AIRHEADDouble Action Hand Pump

We just got back from camping, and got a chance to use this pump. Well, actually, we *had* to use this pump, because I forgot to pack my battery powered air mattress pump that we normally use. OK, here's the story: I've always used a 4 D-cell battery powered air mattress pump. It works pretty quickly, but never had enough power to really make the mattress firm enough. Wanting a bit better sleep on this summer's camping trips, I did some research and found the Airhead hand pump. My original plan was to fill up our queen-size air mattress 90% of the way with the battery pump, and then finish it off with a hand pump to actually get it firm enough for good sleep. I figured that would be faster and easier.Well, so we put up the tent, and I asked my wife where the battery pump was. Turns out that each of us thought that the other person had packed it in the truck. So, instead we got out the Airhead pump and got to work. I was very impressed with this hand pump. The "double action" pumping really moves a lot of air quickly, and the pump operated smoothly. It really did not take very much effort. We each took two short turns pumping, and the queen air mattress was just about full. I switched over to single-action mode for the last few pumps, as I thought I remembered reading that you could get better pressure this way. Unlike some of the reviewers, I had no problem with the hose coming out of the mattress. It simply worked great. My only advice is to pump smoothly and take care not to push/pull the handles crookedly as it is a plastic mechanism and I suppose that this would cause the plastic to stress and break eventually.Bottom line: This thing is a bargain. It didn't take any longer than using the battery pump (possibly even less?) and for the first time, we were able to blow up the mattress to be firm enough. Plus, I no longer need to worry about checking the batteries in the electric pump. From now on, this will be the only one we're packing in the truck.

Quickly filled my excersise balleasy to use, much sturdier than others I've used.

This double action pump is great for quickly inflating and deflating my Rio Sevylor inflatable canoe. I am able to complete the process in under 10 minutes. Overall, I recommend this product.There are only two caveats, but both are minor:-I wish I had purchased the version that included a pressure gauge. The reviews on those similar pumps sometimes mentioned that the pressure gauge seemed to be calibrated incorrectly. However, I think one could use another gauge to figure that out. I bought a separate inline Bravo gauge that cost about $30. It is accurate but difficult to rig up with the pump.-The knob that allows one to switch this pump from dual to single action does not want to stay in the single action position. This is not a problem for me, as I prefer the speed and workout that goes with using it as dual action. I am sure you could rig up a solution to keep it open.UPDATE:Another thing to watch out for is that the hose easily begins to kink near where it attaches to the handle. I had been storing the pump with the hose attached in my mesh duffel, and I realized I have to remove the hose and store it coiled in a safer spot. I am going to try to slip a rubber hose piece or put some wraps of duct tape over that spot to prevent it from getting worse.

This thing just works like a champ. It IS a little big - you wouldn't want it in your backpack, I don't think, but for camping where you take a vehicle, or for at home if you just want something that will work without electricity, this works just great. The attachments had one that fits, and stays in til you take it out, my old Coleman single air mattress. Fills it very quickly using the pump on both strokes setting. Even fills fairly fast on the single stroke setting since the air chamber is fairly large, but the 2-stroke is much faster and not that much harder to do. Got it for a few bucks less marked "Used" from Amazon's Warehouse Deals as the box it came in was mangled. What do I care about the box? Such a deal...Update 7-3-16: Still loving this pump. Had to get a new air matress, got an extra tall one this time, twin size. It took 200 strokes on the double pump setting. That may sound like a lot, and I guess it kind of is, but I like that the inflation can be accomplished without electricity and I just wanted to see how long/how many strokes it took. Though I hate the sound the electric pumps make, next time I probably would use one for the initial fill, and finish it off with this hand pump as this one will definitely get you up to a much firmer fill. The electric ones, mine at least, will start to complain at the resistance as the item gets almost full, leaving you with a mushy matress. A few pumps with the AirHead gets rid of all that mushiness. I'd buy this thing again in a heartbeat.

The pumping mechanism seemed to work fine but since the hose tabs broke upon first use I had to hold the hose while I was pumping (which is not easy to do). Of course the first time I needed to use it was just outside my return period. If you chose to buy this pump, open it immediately and test it out right away so if the same thing happens to you you can still return it.