Customer Reviews

Professional Products 11101 Street Tire Pressure Gauge

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

I prefer this mechanical type gauge to the digital ones because there are no batteries to change. The angled head works fine on my tires (Honda Civic) and the ability of this gauge to hold pressure after taking a reading is valuable---sometimes you can't view the gauge face while you're taking a reading. I like the 0 - 60 PSI scale which puts my recommended setting of 30 PSI right at mid-scale, where gauges are most accurate. The bleeder valve resets the reading and also allows you to adjust your tire pressures. The plastic carrying case is a nice touch.

This gauge has a 2" face. The Moroso 89590 Gauge Cover that Amazon suggests buying is for a 2 5/8" gauge and will be too big for this product. Also, this gauge is a close fit in its plastic case and probably wouldn't fit even with a proper 2" gauge cover.

Prices fluctuate on tire pressure gauges from Amazon; I bought this one for $14.09 + $1.55 S&H.

I'm happy with this purchase.

Found item easy to read and easy to use. Appears well made and was able to take readings on the first try, so it makes a nice seal. I had used pencil type gauges in the past and I like this type much better. Pressure readings on the gauge dial do not go up to high where all the numbers are squeezed together so it makes for easier and more accurate readings.

I received my PP gauge the other day and am very pleased with it. I wanted a gauge that measured up to sixty pounds and held the reading until released and after reading the reviews chose this one. I compared it's performance with my high quality, made in the USA, pencil type pressure gauge that I've had for almost forty years. My old pencil gauge is accurate but is spring loaded so I have to read the pressure while holding it on the stem. Also, the rubber seal on the pencil guage is starting to wear so it was time for a new gauge. I compared readings on my cars (27-30lbs), bicycles (30-60 lbs) and motorcycles (35-42lbs) with the new PP gauge, my forty year old pencil gauge and one other pencil gauge I know is accurate. All three gauges measured the same with repeated tests on all tires so the PP is accurate. In addition, this device does look to be the same as the Auto Meter for about $10 less. Like all mechanically oriented perfectionists I take my tire pressure seriously and unequivocally recommend this gauge.

Pros:

The PP gauge appears to be relatively well built and is solid. Handled carefully like all measuring devices should be, it should be durable and long lasting. It was made in Taiwan instead of China and maybe this is a good thing.

The PP gauge makes a good seal with the valve stem so no air is lost.

It's easy to handle and easy to read.

The plastic case it comes in is cheap plastic but will protect the device from scratches

Cons:

The only con I can think of is that plastic covering the gauge is thin plastic and will scratch relatively easily.

This is not a tire gauge....IT'S A INSTRUMENT !!!!

Best I ever used with 40 years of "shade tree" mechanics, this is well built, accurate, holds pressure and comes in a nice plastic case. Wish I had it years ago, didn't know such a great product still existed.

Many thanks to SMGSMC for your experienced reveiw ,would not have the purchase without your info and opinion.

Anybody buys this and doesn't love it ...send it to me.

I bought 5 of these for gifts based on previous reviews. Gage is feels solid and of quality construction. Readings have been reliable and repeatable. Also like pressure-relief button feature and case. Don't think you'll be disappointed, especially at the price at Amazon.

Great gauge for the money - accurate, light and easy to read. I put one in all my vehicles as the "stick" type seem to vary greatly on pressure readings. This one is dead on. Small enough for glove compartment and durable.

Gauge works great. Can't beat it for the price. Psi numbers are easy and clear to see. Comes in a case and fits nicely in the glove box.

This seems to be a fine gauge, in a nice enough case. But, I'll admit that I don't like that the head of it is angled instead of straight. I guess if your valves come out of the rims straight up to the hub it's nice, but mine come out at an angle similar to every car I recall having, and so the head on this pretty much ensures you're rubbing your hands on the dirty tires or wheels. I much prefer my previous one that had a straight head, but that was a cheap walmart one and the locking valve never worked.

But, for something to put in the glove-box, it's fine. When filling at home, I got this one that hooks up to the air hose and locks to the valve, with a trigger. I just press the trigger to fill, and release to check. So at home I never use this.

No problems so far, works as expected. Easy to read dial, button holds reading until pressure is released. Seems to get the same reading as my other gauges so I assume it is accurate.