Snagged a cheap double piston Vevor inflator... for $88 including shipping.

[BourbonRunner]

Like the title says...

Been on the hunt for a cheap 12v tire inflator and settled on getting one of the Chinese units similar to the Napa/MaxiTrac unit that went viral a couple years ago.

Based on a few nights in rabbit holes, this one appeared to tick all the boxes.

https://www.vevor.com/tire-inflator...nder-air-compressor-12v-150psi-p_010803541494

On a whim I hunted around Ali Express for one similar and stumbled onto what I thought was the Vevor unit (or identical to it) sold by "SucceBuy." When I ordered it a few days ago there was no markings on the AliExpress page saying Vevor, but there are now. (see pic)

In any event it just got here and it is in fact a brand new Vevor inflator with all the accessories, carry bag, etc. With the $7 off coupon it cost me $88 delivered. I'd never ordered from Ali Express before but figured it was worth a shot considering the expense of the ARB single and Viair 450P.

I'll be modifying it as many have this weekend when my Bezosmart fittings get here. I'll drop that in the thread once finished. The money I saved buying it from AE vs AZN or Vevor direct is paying for those fittings.

Link to the order page:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256...st_main.5.6ca71802wL6zLL&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

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[BourbonRunner]

So far my first Vevor purchase has been better than expected. A lot of the reviews on their stuff generally is hit or miss.

The unit came well packed in a thick cardboard box, will a precisely wrapped and deliver by Amazon. Payment was via PayPal.

I'll test it tomorrow. I did pull the cover to see if it was relays soldered to the board or not. It is. That somewhat complicates things in the future if this board craps out. I'll also post some pics of it tomorrow.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

As long as you don’t mind a little clean up sometimes the Vevor stuff is pretty decent. I have the 35gal fuel caddy thing and it works great! Did have to take the pump apart and clean up the internals from manufacturer mess and give it a little bit of a file on some of the sharper surfaces for the pump but it’s been working well for a little over a year now. I imagine the same for the air compressor. Maybe check the internals as much as is possible and clean out any slag from the stamping process on anything and should work for a good long while.

 

[ArcticDreadnought]

If you can, let us know how hot this thing can get. That is a primary worry for me.

 

[BourbonRunner]

@Bandit’s Lair

That's on the list for when I get the other parts. I'll do a full tear down and cleaning. Parts should be here over the weekend.

@ArcticDreadnought

Heat is a concern here, too. From some of the videos ive seen removing that rubber lead off the manifold and replacing with brass dissipates some of it but boring out the manifold and higher/freer flowing air fittings seems to make the biggest difference.

That said, I'm not sure how far I will push the mods but time will tell. I don't plan on turning this thing into an onboard air/perm installation but may wind up throwing an Anderson on the bumper to not have to open the hood to run.

 

[wuykats]

I was a little skeptical about this, but decided to try to get one. I logged in to their site through an old gmail address that I don't use, entered the billing info, even entered an additional $ 7 off coupon that was on their page. Problem is, the description is for a 2 cylinder compressor, but some of the photos were of the single piston design. Even if they shipped the single cylinder design, it would have still been a pretty good deal. Also, the descriptive text was even a worse translation from the Chinese than what you normally see. So when I clicked the button to buy, it asked for my billing address, that I had already put in. So not being comfortable with AliExpress I exited the page. Don't really need a compressor right now, but this offer seemed almost too good to be true, maybe they are on the up and up, but I didn't want to chance it. Hope others that might be buying have a great experience with the purchase.

 

[Rusty PW]

I won't buy anything from a Chinese internet store. All of your information is going to the CCP. Sorry, I will not support that government.

 

[BourbonRunner]

I was a little skeptical about this, but decided to try to get one. I logged in to their site through an old gmail address that I don't use, entered the billing info, even entered an additional $ 7 off coupon that was on their page. Problem is, the description is for a 2 cylinder compressor, but some of the photos were of the single piston design. Even if they shipped the single cylinder design, it would have still been a pretty good deal. Also, the descriptive text was even a worse translation from the Chinese than what you normally see. So when I clicked the button to buy, it asked for my billing address, that I had already put in. So not being comfortable with AliExpress I exited the page. Don't really need a compressor right now, but this offer seemed almost too good to be true, maybe they are on the up and up, but I didn't want to chance it. Hope others that might be buying have a great experience with the purchase.

AE is a peculiar site far as layout and ops are considered.

You have to click the pic of the double piston unit below the description, it will change over.

The purchase went through PayPal. Had it asked for a credit card, I'd have never moved on it.

I won't buy anything from a Chinese internet store. All of your information is going to the CCP. Sorry, I will not support that government.

They already have all of our info one way or another. The ship sailed a long time ago. Remember the Pokemon app craze 10 years ago? It was used to map locations, and people willingly did it as part of a game.

