How to use a Metabo compressor
Updated: 21.10.2026
The compressor is in the garage, and the useful question is what you do before the first tyre or the first blow-off. How to use a Metabo compressor, on that first afternoon, is a short sequence: rating plate, regulator, a separate gauge, a drain into a container, and an oil check only if the pump is lubricated. The AK 18 Multi is a hose inflator with a preset. The Power 160-5 and the two mains machines store air in a receiver, and that receiver collects water. Model ranking stays on the [Metabo air compressor comparison](/hub/compressors/metabo-air-compressor).
The compressor is in the garage, and the useful question is what you do before the first tyre or the first blow-off.
The compressor is in the garage, and the useful question is what you do before the first tyre or the first blow-off. How to use a Metabo compressor, on that first afternoon, is a short sequence: rating plate, regulator, a separate gauge, a drain into a container, and an oil check only if the pump is lubricated. The AK 18 Multi is a hose inflator with a preset. The Power 160-5 and the two mains machines store air in a receiver, and that receiver collects water. Model ranking stays on the Metabo air compressor comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Lubrication | Receiver | Regulator | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Metabo Metabo AK 18 Multi | Oil-free | None in the bullets (table says 10 L) | Digital preset with auto shut-off | 7.3 | about £89.99 | View offer |
 Metabo Metabo Power 160-5 18 LTX BL OF | Oil-free | 5 L (table says 18 L) | Pressure reducer and two manometers | 8.2 | about £170.03 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  Metabo Metabo Basic 250-24 W | Listing conflict: oil-lubricated and OF | 24 L | Pressure-reducing valve and gauge | 6.3 | about £176.95 | View offer |
On this page
Before you switch it on
Read the rating plate against the order you think you placed. On the Power 160-5 the title says 5 litres and the Amazon table says 18 litres, so the plate is the figure on the machine in front of you. On the Basic 250-24 W the title includes OF and a bullet says oil-lubricated, so the plate is also how you learn whether this pump wants oil. The Basic 270-50 OF Silent is oil-free on its listing, and the style field says 50L EU without naming the plug. If the lead is Schuko-only, sort a proper UK connection before you look for a permanent adaptor.
Park a mains machine where the lead reaches a 230 V socket and a drain will not soak the wall. Neither cordless listing includes an 18 V battery or a charger. The AK 18 does include a 12 V car cable. Seat the pack fully.
Leave the safety valve alone. HSE's HSG39 expects a receiver to have a drain, a gauge, a marked safe working pressure, and a safety valve that can pass the compressor's output. If it will not reseat, stop.
Pressure, then water
Set the regulator, then check the tyre with a separate gauge. Use the door-sticker pressure. The AK 18 claims an automatic stop, and one returned unit ran about 3 to 4 units past the set value, so compare the first tyre before you trust it on a full set.
A receiver collects water as hot air cools in the tank. After you finish, let the pressure down the way the manual describes and open the tank drain into a container. The listings do not state a weekly interval. The British Compressed Air Society says oily condensate does not belong in a storm drain. The AK 18 has no receiver in its bullets, so this drain is not its job.
If the motor starts the moment a blow gun opens, the 5 litre tank is emptying faster than the pump refills it. Stop if a restart builds no pressure.
Oil only if the pump is lubricated
Oil applies only when the plate says the pump is lubricated. The AK 18, the Power 160-5 and the 270-50 are oil-free on their listings, so you do not add oil to those pumps. The 250-24 is the awkward case. The oil or oil-free page explains why the Amazon words disagree. If your plate shows a lubricated pump, use the sight glass reviewers mention and check the level before you run it. This page will not name an oil grade.
Reviewers of the 250-24 describe a filler cap that arrived loose and a machine that was oily in the van. Wipe it up before you run a lubricated pump. If the airline is already oily and you are about to spray, stop. The buying guide is where the pump choice belongs.
When you stop
Stop if the shell is dented, if a fitting hisses with the outlet closed, or if the safety valve will not reseat. Stop if oil is reaching a job that needs clean air. Metabo's spare-part lines are not a substitute for that stop.
The 50 litre tank at a stated 10 bar is 500 bar litres. Schedule 1 excepts written-scheme rules under 250 bar litres for a non-steam system. Home use is not that duty.
Common questions
Do I drain the tank every time?
Drain a receiver after a session in which it has run and then cooled. The amazon.co.uk tables do not state a Metabo interval, so draining after use is the cautious habit, not a quoted service schedule. The AK 18's bullets do not describe a tank, so there is no receiver drain on that inflator.
Where does the water go?
Into a container. If the pump is oil-lubricated, treat the liquid as oily waste rather than tipping it into a storm drain. A workshop that discharges more than a jar needs the site's waste rules.
How do I know if this pump needs oil?
Read the rating plate for that order number. The AK 18, the Power 160-5 and the 270-50 say oil-free on their listings. The Basic 250-24 W listing says both. If the plate shows a lubricated pump, check the sight glass. This page does not name a grade.
What pressure do I set for a tyre?
Use the figure on the door sticker or in the handbook, and confirm it with a gauge you trust. The AK 18 lets you preset bar, psi or kPa. Because one returned unit overshot, compare the first tyre with a second gauge. The tank maximum is not the tyre pressure.
The AK 18 went past the pressure I set. What now?
Stop, let the tyre down to the handbook pressure with a separate gauge, and do not keep that preset. One scraped review says a unit pumped about 3 to 4 units past the set value and was sent back. If a second gauge shows the same overshoot again, that is a return.
When do I stop and call someone?
Call a compressor service for a dented shell, a safety valve that will not reseat, oil in a line that needs to be clean, or a work receiver at or above 250 bar litres with no written scheme. A home inflator that misses its preset is a return, not a pressure-switch repair.
Related pages
Sources
Sources from the research digest, checked against the four amazon.co.uk listings. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the 19 October 2026 lines. A listing decibel is a sound-emission figure, not a noise-regulation result.
- Metabo UK, Power 160-5 18 LTX BL OF (601521850) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Metabo UK, AK 18 Multi (600794850) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Metabo, Basic 250-24 W oil-lubricated (601533180) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Metabo UK, Basic 250-24 W OF (601532000) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Metabo, Basic 270-50 OF Silent (601594000) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- PSSR 2000, Schedule 1 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE INDG178, written schemes of examination (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)