hilmor Vacuum Pump 3 CFM, 1947970

Nicely built pump with good quality feeling. Pulled down to 25 microns for my two-zone mini split system in an hour or so with 100LF of lineset. I was on the fence to go with a bigger pump based on some other reviews and info I read but I’m glad I chose the 3CFM pump and had no issues. I used a Appion hose with 3/8” and 1/4” fittings to a JB core removal tool with COS digi gauge.

I was a little hesitant to get a 3cfm vacuum since all my tech buddies use 6 and up cfm. We'll I only work residential and today I Vacuumed a 5 ton system today in like 20 minutes with 1/4 in hoses I'm a fan of hilmore for sure

Unbelievable quality, look and finish. very happy with this purchase. 3cfm will handle up to 9 tons, perfect for residential applications.

Works pretty well. Make sure you know what you are doing. Decent pump for HVAC work. Comes with a carrying strap for hauling around.

This pump works really well. A micron gauge would make it a lot better and should be included. It's very quiet for a vacuum pump. It's heavy duty and the carrying strap is nice too. Having two ports on top makes it easier to hook up different size hoses. Looking forward to adding items to make it even better.

Now that Spring/Summer is coming up, it is a perfect time for some A/C repair, refilling. Going into this I have never used a hilmor pump before, nor heard of the brand. After using it, however, I can say I'm impressed enough overall and can say the differences between this one and my existing one (bought at a certain well known discount parts store) are enough to warrant a price hike. Firstly, this doesn't really need to be said if you are looking at this product, however this is for (at least for me) evacuating a car A/C system or checking for leaks/refilling. More specifically, if you need to install a new compressor, or want to do a thorough refill, use this pump along with a A/C hose kit. The pump puts a vacuum on the system so you can read A/C gauges to check for leaks and/or to get all the moisture out of the system. Usually you are looking for around a steady 28/29 reading on the A/C gauge before/after closing the valve on the low/high pressure sides to eliminate the possibility of leaks. For my purposes, this performed well and as intended. The oil level see-through lens on the front is typical on about any pump. The oil load hold is much bigger than my current pump, and is big enough to use a normal funnel. Love the size and location of it (it's near the end of the pump). The cap to the oil input valve is plastic, where I would prefer it was metal, however I wouldn't expect this big of a cap to be metal. Draining is the same as my other ones where there is a drain plug on the bottom. I always change my oil out after every evacuation, and through two evacuations with this, the oil wasn't dirty coming out (nor did I really expect any different) and was easy. Sound level was about the same as my other pump if maybe a tad bit quieter. Pump weighs around 20lbs (~9kg) and is made in China with a 2-year warranty. One very strong plus to this pump is: 1. It comes with an internal filter to keep debris from the pump motor and 2. The gas ballast to let any existing moisture from the oil 'seep' out if it is there. These all tell me that this pump aims to prolong the oil you use in it. Usually we replace the oil after every change to eliminate the possibility of too much moisture in the oil and to keep the pump working longer. Since the internal filter eliminates any possible debris, and the ballast may help eliminate excess moisture, then you may realistically be able to go 2-3 evacuations without an oil change. I wouldn't test the latter however, knowing that these prolonging functions are built-in, it tells me this is probably (hopefully) a long lasting pump. ------------------------- A high quality vacuum pump that works for a typical car A/C hose line system that adds a bit of 'life-prolonging' additions by way of an internal filter and a gas ballast for excess moisture escape. For the potential of a longer-living pump than other manufacturers, the price premium may be warranted. However, more uses are needed to see the actual life expectancy.

I like to keep everything cleaned up and on top of things on the job so that when it comes time to evacuate the system I can focus on any leaks that might be present or if everything is going good that day sit back and relax a bit before it time to start charging which is my least favorite part of the job. A good vacuum pump makes this faster and less complicated, especially if you do have leaks to find. i've heard of how great Hilmor products are but have never experienced them prior to this. I must say they deserve their great reputation. They remind me of Festool products which are also top quality. You can usually tell a very well made piece of equipment when you see one, and hopefully it operates the same as it looks. In this case it absolutely does. It is powerful, quiet and precise. It draws down the lines fast. The pump is smooth operating. I like how compact, simple and well designed it really is. The included shoulder strap is perfect for transporting it because you can be carrying it along with your other tools all at once. A mechanics backpack ( I like the Veto Pro Pack) and this pairs up nicely. I would like to get some Hilmor accessories to go with it. Their 4 valve aluminum manifold looks great. It is suppose to have a true 3/8" bore thru out for faster pulls. HIlmor also recommends using their hoses as well. The valve core removal tool has a magnet on the back of the plunger to keep the Schrader valve core from falling on the ground, getting lost in the grass or getting dirt all over it. Yes I do want one. I also want to get the swaging kit. I think this is one of those brands that once you get one of their tools you want to start switching out all your stuff. These are all "top shelf" products with a premium price, but I do feel that the extra cost equals faster and more efficient work flows, longer lasting tools, and a more pleasurable job experience. There are always variables to deal with on every job, and I always look to reduce the number of them. Having dependable tools and equipment can remove quite a few of them. This is what I look for in a 5 star rating. Top quality.

