Digital Air Pressure Gauge

Roadgear Ultra Hi-Tec Digital Air Pressure Gauge - CR Tested

Roadgear Ultra Hi-Tec Digital Air Pressure Gauge $70
A tire gauge needs to meet three criteria before it gets the Z-Man seal of approval: It has to be sturdy, dead accurate and, above all, easy to read.That the Ultra is well made is beyond doubt. The innards are protected by a sturdy case and rubber boot, and the hose is heavy-duty. It connects to the gauge with a nice swivel that allows you to rotate it relative to the tire, so you're always looking straight at it instead of craning your head like that kid in The Exorcist. The tire chuck is industrial-strength and locks to the tire valve so you can hold the gauge; a bleed button lets you adjust the air pressure. Punching the "on" button allows you to switch the readout between psi and bar pressure.

The blue dial incorporates a digital readout (to the nearest 10th) in the center of the face and a numerical scale (0-60 in 1-pound increments) along the perimeter. Backlighting makes the gauge easy to read even in the dark recesses of my shop. There's a one-minute memory, too, in case you didn't get a good look or, like me, you suffer from CRS (Can't Remember Stuff).

I compared the Ultra with a calibrated test gauge, and it was spot on-in fact it was able to read lower pressures than the test instrument. On the nitpicky side, the tire chuck is in line with the hose rather than at a 90- or 45-degree angle. It works great when you're checking a tire that has the stem at an angle, not so great if the stem points straight up and there's a brake rotor in the way. My other whine is that the Ultra is priced at the top of the heap. In its defense, though, you're getting a hell of a good gauge. -Mark Zimmerman
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