The Alpenglow Lux works pretty great with my Big Agnes Rapide! It's nice to not have to blow into the padding and introduce additional bacteria/fungi/moisture, which would leave all the stuff potentially growing inside. Been using it with a portable camp lantern as the power source and I can just set and do other stuff while it inflates.
Quiet, light and good speed but redundant for me as the Schnozzle is still needed to fully inflate my Exped Ultra 6.5R L/W Rectangle (FYI, lights flash ≈2 minutes). Not sure how the lights and sounds fit into my camp experience including the leash. I even made a cord and hook for it and tried with a Cnoc Vecto bladder (photos) but the battery bank is an issue.
Top Product. It does what it have to do.
Out-of-box testing has been super fun with this Lux. The lights, the modes, the… mood? Yes, thanks to modern ingenuity, you can have a half ounce device that inflates both your pad and your vibe. Slide the include leash around your favorite backcountry hydration vessel, set the lights on candle flicker and the fan on noise machine and prepare for the utmost in blow and glow on the market.
And the claims on the tin (or paper deodorant tube, in this case) are legit. I tested the time to inflation compared to my classic model and it was indeed halved. On a wide model Tensor, that is not insignificant. All in, this is pretty much a different class from the original.
Ok. So the downsides to all this awesome? I would frame it as tradeoffs rather than negatives. Because there are these funny laws of physics you just can’t get around. Faster inflation necessitates a larger fan with more noise (still not even approaching annoying). Adjustable speeds and modes means more clicky-clicks to do what you want. A blower and a sucker? Bigger footprint. The classic version was a case study in extreme minimalism (and still has a place in my heart). And with it came other tradeoffs. But the Lux brings a level of balance and refinement that is even more magical in its new form.
Good quality, very light - and very expensive
I was happily surprised at how great this device is for the weight. I’m going to buy two more soon
Really like the creativity and innovation. :) Nice to see the improvements from Gen 1 -- esp increased pressure and battery efficiency. Still waffling on if is better than inflation sack or not.
From personal preference, suggestions for future that might make me think I should use it on a regular basis:
1. Is frustrating and anti-intuitive that it holds the valve open and lets air out of the pad when not running. The natural thing is to try to turn it off or unplug it when pad is inflated, but that just allows all the work/air to go right back out. Have to learn and keep reminding self to disconnect the running device before anything else. Needs to have simple on/off and not dump all your air if not hyper-focused on unique quirks.
2. Auto-off if maxing out would be stellar.
3. Everyone is getting all distracted with all the non-inflator lights and white noise things. Kind of fun for a moment. Personally, I just want inflator function to work well and make my life easier, not have another digital thing to distract me in camp.
Thanks for the creativity and continued good work. :)
I am not sure which attachment to use with my Zenbivy light. I couldn't tell the difference by the photos. I chose one and it barely inflated the mattress. The indicator lights began blinking when the mattress was just starting to fill. I like the concept but maybe need more practice, try different attachments or better instructions.
Практически, бесполезная игрушка.
В горах - это балласт.
В больших горах - это балласт.
короче говоря, это - бесполезный хлам
Quiet and light, filled my Exped MW in about 1,5 minutes. Happy with the product. Fast delivery to Sweden.
I have the original version. So I really only got this new version because it said it would inflate faster. Which it technically does, though there doesn't seem to be any adapter specifically that works for my zenbivy light pad, so it's still pretty slow going. But imagine my surprise when the best feature ever is the little lights on it with the little harness that attaches it to my migo bottle, turning it into a magical lantern! The best. LOL Now if there could just be an attachment for my sleeping pad that actually opens up the little flap hole for a faster fill...
So far this is exactly what I was hoping, a lightweight, reliable way to easily blow up our airpads and using a single source of power that matches our other devices.
FNtastic product! Love the fact I could buy directly from creator!
Love this mighty little unit! Since it didn't even take 1% of my phone battery to fill my nemo pad I splurged the next morning and had Alpenblow deflate it too. It eliminates one of the most dreaded chores of setting up camp.
Insabe ammount of power for auch a amall device. Huge improvement from the original but love my original still for those extra grams savings if im being a nerd. Deflation feature is far more handy than you would think. My advice is get used to getting the attachments on and off so you dont feel like you are going to break them. Best peice of gear you didnt know you needed.
I’ve only tried it on my therm & Nemo tensor but I was impressed with the inflation speed, weight, and size. I hope the fittings stay true after changing from inflate to deflate.
Awesome product. I didn't time it, but it fills my Zenbivy UL pad quicker than expected and uses almost no power. Just takes one or two breaths to top it off to desired firmness.
Excellent quality product. Remarkable amount of air moving for how small and ultra lightweight the device is.
Amazing. Inflates rapidly and pretty quietly too.
Amazing quality, and pretty much silent!
Fast and quiet! Blew up my new exped pad in just over 2min
Very good. Product weighed as advertised. Blew up my NeoAir Xlite regular wide in 1 minute 20 seconds. Quiet. Not sure I need the bells and whistles : white noise, ocean sounds etc.
Works perfectly with thermarest mats because the valve can be fully opened so less pressure is required to fill the mat. Takes about a minute and less than 50mWh (according to china gizmo, no traceability) to fill a regular size thermarest xtherm nxt. Its not quite as ideal with a sea to summit mat. It works but a little extra blowing is nessesay.
A massive upgrade in wind pressure compared to the older version—I feel completely safe using it now. It's surprisingly quiet while providing a reliable airflow. The adapter feels a bit weak, but I'll have to see how it holds up with long-term use. The built-in lantern feature is a great bonus, too. Definitely recommend this!
Inflates much faster and fuller than the gen1/classic, which I also own. Lux is 5 grams heavier at 13.7g but feels more robust, has more features, and still weighs way less than the competition. Chews a little extra power but still very efficient. Deflation function works great but swapping the pad adapter back and forth from the in/out sides is just fussy enough that I probably won't bother with it most of the time.
LEDs feel kinda unnecessary... though the lantern leash setup does work nicely with my NOBO water bottle. Leash feels kinda flimsy, we'll see if it lasts. Could probably make the same setup work with just a piece of shock cord. Maybe could have shaved an extra half-gram by omitting the LEDs (and associated circuitry/board space) but the "I've filled it as far as I can" status blink and light source options are solid features.
Only time will tell if the "white noise generator" functions get much use but at a weight penalty of 0g, who cares?! When placed near your head, it does indeed kick out just enough noise to mask the pitter-patter of small rodents running around at the edge of your campsite... Or your tinnitus.
Bottom line, totally worth the extra weight for the more robust build and pad inflation/deflation performance, even if you don't use any of the light/noise functions.
Really love this pump. Replacing my Flextail and really gives your tent a cozy feeling with the reading lights. Love putting it on the candle setting. The noise machine function is nice as well. I will say just to set expectations it gets my rapide sl wide long about 80% of the way there. Just one pump for my pump sack and its fully inflated. The nozzles work perfectly and securely. Love being able to just set it and forget it, then just wait for the reading lights to flash! Extremely well thought out peice of gear.
This is an incredible little gadget! I had never used a pump before, but I used it on a week long trip and it’s definitely coming with me on all my trips now. It inflated my mattress quickly and the deflate feature made packing up a breeze.