The Top 10 Tire Inflators That Won’t Leave You Stranded

Owning a vehicle comes with the added trouble of having to go to the gas station frequently to get something as trivial and significant as getting tire refills or checking the air pressure of your tires. This routine job can be irritating and monotonous. Moreover, imagine having a deflated tire in the middle of a deserted road or at the middle of the night when no tow truck is available.

Invest in a tire inflator, an equipment, unlike air compressors, to inflate and deflate on the go. Also, you can check the pressure inside your tires without having to make “paid trips” to the gas station. How rare is it to even find a gas station that gives you “air” for a refill? Very r-air, trust me!

This three-in-one tire inflator with a gauge from Campbell Hausfield is a very cheap and handy equipment to own. It has a flexible yellow hose, a successor to the old red one, that is sturdy and is easy to maneuver, especially in hard to reach places.

The 2 in. diameter gauge gives readings between 10 and 150PSI- however, a few users have reported inaccuracies of about 1 to 3 PSI high and checking with a better quality gauge would help. The values, reported by some, also seem to drift. The lock chuck fits any Schrader-type tire valve and once the clip attaches to the valve stem of the tire, the user can operate it single-handedly. Most of the users faced difficulties attaching the hose: the chuck seems to be loose and let a lot of air escape.

This problem can be solved: there is a washer inside the chuck, which when cut off a bit, will allow the chuck to connect more easily and securely. The product may seem flimsy to some but some parts are indeed well-made and durable: you want to modify it a bit, adding separate extensions to make it long-lasting. The operation in this unit is simple- just squeeze the trigger to inflate.

It also has a brass button that works as a relieve valve, which will release accidental excess pressure.

This heavy-duty tire inflator and gauge from EPAuto combines three functional tools into one so that you don’t need separate instruments- a gauge, a chuck, and a hose. It can measure and apply pressure in the range 0 to 120 PSI via the 2” dial with a rubber covering.  

This narrow range (in comparison to a wider range of up to 200PSI) means that the intervals are more readable and efficient. The needle of the gauge sometimes malfunctions as reported by some customer. It may remain stuck at some readings or sometimes require a slight tap to get it moving by a few pounds.

Some users find the gauge off by a few pounds and you need to make adjustments or check with a more accurate instrument. The unit has an industrial type plug where it can connect to an external air compressor. It is very easy to use- just pull the trigger for efficient inflation.

The clamp is easy to attach to the valve stem of the tires. Some users complain of the connection not being secure enough and leaks occurring. You may want to press or hold with a little more force. The chuck seems

This tire inflator with a gauge from EPAuto features a chrome-plated dual head chuck, a ¼ in NPT female inlet and a 12-inch hose. The sturdy, rugged, well-designed tool I affordable and a must-have for it is built to last. It resembles the old-fashioned, long-lasting models seen in gas stations.

It is an efficient and reliable instrument with a liquid-filled gauge that has a magnifying scale to read off the pressure. The scale has 2PSI intervals and a range of 10-120PSI. It is easy to use. The connection between the valve stem of the tire and the nozzle is highly secure and air-tight.

There is no leak with this high-quality rugged equipment. A few users, however, reported of receiving defectives units that gave inaccurate readings or readings that were off by several pounds.

The Jaco FlowPro tire inflator is one of the best available in the market. It is a highly functional and efficient instrument to invest upon. It is made out of steel with a 21in. flexible rubber hose. The readings on this unit are accurate and precise, measuring in the range 0 to 100 psi, with the scale being clear and easy to read. The dial face is about 2.75in. diameter and it glows in the dark for ease. The rubber casing around the gauge makes it durable and strong.

Also, provided with the unit are quick-connect fittings and interchangeable air chucks (2 pieces). The connection is air-tight, with no leak at all. The air bleeder valve lets you easily get rid of any excess pressure. The bonus Teflon thread seal tape allows you to seal to prevent any leaks.

This tire inflator from TireTek is a solid, well-constructed unit for durability, portability and accurate reading. It provides a great connection between the valve stems and doesn’t leak air at all. This is best used for motorcycle tires. The chuck on this unit is angled making it easy to reach some valve stems but not ones that are angled beforehand. The unit is actually best used for commercial purposes rather than home use.

This is also evident from the fact that the pressure reading isn’t sensitive at low values and it is a bit difficult to stop at them. The pressure reading is slighter off by a few pounds: when the supply air is removed, the reading drops down slightly. If the discrepancy is known, you may account for it each time.

This tire inflator from Exwell is a sturdy, well-constructed and reliable equipment at an affordable price tag. It has a digital LCD display that gives pressure readings in PSI, bars, kg/cm2, KPA, etc. measures in the range of 5 to 150PSI. The unit is very accurate and it has been tested against many other gauges to give the exact reading. The gauge display has a backlight for ease of reading at night.

The unit comes with several accessories like ¼” male quick fitting, ¼” female threaded connector, 2AAA batteries, etc. There is a bleeder valve to let out excess pressure. A screwdriver is included with the equipment along with small parts because an assembly is required before it is ready for use.

