Vixen Horns sells one of the widest ranges of budget train horn kits online: triple, quad, five- and eight-trumpet horns paired with a 12V compressor and a steel tank from 0.5 to 5 gallons. A battery train horn skips the tank, the compressor wiring and the install. Here is how the two stack up on tank size, install work, and how loud each one actually claims to be.
What Vixen Horns sells: the kit lineup
Vixen calls its complete kits "full systems." Each one bundles a horn, a 12V compressor, an air tank, a solenoid valve, a horn button and some air line. The model number tells you the setup: the first half is the onboard air system, the second half is the horn. Here is a sample from Vixen's own store, with the sale prices listed when we checked:
| Vixen kit | Trumpets | Compressor | Tank | Sale price (regular) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VXO8210/3311B/P | 3 | 150 PSI | 1 gal | $162.47 ($218.95) |
| VXO8210/4114 | 4, chrome | 150 PSI | 1 gal | $175.27 ($236.95) |
| VXO8805/3114B | 3 | 150 PSI | 0.5 gal | $199.87 ($269.95) |
| VXO8315/4114B | 4 | 200 PSI | 1.5 gal | $219.67 ($296.95) |
| VXO8330B/4124B | 4 | 200 PSI | 3 gal | $272.47 ($367.95) |
| VXO8350B/4124B | 4 | 200 PSI | 5 gal | $307.47 ($414.95) |
| OCTOPOD VXO8350BDP/8124XB | 8 | Two 200 PSI | 5 gal | $528.17 ($712.95) |
That is a lot of horn for the money, and it is why Vixen shows up so often in marketplace searches. Two things to keep in mind. First, these are parts prices. Nothing in the box installs itself. Second, Vixen's product pages do not publish a decibel rating for these kits. The listing titles on marketplaces say "Super Loud dB," but the spec sheets on Vixen's store list trumpet lengths, PSI and tank size, not a dB figure.
Tank size: what the gallons actually buy you
A tank kit honks from stored air. The compressor fills the tank, a pressure switch shuts it off at the top of its range, and when you hit the horn button the solenoid dumps that air through the trumpets. When pressure drops to the switch's lower set point, the compressor kicks back on to refill.
The tank size and the switch range together decide how long you can hold the horn before it fades:
- VXO8210 (1 gallon): 150 PSI compressor, pressure switch set at 90 PSI on and 115 PSI off. A small tank at modest pressure is fine for short taps, but a long blast drains it fast.
- VXO8330B/4124B (3 gallon): 200 PSI compressor with a 170 to 200 PSI pressure switch, a 240 PSI gauge and a 250 PSI safety valve. More stored air at higher pressure means longer, stronger blasts before a refill.
- OCTOPOD (5 gallon): two 200 PSI compressors feeding a 5 gallon tank to keep up with eight trumpets.
The 200 PSI compressor Vixen lists in its larger kits is rated at 100% duty cycle at 100 PSI, 1.7 CFM at 0 PSI, and a 23 amp draw. The OCTOPOD runs two of them, so 46 amps combined from the truck's electrical system. That is a real load, and it is why these kits come with heavy fuses and, on the bigger setups, relays.
A bigger tank also takes up more room. The 3 gallon tank measures 22-3/4 inches long and 6-1/2 inches in diameter. Finding a home for that under a pickup, usually near the spare tire or along a frame rail, is often the hardest part of the job. If you want the deeper physics of PSI and tank volume, our guide to what PSI a train horn needs covers it.
The battery train horn approach: no tank at all
A battery train horn puts the compressor, valve and trumpets in one housing and runs on a cordless tool pack you probably already own. There is no tank to fill and no switch range to manage; the horn makes its air when you press the remote.
Take the Extreme Series Train Horn for Milwaukee® 18v Battery. It lists at $335 on sale (regular $430) and ships fully assembled with a wireless remote. It has four powder-coated aluminum trumpets (two 14 inch, two 12 inch), measures 14 x 6 x 12 inches, and weighs 4 pounds without the battery. It runs on any Milwaukee® M18™ battery from 2.0Ah to 12.0Ah and has three volume settings. The standard remote reaches 160 feet, and a long-range remote rated to 2,000 feet is an option.
Run time comes from the battery instead of the tank. With a 6Ah pack, the product page rates it at 500 or more short blasts, or about 200 sustained two-second blasts, per charge. When a pack runs low, you swap in a fresh one in seconds. The battery and charger are not included; if you are already on the M18™ platform, you likely have both.
