Altaros booster pump worth it?

There is really nothing to break on them. I have had excellent response from Altaros anytime I have a question, they will always email you back anytime you have a question and will walk you through any issue that may arise. It may be a little scary buying something over the internet that’s half way around the world, I had the same reservations, but for me personally, I have been 100% satisfied with mine.

As for being hard on compressors, I have a 22 year old Husky 6.5 hp, 60 gallon upright that I bought at Home Depot that is still going strong. I set my timer on my phone every time I fill my bottle just to check if it is taking longer indicating my compressor getting weaker and after using the booster for 6 years it still takes the same amount of time to fill my bottle.

I will say this, when I bought my compressor they were made entirely in the USA. If you look at the Husky’s now they are assembled in the USA. As we all know, it’s tough finding anything made here now.

I have a good shop compressor but won't be using it as I plan on using the booster in the field if I actually get one.
 
I used a commercial US made shop compressor that was capable of running just about anything but felt run times were excessive when filling SCBA bottles with this booster. A lesser capable compressor would be over taxed if it was being used to fill bottles and I believe this type booster is not well suited for filling bottles due to the long run times required. If you limit fillings to just guns or very small bottles it will probably work just fine. Their advertised warranty when I bought mine was 2 years. Their change to one year for the US market was not advertised on their website when I bought mine. And despite what they are saying now they turned me down when I offered to send it back on my own dime to have it repaired. As far as technical support over the computer they make an effort to help you fix a problem. But if you need a repair above your mechanical expertise I would look for a company that has a repair facility in the US. I know this rubs the moderator the wrong way when I tell people about my experience with this company, but just because they have become a sponsor of the website is no reason to try to silence someone who has had a negative experience with this company.
 
I went thru the booster, then a Chinese made compressor before I bought the Alkin W31. I really don’t see how boosting off another bottle unless you are trying to exceed 4500psi is a better option than a dive quality compressor. If you have access to fill the initial tank why would you need anything else to start with. Most of us get a compressor because we don’t have access to some place to fill a tank. Even getting a high pressure nitrogen tank in my area is prohibitively expensive. What is your rationale for wanting a booster?
 
I fill my tank with one of my compressors. I have a few portable compressors that I can take with me to the range but need my vehicle and up to 12 minutes of time to fill my airguns between... With the booster you can be in the field without a compressor and use the tank you have (scba 4500 psi) to top up the gun many, many times and more quickly.. No electricity needed, no compressor needed. That's the rational. Inventive people started using industrial gas boosters like Haskell makes, years ago and converted them to boosters to fill pcp's in the 1990's and early 2000's. Back then I would read the "how to" articles and decided it was too tricky and expensive to take a used gas booster and rebuild it, pipe it, to do this myself. Since then some smart folks decided to do exactly that. Altaros is one of those companies that still does it and has the boosters available. They have 3 models. One model uses a 125 psi shop compressor to drive the unit. One uses you existing air tank. And one can use either called the hybrid. I would probably get the hybrid so I have a choice of using the shop compressor I have if I want but I would mainly use this booster in the field if camping or at one of the ranges I have to drive a distance to get to... These booster are also great for big bore airguns that need more fills more often and use tons of air per shot. The booster gets that air to these airguns more quickly without a compressor. Hope this helps.


 
The Altaros booster does need electricity to run the booster, low voltage, and the booster itself is on the large side and heavy, not something you would want to pack on you back.


I you had it in a vehicle and had a inverter to run it it would work.

RC




Saw something about a power station like used with cell phones, not a wall outlet right? Didn't say I would pack it on my back.. More like a hand truck. Or just carry it in the tool box it comes in for the Altaros models.
 
The Altaros booster does need electricity to run the booster, low voltage, and the booster itself is on the large side and heavy, not something you would want to pack on you back.


I you had it in a vehicle and had a inverter to run it it would work.

RC





5V from a phone booster is fine!

It's an apples and pears thing.

You boost your bottle to say 3000psi with a shop compressor at home. You can go 4500+ if needed and wanted.

It takes time but the Altaros is set and forget, it works to set max and then shuts of.



On the fly you boost your gun to whatever you need with the bottle as a sole provider.



