With ever bigger FAC air capacities and calibres becoming all the rage, even a full-sized dive tank can get depleted fairly quickly. And if you live a fair distance from a dive shop, refills can be a real issue in terms of the number of visits, time and expense required to keep a tank topped up.

Over recent years there’s been something of an explosion of home compressor options and the latest arrival is the Wülf. There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about it other than the price. At just £350 it’s heading towards that financial tipping point where a home compressor makes real sense.

The unit is compact and relatively simple to operate. All the components are solid and it ships with all the odds and ends you’ll need to get it up and running right out of the box, including all manner of spares, replacement filters and cabling. It even comes with lubricant and jump-lead style 12V battery connectors so that you can refill out in the field.

Although a bit daunting at first, the device is simple enough and the manual is well written, which all makes the filling process straightforward.

You connect the rifle via the supplied hose and a foster fitting, close the pressure vents and drain plugs and power up, at which point the main LCD screen lights up in blue. You then have to turn on the fan and let it run for a few minutes. Next, select the measurement units you prefer – psi or bar – and set the auto-cut-off pressure.

Once everything looks good you turn on the compressor and off it goes. All you need to do is watch as the numbers climb on the LCD. Once the unit hits the desired pressure it automatically shuts down and the LCD flips to red to indicate you’ve hit the mark. The LCD will also turn red if you forget to turn on the fan, which is vital for air compression and cooling.

I filled my FAC Airwolf from my typical refill level of 150 bar to 224.2 (230 is the max), which took 5 minutes 15 seconds, correlating well with the advertised fill times for other rifles. It’s not a quiet process, but not so loud that the neighbours are likely to complain. Nevertheless it’s definitely a job for the garage or the shed.

In terms of accuracy of fill pressures, it worked well, however there can be a slight disparity between the gauge on the gun and the target pressure on the compressor. For example, my Airwolf showed a 224.2 bar rested fill, although the compressor was set to 220. I consider that discrepancy to be perfectly acceptable. However, I would recommend you to fill well below your maximum level initially and monitor the process closely to get an idea how the two match up and then adjust accordingly. Overall, this compressor is a simple and affordable solution to the sometimes tricky problem of keeping air rifles properly fed.

KIT BAG

WÜLF COMPRESSOR

CONTACT Elite Optical 

RRP £350

TECH SPECS

  • Adjustable auto power off.
  • Pressures up to 300 bar/4,500psi (units can be changed freely).
  • Integrated LCD control system screen, featuring temperature and over-current protection.
  • Capable of running off a 230V outlet or 12V car battery.
  • Compressor includes carrying handle.
  • Fan cooled.
  • External lubrication port (use silicone lubricant only – included).
  • Jump cables included for connection to car battery.

ADVERTISED FILL TIMES (NOT CONFIRMED)  

  • Benjamin Marauder Pistol (65cc): 0-3,000psi, approx. 3 min  
  • FX impact (580cc): 0-3,000psi, approx. 18 min  
  • Evanix Rainstorm (250cc): 0-3,000psi, approx. 9 min  
  • Airforce Texan (490cc): 0-3,000psi, approx. 17 min