Not sure if all pumps are this loud...but goodness this one is so loud it hurt my ears...also the attachments that come with it (for different size holes) are not affixed to the pump so you have to hold the attachments on the blower while it is filling up the item and the cord is not on the side of the pump, it's on the bottom so you cannot even set the pump down while it is inflating the item. It is just a bit awkward. I used it to blow up an inflatable Castle for my 20 month old and there are several areas to blow up and some of them are a bit awkward and trying to hold the pump AND hold the attachments on the pump with one hand was a bit aggrevating.