This digital tire inflator from Vondior is a quality, heavy-duty product that is also very functional. The gauge reads pressure up to 200PSI and the readings are precise to one-tenth of 1PSI. Included with the unit are interchangeable air filler chucks, 1 pcs- steel 1/4" NPT male quick-connect fitting and a BONUS thread seal tape roll so that you can easily switch between different types of tires.

It runs on 2AAA batteries which are easy to change and access but need to be bought separately. No Schrader or Presta adapters are also provided and must be purchased separately. It is heavy, rugged and tough. Behind the product stands a manufacturer that offers superb customer service and readily sends replacement or refund if a problem arises.

This heavy-duty, rugged tire inflator pressure gauge from Motor Luxe is extremely well-constructed and durable. Recommended by mechanics and technicians, it is an absolute must-have for people who have a lot of bike, bicycle, truck, car wheels or even basketballs to inflate! It works like a breeze!

The unit features a large dial with tough rubber protection around it, with the scale having a pressure range of 0 to 170PSI at 2PSI intervals. The readings are reliable and accurate. The Presta adapter, 1/4" NPT Male air compressor fitting, and a sports needle adapter are included for this tire inflator gauge, and the regular Schrader nozzle is attached with the unit.

Things to Consider Before Buying a Tire Inflator With Gauge

Now that you have decided to invest in a tire inflator, you need to wade through the endless units in the market and choose one that meets your requirement. You may want to see if your chosen unit meet the following considerations.

Power Supply

One of the main concerns of owning a tire inflator is how are you going to supply it with power. There are some inflators that work with only the home outlet and there are others that can work by taking power from the 12V outlet of the cigarette lighter in your car. Tire inflator may also use one, two or three AAA batteries for power. In that case, you want to remove batteries if you are an occasional user or else the unit may simply drain power.

Accuracy

There are thousands of tire inflators in the market – try not to fall prey to the cheap ones because more often than not, they have inaccurate gauges. Inaccurate air pressure in your tires have can lead you to have low traction, bursting of tires, bad driving experience, or even result in accidents.

When you have purchased an inflator, you must check and verify its accuracy by comparing it with known, reliable gauges.

 Some gauges are off by a fixed number of pounds and that, even though is not good, can be accounted for by subtracting or adding the same number of pounds of air during a refill. But if your inflator varies between erratic readings and fluctuates inconsistently, you have a problem and need a replacement.

Weight

A tire inflator is designed for portability and compact storage. They are usually 1 to a pounds for ease of carrying and storing. Most are small enough to fit the glove box when properly folded or coiled. Some will be bigger and would be better off in your garage toolbox.

Gauge

The gauge of a tire inflator can be digital or analog. Digital ones are more accurate as they give readings correct to one tenth or hundredth of a pound. Digital reading, like all other equipment, may suffer from error time to time.

A manual or analog one is more reliable. It usually has a large, round dial and needle in the middle. The needle helps read the pressure level. Elderly people or people with poor vision may sometimes have difficulty reading it but it is not strenuous or much of a challenge anyway.

The digital gauges can give readings in three or four different units like kPA, kg/cm2, PSI, etc. The analog ones usually have one scale or dual scale that also gives readings in bars.

Accessories

Most units come with spare or additional accessories that can help you in different situation without having to spend extra dollars. Some come with a Presta or Schrader valve adapters: these will help you when you want to use the inflator for bikes or bicycles.

Other come with batteries, dust caps, rugged case for storing the unit, etc. Some also come with male or female connect fittings.

Duty Cycle

The duty cycle of a unit refers to the time it needs to be cooled after you have operated it. If you don’t give it sufficient cooling period, the machine will overheat and get damaged.

Machines with a duty cycle of about 45%, may need to be cooled after every 4 or 5 minutes of inflating at about 100PSI. That is just a rough estimate that differs from one inflator to the other: check your user manual to know the characteristic of your unit.

Units with 100% duty cycles can be used continuously without the need for periodic cooling.

Price

The price of a tire inflator varies widely- the more the features it has, the higher the price. Then comes the issue of quality. You can get an inflator at a price as low as about fifteen dollars and as high as a few hundred dollars.

Auto-Inflate Feature

Some inflators have this efficient and convenient feature called auto-inflate. If you set the desired pressure level, this will automatically shut the unit down when that pressure level is reached.

This saves you the hassle of continuously monitoring the progress of refill. If you’re stranded in the middle of the road, you can also sit inside your car safely, rather than stay out and watch it getting refilled.

LED Lights

Some units have LED lights at the side or near the gauge for ease of taking the readings at night or in the dark. Others have glow-in-the-dark dials. A few gauges also have an LED backlight for reading out the display.

Bleeder Valve

A bleeder valve lets you bleed or remove excess air in case of accidental overfills. You can deflate the excess air by just the touch of a button rather than removing the hose and emptying and rechecking.

Conclusion

Reading our in-depth review on tire inflators with a gauge will probably convince on why you need to invest on one if you own a car, truck, bicycle or bike- it will save you trips to the gas stations and let you refill easily anywhere, anytime.