RTC100 Analogue Tyre Inflator

In this peculiar time of lockdown I thought I'd invest in an electrical inflator to further reduce the need to leave the house. Also At a price point of £14.99 if it lasts a couple of years topping up two cars then it will be a decent return of investment. Fingers crossed it breaks even! The Good * Its a very neatly built, compact and seemingly solid enough unit. The 12v lead tucks into a hole in the underside when not in use, the air line fits into the unit too. * Super simple to operate, you pop the 12v adapter into the cigarette lighter in the car, screw attach the valve on the air line to the tyre valve, press the huge button on the top of the unit and away you go. * The power lead is plenty long enough to reach all four corners on our mid size VW SUV type thing. * There is a super useful compartment tray on the top of the unit to pop your unscrewed valve cap into, saves you checking 8 pockets 4 times then rummaging around under the car once finished looking for a valve cap you somehow left in the car... * The guage is easy to ready, no real danger of the machine running away with itself and overinflating, it chugs along at a fairly middling rate of inflation which is fine for such a small unit. The Could be better * The air line isn't that long, on the car in the pictures I think the tyres are 18 inch. I had to move the car so the valve wasn't at the top of the wheel, as when the unit was on the floor it just wouldn't reach the top of the wheel. That can be sorted by simply holding the unit closer as it inflates. * I haven't got anything to test the actual pressure, I saw some reviews state it was a little inaccurate by around 3 or 4 psi at times but again given the size of the unit I would be fine with this variance if it is proven to be the case. * It really does sound like a tractor. I'm a fan of the noise. However if you were servicing a slow puncture to get you to work or the garage one early morning then not so sure the neighbours would be as happy about its diesel engine impression. Overall I actually really do think this is super useful and would highly recommend it. I'll update in a few months or maybe a year to say how it has fared but I am confident it will last a while based on what I have seen so far. Geat compact gadget that has an ever present power source, easy to operate, compact enough for the boot and works just fine. Five Stars.

Right. Up-front, this works. It works well, but you've got a screw on fitting so it's pretty hard not to lose a wee bit of pressure when taking the fitting off the tyre, especially in the cold. Ultimately, it's not something I'm upset about much, but people with disabilities, arthritis etc may struggle. So a good shout to check this first. I certainly was unprepared but not too bothered. I'd reccommend for sure but apply caution as you'd need to fill over your number so you can afford to lose a bit of pressure.

With many of the suburban and estate roads in the UK now little more than a series of potholes connected by patches of tarmac, looking after your tyres is now more important. (In the North East I suspect some of our bigger ones were used for location filming on Journey to the Centre of the Earth, La Brea and The Cave.) Driving on increasingly uneven roads means that you will need to check your tyres and tyre pressures more frequently and inflate them more often to maintain the correct pressure for your car. Doing this gives better protection for your wheels when you hit potholes and improves fuel efficiency. I had previously bought a motoring association foot pump, but the gauge was faulty after only the second time of use and it fell to bits not long after. I resolved to get a powered compressor as a replacement. I chose the RTC100 based on other reviews and the price, which was very competitive. It is has worked very well on every occasion I've used it and rapidly gets my 18 inch run flat tyres up to the correct pressure. I like the screw on connectors as they guarantee a good connection because clip on types detach too easily. The pressure gauge is reasonably accurate (I have checked mine using a dedicated tyre gauge). The only downside is that the pump is a bit loud. Don't use it very early morning or after the neighbours have put their kids to bed ;-). The compressor comes with adapters for use on bikes, air mattresses and kiddies paddling pools etc. but remember it is designed to plug into your cars cigarette lighter socket for power. I highly recommend this pump because it does a good job and is great value for money. You can buy far more expensive compressors but I doubt they will provide much better speed, functionality and value. I was so pleased with mine I bought another for a relative. She's very pleased with it and finds it very easy to use, so I no longer have to call round just to inflate her flat car tyres!

Item was just as described. Lightweight and portable. The cigarette lighter cable was long enough to swap from left to right tyres, front and back. Came with some handy attachments as well and was very impressed with the end of the tyre inflator screw on to the valve rather than the lever type. Very impressed and very happy with the purchase. Thank you

This is one of the cheapest on Amazon, and the reason is, it takes time to inflate a tyre to the pressure you want. This is because the compressor inside is small, a more expensive (you would hope) inflator will have a larger compressor. Because it's cheap, the gauge is not lit up either, so if using in the dark, you may not see the gauge as well. But your buying it because it's cheap, so these are things you put up with.