Choosing an Air Pump for your Rocket
The best pumps for use with AntiGravity rockets are:
1. A vertical hand powered pump with a stand-on base. The barrel should be 1.25 inches diameter, and have a 20 inch stroke. We always recommend The Rocket Pump from AntiGravity because of its built-in pressure reservoir canister and extreme durability.
or
2. A cordless electric air compressor that can supply air at 120 PSI. One recommendation is the Ryobi One+18V Cordless compressor with two 6-ampere-hour batteries. It is much more expensive than the Rocket Pump, but here at AntiGravity we use this one a lot. On a typical workday we will launch ten or more 3-stage rockets, which is a lot of exercise (2000 + pumps).
Bad Pumps -
Air mattress pump - pressure is too low.
Good Pumps -
Generic pump - has 1.5 inch barrel and a 20 inch stroke. Difficult to pump, but useable.
Tiny bike pump - Takes too long to fill a rocket.
Name brand pump - has a 1.25 inch barrel and a 20 inch stroke. Good performance and relatively good reliability.
Foot operated pump - pressure too low, pumping is cumbersome, high failure rate.
Cordless electric pump - A good pump for launching many rockets in a day, or if you tend to get tired pumping up the rockets by hand.
Electric Plug-In air compressors - too long extension cord required.
The Rocket Pump from AntiGravity - Best. You'll get the highest flights for your efforts. The durability and pressure reservoir canister make all the difference.