Air pressure gauges

I always buy these things wishing I could have some confidence in their accuracy. The industrial quality ones that can be calibrated are awfully expensive, and often too large and fragile to toss on the bike. Finding really good comparison testing is pretty difficult, but here is at least a shot at it. Admittedly, this guy's sample size is too small to be really scientific, but I don't find anything better out there.

that's hard to watch with the sound on. did he rate how good they seal? that's what's annoying about all of the tire gauges I've used over the years.

I agree, usually there is only one exact position that's a leak free connection.  And you can easily lose it.   

H1Vindicator wrote:

that's hard to watch with the sound on. did he rate how good they seal? that's what's annoying about all of the tire gauges I've used over the years.

Yes, he did include this.

I would avoid anything made in China.  

One way to tell how far off a gauge is would be to go to a place that has a commercial gauge and test it against your gauge.  I have an old fashioned one where the pressure forces the inside to slide out and give a reading.  It's deadly accurate.  I also have a meter gauge that I use to go where my first one won't go.

Hard to go wrong with a single-head Milton pencil gauge.  Not cheap @ $10.00 or so USD, but it's a get-what-you-pay-for tool. Don't drop it from on high, keep crud off the graduated slide and you'll pass it on to the next generation.

Goor Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

I went down the tire gauge rabbit hole a while back after my son dropped our Jaco and the needle wouldn't return to zero.  

Where I work, we have a metrology lab, with a nice pressure/vacuum gauge calibration tool.  I took the gauge back cover off, studying how to calibrate it (common bourdon tube gauge), and got it working again...sort of.  There were several old "removed from service" gauges in the lab, so I took a couple of them apart also, as part of the learning process.  Good fun.  All of these were very lighweight, and clearly were made to a price point.  Later, I found a small "US Gauge" gauge in my garage, and cracked that as well.  This one was OLD, maybe from the 1950's?, and it was built 10x better than the newer gauges.  Cast bronze chassis, with beautiful brass/bronze gears and bushings.  It weighed at least double the cheaper new gauges.  Even after all these years, it was accurate to within 1 psi at 40 psi, so I didn't F... with it any further.  Also for grins, I bought a digital Ashcroft gauge.  Between that one, and the old US Gauge, I've got two different tire gauges now.  Don't ask me why I need two.  

Bottom line: 90% of the tire gauges on the market today are basically cheap china junk.  If you want something better, you have to purchase a high quality industrial quality gauge and make your own.  Is this necessary?  NO.  I just hate junky measurement tools.

I have a Milton dial gauge, a commercial gas station style filler with a built-in pencil style gauge and I found an old USA made dial gauge (but can't remember the brand) in my FIL's old van. I have others but those three all read exactly the same. I also have two pencil gauges in the fairing pocket on the Sabre and Concours that read within a pound of the main gauges.

I think it was only 30 minutes after I read this post and I already had purchased another gauge.
Initially, I had the large Wika analog gauge. I found it on Amazon for $27. It weighs 2 1/2lbs(1.12kg).
The one I bought is a Cecomp digital for about $65.

Measurement instruments---- it's a terrible addiction.

 

Measurement instrument addiction - second only to the dreaded tool addiction...

F64 wrote:

I think it was only 30 minutes after I read this post and I already had purchased another gauge.
Initially, I had the large Wika analog gauge. I found it on Amazon for $27. It weighs 2 1/2lbs(1.12kg).
The one I bought is a Cecomp digital for about $65.

Measurement instruments---- it's a terrible addiction.
 

The only down side to this being that you can "drive yourself mad" fretting about things that work perfectly but are slightly "out of spec" sometimes "ignorance is bliss" 

Wookie58 wrote:

F64 wrote:

I think it was only 30 minutes after I read this post and I already had purchased another gauge.
Initially, I had the large Wika analog gauge. I found it on Amazon for $27. It weighs 2 1/2lbs(1.12kg).
The one I bought is a Cecomp digital for about $65.

Measurement instruments---- it's a terrible addiction.

 

The only down side to this being that you can "drive yourself mad" fretting about things that work perfectly but are slightly "out of spec" sometimes "ignorance is bliss" 

Ha! True enough. I realize that on a street bike a psi or two, one way or the other, is largely irrelevant. Never the less, it is one of those things that just sticks in my brain.