HAND PUMP or NOT TO HAND PUMP? but how much should I spend?

WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF CAPITALISM. YEP 10 or more different sellers selling the VERY SAME item maybe some with their own STICKERs on it bumps up price perhaps even up to 10x. Aliexpress $39.50 is the starting point FYI... Heres how it works in the REAL WORLD... US IMPORTER Vendor #1 Sells that $39.50 pump for $99.50 with a one year warranty attached to it and he gambles you send it in for warranty maybe one time he either throws yours away in the trash or rebuilds it for less than $5.00 then sells that REFURB for $79.50 and so on... Maybe even as a demo for $89.50. Same if you buy TWO of them (no warranty) from Aliexpress (one for your spare) and FOUR REBUILD KITS. Yo!
 
Most seem to be built by the same Chinese company and just branded for the companies wanting them made to sell. I have 2 that except for minor cosmetic differences are the same pump and look exactly like the way more expensive Air Venturi pumps. They also come with rebuild kits, although I have yet to use either of mine, so don't let cheap or Chinese (most of them are anyway) scare you off.

I've had the woodland pattern one for almost 4 years, no issues and use it to pump both a Hatsan Galatian III QE .25 and a Hatsan Flashpup .25 The silver one was bought as a backup and I have yet to need it...lol.
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I've had hand pumps from Logan, Hill, FX and others... I dont use any of them much now as I have a compressor, but still keep a hand pump around for pistols and I have been using a cheapo $40 ebay hand pump now for 3 years and it's still going strong. I'm sure they can be rebuilt if they die, but why? I'll just spend another $40 and get another one and use it for a few years. 

I'll even go so far as to say that the cheapo ebay hand pump I've been using is as good or BETTER than the $$$ hill with dry pac, or FX 4 stage that I had.


 
To help keep moisture (water!) out of your gun, keep the pumping to a minimum, per filling session.

As others have mentioned in this forum, I keep my pumping to 45 / 50 strokes, then let everything cool, then another 45 / 50, let cool, and so on.

Pumping with a hand pump creates heat, heat creates moisture, moisture in a PCP gun is NOT a good thing. The air filter on some pumps while is fine, it's on the wrong side of the pumping "system" to do any real good for your gun. The moisture barrier filter needs to be on the "pressure" side to do much good.

Pump carefully, your gun will thank you.

Mike
 
I have a compressor/tank setup but still have a pump on hand. Have an FX 4 stage and pretty much beat the crap out of it with no failures other then the check valve once needing an o-ring change. Pump has to be nearly 10 years old. With that said if I was to by another hand pump I would most likely go with a cheap one. I picked one up for a bud of mine when he got into PcPs. I gave it a run before I handed it over. I was impressed with it. For the cost id say it gives the high priced pumps a run for their money. I know he uses the crap out of it.