RTC1000

This car tyre pump arrived in a cardboard box. Inside the box was the pump, adaptors that fit into the back of the pump, spare valve caps, rubber gloves, storage bag, and printed instruction leaflet. This tyre inflator pump is the best I have ever owned, it is very quiet, fast, and easy to use. The cable to plug into a 12V socket winds up at the back of the pump, and there is a handle that allows you to wind it up. This means I can unwind the exact length of cable I need, without excess trailing cable all over the place. The air hose pushes into a space around the edge of the pump, and there is a gap at the side for the rest of the hose and the nozzle. The hose is long so it can reach the top of the tyre with the pump on the floor. The hose has a button at the end which can allow air to be removed from the tyre if the pressure is too high, this is a good idea. The end of the hose has a metal brass nozzle which screws onto the tyre inner-tube nozzle, and although this brass nozzle is a bit stiff to screw on, it means it is securely fastened. It is far quieter than other inflator pumps I have used, and very fast at inflating tyres. There is a round yellow dial which you turn to adjust the amount of pressure you want. The target pressure is clearly displayed on the LCD screen. You screw the hose nozzle onto the tyre valve, and the screen clearly displays the current pressure. You then simply press the large grey button to start inflating, and the pump automatically turns off once it reaches the correct pressure. There is also a yellow button to turn on the light at the side of the pump if it is dark. Very good quality car tyre inflator pump, quiet, fast, and very easy to use with a clear display. Definitely recommended.

For three years now I've been having a problem with garage air pressure lines, whatever the garage, specifically that they invariably manage to take air out rather than in my tyres. I now dread getting a dashboard message to "check tyre pressures". Maybe this isn't helped by me having 19 inch run flats but I do think this can be a common issue depending on valve type - the guy in front of me had exactly the same issue in a Volvo and the lady behind driving a Renault had no problems at all. Last week I ended up calling roadside assistance because one tyre drained from 1.7 to 0.4 bar making it undriveable. His view? 1. This is not uncommon 2. Some tyre types are particularly susceptible and 3. The wear and condition of adaptors at many garages is often poor mean poor fitting so that even if air goes in the accuracy is debatable. His recommendation: buy an electric pump. My recommendation: not the analogue one he used because he managed to overinflate my tyres by 0.3 bar each. After looking at the many types with cheapest around the mid-20's, I thought it worth spending a bit more to get a more accurate digital display, an auto-stop function, a light, a deflator valve, cord storage and a carrying case. The Ring RTC 1000 arrived today and using it was simplicity itself. It fills quickly so no real need to run the engine after plugging into a 12v socket, the cords are long enough and store easily, the delaflator valve sorted out my overfilled tyres and - most important - it is accurate as confirmed by my onboard computer tyre readings. And for those without onboard tyre warnings - I picked up a 7psi shortfall in two of my wife's tyres (they didn't look at all low/flat) so I'm very happy with the small investment.

My car had recently developed a slow puncture, pinging up the warning light every 3-4 weeks and prompting a trip to the local supermarket or filling station for a top-up. It had a habit of going ping when I’m commuting to work early in the morning, never the best time. So I thought I’d invest in a tyre inflator to keep in the boot of the car so I can top up at my leisure, at least until I inevitably have to get the tyre repaired. There are dozens of tyre inflators available, some with digital readings and some with traditional analogue dials. What very few of them do is have the safe-guard feature of being able to set the desired pressure and the machine turns off when it reaches it. It is this functionality that swung me towards the Ring RTC1000. Ring, not to be confused with the Ring who make smart doorbells, are something of a specialist in the tyre pressure market so I was confident in the brand. The inflator arrives in its storage bag that also contains some protective gloves which are ideal for protecting you from the filth on your wheels and valves (although I’ve long been an advocate of just wiping my fingers on my jeans but that’s just me). Opening the bag you find the inflator, and at a quick glance you could mistake it for a defibrillator. It has a large blue digital display that shows the current pressure reading and your target pressure, plus a status indicator across the middle. You set the desired pressure using the yellow dial below the display, pressing it in to confirm your selection. At the bottom of the machine is a big “On” button, which begins the inflation process. In the centre is a button that illuminates the light found on the right-hand side of the device, and a moulded depression for placing your valve caps. On the left is a recess which contains the inflation tube and connector, and on the underside is an enclosed reel that tucks away the 3.5m long power cable which can be quickly wound away when finished. In operation, the Ring RTC1000 is easy to use and although noisy as you would expect from a pump it isn’t offensively loud. As you’re likely to be running your engine while operating the inflator it’s not much worse than the sound of your car. Both the power cable and inflation tube come out quickly and easily. The power cable is easy to wind back in, but you need to manually manipulate the inflation tube back into the recess. On the end of the inflation tube is a screw-on fitting that attached to the valve on your car’s tyre to enable a hands-free inflation. Just behind the fitting is a pressure-release button to allow you to adjust the tyre pressure without unscrewing the inflation tube. There is always going to be a question mark as to how accurate the reading is on these home inflation machines. When you first screw on the inflation tube it’s important to wait a few seconds for the display to finish taking its initial reading. Occasionally I found that the inflator would go up to the desired target, and then drop down by half a point. What I tend to do is set it for half a point (PSI or Bar) higher to compensate, and allow for any loss in pressure when removing the inflation tube. To get an idea of accuracy I compared readings on the Ring RTC1000 with those on my trusty little Rolson digital tyre gauge. Typically, I’ve found the initial reading prior to inflation to be identical, but 0.05 Bar higher on the Ring after inflation. My photos show before and after shots of readings from both the Ring and the Rolson. I would caveat this by saying I have no idea of how well calibrated the Rolson is either, it’s merely for guidance. Whatever, I’m satisfied that the margin of area is acceptable. Other notes I’d make is that realistically you’d never store your valve caps in the depression on the device as they’d fall out the moment you moved the whole lot to your next tyre. Also, a minor quibble, the light for me is on the wrong side. As a right-handed person I would crouch with the wheel to my left so as to bring my right arm across towards it (in a forehand-tennis shot approach). The torch is therefore shining in the wrong direction as I’d need to have the tyre on my right side (in a backhand approach) which doesn’t make it as easy to screw on the inflation tube. In summary though, I think the Ring RTC1000 is a very good digital tyre inflator and does everything I’d ask of it. A few minor points remind me it’s not perfect, and it is quite expensive compared to others, however the auto-stop function to me is a valuable safety feature and if I had my time again I still believe I’d buy the Ring RTC1000.

