Smart Tire Inflator Reviewed

The "Smart Tire Inflator"

 First of all, I purchased this item through Amazon and I have no affiliation with the company that sells it, nor does this company know I have a review on this product. 

There! Hopefully that satisfies the FTC, or whomever is concerned. 

Anyway...

I've used this enough now to give it a pass or fail grade and maybe you can glean enough information from this to see if it is something that would make sense to you. 

First off, let's think about how you might use this, as that is going to color what you might think of this mini-air compressor. That's essentially what this device is. An air compressor. 

I'm going to look at this from a cyclists perspective. While it may have other uses, (ball inflator, air mattress inflator, etc.) I am not coming at this product from any other viewpoint than a cyclist and how a cyclist may benefit from owning and using this product. 

From this perspective I will cover how it works as an "at home" inflation device, a floor pump replacement, and finally, as a take-along device for certain situations where a quick fill with a precision targeted air pressure would be nice. 

Overall Construction: I also want to address the overall construction of the device as that will also color my take on what this device might be useful for. From this perspective, I will say that the mostly plastic exterior construction is well done, for what it is, but it does not exude confidence as a device that would deal well with rougher environs and mishandling. For instance, it would not be something I would want to drop on my cement shop floor and expect it to survive intact. Therefore; I would hesitate to pack it in a touring set up or for normal cycling unless I was careful to pack it in such a way that it would be protected. By the way, the waterproof carrying bag does not have a roll top or any way to seal the top shut, so that isn't really the benefit you might think on the surface of it. 

The "+" or "-" can be used to set a desired pressure. In this case I chose 32psi.

In Use: Using the larger concave button located underneath the screen you can turn on the unit. You must depress this button until the hash marks that appear go all the way across the screen. Now the unit is ready to use. The "+" or "-" settings can adjust your desired pressure. Attach the hose using either the permanent Schrader valve chuck or the screw-on Presta valve adapter. Hit the concave button to start inflating and the unit will automatically shut down after reaching the preset pressure. 

The hose is separate when you store the device. It screws into the back of the unit and the nozzle has a Schrader end that is permanently attached to the hose. There is a screw on convertible end to make it Presta compatible. The Schrader hose end screws onto a Schrader valve, but unfortunately, the Presta adapter does not do this. You have to rely on a friction-fit for that adapter to sit squarely on the valve or the seal inside the Presta adapter will leak air. I would have much rather seen a screw-on Presta end since that would have a more positive air seal than what this adapter has as is. 

The pump reads out gains in .5psi increments.

I pumped up a tire that was pretty low on pressure and aimed at reaching 32psi. It took about a minute and a half for the compressor to achieve the 32psi setting and then the machine shut down. Okay. Good. 

Next I set the adapter on the other wheel, expecting to get a read-out, as the marketing says this will read pressure as well as give you a read-out as it pumps up your tire. However; unless I am missing something, this is not the case. 

The device does charge up quickly.

That said, the read-out on the screen quickly read out 27 psi when I depressed the concave button to start the compressor. So, perhaps I am missing some step here, but the instructions do not say this can be achieved. 

Again, this is a compressor, so it is noisey. It sounds a lot like the new compressors I've seen at convenience stores that are settable for pressure and it works similarly to those. So, if you have availed yourself of one of those at a convenience store, this device sounds similar, but "smaller", if that makes any sense. 

It definitely is loud enough to wake up the campers next to you or loud enough to annoy your sleeping significant other if you use it in the house. 

It also creates heat, and the hose, and especially the place where it attaches/screws into the unit, gets hot to the touch after inflating a tire. Definitely not a device to leave around young children or pets. 

As for accuracy, I think it is par for the course. Really, how do we know if any device is "accurate" for air pressure? I did check this out against two digital air pressure gauges and it was within 2psi of either of those. I think it is fair to say that's 'okay'. Nothing to write home about, but this is only $50.00, so keep that in mind here. 

Conclusions: So, is this a good deal or what? I think that for what you pay for it, and for what its main purposes are, - yes - It is good. However; you can achieve similar results in about the same amount of time with a floor pump. A good floor pump, that is. Not these 'el-cheapo' plastic part floor pumps. But....a good floor pump will cost you a lot more than this device. Your personal stance on devices vs analog tools will guide you to a decision here. 

And there are the extra features of this device. It does a passable imitation of a flashlight. It can charge another device if you are in a pinch. Theoretically it could pump up a car tire. (Although that may take a looooong time!) If those features mean anything to you, well then yes- it's better than a floor pump. 

And as someone in the comments mentioned in my previous post on this pump, if you were in a situation that required a speedy air-up, say in a bug infested forest, or if you are already at wit's end due to being tired, etc, there you can just attach the hose, hit the button, and sit back as the device does the dirty work for you. It would take far less time to air up a tire using this versus a mini-pump, and obviously, a lot less sweat and cursing. 

I am not sorry I bought this as it is a useful tool, but.....I wouldn't be sad to not have it, if that makes sense. If I were a person just starting out in cycling, well then, yeah, maybe then I could see this as an easier way than a SILCA floor pump. It is all about your perspective here. And to boot, it isn't a real durably built tool, such as I would like to see if I were to bike-pack with it in rough country, as a for instance. But then again, maybe I wouldn't want another device to charge "out there" either.  

It does what it says it should do, (in the instructions), and it does that well enough that I can say this is an okay idea. That's as far as I'd go here. So I give this device a passing grade.