To say I'm pretty picky about my tools is an understatement, so I don't give this tire pressure gauge 5 stars lightly.
Recently, the little digital tire pressure gauge, that I had been using around the garage, bit the dust. So, I started searching on-line for a replacement, but didn't have much luck. Originally, I was hoping to find a digital pressure gauge that was accurate to .1 PSI, but I quickly realized I would have to spend north of $100.
Additionally, I needed a tire pressure gauge that would work not only for cars, but also for my motorcycle (which has very limited room around the valve stem due to the large front brake rotors). Trying to maintain a good seal on the valve stem of the bike - especially while pushing a lot of buttons - is a real hassle.
So, after not having much luck locating a reasonably priced digital gauge (which would also work on the motorcycle), I ended up searching for mechanical gauges. The Joe's Racing gauge had very good ratings on amazon and so I figured I'd take a chance on it - I'm glad I did.
Here are the highlights:
1. The construction of the gauge is very nice. It has a nice rubber sleeve around the gauge, which gives it a nice look and feel, as well as very good protection when you set it down on the garage floor, etc. The gauge is large and the distance between the divisions is large enough so that you can estimate down to 1/4 of a PSI without much difficulty.
2. The hose is nice, although it's not quite the quality of like commercial air compressor hose or anything. It's more like large automotive fuel hose. On the gauge end, the hose is tightly attached, but you can still twist the gauge a little bit (which is nice, especially if you need to turn the gauge relative to the natural twist in the hose).
3. On the fitting end of the hose (where the air chuck is), the fitting spins, which is handy. The gauge comes with two fittings. The brass threads at the end of the hose are very good quality. The smaller air chuck is cast, but it's still nice quality also. Note: removing the fitting that comes attached to the hose (to switch to the other chuck) is a little difficult, since the threads are sealed with a liquid type compound that has dried.
4. In my case, I removed the factory fittings that came with the gauge and installed my own double head wand type air chuck - this extends the reach slightly and also gives you much better control on the valve stems of cars, as well as easy reach for checking motorcycle tire pressures. I used teflon tape to seal the threads and had no problem.
5. Using the gauge is really nice. You simply inflate the tire a bit beyond where you want, then hold the gauge on the valve stem; the gauge has a button up near the dial, which allows you to quickly bleed air off (while still holding the air chuck on the valve stem). 3 or 4 quick presses will drop the PSI by a pound or more. As mentioned (due to the distance between the marks on the gauge), it's easy to set the pressure dead on or to the nearest .25 PSI or so. When you remove the gauge from the valve stem, it goes back to zero.
6. Construction is very good from start to finish. Even if I had paid twice the $23.99 price, I still think I would have been pretty happy with the results.
7. I recently tested this gauge against a digital tire pressure gauge that my friend had and the gauge was right on the money as far as its pressure readings. As mentioned in the instructions that come with the gauge, the gauge is very accurate and should not be dropped, nor run over the 60 PSI max.
This is a very good quality gauge and it functions really well and is very easy to use. Taking tire pressure readings is very quick and easy now. The bleed off valve is really nice also and allows you to quickly reduce down the pressure to the desired setting.
This is a top quality little gauge for the money. After receiving this gauge, I seriously doubt that I'll ever go back to using a digital gauge again. Definitely recommended to anyone looking for a very nice quality tire pressure gauge.
| Manufacturer | Joes Racing |
|---|---|
| Brand | Joes Racing |
| Model | 32307 |
| Item Weight | 4.8 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 11.5 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches |
| Item model number | 32307 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 32307 |
| OEM Part Number | 32307 |
