Final yr, Fanttik despatched us one among their X8 APEX moveable air compressors to assessment. At first, it appeared like a pleasant factor to have, however I found out fairly shortly that it was a priceless piece of fresh know-how to maintain round! On this article, I’ll recap what I stated final yr in regards to the X8 APEX after which clarify how priceless it has continued to show itself to be during the last yr.
What We Realized Final 12 months
Inflating tires at house is usually a easy process. 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 motorbike tire is extraordinarily deflated, significantly for e-bikes with fats tires. As an answer to this, and to allow environment friendly inflation of automobile tires in an affordable timeframe, individuals purchase an air compressor for his or her storage. Nevertheless, carrying one alongside on a motorbike journey isn’t actually possible.
However what if it might be? That’s where the Fanttik X8 APEX air compressor comes into play, offering a game-changing solution.
The design of the X8 APEX is simple and user-friendly. This glossy black field options USB ports on one aspect, and on the opposite, a threaded gap for air outflow accompanied by a flashlight. The aspect of the gadget boasts a directional pad and a display 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 contains an extra 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 telephone or pill charger with a USB-C plug. A totally charged unit can inflate as much as 4 automobile tires (doubtlessly extra in the event that they aren’t utterly deflated), 13 bicycle tires, a minimal of six bike or fats bike tires, or a large number of basketballs. The gadget will be recharged at house, in a car, or through a compact photo voltaic panel (when you’ve got one, because it’s not included).
On condition that the X8 APEX is roughly the identical dimension as a half-liter or 20-ounce Coke bottle, it’s extremely moveable and straightforward to hold together with any car outfitted with tires. It will probably comfortably match into a motorbike 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’ll be able to’t go away it in your automobile, because it’s not nice for lithium batteries to get scorching and vehicles can get fairly scorching in the summertime. The opposite draw back is that the compressor is sluggish in comparison with a big compressor you’d use in a storage or at a gasoline station. However, it’s fairly simple 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 obtained my Bolt EUV, I had a 2018 Nissan LEAF with a considerably degraded battery. In lots of circumstances, we needed to take an ICE automobile for regional drives, as southern New Mexico continues to be fairly barren of DC quick charging stations. At some point, I ran into a situation where the X8 APEX helped me take the LEAF instead of the Jetta.
When a gasoline automobile’s tire is barely deflated, it’s typically protected to drive inside sure strain ranges, though this could result in decreased gasoline effectivity. Regardless of the present monetary implications of shopping for extra gasoline, the method is comparatively fast and gasoline stations are broadly obtainable, so topping off the tire will be postponed till extra handy. (This will depend on the place you reside. In Chicago, I’d anecdotally say that totally 2 in 3 air stations are broken or out of service as I sort this –Ed.)
Then again, for EVs, lowered effectivity equates to diminished vary, doubtlessly inflicting vital inconvenience. This might even have an effect on the feasibility of reaching your vacation spot if a charging station isn’t obtainable 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 revealed that every one my tire pressures had been barely low. Whereas this could have been acceptable for a few days of city driving till I might conveniently high them up, it wasn’t ultimate for the spherical journey given the restricted battery energy I had. I didn’t have the additional time to go to a gasoline 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 priceless the X8 APEX was, it grew to become our major air compressor. Certain, we might replenish a tire at a gasoline station or at my brother’s storage, however having the moveable compressor helpful meant that it was simply the simplest possibility, each at house and on the highway.
For bike rides, we’ve stopped carrying a hand pump alongside, because it’s fairly simple 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 scorching water whereas tenting. I not too long ago put in a Yakima Roadshower 10G photo voltaic water heater on my tenting trailer. As an alternative of utilizing an electrical pump, the Roadshower has a Schrader valve you should utilize so as to add air strain to the tank. It takes a few minutes, however the X8 APEX makes it simple to pressurize the tank with out having to make use of a motorbike pump.
The one subject I’ve had with the X8 APEX wasn’t Fanttik’s fault in any respect. If in case you have 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 powerful 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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