To operate a business of any sort in China as a foreign entity, you must have a "domestic" partner that is effectively a front for the CCP. End of the day, even ARB makes their compressors in China, too.

I loathe the CCP but in this instance the money I saved was going right back into the mods needed to make the unit operate the way I want.

 

[BourbonRunner]

So.. I got all the parts and prior to my VT/NY trip this past weekend I hoped to have it lined up but...

There's a couple issues.

The hose that attaches to the "manifold" didn't use a 3/8" fitting like some of the variations out there but instead uses a fitting that is common in China but not the US. Fortunately, Bezosmart sells an adapter that will take it to 1/4".

The next problem is the manifold would not seal to the adapter. This may have been a manufacturer error or it could very well be a Steve-related issue. Regardless, I could not get a seal on it. Since I was headed out of state and would be wheeling, I snagged another variation on the same off Bezosmart in case I needed it. (I didn't).

To note: There is some sort of sealant/glue applied to the threads by the factory. I heated it lightly and used a 90 degree pick to remove the remnants before installing the new setup.

A friend' has a machine shop so we're going to play with the manifold and either JB weld and re-tap or just 86 it and start over from scratch with a new piece of aluminum. I'll update accordingly.

Parts needed to make this work:

Manifold adapter: https://a.co/d/0iMD2yKx
Brass nipple: https://a.co/d/04q0itt6
Brass T fitting: https://a.co/d/00fH4nKw
Universal quick connect: https://a.co/d/09I68V0i
90-120 pressure switch: https://a.co/d/0bOvNYzG

You''ll need to extend the switch wire off the board and connect to the pressure switch and make a small pigtail to go from the pressure switch to the on/off switch. I used a step bit to drill through the plastic trim piece on the compressor and stuck a rubber grommet. I also wrapped the lead/pigtail with Super 88 tape to prevent the wire from chafing.


Test fit of assembly

As connected. Had it not leaked this would be a solid little setup.

 

[Rusty PW]

So.. I got all the parts and prior to my VT/NY trip this past weekend I hoped to have it lined up but...

There's a couple issues.

The hose that attaches to the "manifold" didn't use a 3/8" fitting like some of the variations out there but instead uses a fitting that is common in China but not the US. Fortunately, Bezosmart sells an adapter that will take it to 1/4".

The next problem is the manifold would not seal to the adapter. This may have been a manufacturer error or it could very well be a Steve-related issue. Regardless, I could not get a seal on it. Since I was headed out of state and would be wheeling, I snagged another variation on the same off Bezosmart in case I needed it. (I didn't).

To note: There is some sort of sealant/glue applied to the threads by the factory. I heated it lightly and used a 90 degree pick to remove the remnants before installing the new setup.

A friend' has a machine shop so we're going to play with the manifold and either JB weld and re-tap or just 86 it and start over from scratch with a new piece of aluminum. I'll update accordingly.

Parts needed to make this work:

Manifold adapter: https://a.co/d/0iMD2yKx
Brass nipple: https://a.co/d/04q0itt6
Brass T fitting: https://a.co/d/00fH4nKw
Universal quick connect: https://a.co/d/09I68V0i
90-120 pressure switch: https://a.co/d/0bOvNYzG

You''ll need to extend the switch wire off the board and connect to the pressure switch and make a small pigtail to go from the pressure switch to the on/off switch. I used a step bit to drill through the plastic trim piece on the compressor and stuck a rubber grommet. I also wrapped the lead/pigtail with Super 88 tape to prevent the wire from chafing.


Test fit of assembly

As connected. Had it not leaked this would be a solid little setup.

Chinese air compressor........chinese threads. Ran into the same problem with my air compressor when I had to replace the hose that came with it. Chinese threads don't match standard, metric, or anything else.

 

[BourbonRunner]

Chinese air compressor........chinese threads. Ran into the same problem with my air compressor when I had to replace the hose that came with it. Chinese threads don't match standard, metric, or anything else.

Yup. Wasn't expecting that since several of the YouTube videos I'd seen and a couple DIY threads didn't mention that it was not the same. The old NAPA compressor may have had 1/4 but the Vevor certainly did not.

 

[Rusty PW]

Yup. Wasn't expecting that since several of the YouTube videos I'd seen and a couple DIY threads didn't mention that it was not the same. The old NAPA compressor may have had 1/4 but the Vevor certainly did not.

Wifey seen a facet online that she liked for the bathroom and ordered. I trashed it after 3 days of trying to hook it up. It had threads that don't match anything. So anything from Chinese, I hold at arms length.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Wifey seen a facet online that she liked for the bathroom and ordered. I trashed it after 3 days of trying to hook it up. It had threads that don't match anything. So anything from Chinese, I hold at arms length.

Especially the bats.

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