Robinair (15500) VacuMaster Economy Vacuum Pump - 2-Stage, 5 CFM , Red

I use this Robinair pump for mini split and central A/C installs. It pulls vacuum fast, runs quiet, and feels solid. Very reliable tool—highly recommended for any HVAC tech.

Paid a little more for this brand than I could have gotten others for, but I trust the brand. Worked really well for me and saved enough money to pay for itself.

Very high quality pump. I've owned others and not only could I tell an immediate difference in build quality by how heavy and well put together this pump is compared to the others but the quietness and deep vacuum ability are unparalleled. I live in the NE heights of Albuquerque so my elevation is around 5400ft (1645 meters) above sea level. Most people forget to calculate elevation into the amount of mercury your able to pull but I'm here to tell you it factors a GREAT DEAL INTO IT. For instance at my elevation I'm only supposed to be able to pull 25inHg with a vacuum pump that pulls 29-30inHg at sea level (San Diego, CA for instance). So if your at a high elevation like me(Denver for instance) and can't understand why your vacuum pump rated for 29inHg is only pulling 25, it's not the pumps fault (more then likely). Bc the higher your elevation the lower the available atmospheric pressure. Why the meteorology lesson you say?! I'll get to the point. Even tho this pump is technically only able to produce 25inHg at 5400ft it was consistently producing beyond that teetering between 27-28inHg which along with the build quality and quietness of the pump should make you not even consider the cheaper pumps (which I wasn't able to get more then 25inHg from) and spend the little extra money on this. I've had for about a month and a half at this point and used it to pull vacuum on 3 different vehicles (one of which I've pulled a few times bc of how old and long it was open to the elements) and the oil is still really clean. I did just get my replacement robinair oil tho- 2 quarts~$20 on Amazon so I'll be replacing it before the next run-also bc it is a tad low. I'll update review as it gets older if I have any issues but based on build quality and the maintenance I'll give it- I don't suspect I'll have any. Sorry for the winded review! Hopefully it helps someone!

There is nothing to hate about this pump! After reviewing multiple different pumps, I settled on this one knowing that I wanted a 2-stage pump. This held a vacuum for well over 90 minutes and is super quiet. The pump never got too hot to the touch and just simply worked. This was used to vacuum 3 line sets totaling just under 125 feet. For those wanting to install a mini-split yourself - this pump is a perfect addition to the Yellow Jacket R410A manifold setup, 3/8" MegaFlow Vacuum Hose, and both the Appion MGAVCT (1/4") and MGAVCR (5/16") valve core removal tools. If you decide to do this yourself - rent, lease, or buy a nitrogen bottle from your local AirGas or equivalent so you can purge the lines, run a pressure test, then pull a vacuum. Pulling a vacuum alone is not enough to ensure your lines are leak-free. I am not an HVAC tech - just a motivated home-owner - that was motivated to finish this myself after getting a quote of over $7K to pressure test and vacuum the work I already completed, and install a concealed-duct unit in the attic. I saved myself about $6K! Sure, manufacturers want you to have a licensed HVAC tech to do the work (or release the refrigerant) for warranty purposes - however, when properly tested and vacuumed prior to releasing the refrigerant, these units will last as long as the typical central AC systems.

Pump came damaged from poor packaging. The guard that covers the cooling fan was dented in and touching the fan. Very easy to fix and pump worked very well after. Comes with the three main sizes of inlet fittings. It includes a large bottle of vacuum oil. There is a little more than you need to do the first fill for the pump. Does not have enough to do the first change after break in. Pump is made of well made cast aluminum for the case and steel internals.

I have read some of the reviews of how the pump is used and the oil turns black or spit out oil i can say i did experience the oil turning a little dark but ive bought the pump with new Robinair Oil and followed the instructions, ive also let it ran 10 more minuets after the initial brake in period just to make sure everything worked well. ive changed the oil after and let it ran again to see if it was just old oil that came with the pump or if the pump was actually burning or was defective. i am happy to say that it was just the oil that came in the box. ive used it for 2 hours on a job and checked back and the oil is still some what clear but is understandable seeing how the AC system had a lot of moisture so the oil would look a little cloudy, changed it and started on another job and again no problems had a strong vac micron levels were where it should be. the oil that "leaded out" was dude to a very slight over fill of oil after ive adjusted the level no issues at all. my advice is to fill the pump up to the point were the edge of the oil surface tension reaches the sight glass line doing so in my case seems to fix the spitting oil out the exhaust filter, if you cant get it just right i dont see any reason to make a small extension to compensate the oil spitting out the exhaust filter, over all if your a DIY or dont know how to use a vacuum pump or service it ask some one for help because this pump works very well for small to mid side jobs. the only thing i want this pump to have was a larger oil capacity for a longer run time so i dont have to stop it and change the oil as often dude to the high humidity area where i had used this pump in. for the price you pay for it your getting a pretty good deal, most likely buy the 8 cfm in the near future just to save some time hope this helps someone.

I originally purchased the lower model version, the 15300 3 CFM, and I wasn't really pleased with it and then I come to find that this one the upgraded version is actually a few bucks cheaper..... what? The same pump design but more power for cheaper? Yes. and it works a heck of a lot better too. Will bring any gauge to below -30 Hg within 10-20 seconds. All this being said it is amazing for Vacuum purging BHO. With the older lower model pump it could take anywhere from 5-7 hours to get some oil under 110F to not move, but with this new one I swear I can get it done in 2 hours. This thing is quiet and a beast. Make sure you read the directions properly when adding oil. You don't just add oil until it reaches the oil fill line. You must turn the pump on, take off the exhaust fitting, and close one of the caps, and leave it running for one minute. After that one minute the oil level should be where the oil is actually at. So you need to run it for a minute to check oil levels, but other than that this thing can run for a long time and will get hot. Not a problem though cause this thing was designed with heatsync technology and stays cool everywhere else except for a few places. All in all I loved this thing way better than the lower model and it was CHEAPER. Get this thing if you need a pump to pull -30Hg and beyond.

I have a Chinese pump I bought last year that I did my first mini split install with. Now that I'm doing more installs I decided to get a better pump and gauges. First the build quality of Robinair's pump is well above the Chinese pumps coming in at ~24 pounds - it's solid. I have the 2 stage 5cfm Robinair and I checked the vacuum dead ended to my CPS VG200 micron gauge and it pulled down to 4 microns and easily vacuumed my mini down to 110 microns. One bit of advice, use a good valve removal tool like the Appion 5/16th that fits mini splits. I also use the CPS micron gauge, I bought a cheaper gauge from Amazon and it wouldn't register under 20,000 microns - junk, it went back, thank you Amazon. I also pressure test my systems with nitrogen or argon gas and torque my fittings with a BlackMax torque wrench. Do it right and you'll get good life out of your mini.