If you have an SUP you need this Electric Shark Inflator

ISUP Portable Electric Air Pump-You Need One

I bought my first inflatable standup paddle board (iSUP) during the shutdown hoping to give myself and my kids an outdoor outlet from the craziness around us. Needless to say, we fell in love with the convenience of iSUP boards but found the hand pump to be exhausting and very time consuming. With so many options for electric pumps on the market (and little knowledge at the time) I decided to start with something in the middle price range.

This is a great SUP pump that I highly recommend. In my opinion just by getting this pump you will end up using your board more because of the ease of blowing it up, you just set the psi and forget about it while it does all the work. It even deflates them with the pump so you end up with a highly compressed deflated board that folds up perfectly.

Compare with pricing on Amazon with this LINK Buying from the manufacturer ensures the best customer service for warranty and any issues that need solved quickly.

The Outdoor Master OP20 aka The Shark 2 ISUP inflator 

“The Outdoor Master OP20 “The Shark” electric air pump is a perfect companion for any adventure” At least that’s what their website say, so lets test it out. Here’s the rest of the description. Its lightweight (net weight 3.6 lbs) and sleek design allows it to easily be stored with your iSUP board or in your vehicle. 

Package includes 1 x Outdoor Master The Shark 2, 1 x 4.5ft hose, 5 valves, 4 gaskets, fun stickers and 1 manual.

Features:

• Digital display with real time pressure monitoring
• 12v DC Car connector
• Active Cooling System
• Dual stage & auto off for easy inflation
• Comes with several valves
• Compact design for easy storage

Quality

The air pump is constructed out of heavy grade plastic making it durable and lightweight. The air pump has a built-in active cooling system with air inlets and outlets located at the bottom of the pump. The base also has a round handle making it easy to carry. The air hose is constructed out of thick plastic and has a hard-plastic connector at each end, one for valves and one for the pump. The thick plastic does make the hose hard to maneuver as it is not bendable. The Shark comes with five different valves. Each valve is constructed out of heavy grade plastic like the pump and has a rubber gasket. 

Compare with pricing on Amazon with this LINK If Pricing is close remember that buying from the manufacturer ensures the best customer service for warranty and any issues that need solved quickly.

Using it Saves You Time and Energy

The Shark electric air pump is easy to use as it plugs into your car’s 12v DC connector. 

Next, choose the Psi of your choice by pushing the + or – buttons. 

Once you’ve chosen the correct Psi hit start. 

The electric pump was able to inflate my iSUP to a Psi of 16 in about 8 minutes compared to the hand pump which usually takes me about 10-15 minutes of me and the kids taking turns. Sometimes I don’t even want to go because of having to use the handpump.

The pump started off extremely quiet until the Psi got to about .3 and then it sounded like a generator. So not the quietest but what electric pump is quiet. 

The Shark electric pump was able to inflate both of my ISUP boards back to back without overheating. Keep in mind some users have pointed out that after inflating three boards you should let it cool down.

Once you’ve returned from tackling the water, deflation was extremely easy. I connected the hose to the deflate nozzle on the pump and hit start. The air was vacuumed out in under 3 minutes.

Shark 2 In Use Demo

Adapters

It comes with plenty, I think it should work with any ISUP board out there unless you have some strange connector this pump should work with all these options.

Find it On OUTDOOR MASTERS, DONT FORGET THE COUPON CODE, COPY THE CODE AND CLICK ON THIS LINK TO GO TO THE PRODUCT PAGE. coupon code: smartconsumer30

Electric Pumps vs Hand Pump

Before I got the Outdoor Master SUP pump I was looking for ways to make it easier to inflate my board. Only one method really helped and even then it wasn’t significant. 

I decided to compare the Shark electric pump against the hand pump that came with my iSUP board, an air mattress pump and a compact electric air compressor. 

The Shark 2

• Inflated the iSUP board in 8 minutes
• Proper valve connector
• Convenient and easy to use
• Allowed me to multi-task (set it and forgot it, lol)
• 12v DC connector

Air Mattress Pump

I used an air mattress pump for the first part of inflation, they have high volume but they can’t handle much pressure. It would only work until the back pressure started building. It saved some  punishment from the handpump but only a little.

• Could only be used to inflate the board in the beginning. Had to finish inflating the board with the hand pump to achieve proper Psi.
• Valve had to be connected to the hand pump and then to the board. It wasn’t a real connection, I had to hold it and continually apply pressure.
• Time consuming. It still took longer than the Shark and was still a pain.

Compact Electric Air Compressor

Not the small ones. This one was about 5x the size of the kind you would keep in your car for a flat tire. I had high hopes for this one, but it failed miserably. I actually gave up on it. 

• Could only be used to inflate the board in the beginning. Had to finish inflating the board with the hand pump to achieve proper Psi.
• No proper valve connector; allowing air leakage between the air compressor and the hand pump.
• Time consuming. No idea how long it would take.
• Needs electrical outlet; not portable.

iSUP Hand Pump

• Inflated the iSUP board in roughly 10-15 minutes.
• Proper valve connector
• Convenient as the pump can be stored with iSUP board in the bag.
• Easy to pump up the board in the beginning but gets harder the higher the Psi.
• Time consuming and can be tiring even with two people
• No electricity needed.

These hand pumps that come with the boards are cheap and often stop working after just a few months of use. Of the two, one of ours stopped working in the first month. It only had a 30 day warranty and the company wanted me to prove with pictures that it wasn’t working. How can I prove with a picture that it’s leaking out and the air and wont seal. I never did get it replaced.

Compare with pricing on Amazon with this LINK Buying from the manufacturer ensures the best customer service for warranty and any issues that need solved quickly.

Care

• The Shark electric air pump works best if it is on a flat surface. For proper use make sure there is no sand, dirt or gravel blocking the inflation inlet or deflation outlet at the bottom of the pump. 
• To extend the life of the pump it is recommended to keep the power on for at least 3 minutes after inflating your iSUP to make sure the built-in cooling system has time to cool down the motor properly.
• The warranty period for The Shark is one year from purchase date.

Overall, I really liked the design of The Shark and loved the fact that the pump stops as soon as the board gets to the correct Psi. Making this electric pump extremely convenient so I could multitask getting us ready to hit the water. The convenience of this pump makes it well worth the cost. The Shark electric air pump can be used for almost any iSUP board, boat, or kayak as it offers different nozzles. I was compensated by thesmartconsumer for this review.