I’m always on the lookout for decent products that do their job and don’t cost me a fortune. There is some truth to the old adage “you get what you pay for,” but I’m not certain that’s a universal truth. Sometimes I believe you get more than you pay for (and alternatively, sometimes you get much less than you pay for).
I’ve been considering an air compressor for a while. There are those few brands that seem to be the go-to for off-roaders – those brands that have a bulletproof reputation and a rabid fan base. They are great and for people who want to feel comfort in the fact that the item they throw their money at will never fail them. It’s similar to the winch market – where it is commonly held that a Warn will get you a zero percent chance of failure and anything less is simply a crap-shoot (whether it is true or not). Shopping for air compressors tends to get you a huge shove in the direction of Viair, or else.
I’m not knocking the big guys. If money were no object, then it wouldn’t even be a second thought…buy what is commonly held to the the best. Unfortunately, rarely for me is money NOT a factor in purchase decisions. In fact, in most cases, money is the primary factor. That’s why when I run across a deal that seems to bridge the gap between cost and usefulness, I like to share it. With that in mind I bought a Master Flow Tsunami MF-1050 from Pep Boys last week, and I thought I’d tell you about it.
I can’t guarantee to you that the MF-1050 is never going to fail you, I also cannot guarantee it will fail you. It probably will one day, it might fail on day one and I am sorry if that happens. However, based on my own personal research spanning hours and hours of Internet review videos, Amazon reviews, and reviews from the host of retailers who offer the MF-1050, or the more well known label of Superflow or Smittybilt MV-50, the positive reviews far outweigh the negative. There are pages of mods and fixes for anything that breaks, and many people have converted this guy into a very cabable on-board-air system. I personally know folks who run this compressor and swear by it after years of use.
I’ve used the compressor after a day on the trails right after I bought it, and it worked as expected. Fill up of my 35’s from 13 to 25 PSI was fairly quick. I was testing a new JeepsNeeds product to air all four tires at once, so I can’t tell you a precise time of inflation per tire. I can tell you that I was very surprised how cool the MF-1050 was after the job, because I honestly expected it to be very hot and it wasn’t. That bodes well if you want to permanently mount this somewhere inside the vehicle.
One thing I did was immediately changed the gauge to something I trust much more. I am very picky about gauges. With an inaccurate gauge the most common complaint about this compressor I decided to upgrade that right away and slap on a 60 PSI Accu-Gage. Not only is it a more accurate gauge, it also has better resolution, I can see hash marks for every PSI vs every 5 PSI on the original 150 PSI gauge.
I’ll let you watch the video for other tidbits, but the last thing I wanted to point out is the fact that this came with a Type-M male connector…which means the typical air hose female quick connector will fit. This is apparently a new “feature” because past reviews tend to talk about having to replace that connector to use standard air hoses. Because this comes with a standard connector, that wasn’t an issue for me.
If you buy from Pep Boys, do like I did and take advantage of their coupon for online orders. I saved 25% by ordering online and then just selected “Pick up in store” and drove over and loaded it in the Jeep.
If you are looking for an air compressor that won’t break the bank…this is a compressor worth taking a look at. Here’s the video!
