OP
livewire
Contributor
Just saw some new generation cheap compressors come to market, so I thought I would summarize our conclusions for newer divers, or divers not near a compressor who might be google searching and considering this: After 6 years, what have we learned from this thread about cheap compressors that claim to be able to fill your scuba tanks at home?
1. My original question, "Has anyone ever tried one of these?" remains unanswered! Not a single person on this thread mentions having tried one! Would have been interesting to hear from someone with experience using that "minidive" product or one of the others that have come out since.
2. Everyone, including me even in post #1, unanimously agrees you should avoid filling scuba tanks at home with one of these cheap compressors. There's a significant risk of filling your tank and consequently your lungs with oil due to poor filtration, leading to catastrophic issues at depth.
3. Some of these compressor manufacturers tout the use of food grade oil as a safety recommendation for scuba, of which the makers of that food grade oil recommend NOT using it for scuba tanks, which is comical! And also representative of another reason not to use these: Just because you can eat food grade mineral oil doesn't mean you should coat your lungs with it.
4. The physics of these smaller compressors may be interesting, and while we didn't tear one down to understand them fully, we learned it's highly likely that these small compressors will likely have overheating issues, will take a very long time to fill a tank, and are certainly unable to match the type of filtration you'd get with a high quality purpose built compressor.
5. Best solution for minimizing runs to the dive shop? Get more tanks!
Ultimately, if you're serious about buying a compressor, it's best to buy one that's built with scuba tanks in mind, but expect to pay in the range of thousands rather than hundreds... (e.g., a slightly used Bauer Oceanus was listed here on SB a couple years ago for $4500, a Bauer Mako K15 listed last fall for $7000) ...and I'd also recommend learning how to maintain it so you get a nice long life out of it.
1. My original question, "Has anyone ever tried one of these?" remains unanswered! Not a single person on this thread mentions having tried one! Would have been interesting to hear from someone with experience using that "minidive" product or one of the others that have come out since.
2. Everyone, including me even in post #1, unanimously agrees you should avoid filling scuba tanks at home with one of these cheap compressors. There's a significant risk of filling your tank and consequently your lungs with oil due to poor filtration, leading to catastrophic issues at depth.
3. Some of these compressor manufacturers tout the use of food grade oil as a safety recommendation for scuba, of which the makers of that food grade oil recommend NOT using it for scuba tanks, which is comical! And also representative of another reason not to use these: Just because you can eat food grade mineral oil doesn't mean you should coat your lungs with it.
4. The physics of these smaller compressors may be interesting, and while we didn't tear one down to understand them fully, we learned it's highly likely that these small compressors will likely have overheating issues, will take a very long time to fill a tank, and are certainly unable to match the type of filtration you'd get with a high quality purpose built compressor.
5. Best solution for minimizing runs to the dive shop? Get more tanks!
Ultimately, if you're serious about buying a compressor, it's best to buy one that's built with scuba tanks in mind, but expect to pay in the range of thousands rather than hundreds... (e.g., a slightly used Bauer Oceanus was listed here on SB a couple years ago for $4500, a Bauer Mako K15 listed last fall for $7000) ...and I'd also recommend learning how to maintain it so you get a nice long life out of it.
A mere $350 to fill one of my 120's is a bargain! And it's USB rechargeable! And I think I saw it on Amazon with same day delivery! 
