I knew a compressor was essential — for airing down before sand, airing back up afterwards, and for pumping a tyre back up after a plug repair. I chose this one mostly on capacity (150 PSI, 180 L/min) while I was already in Repco for something else. Not an informed decision.
The supplied hose and gauge let it down. The gauge is more of a random number generator than a measuring instrument — better for picking lotto numbers than checking tyre pressures. So I worked out my own system: drop pressures to around 14 psi for a beach trip, then on the way back run the compressor and count to 120. That puts me right where I want to be.
Used it several times like that. The compressor has run faultlessly. The gauge still lies.