wrote:

> Elle Navorski wrote:
>
>>Is there a super-duper tire gauge on the market?
>
>>I have been using a pocket protector tire gauge for years.
>>I bought an air compressor last summer and now check my
>>tires' pressure at least once a month. I have found the
>>pocket gage cumbersome to use. I can't consistently
>>fit it exactly on the tire valve to get a reading.
>
> Most guages now have a long recess in the chuck to let it fit more
> easily over the tire valve.

The Snap-On one is like this (virtually never leaks) and is made of
brass as well.

> All electronic tire guages are highly accurate, virtually dead-on, and
> are cheap from places like AutoZone, Pep Boys, Checker/Shuck's/Kragen,
> and Wal-mart.
>
> Pencil-type guages are the most rugged, provided they're made of metal,
> but some are chrome plated, and you can't always check with a magnet
> because many good guages are made of brass rather than steel. Plastic
> guages are prone to cracking where the chuck fits into the tube if the
> chuck is pressed in rather than screwed on.
>
> Dial guages can be as accurate as pencil guages, but when Consumer
> Reports last tested guages, in 2/1993,

That's a long time ago, dude.

> all of the least-accurate guages
> (off by +- 4 PSI average) were of the dial type, and no pencil-type
> guage erred more than +- 2 PSI. The most accurate pencil-type guages
> have shims at the end of their coil spring for calibration.

But don't the stick type guages lend themselves more easily to being
misread (which can make the reading way off)?