Originally Posted by HillRider

You don't use CO2 for the economy, you use it for the convenience and speed. A typical mini pump will require 200+ strokes to reach 80-90 psi in a 700x23 tire and the last 100 strokes will require some real force as the pressure goes up. This not only take a lot of time and effort, you are at increasing risk of snapping the valve stem unless you are careful to support the pump head.

Unthreaded 12gm CO2 cartridges are $.50 each or less in boxes of 15 or 25 at any Wal-Mart so the cost of this convenience is very small unless you get daily flats.