The same four-trumpet design comes in versions for other cordless battery platforms, including DeWalt® 20V MAX™, Ryobi® ONE+™, Makita® LXT™ and others:
Install: wiring a Vixen kit vs snapping on a battery
Vixen's spec pages describe the kits as "ideal for all vehicles with a 12V system" and include mounting hardware, but there is no step-by-step install guide on the product pages. Here is what the job involves, based on what ships in the box:
- Mount the tank and compressor. Find a protected spot under the vehicle, drill or use existing holes, and bolt both down. The 200 PSI compressor alone is 10-3/4 x 4 x 6-3/4 inches.
- Mount the horn. The VXO8330B/4124B horn is 12-1/4 x 13-3/4 x 4-1/2 inches, so you need clear space under the hood, behind the grille, or under the bed.
- Run air line. The smaller kits include 6 feet of 1/4 inch nylon hose. If your tank sits at the rear and the horn sits up front, plan to buy more.
- Wire it. The compressor needs fused power from the truck battery, the solenoid needs a circuit to the horn button, and the button needs a spot in the cab. The VXO8210 kit lists a 30 amp in-line fuse holder; the OCTOPOD includes two 40 amp relays and 60 amp and 30 amp fuses. If the kit you pick does not list a relay, add one.
- Seal and leak-test. Kits include thread sealant tape for a reason; a slow leak means the compressor cycles more often.
It is a real afternoon of work for a confident DIYer, and if you pay a shop, labor goes on top of the kit price. We priced that out in how much a train horn really costs, air kit plus install vs battery horn.
A battery horn has no install. Slide a charged pack on and press the remote. Nothing is tapped into the truck's wiring, and the horn moves from the pickup to the boat, the UTV, or the jobsite in seconds. The trade-off is that it is not permanent and does not fire from a button on the dash. Our breakdown of a train horn gun vs an air tank and compressor kit goes deeper on that choice.
Real loudness: what the numbers do and do not tell you
This is where comparisons get slippery. Vixen does not publish a dB rating on the kit spec pages we checked, so there is no manufacturer number to compare against. What you can compare is the hardware: trumpet count, trumpet length, and how much pressure reaches them. A 200 PSI kit with a 3 gallon tank and a 170 to 200 PSI switch can push air at higher pressure for longer than a 1 gallon kit that cuts off at 115 PSI. Longer trumpets produce lower tones.
The Extreme Series battery horn is in our 150 dB Extreme tier. Keep any dB gap in perspective: roughly 3 dB is the smallest change most people notice side by side, and it takes about 10 dB for a sound to seem twice as loud. Every horn in this article is dramatically louder than a stock car horn, and all of them are louder than you need on a public street.
Where a tank kit can pull ahead is sustained blasts. A large tank at high pressure delivers a long, steady note. A battery horn is best at repeated short and medium blasts, and it never needs to wait for a tank to refill.
Legality, warranty and which to choose
Neither type of horn gets a pass on public roads. California Vehicle Code section 27000, for example, requires a working horn audible from at least 200 feet but says no horn may emit an "unreasonably loud or harsh sound," and section 27001 limits horn use to when it is reasonably necessary for safe operation. Keep your stock horn working and save any train horn for private property, trails, the water, events and emergencies.
Warranty is close: Vixen covers its horns, compressors and tanks for 12 months from purchase for the original buyer, excludes incorrect installation, does not cover install charges, and the buyer pays shipping. The battery horn carries a 1 year warranty on the horn unit.
Pick a Vixen kit if you want a permanent horn on one truck, a dash button, long sustained blasts from a big tank, and you are comfortable wiring a 23 amp compressor or paying a shop to do it.
Pick a battery train horn if you already own cordless tool batteries, want zero install, need one horn for several vehicles, or drive something where a tank simply will not fit.
FAQ
How loud is a Vixen Horns train horn kit?
Vixen does not list a decibel rating on the kit spec pages we reviewed; marketplace titles describe them as "Super Loud dB." Compare trumpet count, trumpet length, compressor PSI and tank size instead.
What size tank do I need for a Vixen kit?
For quick taps, a 1 to 1.5 gallon kit works. For long blasts, the 3 and 5 gallon kits with 200 PSI compressors store far more air. Larger tanks are harder to fit under a vehicle.
Can a battery train horn replace a tank kit?
For portable use, yes. It needs no tank, wiring or install and moves between vehicles. It will not fire from a dash button or deliver the very long sustained note of a big-tank kit.
Does a Vixen kit include a relay?
It depends on the kit. The OCTOPOD lists two 40 amp relays. The VXO8210 lists a 30 amp fuse holder but no relay, so plan to add one.