The compact device was originally developed for inflating air beds or inflatable boats and therefore does not generate the pressure required for a SUP. Nevertheless, it makes work easier as the board can be inflated quickly and is then easily portable.
We chose a voluminous touring board measuring 12'6" x 30" as the test object. The first step is to bring the board valve into the open position by pressing down the pin.
After 49 seconds, a board is filled with air and 90 pumps are saved
The pump is then simply pressed onto the open valve, the button pressed and off you go. After 49 seconds, the board is filled to the brim with air and could be carried from the car park to the beach, for example. The volume was relatively discreet - quieter than SUP compressors, comparable to a cordless hoover.
Although the board is now full, it is not yet pressurised and requires a further 135 pump strokes with the hand pump (pump set to pressure only) to be completely filled. This allows us to achieve a pressure of 15 psi.
For comparison: If we use a conventional manual SUP pump with two speeds, which pumps both when pulling and pushing, it takes around 1 minute and 25 seconds and requires 90 full strokes until the board is filled with air. However, with a pumping frequency of 60 strokes per minute, this is a sporty warm-up programme and is likely to take considerably longer under everyday conditions. Then, as with the battery pump, another 135 strokes are required until 15 psi is reached. We need 5 minutes and 41 seconds for the entire process with fast pumping without pauses.
The battery blower managed to fill the test board 12 times with one battery charge at the first attempt and was still not empty (our patience, however, we are still blowing today) and can be charged via the socket (in 5 hours) or the cigarette lighter. The charger and pump are supplied packed in a cardboard box to save space.
The handy blower costs 37.99 euros at Decathlon >> available here
Summary:
- Reasonable volume
- Quick inflation
- Lightweight and handy
- Good battery life
Conclusion:Even with just one board, the little whirlwind saves time and energy. For a trip with two, three or even more boards, we believe it can be very useful.
