The X8 Apex is powerful, portable, fast, and smart. A flat tire is never fun, but it's even less fun if you have to use a manual pump. Since the X8 Apex includes both an emergency flashlight and USB port for use as a backup battery, it's easy to justify throwing this in your backpack, or in the back of the car for family road trips.

Specifications
  • Brand: Fanttik
  • Battery: 7800mAh
  • Weight: 2lbs (807g)
  • Dimensions: W2.5 x D2.5 x H7.8 inches
Pros
  • Fast inflation
  • Automatically stops at the target pressure
  • 7800mAh battery can be used to charge your smartphone
Cons
  • Loud
  • The power button can be accidentally activated in the soft case
Buy This Product
Fanttik X8 Apex

Emergency tire inflators aren't the most exciting of gadgets, but they sure can be helpful. The Fanttik X8 Apex is the fastest, smartest tire inflator I've ever seen—capable of fully inflating a bike tire in under 30 seconds, and shutting off automatically when it reaches the target pressure. It also features a bright and easy-to-see screen, emergency flashlight, and a USB port so you can keep your smartphone on. For vehicle emergencies or when biking, the X8 Apex is so small and lightweight, considering the enormous peace of mind it brings.

Read on to find out how the X8 Apex works and why I think it's it's such an essential bit of kit.

fanttik apex x8- lying on table

Size and Weight

Arriving with a handy carry bag, hose, ball needle, and Presta valve adaptor, the first thing you'll notice about the X8 Apex is how small it is. At a mere 2.5 inches square by 7.8 inches tall, and weighing just under 2lbs (870g), it features a big, bright screen and large control pad.

fanttik apex x8- contents

Hold down the central power button to activate, and you'll find the easy-to-read screen jumps to life, displaying the battery level, current pressure, target pressure, and preset. You can change the units between Bar, kPa, and psi, and the X8 Apex will remember your choice the next time you turn it on.

fanttik apex x8- usb ports underside

On the underside is the 5V 3A USB-C input, plus a 5V 2A USB-A output. Though in theory gravity should keep dirt out of there when placed on the ground, a rubber cover for them would have been appreciated. To use the Fanttik X8 Apex as an emergency battery pack, simply connect your device to the USB-A port, then power on. The internal 7800mAh battery (28.8wH) provides more than enough juice to inflate a few tires and fully charge your smartphone at least once. Charging the X8 Apex over USB-C can take up to four hours, but can also be as quick as two hours if you have a suitable 15W charger (not included).

fanttik apex x8 - phone charger

The fabric carry case is useful to keep it clean, but I would have appreciated a hard case even more. A few times, the bag has been squashed up against other luggage, and accidentally activated the inflation. It's loud and quite disconcerting if you're not expecting it, so take note, and pack carefully.

What Can You Inflate?

The Fanttik X8 is a mostly automatic inflator, meaning that once it hits the target pressure, it will automatically stop to avoid overinflation. Capable of handling pressures up to 150psi, the automatic shutoff only works for high-pressure objects such as tires or basketballs. While the X8 Apex can also be used to blow up low-pressure toys like beachballs and other inflatables, you'll need to shut off the X8 manually as the pressure detection may not be reliable for low pressure. Follow your instinct as to when it's suitably well inflated.

fanttik apex x8 - car tire use

As a general guide, I was able to fully inflate a bike tire in less than 30 seconds. It also took roughly the same time to top up a low tire from 30 to 35 psi. Fanttik claims you should be able to fully inflate 3 or 4 car tires, 13 bike tires, or 80 basketballs, from a single charge of the 7800mAh battery. Of course, this depends on the size of your balls...

fanttik apex x8 - bike tire in use

However, I was unable to fully inflate a child's airbed. After 30 minutes and having completely exhausted the battery, it was still bit limp. It could feasibly be used to top up an airbed or other large inflatable, but to fully inflate this volume of air is difficult. The X8 Apex works best with low volume, high-pressure objects.

fanttik apex x8 - airbed limp

Operating the X8 Apex

The X8 Apex is incredibly simple to use thanks to the directional button pad with obvious iconography. There are two modes of operation: manual, or presets. After holding down the power button for a few seconds to activate the X8 Apex , press the right button (with a circular arrow) to cycle through the presets, consisting of:

  • Car - 2.5 bar
  • Motorbike - 2.4 bar
  • Bike - 45 psi
  • Ball - 8 psi

However, the presets are of limited use and don't appear to be user-adjustable. You can change the units of the presets too, but the change doesn't save (unlike manual mode). For that reason, I tended to only use manual mode. Simply use the up and down buttons to increase or decrease the desired pressure, connect the hose, then hit the power button to start. As soon as you connect the hose, the current pressure will be measured.

fanttik apex x8 - flashlight

The flashlight button on the left does exactly what you think it would, cycling through on, SOS, and off. It's not particularly bright, but if you're traveling light and don't need the power of a thousand suns in your pocket, it'll do.

It's also worth noting that like any device that rams air into something at high pressure, the X8 Apex is really quite loud. Of course, you can walk away and let it do its magic, but I measured 75dB when sitting next to it, and while that's not harmful to your hearing, it would certainly annoy your neighbors if you were to top up your tires in your driveway at 7 am. Be mindful of where and when you use it, and you should be fine.

Should You Buy The Fanttik X8 Apex ?

The X8 Apex is powerful, portable, fast, and smart. A flat tire is never fun, but it's even less fun if you have to use a manual pump. Since the X8 Apex includes both an emergency flashlight and USB port for use as a backup battery, it's easy to justify throwing this in your backpack, or in the back of the car for family road trips.

fanttik apex x8- standing next to bike

The only thing the X8 Apex doesn't do is deflate. Of course, it's easy enough to jam a fingernail onto the nozzle of your tire, but automatic deflation to a set level would be great for those who regularly swap between off-road and asphalt. That's a very minor point on an overall astounding useful little package though.

Here's the highest praise I can give to any device: along with a portable solar panel, it's now a permanent part of my trip bag.