I have an original Altaros Booster and it has run way over 400 hours and only needed the output valve changed at some 325 hours ($2 part)

I have bought a Coltri MCH-6 and fill bottles to 300bar~4290psi, from there i use an Altaros B2B to get whereever i want.



Slow as molasses in winter but they just churns on and on without issues.
 
The Altaros booster does need electricity to run the booster, low voltage, and the booster itself is on the large side and heavy, not something you would want to pack on you back.


I you had it in a vehicle and had a inverter to run it it would work.

RC





5V from a phone booster is fine!

It's an apples and pears thing.

You boost your bottle to say 3000psi with a shop compressor at home. You can go 4500+ if needed and wanted.

It takes time but the Altaros is set and forget, it works to set max and then shuts of.



On the fly you boost your gun to whatever you need with the bottle as a sole provider.



I have an original Altaros Booster and it has run way over 400 hours and only needed the output valve changed at some 325 hours ($2 part)

I have bought a Coltri MCH-6 and fill bottles to 300bar~4290psi, from there i use an Altaros B2B to get whereever i want.



Slow as molasses in winter but they just churns on and on without issues.

Sounds like a really good option.. I have 3 compressors for redundancy and one of these boosters would allow me to get rid of at least one compressor. I fill to the scba to 300 bar with the DAVV..All my airguns take up to 300 bar or more (Huben) And it looks like I could top off the rifle of choice many times at a range with the Altaros.
 
I used a different approach. I fill my 3 SCBA bottles and take them with me. Then I use one to do the fills until the pressure drops below what I need, at that point I use the same bottle to fill then top off with one of the other bottles. When two of the bottles drop too low I still have the 3rd bottle to use to top off. Have never even come close to running out of air. I bought the 3 bottles which were brand new but out of date on EBay real cheap. You can refill rifles out in the field this way much faster.
 
I used a different approach. I fill my 3 SCBA bottles and take them with me. Then I use one to do the fills until the pressure drops below what I need, at that point I use the same bottle to fill then top off with one of the other bottles. When two of the bottles drop too low I still have the 3rd bottle to use to top off. Have never even come close to running out of air. I bought the 3 bottles which were brand new but out of date on EBay real cheap. You can refill rifles out in the field this way much faster.

The most tanks I ever took out at one time was 2 and I still ran out of top off air quickly because I was filling big bores and high powered rifles to 300 bar. Not many fills that way.. No, the booster seems like the right way to go about this for me anyway. 
 
Might want to google Extreme Booster Pump for Airguns. There is another booster pump that most of the big bore guys are using. Don’t know if it will work for you but worth looking at.

I actually called them a few weeks back asking if and when they would have any more available. They are waiting for parts just like a lot of places right now. They had no idea if and when parts would be in and had been waiting for some time.
 
Xindaris slanders again. I've dealt with the forum moderator once and you can find the truth about the whole thing here:

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/altros-booster-failure/#post-924736

so if Xindaris wants to say his opinion on our booster, all he has to do is put a link to that old thread in the new thread. There is a statement from both sides and everyone can form an opinion.
Its current posts just trying to slander the booster and us, not give his opinion.


I would like to thank the other members of this discussion for their information about our booster. There are a lot of other users of our boosters with similar good experiences, but they don't need to put them on the forum, so we at Altaros appreciate all of you who want to write your true experience.


 
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Might want to google Extreme Booster Pump for Airguns. There is another booster pump that most of the big bore guys are using. Don’t know if it will work for you but worth looking at.
Got an Extreme Booster pump and it works excellent.I’m using it primarily witn a shop compressor driving the piston,then I use it to drain a 494 cu ft Nitrogen tank down low before I have to swap that big ole heavy thing.I dont shoot a ton,and I can already tell as long as the booster continues to work,I will be able to go years and years before I have to swap the N2 cylinder.The problem now is Extreme Big Bore is selling out,my lifetime warranty on the booster is already dead,and Texas Machine Parts will not even send me so much as a parts diagram for the booster.They said that secret goes to the grave with them if nobody buys the company.With the way I use the booster,I could see it lasting a long time before it needs serviced.I gotta think that a simple column pressure amplifier such as this, can be serviced if and when required by a competent high pressure mechanic.Hell,there’s no electric componenets at all,and the thing seems built like a tank.