One problem that I find myself with, when I need to give my basketball some air, is that I can never find an air pump when I need it. That’s why I was interested in checking out the Atmos, a multiple-use portable air pump for the home and on the go.
A successful Kickstarter project, the Atmos is a portable air pump that serves multiple uses including inflating your balls, vacuuming your resealable bags, and compressing air in items that no longer need them. I’ve had the chance to check out the product over the past few weeks, and my results have been mixed.
Included in the box you’ll receive the Atmos pump itself, a microUSB charging cable for the pump, a plastic bag adapter that helps you deflate items and four inflation needles.
The premise of the Atmos is pretty simple as you screw the various inflation needles into the top of the device. It’s worth mentioning the packaging states that it inflates balls, which turned out to be a huge disappointment for me. At the time of writing this, I needed an air pump that would inflate my various pool floats for the summer, which is something that the Atmos simply cannot do. I’m hoping that Atmos can somehow create an adapter or attachment that will allow this to be done in the future, but in the current iteration, you’ll be unable to blow up any floatation devices with this product.
Aside from this, the Atmos failed in the simple execution of inflating balls. Take, for instance, a Wilson basketball. The Atmos takes up to three times as long as a manual air pump would take for the same amount of air. Atmos’ Kickstarter states that you can pump up to 25 different basketballs on a full charge, but with its 1100mAh internal battery, I’m not seeing exactly how this would happen.
In my testing, it took me roughly 7 minutes to get a basketball pumped to a usable bounce. And for what it’s worth, the Atmos will not work while charging, so if you do plan on carrying this in your gym bag, that is a huge caveat.
There’s another usage for the Atmos that does sound promising, however — deflating products. This is great for food storage, and that could make it a 2-for-1 item if you needed it for that. I can see this being a handy way to vacuum seal foods for freezing, or in my case, to sous vide later on. The issue, though, is that it simply takes the Atmos entirely too long to get things done, which to me makes the product more of a nuisance than a necessity.
Overall, I cannot say that I can recommend the Atmos other than an accessory for in the house that you have to practice patience with. The company states that you can travel with it, but I’d have a hard time flying with it knowing that it’s got a lithium battery that most airlines forbid in checked luggage.
You can check out the Atmos by visiting their Kickstarter.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review unit
What I Like: Portability
What Needs Improvement: Lack of floatation adapter; Vacuum seal for clothes is hit or miss; Takes forever to inflate a basketball; Small battery means multiple charges necessary; You can’t use it while it’s charging
