This electric pump is the best gadget I’ve bought
27.5.2025
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Pictures: Lorenz Keller
An electric air pump is an unnecessary luxury. But the Xiaomi Air Compressor is the most useful and most frequently used gadget I’ve bought – and I only did so after much hesitation.
To buy or not to buy, that is so often the question when it comes to buying a new gadget. My voice of reason says no, but my heart… well, it says go for it! After all, it’d make life so much easier, right?
The story was no different when it came to this electric pump. I first started ogling them years ago, but ultimately decided against buying one. I figured a hand pump is more than enough for a bike and scooter, not least because I don’t even use it all that often.
But in the course of researching e-scooters, I soon came to realise I was wrong. As it turns out, the air pressure values specified on bike and scooter tyres aren’t simply non-binding recommendations, but are decisive for riding performance, wear and tear, and safety. Underinflate, and you’re also more likely to end up with a flat tyre.
Your thumb won’t do
Here’s the problem: checking the tyre pressure by pushing into it with my thumb is inevitably incredibly imprecise. Even a half-inflated tube will feel full. And this happens way easier than you’d think, as all tubes constantly leak air. The manufacturer Schwalbe, for example, estimates a pressure loss of one bar per month. And this is in tyres that should be filled with three to four bar; that’s a loss of a quarter of the target pressure per month!
In my everyday life, this means that every thirty days I have to measure the pressure of several bikes and scooters and top up the air if needed. A floor pump? Too much of a hassle.
Just over two years ago, I caved in and bought the Xiaomi Air Compressor 1S electric pump for under 50 francs/euros. Since then, a new model has been released that offers a bit more power, with other functions remaining the same.
Since the day I bought it, the Xiaomi electric pump has been making my life easier at least once per month. You simply screw on the hose, check the pressure, set the target value, press the button, and you’re done. The compressor displays the pressure not only in bar, but also in pounds per square inch (PSI), which is useful in the case of certain tyres. It’s saved me from having to convert the value on more than one occasion.
Pumping made easy
Whenever my tyres need some TLC, I set the target pressure on the Xiaomi Air Compressor. The device then inflates them quickly and precisely at the touch of a button. With three bikes and two e-scooters, it’s way more convenient than doing it by hand.
The Xiaomi pump can even inflate car tyres. In addition, you can use it to deflate tyres to the desired pressure.
In short, I should have picked up an electric air pump much sooner. It makes my life easier, motivates me to check my tyre pressure regularly, and keeps my family safer.
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
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