Difficulty is largely dependent on tyre/rims I find. My mountain bike tyres go up as if they have a tube in them, every time. Normal pumping action, no additional effort required.

Other bikes I just use a track pump with vigorous and repeated pumping action, removing valve cores if necessary.

Only once I had one stubborn enough that I thought I might need to buy a dedicated tool for the job, but it went up eventually with a couple of co2 cartridges.

I have an Airshot and its is yet to fail to seat any tyre to any rim Ive tried

I’ve never seated a tubeless tyre with a pump

Have you tried and failed or never tried?

I have a compressor and I think I've used it once for seating a tubeless after the track pump failed to seat it. Even then it didn't go up well and I eventually put a tube in it. IMO if it doesn't go up easily with a pump then I wouldn't be that happy riding it. Every tubeless tyre I currently ride goes straight up with a track pump

If you buy an airshot you will probably find that magically all your tyres go up first time with a track pump. That was my experience when I made my own tubeless compressor.

I made a diy airshow with a 3l plastic bottle, couple of valves, and pvc tube. Been perfect for years for a range of rims and tyres.

IMO if it doesn’t go up easily with a pump then I wouldn’t be that happy riding it.

I have ridden tubeless for 5 years + and have never managed to seat a tyre with just a track pump!

I’ve never got a tyre to pop onto a rim with a track pump before - tried a few times and failed. Using an airshot I’ve had no issues with any tyres really - 1 slightly tricky one needed a bit of washing up liquid solution on it but all the others have just gone on ‘dry’. The airshot has been so worth the money - I’m a regular tyre swapper (some say nerd) and it just makes it so easy.

Just as a counter, I have not failed to get a tyre to seat with a standard track pump for around 3 years. Even very stubborn tyres (or wheels with big dings) will work if you use a tyre lever to pull half the bead on, on each side. I don't bother with washing up liquid, but I have often (but not always) run inserts, which almost guarantees they will seat with a normal pump.

I’ve never managed to get a MTB tyre to seat with a track pump. I didn’t have room to house a compressor with a tank so I bought one of the Aldi 240v tyre inflators, essentially a small compressor pump without the tank, and fashioned an inflator out of an old CO2 fire extinguisher.

It works every time.

The tyre inflator / compressor is very noisy but I only have to run it for less than a minute to charge the fire extinguisher, which is normally good for two tyres.

I have a lovely quiet compressor & an Airshot - Airshot every time!

Airshot ftw! I mostly get them to seat with a trackpump, but if it fails first go, then it's usually quicker to pump up the airshot than muck about with getting a bit of bead on etc and trying again with a track pump.

I've never needed washing up liquid either. Just pumped up to 40 psi and waited a few mins for a pop as the tyre seats itself.

If I didn't have a compressor, I'd buy an airshot, after seeing one in action.
Would I bin my compressor, in preference to an airshot? No!
I step out of my garage when the compressor fills, it hardly earth shattering.

Haven't used my compressor since I got an airshot

But an air compressor does much more than just pumping up tyres.

Airline for cleaning/drying the bike and shoes after a muddy ride,
Airline for operating the plasma cutter,
Airline tools - DA sander, nibbler, drill, paint spray gun,

I would not be without mine at all.

The workshop I work in has a big 100l compressor. Some road tubeless tyres *cough giant pirelli cough* won't even inflate with the compressor. The airshot will get them up pretty much everytime.

Most modern mtb tyres with wide rims will go up with just a track pump. Maxxis seem especially easy.

But an air compressor does much more than just pumping up tyres.

Right compressors going.
I bought it a couple of years ago thinking I would use it lots for paint spraying. I've since sprayed one thing.
With the garage door closed I can hear it running halfway down the street!
All my other tools are battery powered so really don't need it.
Thanks everyone

I've not failed yet to seat a tyre with my specialized air bottle. Honestly on dt swiss rims half of the time they go up with the track pump these days. Usually riding maxxis doubledown or schwalbe supertrail tyres.

Some road tubeless tyres *cough giant pirelli cough* won’t even inflate with the compressor. The airshot will get them up pretty much everytime.

Oh god, I'm slowly coming around to going tubeless on the winter road bike, with Pirelli tyres. So they're OK with an airshot?

Thing with compressors is how do you know they're delivering AS MUCH air as an airshot? I think with tubeless it's all just about that initial dump of air, can a compressor match an airshot for initial volume? I didn't think so.

Did my fastest tyre change the other day, after a big 'ol tyre slice on the bridleway near my home. Definitely helped by my airshot. Tyre/rim combo was DHR2 on an EX511. Pumped up to 160psi, opened valve, pop, pop, seated.

However, I have been unsuccessful in getting my WTB i19/Schwalbe G-one (38mm) to seat on my commuter. I may need to retape and reattempt.

If doing tyres is your only requirement, I'd say you don't need a compressor. Get an airshot.

What compressor is it? If its half decent I could be interested. I want second one for my workshop to use with my CNC milling machine.

You could buy one of those track pump/tubeless cylinder combos? I have an airshot, it works most of the time, my rims have a few straightening dings so it can sometimes take a little fiddling to get it up.

Still better than a track pump on its own though!

I used to be able to pretty much get any MTB tyre inflated tubeless on any rim with a track pump, but a birthday gift cert saw me buying an Airshot and I've now been wondering why I hadn't done so before. Takes all the hassle out it completely.