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What do we think of the new Mini-compressors?

I have had a chance to deal with the Hatsan Spark and the Air Venturi Nomad, have sold several and have not had any issues reported.

They seem to work well for filling rifles, but what is your experience? The spark is more affordable, the Nomad is higher price but has auto shut off and a carrying case among other little upgrades. Air omega, Daystate and Benjamin all have models of these little guys at price points all over the board. From a dealer standpoint they have been in scarce supply...so someone is buying them.

What features do you want? 

What is the price point that makes sense to you?

I have seen both and they are both way superior to a Yong Heng...

How would/do you use one?



Dennis

indianaairguns.com
 
They are meant for guns...they would take as long as a Yong Heng to fill a tank...which again is not what they are intended to do.

Yeah, the Spark is just over $400.00, under $500 with the 110V converter, Nomad is around $700.00. The build quality is definitely better than a Yong Heng, bigger, no need for a bucket of coolant so more portable, the Spark is 12V or 110V...The Nomad is 12V, 110V and 220V...built in switcher.



Dennis

indianaairguns.com
 
I have some experience with these compressors. I killed a Nomad 2 twice filling bottle guns to 3600 and 4500 psi. Returned for refund within 45 days. I bought a spark CLONE from Alibaba for around $270.00 shipped from China and comes with 110-220 vac power supply and two filters. So far so good but I am only filling to 3000-3200 psi so I don't kill it too. I can live with no frills and manually shutting it off. This is by far the best deal for a 12 volt Chinese compressor. Being a mechanical instrument I expect it to break down at some point and this unit appears to be the simplest and easiest to repair. All these 12 volt compressors are Chinese and will eventually fail, just the nature of the beast. Might as well spend as little as possible. JMHO.

Dennis
 
I bought a Nomad and it didn't work out well for me. I posted a thread about it, where it looks like a lot of other people had similar experiences:

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/nomad-ii-died



I hate to say it, but it looks like some of these designs just aren't built to last. I was also quite dismayed when I called AV service when my Nomad started making bad sounds and was basically told that I couldn't disassemble it without voiding the warranty so I had to just run it until it died and then send it in. Apparently AV also generally wants customers to pay to ship the compressors in (it sounds like a lot of them are dying) and they'll pay to ship them back so long as it all is under warranty. I ultimately decided that, despite its insane convenience, it just wasn't the compressor for me and returned it for a refund. 

For what it is worth though, PA treated me right through the whole thing. So while I wouldn't recommend buying a Nomad, I would very much recommend shopping with PA. They were good on their word and took care of me. 


I currently use an Altaros. 



I hope that helps mate. :) Getting a compressor that isn't an unreliable and/or expensive headache seems to be a real challenge. 
 
Better is subjective, if it can't do what another can do for more money it can't be "better" imo.

I'm going on 2 years on my yh filling a 60 min scba. From 32-3500 to 4500 in 15-20 mins. Until the mini can do more/better than that for less money it isn't better.

Filling a bucket with water every week or two, or firing up a compressor everytime I want to fill my gun. No comparison I'll fill that bucket.
 
The portability, (reported) quietness and being water and oil free are already big big edges. The only thing I want is durability, if that cannot be achieved at the current price point, a reliable supply of spare parts will make it near perfect. I really don't need any more bells and whistles.

This is by far the best deal for a 12 volt Chinese compressor. Being a mechanical instrument I expect it to break down at some point and this unit appears to be the simplest and easiest to repair

I am on the edge of pulling the trigger on this one also ....
 
Glem.Chally Better is subjective, if it can't do what another can do for more money it can't be "better" imo. I'm going on 2 years on my yh filling a 60 min scba. From 32-3500 to 4500 in 15-20 mins. Until the mini can do more/better than that for less money it isn't better. Filling a bucket with water every week or two, or firing up a compressor everytime I want to fill my gun. No comparison I'll fill that bucket.

^ THIS ^
 
Well I am on the waiting list with AOA for an Omega Trail Charger. I have considered a larger compressor/more expensive compressor and can't really afford it right now. The Trail Charger is affordable right now, has auto shut off and no water bucket required. I will post here upon receipt and give you my inputs.BTW....I only fill guns and a minnow sized tank.


 
Well I am on the waiting list with AOA for an Omega Trail Charger. I have considered a larger compressor/more expensive compressor and can't really afford it right now. The Trail Charger is affordable right now, has auto shut off and no water bucket required. I will post here upon receipt and give you my inputs.BTW....I only fill guns and a minnow sized tank.


I will be waiting on your report. Out of all of these, this is the only one that has my attention. Otherwise it will be a Daystate or a Nardi. 
 
I will second what Intenseaty said. I'd really like to hear how the Omega Trail charger works for you. I like that it has water cooling, but is portable. The Nomad and spark sound like a mixed bag, and if I get a Yong Heng I still have to buy a CF tank for field refills.

I only filled (topped off) my Dream Lite once so far with a hand pump, and I can say I need to get out of that business!
 
I am hoping, in the near future, we will have a good portable compressor with great reliability available to us. Right now I am not comfortable paying 500-1500 for what's out there currently...I hear to many complaints. I have been using a 230.00 YH compressor for the last 6 months and it has been great. At least if (when) it breaks I won't be heartbroken. Since I"m filling a large scba tank I only have to fill a bucket two or three times a month which isn't a big deal. When I can get a "good" compressor for under 1K I'll buy it.