Pump Brands - Differences?

Hello. I’m looking down the road to possibly use an airpump. I had a bathmate but am not impressed. I’m returning it.

My question is, what are the biggest differences between the more well known brands? I see Velseal, LA pumps, Boston pumps, Thickwall, and then at a lower price point, Leluv.

Obviously if Leluv are ok then that’s the way to go. Yet the others are obviously, or hopefully, constructed better. Is there a huge difference?

Also there seems to be a difference in pumps too. I want a guage, but for instance Thickwall has a plastic pump where I believe LA pumps offer a brass. I know they are pretty much brake bleeders but it’d be nice to have the connectors along with the pump. I have a feeling buying the connector by itself would eat you up on shipping.

Any observations are appreciated. Thanks!

Buy a kit with pump and tube, will save you some money on shipping and items too.

I would get a quality metal pump, that is one thing that you gonna keep forever in your PE career and only gonna change tubes.

The thickwall brand is good quality but doesn’t have embedded ruler, something you’re gonna miss.

Velseal seems very good, my next tube is gonna be from them.

Just make sure you get a tube right for your size, there’s a thread here talking about the right sizes for each one.

Since you are new to pumping and don’t know if you will end up liking it, you should buy a quality pump that is not too expensive and LeLuv fits the bill perfectly. You get a brass pump with a gauge, all professional quick disconnect fittings and a quality cylinder. I would recommend this one:

Intimate Body Enhancing Methods for sale | eBay

Use our sizing chart to select your cylinder diameter:

Selecting Your Cylinder Size

Ok.

Would there be an even cheaper option going with just cylinder from here then buying pump separate?

http://m.ebay.c om/itm/Acrylic- … Id=440239300386

Sorry for the double post. Edit option expired.

I’m looking for the 1.5” which they have for $28. Seems a lot less expensive than the $100 cylinders from other companies.

The reason the cylinder is $28 is because the hand pump itself is between 50 and $80. A good hand pump with a gauge that is not an actual brake bleeder is going to be between 50 and $80 for current market. The mityvac that Vacu-tech sells with their kit is $79.99 so if I had to take a guess as to why you can get the tube alone for $28 it is because the hand pump, a quality one with a gauge, is where the money is sunk in at on the kit gprent recommended.

Ok. Yeah I was looking at about $150 from the other places. I think LA pump being closer to $130 for a kit. Thickwall was about $129 for a nice flanged cylinder and pump but that was before shipping from the UK to the US.

So the pump is where it’s at. I certainly want accuracy and proper functionality from the pump. I don’t plan on going very high and I feel like an inaccurate guage wouldn’t have to be off by much to screw something up.

I will chew on this. I appreciate the knowledge and advice from you all.

If you buy a hand pump from say Harbor Freight, you will not have the quick disconnect connectors or tubing to hook everything up. Those $28 cylinders are being sold by the same guy selling the package deal for $89, and the shipping is included. Get the package deal and start pumping right out of the box.

You mention a pump that is not an actual brake bleeder, I recently had to replace my first pump and I got the cheaper one off eBay. I think it’s more or less the same as harbor freights, I noticed the force seems higher. Anyone ever have that issue with the cheaper pump? I’m thinking the pressure gauge is off. Btw not trying to high jack this just thought this question fits the thread.

No not at all. This is exactly the kind of question I’d want answered. If the pumps really do vary in accuracy I’d actually much rather get a good pump and save for a better cylinder down the road.

This is why the kit gprent recommended is the best for your current needs. You can go cheaper. It may have a gauge. But it likely isn’t as accurate.

You get what you pay for.

Awesome. Thanks for the advice guys.

I have been using my Harbor Freight brake bleeder for over seven years (bought it for $17 with a coupon from an auto magazine). I have coupled it with cylinders from LAPump (nice wide flanged edge), VelSeal from Pump Toys with a comfortable thick silicone gasket, Boston Pump with an ergonomic shaped base, and LeLuv which was the least expensive and almost as comfortable as the others. However, I did have to order a male connector from McMaster and Carr - $2. I use the tubing that came with the pump.