Best tyre pump (12V electric or foot)?

What do people recommend as the best model of car tyre pump for storage in the vehicle, in terms of quality/robustness without *excessive* size or weight?

I just bought a cheap "AA Essentials" foot pump from Amazon without reading the reviews. The piston broke during its first minute in use, pumping up a rear tyre on my SD1 Vitesse which has a slow leak I haven't had looked at yet.

I've never seen such a cheap piece of shit in all my life. Horrendous. Sent it right back to Amazon.

Prior to that I had a Ring Automative 12V plug-in pump which I broke by accidentally shutting the valve connection in the door - it was a plastic valve not one of the metal ones. It was only a year old but is no useless thanks to that. It was a bit underpowered, anyway.

Prior to that I had a Halfords 12V pump which lasted for a good few years. It had a metal valve and a much better flow-rate than the Ring, but it died eventually because the digital pressure display was starting to give nonsensical readings. It's ridiculous that flimsy circuitry couldn't last as long as the mechanical pump.

How much do I have to spend to get something that *lasts* and has a good, accurate pressure reading? I don't need a silly programmable one. I can operate it manually and switch off when it reaches pressure. I've got eys, you know!

Michael

- Classic & Sportscar magazine did a comparison test of about ten foot pumps in the past couple of months - possibly February issue? - which should answer your question comprehensively. Unfortunately I seem to have binned that issue. I recall that they graded them from 2/10 to 9/10, but I don't remember the details as I was not particularly interested in the subject. Their website didn't help as it shows back reports on cars (mainly), not garage bits. Strongly recommend a telephone call to their back issues department to get a copy. Hope this helps.

Geoff MacK

Several years ago I bought a cheap 12V pump, one of the top of petrol pump impulse buys. Its still going strong, only drawback is that there is not switch.

Phil