Electric Air Pump Review
In 2020 we took the plunge and purchased an inflatable paddle board. The paddle board comes with a manual pump. However, in my opinion upgrading to an electric air pump is essential.
An electric air pump connects to the 12-volt car adaptor socket. In my younger days this was called the cigarette lighter, now it is the cell phone charger.
An electric air pump is extremely convenient because you can inflate your paddle board, kayak, etc right in the parking lot. Manual pumps work but they are a great deal of effort and tend to give me a sore back. I like to save my exercise for going on the water.
Many paddle board companies sell an electric air pump as an add-on. In most cases they cost a $100 or more. I managed to a great deal on a highly rated Tumico pump for $76. Paddle board manufacturers were charging $125+ for similar pumps.
UPDATE: July 2020. The COVID-19 situation has meant many people are seeking out water sports as a way to get out on their own. The cost of paddle boards accessories like air pumps have gone up since we bought ours. We will update this post as things get back to normal.
I have bought many air pumps over the years and have learned not to cut corners. The Tumcio strikes the balance between high-end features at a low-end price. I have used it dozens of times and it works like a charm.
The Tumico has a digital display where you can set the pressure up to 20 PSI. Our inflatable paddle board is designed to be inflated to a minimum 11 PSI and a maximum 15 PSI. I set the Tumico on 13 PSI. It automatically shuts off when it reaches that level.
The Tumico also remembers my setting so every time it starts at 13 PSI. Note the maximum is 20 PSI. There are some high-end products that go up to higher PSI so make sure and check. Almost all products I am in the market for are under 20 PSI.
It is amazing how long it takes to get to the full 13 PSI. In the first minute the SUP will inflate to its full size. However, the PSI will only be at 1. The pump continues going for another 10 minutes or so to get to 13. The 2-stage motor automatically slows down as pressure increases.
The beauty is that you can turn the pump on and start unpacking the car and getting ready while it inflates. In almost every case the timing is perfect. By the time I am ready to go the board is inflated.
Over the years I have seen people trying to pump their paddle boards with a manual pump. I knew if I bought a SUP I would also buy an electric air pump. The convenience means I use my board several times a week. If I had to manually pump my board each time usage would plummet.
My Tumico pump comes with six adaptors. The standard adaptor for SUPs and most inflatable watercraft is the Halkey-Roberts adaptor. The other adaptors can be used for all kinds of inflatable devices, however so far we have only used ours for our paddle board. I would note we own several pumps and air compressors, so for us this is very much a specialty product.
The maximum length of the cord from plug to charger is 13 feet. This is plenty of room for flexibility in crowded parking situations.
The pump has two nozzles: deflate and inflate. To deflate the board, you simply connect the hose to the deflate nozzle and turn it on. It deflates in about 3 minutes.
Overall, I have been really happy with our Tumico air pump. As far as I can tell it does the job just as well as pumps that cost significantly more.
Note if you have an air compressor you can buy a Halkey Roberts inflatable adaptor for $10-15. Our problem is our electric air compressors are not for mobile use. However, there are some 12V tire pumps for bike and car tires in the $30 to $40 range.
One thing I will note about all air pumps is that they tend to break with heavy use. Our Tumico is going strong after several months of heavy usage but we will update this post if that changes. For every air pump we looked at this was the most common complaint.
Be sure and check out our full overview and guide to San Diego paddle boarding for more information.
Also you can see the review of our ROC paddle board.
