Solution for easy and convenient maintenance of tire pressures at home

I've been using this Craftsman system for years. It works very well.

That is incredible, what a great find. Especially handy here in PA, where we have seen 30 degree temperature swings every week for the past month, it seems. Something for Tess's Christmas list!

The only trouble with storing it inside the car is that high heat is not great for the rechargeable battery. For that type of emergency application, I still think a 12v plug tire pump is still best.

BTW, Sears also has a more powerful and compact 20v version.

inflators, bundles, craftsman, bolt-on, drills, impact drivers, bike accessories


However, it only has analog tire gauge.

Thanks for the tip. This is perfect! So much more convenient than the plug-in pump and manual pressure readings. Will come in handy for inflating bikes too.

That is awesome. I'm buying one

This looks like a great tool. Unfortunately the linked tool doesn't come with a battery so you'd also have to buy the battery and charger for this Sears tool.

I did find what looks like a very similar tool -- the Airman air gun. The plus is their kit includes the battery and a 12 v adapter to run if your inflator battery is dead. The downside is it's just a 12v battery so not as powerful as the Sears one, I'd bet. This makes me wonder if it's up to the task. The airman website does mention its application for car tires.

I found it for about $70 at Airman AirGun Professional LED Sports Inflator # 55-032-021 - Rakuten.com


Any opinions on this tool vs the Sears one?

The other 20v tool is Sears version of the Black and Decker Matrix drill with different attachments. I have the exact inflator attachment for it, but haven't tried it on my car yet.

Just this weekend in the cold snap I got a low pressure warning and had to find a gas station to fill the air! I do have an emergency tire slime kit but it's a pain to haul out so I like the idea of a portable device.

Thanks for the tip, Rick!

Edit: it looks like the Airman I suggested isn't likely up to the task -- their own website shows a check mark for small cars but not for midsize or large cars, so I guess it's the Sears tool. Sorry for the initial confusion. I was excited to find an alternative.

http://my-airman.com/product/which-airman-is-right-for-you

SteveW25561 said:

This looks like a great tool. Unfortunately the linked tool doesn't come with a battery so you'd also have to buy the battery and charger for this Sears tool.

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OK, so I ordered without noticing it didn't come with the battery and charger. While I'm sure I could easily cancel the order, I still want the unit. I just looked into battery and charger options, and I am somewhat confused.

It would appear this battery and charger would work, and costs about $70: Sears.com


But isn't this the same battery, with a different (less powerful) charger, for $50, and with a drill included?: Sears.com

I just want to make sure I don't make another mistake.

Thanks.

Edit: Actually this Sears.com seems like a much better drill for $80, which is $10 more than the battery and charger by themselves, but I think this charger is almost as good as the charger that comes in the $70 set speed-wise (one hour charge vs 30 minute charge), plus you get a drill. And this one can ship to me, while the one above can't be shipped right now. Am I missing something, or should the drill/battery/charger combo linked in this edit work just fine with the inflator I already ordered? Thanks!

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By the way, Ebates is doubling their Sears rebate from 3% to 6% today, and there's also free shipping (from Sears), so you can save 6% on this stuff through Ebates if you order online.

I'm heavily invested in the Ryobi rechargeable tools, so I use this $40 pump from that product line. It also inflates mattresses and like items, so that's helpful: Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Dual Function Inflator/Deflator (Tool Only)-P731 at The Home Depot

AnOutsider said:

Hard to tell, but does it also have a digital readout/setting?

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Yes, it does. You can set to 1 pound increments and it measures to 1/2 pound increments.

Just ordered one, thanks for the tip

artsci said:

After installation of the FoboTire pressure monitor system for smart phones I began looking for solutions for checking and inflating my Model S tires without having to make a trip to the nearest gas station (ugh) with free air (very hard to find these days) or using a lighter socket powered inflator. I was hoping to find a cordless inflator that would read the pressure at the same time it was inflating the tire. I also wanted to take readings before any driving warmed the tires (yes, I'm a total fanatic about maintaining correct tire pressure).

Sears to the rescue. There I found the Craftsman 19.2 volt cordless inflator, which enables setting the desired pressure and automatically stops pumping air when it's reached. It has a digital gauge on the back that reads the pressure as you inflate the tire.

I tested it this morning. Using the the inflator I set all of the pressures to 44 psi then used the Fobo monitor to test its accuracy. The Fobo recorded all four tires at + or minus 0.3 psi from the 44 psi seeing. That's incredible accuracy. This tool will be kept in the car at all times.

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Another inflator worth checking out is the "Ryobi One+ 18-Volt Cordless Green Inflator" this is available from Home Depot and includes a built in battery and charger. I am picking up one tomorrow to be ready for my P85D so that now I can avoid gas stations.

I bought one of these: http://www.lowes.com/pd_146781-40883-KL12120_0__?productId=3522750

It works well.

Been using 12 volt plug in type....the cordless looks way better.
Thanks for posting!
Ordered the 19 volt Craftsman system (inflator, battery and charger). Came out to about $120. Pricey but worth it to me for the convenience and peace of mind.

For artsci, madartist, or anyone else who has one of the Sears inflators...

I bought one too. (See my posts upthread.)

The first one came some time ago, before I had my Model S, and when I tested it I found that while it worked well, the pressure readings it gave when just giving readings were about 1.2 to 1.3 PSI lower than the readings it would give when set to inflate to a set pressure. So, for example, if set to inflate to 45 PSI, it would slowly read up to 45 PSI, then shut off when it reached 45 PSI, and then immediately show 43.7 PSI or 43.8 PSI. I called sears to confirm that I wasn't doing anything wrong. They said I wasn't, and that I must have a defective product, and that I should send it back, and get another one. It has taken quite a while for Sears to get me a replacement, and I just tested the replacement a few minutes ago. It turns out the replacement behaves the exact same way!

So what I am wondering is how do yours behave?

In the original post, you stated, artsci, that you compared the inflated PSI to the reading you received with your FOBO, but you never said that you compared your inflated reading with a reading from the inflator itself. I'm wondering if I should try to get a third unit, or if they are all going to do the same thing. I can live with this if I know one of the two numbers is accurate. I just ordered another digital tire pressure gauge, in an attempt to be able to tell which, if either, number is accurate. I bought this: Amazon.com: TEKTON 5941 Digital Tire Gauge, 100 PSI: Home Improvement

If someone who has this Sears inflator could tell me if yours shuts off at a given pressure, and then immediately gives that same pressure as the reading, that would be very helpful to me. If several of you say yours work that way, I guess I'll be sending this one back too, in hopes of getting one that works properly, the way yours work.

Thanks!

artsci said:

I'm amazed I didn't know about it -- I just didn't look hard enough.

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Those have been on/off the market for the past 10 years that I know of. Very handy for inflating dirtbike tires.