I bought this by mistake but was so impressed with it that I kept it, and won't go anywhere in the car without it. Does the job most effectively, making the job of inflating car tyres very quick and easy.

This was a replacement for an earlier model which packed up after quite a few years service. This one is a much better design though, and inflates more rapidly. The digital display is large and clear and as it's in Psi only, it's a doddle to set. The integral cable on the rear pulls out, sort of like a turntable which you wind back in when finished with the raised knob The air connector hose folds away in a recess on the side and there's an adapter for blowing up other things to car tyres. The whole thing fits neatly into a soft carry case. The unit is operated from the car 12 Volt socket (remember the days when it used to be called a cigarette lighter with a cigarette symbol on it?). For connecting to car tyres the metal valve is good quality, and when screwed in place will give you the current air pressure in the tyre. Simply turn the knob to set the target pressure, and then press the bar type button at the bottom of the unit, which will begin to inflate, and stop when the target pressure is reached. If you are letting air out, there is a bleed button on the valve connector to do this 15 minutes is quoted as the max continuous running time for the unit. The integral light is quite adequate to see what you are doing in the dark. For auto use, these are an indispensable aid that I think everyone who doesn't have one should have, and very handy to keep in the car. To think years ago I used foot pump!

Easy to use, clear display and once target pressure set, pump runs until preset reached and switches off. Cable and air line length both good to reach all 4 wheels. Seems reasonably sturdy construction. Complete with deflate option which is a good feature when air pressures need to be adjusted on a tow car. Carry case supplied. Overall good value for money and relatively quieter than its predecessor

This tire inflator wasn't the cheapest, but I love it. Firstly it comes in a neat bag to keep it clean and it feels like a quality piece of kit. I love the valve connection type. The screw on connection is way more secure and less of a fumble than the push on and clip over type. Additionally, just behind the connection tip, there is a deflation button to allow for precise control of letting air out of an over inflated tire. The pressure control knob is a simple turn to set the auto stop pressure level required, and push in to change pressure type, psi, kpa, or bar. The screen is large, bright and back lit so easy to see in all lighting situations. The main hose is not super long, but does not need to be as it is well long enough to reach any car valve from the ground. The 12v cable is well long enough and nicely held in a wind in cable management system. But does it work? Yes it does, very well actually! It is quiet and reasonably quick and of course it is switches off at the set pressure. In my case, the pressure I set, exactly matched what my cars TPMS said. All in all, a great tool.

Awful! OK, Having bought 3 of these now and all failing within 18 months of purchase I just had to give a review as 3 is not a coincidence! Both my partner and I drive lgv vans, so we need an inflator with a long reach - that's not easy ( manufacturers please take note!) as most on the market are only just long enough for an estate car. I found the RING and bought one as a present for my partner... since it seemed ok a few months on I bought one for myself but not long after that my partner's RING malfunctioned, made awful noises and just stopped working despite all attempts to fix. so he gave it to me to use for 'parts' for my new one. Didn't think I'd need it! So I actually immediately bought him a replacement version thinking it was just a one off or bad luck, as mine was still ok. Sure enough about 11 months after my new inflator purchase mine also broke down, just wouldn't inflate despite having power to the lcd etc. My partner took bits from the first 'parts' RING and swapped the valve which did fix it..for a while. Not long after that however, it failed too. The worst part is it was needed on a long journey whilst moving house, on my own. I relied on it and was sensible enough to always have it with me, but when it was truly needed it let me down. It sounded like a noisy compressor. like the motor had bust.. it was unfixable. So that's 2 RINGs now malfunctioned. I now use a reliable fast pump which adapts for my bicycle tyres and it works great! The final addition is that the replacement RING I bought my partner has broken down too. For 3 to fail like this is just indicative of poor manufacturing, these are NOT reliable.....update-