Which barrel pump is best?

The correct answer is Carlson 6". Trust me.

Carlson

Carlson.

4" if your boat is not huge. Also highly recommend getting some sort of blower. I have the Bosch 18v leaf blower, Dewalt makes one and most other tool companies. Blow up with that and top off with the 4" Carlson. Best pump out there!

Carlsons are great pumps. That said, I have 2 DRE pumps that I have used literally almost every day at the shop for 15 years topping off boats and they are both still going strong. I have a DRE 4" shorty that goes on every trip with me and while I dont do the fire breathing dragon trick with it, it hasn't had the easiest, cleanest life. They have a replacement O ring in the top (or at least used to) , but I've never had to switch it out. The 6" is great when you need to pump, but it packs quite a bit worse, especially than the shorty 4". If I was going to pump my boat from flat to topped with it Id consider the 6". If you are going to use it as a top off with maybe occasional have to pump a whole boat the 4" shorty DRE is a good way to go.

I've had an NRS barrel pump for almost 15 years and have used it a lot. I have serviced it once and it has performed well over the years. My friends have carlsons and kpumps. They are very nice. I would not hesitate to buy another, especially if I got a good deal. I use the NRS 5" to get the tubes full before launch and a kpump on the water. The NRS is big in the boat. The 4" carlson may be the best of both worlds.

I'd save yourself some money and buy a pump from that guy is salt lake that makes them.

NoCo said:

I'd save yourself some money and buy a pump from that guy is salt lake that makes them.

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One Chump Pump - great pump, awesome price.

Carlson. My NRS is 4 years old, used very sparingly, stored in a bag in a garage and I've had to take it apart and clean and re-lube it 4-5 times.

I had an NRS pump for 12 years that worked great until it was stolen. I replaced it with the NRS... I have friends that have Carlson pumps and like them... get the best deal, they are two sides of the same coin

Blower for volume, Kpump for pressure.

I've got a NRS 5" that I can't wait to get rid of. Works great, make me an offer.
When I owned a leaky boat, this pump made sense now, not so much.

Better and cheaper and made by a boater that’s not in China.

Carlson

jberg421 said:

Blower for volume, Kpump for pressure.

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Agreed. A $10 blower pump from Walmart is my workhorse. It fills 80% and has lasted years. No need to spend $100+. Get one that plugs into a cig lighter. Then I just top off with a kpump which is SUPER durable because of the simplistic design and no hoses and ease to store/transport.

I use a battery powered dewalt vacuum with the hose in the outlet and top off with 6" Carlson. Works great.

I have an Amazon special leaf blower for inflation /deflation that fills 85%. It's a Chinese workhorse and lasts 3-4 cycles on the small battery. I top up with a K-40 pump and carry that on the river (Just looked at pricing on that and they are CRAZY NOW)

MR. ED said:

Carlson. My NRS is 4 years old, used very sparingly, stored in a bag in a garage and I've had to take it apart and clean and re-lube it 4-5 times.

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Are you using waterproof grease?

smithk2ski said:

One Chump Pump - great pump, awesome price.

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+1 for this. bought one earlier this spring and am impressed with build quality.

gbheron said:

Agreed. A $10 blower pump from Walmart is my workhorse. It fills 80% and has lasted years. No need to spend $100+. Get one that plugs into a cig lighter. Then I just top off with a kpump which is SUPER durable because of the simplistic design and no hoses and ease to store/transport.

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Yeah I honestly don't get the big barrel pumps (huge and $$$). Go a step further and get a battery powered blower (Still cheaper). You get a bunch of inflate/deflates on a single battery. Small kpump get's you to pressure and travels worlds better than a big barrel pump.