GX-L3 Mini Portable Compressor

On test here is the brand new GX-L3 Mini Portable Compressor, and having now spent some time with it, it’s a slick piece of machinery let me tell you. Made by GX Pumps in China (a highly respected name in the business), this latest venture, in conjunction with UK distributors, Gilbert Distribution, is an exclusive development between the two companies. I’m assured considerable research was undertaken into this sector of the market, and once you peruse the end product, it’s not difficult to believe.

Let’s start by stating that the L3 is designed to charge PCP airguns only, and not divers bottles. If you’re a club and you want a full recharge/bottle filling system, look elsewhere. There are plenty of options. The L3 is all about individual shooters, either quickly filling up at home or just dropping the compressor into the car, and having instant refills to hand, on the go, wherever! Consider that the unit on its own is just £440 and you’ll begin to appreciate this model’s huge appeal. So let’s see how it all works.

Full independence

I have to say, right from dealing with the UK importers at the outset, through to familiarization and navigating the operating instructions, my experience of the L3 has been a wholly civilized process. At 17.8lbs, the unit isn’t super lightweight, but in practice, and in use, any healthy adult can easily pick it up to manoeuvre it with little effort. The big selling point with this machine, as mentioned, is the total portability, and that comes from the use of battery power.

The GX-L3 uses an 18v Makita-style battery and as explained to me by the distributors, there’s a pricing structure for this new compressor to take into account that many customers will already have their own Makita-style batteries lying about, from power tools etc. Therefore, the compressor is being offered with or without, batteries and mains charger, priced accordingly. Nice one.

N.B.

A key point at this stage is that if you opt to use your own 18v Makita compatible batteries, then they need to be the right specification - 6ah (amperehour). Anything less will affect the performance of the machine.

Getting started

For the review, I was sent the full kit, so GXL3 Compressor, 2x 18v batteries and the DC18RC Lithium-Ion plug-in mains charger. Order all this and it comes in at just under £500, so those batteries and the charger are hardly breaking the bank.

The batteries come semi-charged but they need to be topped up. To charge a battery, it just slides and snaps into its groove from the top. The charger initially plays a jingle, and then a red and green light comes on. This signifies ‘nearly charged’. When the battery is fully charged (30 min to 1 hour) just the green light should show. Again, a small jingle plays to tell you it’s charged, which is all very neat.

So, back to the set-up. With our now fully charged batteries, these need to snap into position on the top of the compressor. You can attach two batteries, but this doesn’t speed up the fill time. Instead, it increases the duration of the battery life. Before the charging of an airgun can start, the instructions recommend the running of a quick test of the machine, with a small metal plug inserted into the airline. Simply start it up and time the pressure build-up to 3000psi. This should be around 18 seconds. Keep a record, and a future test can give an indication of the condition and efficiency of the machine. With the test done, normal use can begin.

Filling procedure:

1. Remove blanking plug from airline and attach rifle’s filling adaptor to the airline.

2. Attach the airline/hose to the rifle’s inlet valve.

3. Set the compressor’s pressure gauge to the desired pressure.

4. Switch the compressor’s on/off switch to ‘ON’ and you should hear three loud cooling fans start up.

5. Tighten the bleed valve on the compressor.

6. Press ‘START’ and the chug, chug, chug of the operation is then heard. The needle on the manometer can then be seen slowly climbing, and when the desired pressure is reached, the motor automatically cuts off, and the ‘OFF’light illuminates.

7. Switch the main switch to ‘OFF’.

8. Open the bleed valve.

9. Disconnect the airline from the rifle.

All importantly, batteries can be topped up at any stage. You’ll probably notice when the battery is beginning to run down, when the unit is still running but failing to complete the fill.

On test

I happened to have a brand new Reximex Pretensis to hand for the test and filling from a residual 100bar up to 200bar took just four minutes. Personally, I find I’m topping up a PCP from one or two shooting sessions, rather than filling from scratch, so this is the more likely scenario.

Filling from a near-empty 30bar up to 200bar took 7 minutes. On the battery front, with just one battery in place, the filling process failed mid-fill, on a third fill. With two batteries attached, I managed two fills, then tested the batteries and they still showed ‘nearly charged’.

Conclusion

I would definitely use the compressor with two batteries, as this minimizes getting caught out with low power. However, having now had a good extended session of testing, this is a great piece of kit, bringing total independence, whether shooting at home, up the range or in the field. Well thought out, and robust in design.