The Ring impressed straight out of its strong zip-up case, coming complete with four valve caps, three adaptors and a pair of protective gloves. The 3.5m cable was the longest and the 70cm hose with its screw-on connector was plenty to reach most tyre valves. The large digital backlit display was clear and setting a max pressure was easy with the rotary knob. Once again, it combined great performance and specification to beat the rest.
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Halfords Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator 514374
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Price: Around £45
- Time 20-30psi/55-60psi: 2:16/0:30
- Website: halfords.com
Like the Ring, the well made digital Halfords inflator has a usefully large on/off button that can be used with a foot if required. We liked the large display, the Ring-like underslung roll-up power cable and the hose which wrapped neatly around the device. Selecting the scale (psi, bar, kg/cm2) and setting the max pressure was simple. The timings were good, albeit not the best, although the 41dB noise level was second lowest.
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Michelin 12V Programmable Fast Flow Tyre Inflator 27266
- Rating: 4 stars
- Price: Around £58
- Time 20-30psi/55-60psi: 1:53/0:20
- Website: halfords.com
A bit pricey, but the Michelin impressed with its onboard 12V and USB power sockets, protective bag and accuracy – just 0.5psi adrift over the 20/30 psi test. It was a touch quieter than the Halfords unit above, the timed results were good and it was one of five to have a three-metre cable. Incredibly, it was the only inflator with instructions that mentioned the need for checking tyre pressures when cold.
