSI. So the two inflation tests were a bit lackluster.
But both the charging test and loudness test fared much better. A completely dead battery hit 70% (when the icon reaches full) in 26 minutes and full-full in around 40 — quite speedy. And for the loudness test, the tire inflator came in between 71 and 75 decibels (according to a free decibel app on my tablet), which is not only quieter than most of the tools in my shop but also much quieter than the other tire inflator I own.
The Verdict
The Powools tire inflator is a great little tool. It’s compact, incredibly inexpensive, and foolproof to use. Yeah, it didn’t quite live up to some of the bigger claims Powools drew up. But honestly, we aren’t a pit crew on a racing team, so spending the extra 39 seconds to top off my wife’s tire is water under the bridge. Its size and design make it ideal to keep with you on bike rides with friends, ATV rides into the wilderness, or just tucked in your glove box for peace of mind. For twenty bucks, it’s the kind of tool that earns its keep just by being there when you need it.
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