Brave enough to order from Aliexpress?

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Z

zebra

Member
Sep 29, 2015
1,779
58
New York
Ok... so we all know that Chinese goods are not to be trusted. Ordering hpa products from unknown Chinese sellers is inviting death into your home but I was wondering if anything has changed on this front recently?

I was just looking on Aliexpress, the spiritual home of scammers and deals that look too good to be true and there seems to be a range of 4500 psi compressors available to order as one-off purchases (I.e. no minimum order volume) for as low as $200. 

And... for the first time there seems to be a range of user reviews from all over the world, including America. For the most part the reviews are good - they say things like "it works as advertised". "It filled my 4500 psi 90ci tank in 4 minutes" " it arrived quickly" etc - all the noises we like!

They also seem to come with a bunch of spare parts so you can do your own maintenance. 

Last time I looked on that site, about 18 months ago, compressors were advertised at $600-$700 - slightly too high to just take a chance but for $200, I'm tempted.

It's not like there is a reasonably priced alternative to buy in America. There's the Shoebox, but that is not very good, or very cheap. It looks like Air Venturi is importing one of these cheap Chinese compressors but by the time everyone involved has wet their beaks, the price is up to $1000 again - far too high for a cheap Chinese compressor you can order direct for $200. 

So has anyone here bought one and lived to tell the tale?

I haven't seen any of them mentioned here so I assume that everyone who bought them is now dead, or nobody has been brace enough yet?




 
I've ordered products from other "direct from factory" sites. The majority of the items are from China, some not. They have all arrived as advertised. I don't expect them to be high quality and usually aren't. What do you expect when you pay 25% of normal retail? Some products I've ordered appear to be exactly like products I have ordered from retail sites, I mean I can't tell any difference at all, the machine marks even match up. I will say that if you go this route, read the product description carefully, some pertinent information may be omitted.
 
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I have ordered through AliExpress before. The products were high end flashlights, Laser components and Engraving equipment. Most of it arrived exactly as promised. However, the United States does have Tariffs on some incoming products. I ended up being billed extra fees by customs, after the engraving equipment arrived. Also, some Chinese sellers have no clue as to what electrical power their equipment uses, they will advertise it as 110/220, but they will only be 220. Then you must contact the Chinese seller to get a 110 to 220 volt transformer, or doing some creative work around. Lastly, I did one purchase through AliExpress, and was notified by my credit card company that some bogus charges were showing up on my credit card out of China. So there are risks. I would suggest you get a disposable credit card (visa gift card), which has a value just slightly over the amount of the purchase to close the deal with. 
 
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"T3PRanch"I have a Tuxing ($210 + shipping) sitting on my desk waiting for me to get to it to check it out. (3 weeks with pneumonia got in the way unfortunately). 

Thurmond
Click to expand...
I'll be interested in your review.Only watched the prom video on their seller ad.If it does what it shows and lasts 12 months I'd be content to lose 350 aussie dollars.Any longer would be a bonus.
 
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I have ordered many items from Aliexpress in the past. It is just like Ebay and have buyers protection. However it takes a long time to arrive , and sometimes not at all. I have to dispute couple of times but have always gotten my money back. As for the compressors. Well, I have purchased one of the chinese compressor a while back from Ebay. It works as advertised and lasted about a year, now it is a paper weight as I can't get parts or someone to fix it. All compressors (imports or domestics) will need maintenances and parts to replace. Obviously the knowledges on how to repair them come in handy. . The main part that will require attention are the o-rings wether chinese or american name brand models (most likely come from China).

I ended up coughing up for a brand new scuba compressor found locally on Craigslist. :). 
 
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Interesting. It sounds like it might be worth a shot as long as I protect myself on the credit card side, set my expectations accordingly, choose one that comes with maintenance replacement parts and don't expect it to last forever. 

I don't really need a compressor as I have a place to fill tanks 5 mins from my house but $200 is cheaper than some handpumps. It kinda makes me want to buy one on general principal so I can say "where do they get off charging us $1000+ for a cheap Chinese compressor!". 

I was thinking that a cheap Chinese compressor is just that no matter if it comes from PA, AOA or direct from the factory in China. They are so heavy and awkward to ship that I couldn't imagine sending it back and forth for regular warranty work anyway. Plus I'm not sure how much that warranty "piece of mind" is worth when you could literally buy 5 compressors for the same price. 

I'll be interested to hear more feedback from AGN members on things like how long it really takes to fill a 90ci or 30min scba tank. I.e. Is it really a compressor or more of a motorized handpump. Also on how noisy they are. I read somewhere that the noise was like a blender which is actually quite an annoying and loud noise which you usually only put up with for a few seconds. 



 
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Customer service is excellent, I had issues with mine and they sent me a brand new one for free. Now I have two of them. I use ear protection when using them so no issues but would not want to run it without. I don't know anything about compressors but would say this is probably a motorized handpump. I will use it to fill my 1.1L carbon bottle from AliExpress to 300 bar so I can fill my gun in the field. And direct fill guns when need be. The bottle is pressure tested to 500bar and will sit nicely in my backpack and be dead useful for when my Leshiy gets here next week
 
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