I'll have my husband offer his thoughts on the new vacuum pumps from hilmor, he's the tool tester: I'm always pleased to try out a new tool. I wasn't in the market for a new vacuum pump, having bought a new low-end (single stage, 3CFM) Robinair pump a couple of Springs ago to replace a worn-out Yellow Jacket unit from the late 70's. I had compressor/drier replacements to do on 2 of our vehicles and wanted to have a new pump on hand. Naturally, after mentioning I bought a new pump a couple of friends told me that "I should have said something, you could have borrowed mine". I hate borrowing tools though; I'd rather just buy it and have it when I need it. The Robinair worked fine, by the way. I gave it a good review. I mostly only do the occasional automotive job; I did install a mini-split heat pump system in my daughter's house a few years ago but I had an HVAC guy evacuate the system since I didn't have a good pump at the time. I am going to do a couple more of those in the near future and am happy to have these new pumps (I have a 3 CFM and the 9CFM). When I was shopping for a pump a couple of years ago, hilmor was just starting to appear on the scene. It's new brand of tools created by the Newell Rubbermaid conglomerate, they announced the launch in early 2013. Yes, THAT Rubbermaid. They also own the Irwin and Lenox tool brands, both of which I am a big fan of. They invested a lot of R & D time and money into this new line to produce products with features that professional techs will appreciate, and they invite user feedback in an ongoing quest to keep improving their products. So, with the backstory in place, let's move on to the actual review. First impression: This thing is heavy. It comes with a carrying strap which I am pretty sure I will never use but it might be good for the tech that wants to carry everything at once. The fit and finish is great. Yes, it's an Asian (Chinese) import but you can tell by picking it up, admiring it, and plugging it in and hearing it run that it's not some low-buck no-name flea market offering. It's built to be used, and to last. I'm using the 3 CFM pump for automotive jobs and it's very quick to pull the system down, it's quiet and doesn't get too hot after 30 minutes of run time. It's 2 stage which basically means it will pull a deeper vacuum faster than a single stage pump. A lesser pump will possibly still get you there given enough time (assuming the pump is good, and is filled with clean oil of the proper type) but on a larger system with long lines it might take a while to get down to 29+ inches Mercury (on old style, analog gauges) if ever. The manufacturer states it pulls down to 25 microns which is between 99.99 and 99.999 % vacuum and that's about as good as it gets outside a lab; outstanding for a portable pump and more than sufficient for a mobile (car/truck) system. The 9 CFM pump is a beast. When in doubt, go big. If you're doing residential or commercial work on large systems with long linesets you can't go wrong with one this size. I only ran this pump briefly to make sure it wasn't DOA. It's smooth, quiet (but louder than the 3 CFM pump, naturally) with just the normal expected vibration. I like a couple of features on this pump, the gas ballast valve allows you to "bleed off" some of the excess moisture at the start of the process to make your oil last a little longer before getting contaminated. There is also a valve in the base of the inlet tree that you can close to isolate the pump from the system if you need to change the oil in the middle of the job if it's getting contaminated. Hopefully your system is clean and you won't have to do that but if the system has been open in humid conditions or you're repairing a "burnout" then you might still have contaminants and/or a lot of moisture to remove; the oil will only hold so much so an on-the-fly oil change may very well be needed and you can do it without losing vacuum if you're not using a manifold with it's own valve. One quart of vacuum pump oil is included with each pump, enough for the initial fill and 1 change on the 9 CFM pump; it will do the initial fill and falls 1 oz. short of doing 2 changes. The 3 and 5 CFM units have an 11 oz. capacity and the 9 CFM uses 15 oz. I'd recommend purchasing an extra gallon with the pump, it's much more economical in the larger sizes and it's cheaper on Amazon than I can buy it at the local HVAC supply house. I realize that a vacuum pump is a very specialized tool, it just has to do one job and do it well. If you're shopping for one you already know what you need; you're going to compare specs and pricing and get the biggest/best that you can within your budget. Take a look at the new hilmor products, not just the pumps but their new line of tools for the HVAC pros. Bottom line: You get a lot of pump for your money. The hilmor units are well-designed, and well-built; they come from a well-respected company that has been around for a long time and will be here in the future; and they have a 2-year warranty.