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Tire Pressure Gauges... best, good & junk
Tire pressure gauges have entered the modern era of digital battery operated devices with a "service manual". Gone are the days, I hope, that the tire pressure gauge that looked like a pencil with a shaft that would exit with the... tire pressure. Plus or minus a little or a lot. Your eyes would strain to read the print on the white shaft.
Junk: The straight pressure gauge used by everyone over the age of 45. Even some garages still use them on commercial tire pressure systems. They may, might, could be fairly accurate. I leave them up to the experts on the Forum to give an opinion. I meant the gauges that you would stick into a pocket like a fountain pen. Usually chrome for the "professional look". Mine... bit the trash decades ago, with fiber glass belted tires. Any teenager working at the gasoline pumps, before help yourself, wore them as a badge of professionalism. The chrome was preferred.
My first digital tire pressure gauge did exactly that... pressure. It was from Sears Craftsman and not cheap... I am thinking $50, but I would not be able to sleep for five years if I paid that much. It was fairly small, difficult to handle and the chrome around the part that was pushed against the tire's air valve would fall off frequently. My wife says it is in a white cloth pouch somewhere, long, lost and forgotten. Better than a mechanical pen gauge, but not near as nice as the next gauge... DuraPro.
Good: Some of the early digital gauges were designed by someone who might have never checked pressure of a tire. They included a flashlight, a pressure release attachment, an indestructible case and is straight, like their antique relatives but much larger. There is also a concealed razor to cut twine or rope! Mine is built for mishaps, like driving over it with your vehicle and survives...
By the time you felt you had aligned the pressure gauge correctly, the second or third attempt, a reading was within reason. That would be my FIRST modern replacement of the "pencil gauge", a DuraPro accu-brite. Just a bit awkward, but a gigantic leap forward. You know " One Giant Leap for Mankind".
Best: I bought a later digital pressure gauge. Gave my DuraPro to the wife.
The Accutire of 2007. It was about half the cost, or less than the DuraPro. Probably from Costco, as everything seems to be an impulse item from Costco. This is easily held in the hand and can get an accurate reading the first... sometimes second time around. It comes in a nice indestructible zippered case. My favorite... as of today.
Much like flashlights are to men... their tire pressure gauge is an important piece of equipment. Some men may say it is not so... deniers. Trust me. Get your husband a digital tire pressure gauge for Christmas and he will buy you a new SUV to drive, for your birthday. Well, not really but it is a positive thought.
Are there better gauges out there today? Are they accurate. Can they be carried in your pants pocket, without looking awkward? Was it worth the price?
Price: Prices might have come down. My last gauge purchase was 8 years ago. It still works. Do you have a pressure gauge that beats the options on my "antique" DuraPro? Gauge. Light. Pressure release. Twine cutter. Polyester carrying case.
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Human Bean
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