Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

RickyN29 · Feb 21, 2007

Hey everybody,

I was doing some testing when I realized it would make a great little write up for the boards.

I bought both a Harbor Freight (Central Pneumatic) and a Costco (MasterFlow) and did some in depth testing.

Took too many pictures, but some people love pictures....

So here we go:

Harbor Freight Tools - Central Pneumatic brand High Volume 12v Air Compressor
Item number: 93186
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93186
$59.99 online plus shipping
$69.99 in store price

Costco Warehouse - MasterFlow Q-Max High Volume 12v Air Compressor
Item number: 133660
Not Available on Costco.com, in store purchase
$48.99

(No costco? No membership? Contact me for help, I can ship)

Here they are in the package:

Removed from packaging:

Continue to next post

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RickyN29 · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

Some notes:

The power cables on the HF unit are substantially beefier. This is important too because as discussed later, these units pull about 30amps under load. Both cables get very warm during operation, I prefer the HF cables. Thicker gauge, and heavier duty clamps:

HF:

Costco:

The Costco unit has a handy little feature, the nozzle acts as a tire deflator. Once screwed on to the valve stem, simply turn and it will deflate the tire, handsfree. Very handy and easy to use. The HF unit does not have this feature

Although not important, I do like that the power switch on the Costco unit is weather/dirt proofed.

RickyN29 · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

Here are some comparison pictures between the two units:

RickyN29 · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

Noise:

Both units are extremely quiet. They both have rubber feet. (HF Unit has rubber feet attached to metal base, Costco just has rubber feet).

Decibel wise, both units are almost the same. Costco unit has a higher pitch compared to HF unit.

Air intake (filter unit) is easily replaceable on Costco Unit and does a good job of muffling the sound. It is also higher up to avoid sucking in loose dirt/dust from trails.

Storage:

One of the selling points on the Costco unit is it's small footprint and case. The HF unit comes with a very nice hard case, however, as you can see in the photos at the beginning, it takes up substantially more room. The Costco unit comes with a much smaller canvas storage bag which holds all pieces in nice separate compartments.

WD-40 Can for comparison:

RickyN29 · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

Power Consumption:

Both units under full load exhibit and very similar amperage draw (around that rated 30amps:

HF Unit (@ full load):

Costco Unit (@ full load):

At no load, both units drew about 18amps:

----------------------------------------------

Now the most important part!

SPEED!

The Costco unit is substantially faster.

Costco: From 0-40psi on a 31" tire took 3 min 10 seconds
HF: From 0-40psi on a 31" tire took 5 min 30 seconds

An important note: The HF unit runs EXTREMELY HOT. Touching the head of the unit will result in a severe burn. The Costco unit runs warm, but within an acceptable handling temperature.

If you plan to hardwire either of these into your Jeep, make sure to use properly gauged cables as these units draw 30amps continuous. Depending on length of cable, I would recommended 8 gauge +/-.

Costco Unit in Action

Begin:

5 minutes later:

--------------------------------------

Conclusion:

In my opinion, the Costco unit is the way to go. It is faster, smaller, runs cooler, and comes with a more flexible storage case. Not to mention it is also cheaper in price! The Costco unit claims on the box to fill up a 33" tire in 4 minutes or less. I find that to be a fair estimate.

The HF unit is definitely pretty, but takes up more space, runs too hot, and takes longer. With the excessive heat the HF unit generates, I foresee it wearing out with a lot of use. The case is nice, but too bulky.

I would give the HF unit a 7/10 and the Costco unit a 9/10 (for average users).

Monkey55 · Feb 21, 2007

SWEET!!!! I like your write up.. It's exactly what I was looking for, in a portable air compressor comparison... I was just about to to buy the HF one, but now am going to buy the Costco one based on size, and inflation time..

THANKS.... This saves me a >>>>> :doh: in the future...

Elias
Eh-lee-us

DXJ · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

Great write-up. Does the Costco unit list a duty cycle?

Thanks for all your effort.

tupton · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

Great write up!! I just bought the costco unit, but I was also considering the HF, so I am glad I went the right route. I just used mine the other day to bring my tires back up from 20psi to 35psi after a ride. Only took me 8 min total for all 4, and that includes transfer of equipment from tire to tire.

montanaman · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

Nice writeup!! Thanks for doing that.

You noticed both cables get very warm during operation. If I bought either one of them, I would upgrade the power cables, even if I kept it as a jumper cable connection. Fatter gauge = less power wasted heating the cables and more power devoted to compressing air.

RickyN29 · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

DXJ said:
Great write-up. Does the Costco unit list a duty cycle?

Thanks for all your effort.

Ah good question. On the box for the Costco unit, it states "Maximum Continuous Cycle Time: 40 min @ 40psi @ 75 degrees F" !!!! That is pretty darn good if you ask me!

I do not recall the HF one listing anything specific

RickyN29 · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

Since it won't let me edit, I should also point out that all testing was done at 13.5 VDC (engine running).

Performance is noticeably reduced @ 12VDC

DXJ · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

RickyN29 said:
Ah good question. On the box for the Costco unit, it states "Maximum Continuous Cycle Time: 40 min @ 40psi @ 75 degrees F" !!!! That is pretty darn good if you ask me!

I do not recall the HF one listing anything specific

Thanks. That looks like a good unit as a spare/back-up/extra redundancy for my CO2 tank. I always like a back-up plan.

sidewys xj · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

I have used the cosco one for about two years mine came from cheker auto its the same thing. I hard mounted mine use a 2/1/2 gallon air tank with a 100 psi pressure switch that really helps out with the first tire. for what I paid for it its great I could buy at least 4 of them before I could buy a vair or extreme air so its worth it to me I even bought a spare if mine quit but it has not happend yet. great little compressors.

davescott · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

Thanks for the great comparison.

jdbwrx · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

I got the Costco unit a few weeks ago (actually got it at Pep Boys) and just finished wiring it up last night. I had a 2 gallon tank from an AC compressor, so I mounted the Tsunami up it. It filled the tank up to 125 psi with out too much trouble. I'll try and get pics later.

xtrflexj · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

Cool factor HF wins in my book! Its all about the bling! As long as it looks good right?

ChiXJeff · Feb 21, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

One potential issue with the unit from Costco is Costco's buying policies. Make sure you're getting the same (or relatively equivalent) compressor. And what's available today may never be available again.

Plays For Jeeps · Feb 27, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

For anyone who runs the HF unit I'll post the never expiring HF coupon in a new thread. Enjoy

xjjeepthing · Feb 27, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

I just bought the Pepboys version.

Just need to finish the shelf and hardwire it. May add a 2.5 gallon tank later.

2001XJ · Apr 8, 2007

Re: Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

Where do you find the "Costco" air compressor besides Costco? I have read you can find it at Pep boys and Autozone. Don't have a Pep boys around here in Michigan. I went to Autozone and showed them a picture of it and they had never seen or heard of it.

Harbor Freight vs Costco Portable 12v Air Compressor - In Depth Review w/ Pictures

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