Harmony High Volume Kayak Pump Review

The Deets:

• Total Length: 18in
• Outside Diameter: 2.5in
• Weight: 11.0 oz
• Performance: 9 strokes/ gallon (tested)
• Materials: Plastic body, plastic shaft
• MSRP: $26.95

The Review:

The Harmony High Volume Sea Kayak pump, at 18inches long, is more compact than most other kayak pumps on the market. This compact design makes it highly stowable even in the tighter recesses of your cockpit. Don’t let its short relative length fool you though; this pump will match up against the best in the business in terms of performance! It has a super smooth up-stroke and a full-length, orange foam sleeve which provides a slip-free grip on the pump barrel. At $26.95 MSRP, the Harmony is one of the more reasonably priced models on the market and a great value for its performance!

There are a few small nuances with this pump that are worthy of note. I found that there was a bit more resistance in the down-stroke which may prove tiring for some. The pump handle is also a bit small in comparison to the other pumps in this review which makes it more challenging to grip when wearing thicker neoprene gloves. I’ll reserve final comment on long-term durability until I’ve had this pump around for a while longer. However, there are a few things that are working for it in this arena including the plastic pump shaft (no corrosion) and the ability to pass sand without issue.

My biggest problem with this pump has less to do with its performance and more to do with how it’s marketed. Harmony markets this pump as a “high volume” pump and claims that it is: “More compact and powerful than conventional kayak pumps. It’s shorter [pump barrel] length (16”) makes for less fatiguing strokes and its innovated design pumps 30% more water per stroke.” I’m not sure exactly how Harmony arrived at the “30% more water per stroke” claim but I feel as though it’s a bit misleading. I found that this pump was comparable to many other “conventional kayak pumps” based on volume per stroke. Here’s my analysis:

The Harmony pump barrel is 16 inches long which is indeed 2-3 inches shorter than most other conventional kayak pumps. However, the inside diameter of the Harmony pump barrel is almost a 1/4in wider than that of the conventional pumps. When you do the math to calculate the volume of each stroke you will find that it’s the same for the Harmony “high volume” pump as the others (about 8-9 strokes to move 1 gallon of water).

Overall, the Harmony “High Volume” Sea Kayak Pump offers a compact and affordable option to meet the kayaker’s bilge pumping needs.

Pros: Smooth up action. Integrated float. Low cost. Handles sand well.

Cons: Lots of resistance in down stroke. Relatively small handle.

Rating: