Customer Reviews

Accutire MS-4400B Pistol Grip Digital Tire Gauge

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I have one of these from the late 1990s and it still works great. I like it so much I bought another recently.

It died after only 2 days -- I tried to read a tire with about 8 psi and it showed "-0.0" on the display. After this, all it would do is show the same thing "-0.0".

So I exchanged it for another one. Sure enough, it worked for dozens of readings, until a few days later I again tried to read a tire with about 8 psi in it. Once again, it will only show "-0.0" after that.

My guess is this is a firmware problem with the new units.

It worked fine until the battery died. Then I found out that's designed to be disposable. I actually disassembled the unit and got a battery from Radioshack, but oh surprise, the unit didn't work anymore.

Don't buy disposable units. Pay a little bit more and get something that will work for many years.

This tire gauge only works about 20% of the time. If you test the same tire several times in a row (good luck) it will give different readings 80% of the time. I'll stick with the mechanical tire gauges in the future.

Very satisfied with the tire gauges. My wife has carried one of these in her car for several years. I bought several more in December for Christmas gifts and to put one in every car. The pressure readings match well enough between the various Accutire gauges, a mechanical gauge and the built-in tire pressure sensors of our GM car.

Got just 1 of these to start, liked it enough to get one for each of our vehicles. Then, after only 5 years, 1 malfunctioned and it was somewhat of a search finding a replacement. So ordered 2 to make sure there is a spare. only reason it is 4, not 5 star rating is that the one malfunctioned!!

And based on the reviews I see here of the "new" version, read: cheaper, I'll pass on replacing the one I've had since the early-to-mid 1990's with an identical-looking one. The one which died was at least 16 years old, and had seen many, many miles on a motorcycle, which is not a pleasant environment for electronics.

I thought, initially, it was a dead battery in the one I have, but replacing it did not fix the problem. As a result, I'll see if I can find a cracked solder joint, or the like.

If that doesn't fix it, I'll move on to a different one. Working for a dozen checks isn't useful.

I've had this same gauge for 10 years now and it still works and I have never changed the battery. For the price, it' great. I would be willing to pay a little bit more for a gauge that had a screen that illuminated so the reading is easier to read at night. After 10 years of use, I've noticed that the gauge is harder to make a seal on the valve stem of the tire as the internal seal is worn. Still a good product!

We have been using these for years. They're handy and simple to use as long as you line them up straight with the valve stem. We keep one in each car, one in the garage, and one in our bicycle tool bag. You can't beat this gauge for the price.

The display is nice and big, but if you don't hold it just so when you put it on the valve stem, you will get a "00.0" reading. It took me several tries on one tire, by which time the pressure in the tire had probably dropped 2 or 3 pounds. Looking in the nose of the gauge, it looks like if you don't have it lined up just so, it might not get a good contact. On another tire, I got a reading right away. Oh, and if you are left-handed, you won't be able to see the display unless you hold it with your right hand!

I have the one branded "Monkey Grip" (bought it at ACE). It never worked for me, displaying -0.0. I took it apart and looked. The LCD indicator is connected to the printed circuit board with a conductive rubber band, and the band is under very little pressure. This means that even the smallest misalignment (for example, from shaking the unit in your hand) or oxidation of the terminals would destroy the operation of the indicator.