I am considering getting CO2 for that reason. Any thoughts- would it be best to use a pump and inflater or do these combo devices work well? Something like
https://www.ridepdw.com/goods/inflation/magic-flute Or is it a case of compromise where neither works as well as it would as a stand alone device?
I used one of these while making the transition from pump to CO2. Or the Bontrager equivalent, anyway. My thinking was that I'd have a pump as backup if the CO2 inflation ever failed, multiple flats in a day, etc.--all the horror stories the pump-only crowd like to scare us with.
What I found was that through a few flats, I only ever used the inflator part of it, never had to use the pump as backup. It was useful for getting me over my CO2 reticence/pump prejudice.
Compromises: Not as small/light as just an inflator head, but works just as well. Not that I ever used it, but the pump is not as good as a standalone super-pump like the ubiquitous Road Morph, probably on par with the micro-mini pumps, but with the weight and volume disadvantage of having an inflator built in and bringing along cartridges.
It's like a CO2 inflator with training wheels.