If you are considering purchasing a portable air compressor than you need to narrow down your search a bit. There are a wide range of options which vary greatly in price, quality, and power. The model you need, and the price that you pay will depend on what you intent to use the compressor for. There are several basic functions for a portable air compressor including inflating small products around the house, inflating larger objects like tires, connecting to air powered tools, and running industrial power tools. Lets say, for starters, that you need a small portable air compressor for use around the house.

The first decision that you have to make, even with small air compressors, is if you want an electric powered or gasoline powered compressor. You definitely want an electric compressor if you will ever be using it inside the house to avoid harmful fumes. Also, the extra power that can be achieved by a gasoline powered compressor is not necessary for inflating simple household objects. As far as voltage goes, the standard of most small models is 12 volts. This is completely fine for objects such as snow tubes or bicycle tires, but keep in mind that the higher the recommended PSI the longer a small 12 volt compressor will take to inflate the object. If you are impatient, or have larger objects that need a PSI greater than 30/40 than you may want to consider a higher end model that runs on 120 volts.

Secondly, you will need to decide how much you are willing to pay. Again, this depends on what you need the compressor for. If you are just an avid bicycler and only need to keep your tire pressure at the right PSI than a simple $10-15, 12 volt model will do just fine. However if you are going to be powering tools in your basement workshop than you may want to look at the 120 volt models that run in the $70-80 range.

Hopefully this helps you narrow down your search. Check out other posts and pages for more specific direction on different uses and various models.