Having an inflator can be a real lifesaver in any car or truck, you’ll never know when you’ll need it, but you’ll be happy you have it when you do. Since I’ve been driving, I’ve kept a 12V DC corded inflator in my trunk, which has saved me a tow several times. Recently, several major tool manufacturers have released their own versions of inflators and DeWalt is one of them.
DeWalt 20V Cordless/Corded Inflator (DCC020I)
Features
Typically, you wouldn’t think there would be a whole lot to talk about in regards to features on an inflator. It blows air, end of story. The new DeWalt Inflator, however is packed with features.
In addition to the ability to be powered multiple ways (see more in the value section), the inflator has two hoses, one for high pressure and one for high volume. The high volume hose can also be used for either inflation or deflation, a great feature for air mattresses or pool floats for camping or hanging out at the beach. The high pressure hose can inflate to a maximum pressure of 160 PSI, which I know several tradesmen have used to pressurize lines for various tasks around the jobsite.
The unit also has a digital pressure gauge with an auto shutoff. Simply rotate the dial to your desired PSI, press the start button, and the inflator goes to work. Once it hits the set PSI level it shuts off automatically.
If you’re in need of lighting, the inflator has an on-board LED light, as well. It’s not extremely bright, so don’t expect to use it as a flashlight, but it could really come in handy for a late night roadside tire fill up.
Storage on the high-volume hose side includes several useful accessories, like a high pressure nozzle, presta valve adapter, inflator needle, and a high volume tapered nozzle.
Value
When the DeWalt Inflator was released late 2018, it came with a price of $99 bare tool (Amazon link), although it can be found currently with an included 1.5ah battery for the same price on Home Depot’s website. Although the price is higher than other inflators on the market, it makes up for that with a variety of different features.
Unlike the recently released Milwaukee and Makita 12 volt inflators which are battery powered only, the DeWalt inflator allows power to come from 3 different sources: battery, 12V DC corded, or an 110V AC wall outlet. Availability is the most critically important part of an inflator, so having corded options immediately sets the DeWalt ahead of the pack for me. You may keep fully charged batteries with you at all times, but with my luck, I know I’d have a trunk full of dead batteries when I need them the most.
It’s still a premium cost over the corded-only models, so you’ll have to determine if you’ll ever need to inflate anything away from a power source on batteries only.
Last summer, Hilti announced that they had developed their first exoskeleton designed for construction tradespeople in a partnership with Ottobuck, a prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeleton provider. Earlier this month, Hilti officially released the exoskeleton, announced more details, and published its retail price on their website.