Use the compressor, just don't be an idiot about it

A high-pressure air pump will absolutely inflate a pool float quickly, and it will also absolutely burst it if you let it. The pump doesn’t blow it up like a balloon popping; you do that by overfilling.

Pool floats are made for low pressure — they expect maybe a puff from your lungs. A compressor can dump air faster than the float can handle, so the vinyl stretches, the seam lets go, and you’re left with a sad plastic pancake. The telltale sign is the float getting tight and firm. That’s your warning to stop.

The trick is to use the pump on a low setting or with a trigger nozzle, and don’t fill it all the way. Leave a little give in the material. If the float starts feeling hard and drum-tight, back off immediately. You want it just firm enough to hold its shape, not so solid it could double as a doorstop.

Bottom line: high-pressure pump is fine, but your hand is the regulator. Treat it like topping off a balloon — one burst too many and it’s over.