Here's my round-up of tire pressure gauges. Prices vary a lot on Amazon. Usually much cheaper if purchased directly from Amazon (free shipping) than from an affiliated seller. So be careful which seller you pick. If Amazon is out of stock, you may want to wait a week or two. Prices below are what I paid, including free shipping.
In Jan 2009, I bought two gauges: (a) Moroso 89560 ($40.04), an analog dial gauge, and (b) Accutire MS-5510B ($38.41), a digital dial gauge. I have separate reviews for these two units. Both are good units with a flexible hose attachment and a bleed valve. They are fine in the garage, and fit any tire, but are bulky to keep in a glove compartment if you want to check pressures when you're on the road (for example, if you suspect a leak). I just bought three compact units. All three are analog dial gauges: I don't want battery-powered units stashed away in a glove compartment (extreme high and low temps, and who wants a unit with a dead battery in an emergency?).
Same review posted for the following:
Milton (MIL) MILS902 $21.63
Professional Products (PP) 11101 $9.88
Auto Meter (AM) Auto gage 2343 $16.50
All five gauges have a range of 0 - 60 psi. My tires run from 28 - 35 psi. Main features to consider:
(1) Accuracy. Accuracy is specified with respect to a calibration source. Since I don't have a calibration source, I can't comment on accuracy.
(2) Resolution. (a) Accutire. Digital readout. 0.1 psi resolution. (b) Moroso. 2-1/2 in diam dial. Can estimate to nearest ½ psi. (c) MIL, PP, AM. 2 in diam dial. Can estimate to nearest 1 psi.
(3) Reproducibility. Repeated 6 readings for each gauge. Expected some air loss for each reading. No noticeable change for analog gauges. 0.5 psi drop total after six readings for Accutire (it's not leakier, it's only because of the higher resolution).
(4) Agreement. Ran 5 sequences of the 5 gauges in different order. All gauges agreed within +/-1 psi. This is good news. MIL consistently 1 psi lower than the others, but this is fine.
(5) Mechanical.
(a) PP and AM appear to be the same gauge, with two minor differences. Don't know if the innards are the same though...can't open the cases. Both weigh 150 gm, so probably the same inside as well. Heavy sheet metal body. Heavy metal neck, chuck, and valve. Heavy plastic dial cover (hard, not tough, plastic though). Tick marks and numbers on AM dial much sharper than on PP. PP comes with fitted plastic case; AM doesn't. Case is low quality though...hard, not tough, plastic; snap fit. Good for stashing in a glove compartment or tool box. But probably will crack and open up if dropped.
(b) MIL. Heavy metal neck, chuck, and valve. **Extremely el-cheapo and flimsy plastic body and dial cover.**
Common features (MIL, PP, AM):
(1) Have a neck with an angled chuck. Non-swivel. PM, AM neck 2 in length. Milton neck about ¾ in longer.
(2) Have bleed valve. Smooth operation. After gauge is removed, pressure reading is supposed to hold until bleed valve is released. (PP, AM): Reading holds even after 30 sec. (MIL): Reading starts to drop once the gauge is removed (not acceptable).
Common negs:
(1) None come with a boot. Should be standard. A boot is available, but Amazon doesn't sell it directly. An affiliated seller wants $2.99 + $6.95 shipping. That's more than I paid for the PP gauge itself. I have a couple of 25+ yr old Brookstone gauges that have finally deserved a decent burial. Their rubber boots are still in good shape after all these years, and they fit my new gauges just fine.
(2) Gauges without a hose are tricky to use. Many wheels now have spokes, and the valve stems are recessed. Worse, my wife's car has short rigid tire sensors: the stems don't flex at all. If you get a gauge with a straight chuck, the neck is often too short and you can't seat the chuck (the gauge body gets in the way). So these units have an angled chuck. The design is idotic though, because the bleed valve is on the same side as the chuck. Depending on the tire, the bleed valve presses against the wheel when you try to seat the chuck. Not good. There is no swivel head. So if you position the gauge to clear the wheel, you may end up with the gauge oriented such that you can't read it. In which case, it's critical that the bleed valve doesn't leak...that way you can get a valid reading after you remove the gauge. You, of course, lose the capability to overfill the tire a bit and then bleed the pressure to the right value as you look at the dial. So these operate more like stick gauges. In this respect, none of this group of three is totally satisfactory.
Summary: Of the three, though, I'd go with the PP. It has the lowest price and has a storage case. It's essentially the same as the AM. It's not worth the extra $ to get the sharper graphics on the AM. The MIL is the most expensive, is the flimsiest, and my unit came with a leaky valve. I returned it. Five stars to Amazon for free return shipping and processing a refund within several days.
Note added 8/22/09: Prices fluctuate a lot. Go with either PP or AM. If one is significantly cheaper when you order, go with that one.
Get more detail about
Professional Products 11101 Street Tire Pressure Gauge.
