There are literally hundreds of different models of portable air compressor and a quick visit to e-bay will verify this. At the bottom of the range are the mini portable air compressors that plug into the 12 volt cigarette lighter in your car and are meant for emergency use in case of a flat tyre, and at the other end of the range there are the larger type that have storage tanks of 20 litres or more, are on wheels and very heavy. All the same they are air compressors and they are portable. There is not as much call for portable air compressors in South Africa as there is in Europe and the United States, mainly because the trend towards air powered DIY tools has not yet caught on in this country in the same way as it has overseas.

The smaller portable air compressors also include a range of quite sophisticated small compressors designed for use with the airbrush. These smaller compressors are much in demand from campers, white water rafters and scuba divers, who use them to inflate tents, rubber rafts and to recharge their underwater air bottles. Many of the wheeled portable air compressors are powered by mains electricity – these are the type of compressor that you would expect to find in a large workshop. Others, mainly those used by building contractors and the like, are powered by petrol. When choosing a portable air compressor make sure that the output pressure and flow are going to be adequate for your needs. If you are going to use it for air powered tools then these values should be enough to have two power tools attached and running from the compressor at the same time.