Fanttik X8 APEX Moveable Air Compressor

Final yr, Fanttik despatched us considered one of their X8 APEX transportable air compressors to assessment. At first, it appeared like a pleasant factor to have, however I found out fairly rapidly that it was a useful piece of unpolluted know-how to maintain round! On this article, I’ll recap what I mentioned final yr in regards to the X8 APEX after which clarify how useful it has continued to show itself to be over the past yr.

What We Discovered Final 12 months

Inflating tires at residence generally is a easy activity. Many, together with myself, use a big handbook bike pump for our bicycles and e-bikes. Granted, it may be a strenuous train if a motorcycle tire is extraordinarily deflated, notably for e-bikes with fats tires. As an answer to this, and to allow environment friendly inflation of automobile tires in an inexpensive timeframe, folks purchase an air compressor for his or her storage. Nonetheless, carrying one alongside on a motorcycle journey isn’t actually possible.

However what if it could possibly be? That’s the place the Fanttik X8 APEX air compressor comes into play, providing a game-changing answer.

The design of the X8 APEX is simple and user-friendly. This modern black field options USB ports on one facet, and on the opposite, a threaded gap for air outflow accompanied by a flashlight. The facet of the gadget boasts a directional pad and a display screen that’s as massive and visually interesting because the one discovered on the EVO 300 photo voltaic generator. The X8 APEX additionally comes with a carry bag, spacious sufficient to retailer the air hose, and consists of a further pocket for Presta and needle adapters. The air hose conveniently has a built-in Schrader valve.

Charging the X8 APEX is so simple as connecting it to a cellphone or pill charger with a USB-C plug. A completely charged unit can inflate as much as 4 automobile tires (probably extra in the event that they aren’t fully deflated), 13 bicycle tires, a minimal of six motorbike or fats bike tires, or a mess of basketballs. The gadget could be recharged at residence, in a car, or by way of a compact photo voltaic panel (in case you have one, because it’s not included).

Provided that the X8 APEX is roughly the identical measurement as a half-liter or 20-ounce Coke bottle, it’s extremely transportable and simple to hold together with any car outfitted with tires. It could comfortably match into a motorcycle bag or a small toolbox that’s mounted on a utility bike’s rack or basket. Moreover, it may be conveniently stowed in a backpack, a large purse, or a toolbox in a automobile.

There are two small downsides, although. For one, you may’t depart it in your automobile, because it’s not nice for lithium batteries to get sizzling and automobiles can get fairly sizzling in the summertime. The opposite draw back is that the compressor is gradual in comparison with a big compressor you’d use in a storage or at a fuel station. However, it’s fairly straightforward to make use of the compressor and chill or discover one thing else to do whereas it does its job.

How It Saved The Day By Including EV Vary

Earlier than I received my Bolt EUV, I had a 2018 Nissan LEAF with a considerably degraded battery. In lots of instances, we needed to take an ICE automobile for regional drives, as southern New Mexico remains to be fairly barren of DC quick charging stations. Sooner or later, I ran right into a scenario the place the X8 APEX helped me take the LEAF as a substitute of the Jetta.

When a fuel automobile’s tire is barely deflated, it’s usually protected to drive inside sure stress ranges, though this could result in decreased gasoline effectivity. Regardless of the present monetary implications of shopping for extra fuel, the method is comparatively fast and fuel stations are broadly accessible, so topping off the tire could be postponed till extra handy. (This is dependent upon the place you reside. In Chicago, I’d anecdotally say that absolutely 2 in 3 air stations are broken or out of service as I kind this –Ed.)

Then again, for EVs, diminished effectivity equates to diminished vary, probably inflicting vital inconvenience. This might even have an effect on the feasibility of reaching your vacation spot if a charging station isn’t accessible inside your newly restricted vary.

One night final yr, I discovered myself needing to make a spherical journey that my LEAF might barely handle, and the journey was principally going to be on the freeway. A fast verify on the display screen revealed that every one my tire pressures have been barely low. Whereas this may have been acceptable for a few days of city driving till I might conveniently high them up, it wasn’t superb for the spherical journey given the restricted battery energy I had. I didn’t have the additional time to go to a fuel station and pay an extreme quantity in quarters (which might require getting change) only for a fast squirt of air.

However, we would have liked to cease off at an area retailer earlier than we ran off on the longer journey, so I used to be capable of give the automobile the air it wanted to make sure we’d make the journey and get again whereas my spouse ran in.

How The Fanttik Carried out In The Final 12 months

After we came upon how useful the X8 APEX was, it turned our major air compressor. Certain, we might refill a tire at a fuel station or at my brother’s storage, however having the transportable compressor useful meant that it was simply the simplest choice, each at residence and on the street.

For bike rides, we’ve stopped carrying a hand pump alongside, because it’s fairly straightforward to load the X8 APEX or its smaller non-APEX cousin in a backpack.

One other sudden use for my X8 air compressor has been to pressurize sizzling water whereas tenting. I lately put in a Yakima Roadshower 10G photo voltaic water heater on my tenting trailer. As a substitute of utilizing an electrical pump, the Roadshower has a Schrader valve you should use so as to add air stress to the tank. It takes a few minutes, however the X8 APEX makes it straightforward to pressurize the tank with out having to make use of a motorcycle pump.

The one challenge I’ve had with the X8 APEX wasn’t Fanttik’s fault in any respect. When you’ve got cats, take into account that the air hose tends to get their consideration. However, it took a number of “assaults” earlier than the hose was compromised and I needed to tape it up, so it’s nonetheless a fairly robust little unit.

Head’s up! Fanttik is providing a 25% low cost from July 4th to seventeenth. Don’t wait!

This text is supported by Fanttik (merchandise supplied by sponsor).

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