another bad habit

I have terrible discipline. I use this blog partly to conquer my fears of writing and finishing things. I think my fear of finishing things is the greater one.

Many posts here sit half-written as drafts until I have something else I want to say. Only then do I slap an ending on the previous thought and shove it out the door. Today is one of those days.

'tunes' was hustled onto the site because I had a flat tire this morning. I used my Ryobi cordless inflator for the first time and I wanted to share my thoughts about it.

I was already late getting the kids to school this morning when I spotted the flat. I grabbed the inflator from the spare tire well, slapped a battery into it, and set it up. Where did the battery come from? From a cordless impact driver rattling around the trunk, of course.

This device is not by itself a rescue inflator. It doesn't have a reflector or flashlight. It does not have a battery charger. It does not have a 12V cable. You turn up with a charged Ryobi battery, keep a charged battery installed, or keep a 12V Ryobi battery charger around. I had the inflator in my trunk only because it had been there since I bought it.

With that caveat aside, I was rescued. The charger seemed quieter and more powerful than the 12V cigarette inflators I've used before. The charger took my 205/55R16 Dunlop from 12.5 psi to 32 psi in  what seemed like a couple of minutes. My guess is that 12V compressors are probably limited to about 5 amps (for 60W total) from the cigarette lighter socket. I used the Ryobi with a 1.5Ah lithium battery that could probably supply 250W. I have no idea what the compressor actually draws.

The built-in digital pressure gauge was backlit and easy to read. The air hose was a bit short. You could comfortably inflate the 22 inch rubber on your dub ride only with the valve stem near the ground. The chuck seemed a bit cheap.

The inflator, with lithium battery, weighed less than some corded inflators I have owned. The assembly weighs far less than many junky cordless inflators built around a heavy lead acid battery.

I have no dissatisfaction with this unit but I wish Ryobi would build a box that combines the inflator with a 12V charger and a 12V jumpstarter. I think my ideal device would probably charge and hold two Ryobi One+ batteries.

I'm publishing this post the same day it was written. I wish it was because I sat down, wrote it, and published it in a fluid motion. It's not. I have to tell you about a time lapse shutter gadget I'm building for my daughter. I can't start writing that until this goes out the door.