rbrides

Please help my wife choose a great Christmas gift for me!!! HAHA!

Which digital air gauge, with a bleeder valve, do you recommend?

We value accuracy and durability more than lowest cost.

Rolla

I haven't compared it to others for accuracy, but my Topeak Smartgauge has proven to be quite durable over the year or so that I've owned it. The battery seems to last awhile, too.

blinky

I'll second the Topeak SmartGauge D2 as well - it will handle both Presta & Schrader easily - I also have a French made one that's many years old called a PressoGraphe but it only does Presta , I think they did have one that handled Schrader but not sure they are still in business - the last one I have is called Accu-Gage - they are all digital and have a dial that shows at least two measurement units but if I had to pick one it would be the Topeak - it's the newest of the three and performs very well - one tip for using it with Presta is to not be afraid to push it straight down on the valve after unscrewing the release on the valve .

teejaywhy

I much dislike digital tire pressure gauges. Seems like every time I want to use it, the battery is dead.

Sy Reene

+1 for the Topeak D2. I've compared to my floor pump, which it matches within 2 psi -- close enough for me though I can't say which of the 2 gauges is correct (if either of them is), but happy with the consistency.

blinky

Of the three gauges I have , described above , only the Topeak requires a battery .

John Valuk

Another recommendation here for the Topeak SmartGauge D2.

If I lost it or broke it, I would just grumble and then buy another one.

2_i 

Big --- for Topeak Smartgauge. This gauge releases so much air during the measurement that the value is outdated by the time the measurement is finished. The pointlessly thick neck makes it difficult to use the gauge in tight spaces, such as with small wheels.

well biked

Not digital, but I am a big fan of the Accu-Gauge gauges by Meiser. If I'm looking for a stand-alone pressure gauge for a bicycle tire, I use an Accu-Gauge.

Sy Reene

Haven't found leakage to be the case. FWIW, noticed there's also a D2x version which looks like it can fit into a lot of tighter spots.

2_i 

I would not call it a leak, just the amount of air consumed in a measurement. Testing of the issue is straightforward: You just carry out repeated measurements with the same gauge and see how the pressure drops. Of course the effect will depend on the overall volume of the tire. However, for a 700Cx37 tire I remember Topeak dropping by a few psi in consecutive measurements. My good gauge drops by 0.1-0.2 psi. That gauge is also by company from Taiwan, like Topeak, but they do not market separate gauges now, just integrated with the pumps. Since it is not in the market now, I cannot recommend it. The particular gauge has also other benefits, such as taking 3 measurements in a row and improving the pressure value with each round (sorry mechanical gauges). As to that pictured slimmer Topeak, it indeed looks better. With that regular one, I recall, e.g., inability to measure pressure of car tires as their vents would usually push hard against the rim and slipping the thick Topeak put those vents and fingers in danger.