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STORY
Last weekend I put my new Freestyle ride together. I borrowed a foot air pump from my landlord. The tyre (Primo The Wall) states it should be inflated to 85psi. The pump I borrowed exploded when I reached 45psi, of course the tyre was back to zero.
My backup option is this, which I normally take on bicycle trips for emergencies, just to get to the next petrol station: http://images.bikester.ch/products/09_SKS_Fahrrad_Pumpe_Rookie_reversibel_schwarz_1024x768[1024x768].jpg
![http://images.bikester.ch/products/09_SKS_Fahrrad_Pumpe_Rookie_reversibel_schwarz_1024x768[1024x768].jpg](http://images.bikester.ch/products/09_SKS_Fahrrad_Pumpe_Rookie_reversibel_schwarz_1024x768%5B1024x768%5D.jpg){kind=link}
I used it to inflate the tyre to 60psi. At this point every stroke is an effort to put more air in than gets out. I was so annoyed that I decided to order an air compressor.
The cheapest models are 12V models for cars and according to all reviews I read they suck (and you need a car, a 230V AC to 12V DC adaptor that can output 10A is more expensive than the compressor).
REVIEW
The Package
After some more searching I finally found the Woodster CP 16, which cost EUR 64 (that’s USD 93 right now) including accessories, an air hose, applicator for schrader valves (those on cars) and some adaptors I’m not interested in.
http://www.woodster.de/en/products/products/categories/wandkompressoren/products/wandkompressor-cp-16/backPID/produkte-1.html?cHash=7dada9d6f1
Specs
Today it arrived and I put it right to the test. The data sheet claims a maximum working pressure of 8bar (somewhat above 115psi), 1000W power and 95dBA noise, which is quite loud (the homepage only states 71.8dBA).
First Impression
The compressor looks a lot more sturdy and bigger than I expected for the price.
I’m not certain about the durability of the air hose, I expect it will be fine if treated properly.
The applicator is obviously steel and feels reassuringly solid.
Assembling
The compressor comes ready to go. You require a 16mm and a 14mm wrench to connect the air hose to the applicator and the quick connector to the compressor. The connections have to be air proof or you’ll be quite disappointed.
Use
Afterwards you can plug the air hose right into the compressor and give it a go.
At first I only assembled the hose and applicator without tools. With that setup I only got it to reach 60psi very, very slowly. After assembling the air hose properly it did the climb from 60 to 85psi in a second or two.
Standing on the floor the compressor tends to move around when active. There’s a flat area I put my foot on to keep it in place (I think that’s its purpose, though the manual doesn’t state that). With the leaking setup I recognized a slight power increase (i.e. the final edge to get above 60psi). Properly assembled the inflating is too fast for that to make a recognizable difference.
The pressure needle vibrates, but the amplitude is acceptable. I tried to stay slightly below 85psi, the Schwalbe barometer claims I reached 82.4psi.
Conclusion
I’m quite happy with this purchase, no more petrol station trips for me. 
The noise level is annoying, but I only need to run it for a couple of seconds to inflate a tyre.