Accutire MS-4021B Standard Digital Tire Gauge

A good tire gauge must be convenient to use, easy to read and deliver accurate results. The Accutire MS-4021B Standard Digital Tire Gauge fills all these requirements, and it is one of the most recommended tire gauges overall. "This gauge should be in every commuter's glove box," says Car and Driver, calling the MS-4021B "affordable and compact."

Sometimes, spending more buys a better product, but that isn't the case with this gauge. It costs only a few dollars more than the cheap pencil tire gauges experts say you should avoid, and tests by editors at Popular Mechanics show the Accutire MS-4021B to be as accurate as more expensive gauges. One customer at Amazon.com says that this tire gauge is much easier to use than the pencil-style, and another says, "If you just push the gauge straight into the valve stem, you easily get a solid reading without leaking air."

Because of the MS-4021B's wide pressure range (reading from 5 to 150 psi) this gauge is useful for a variety of applications, including bicycle tires, passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks. On Amazon.com it has an average rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, and it is the retailer's  most popular tire gauge. "I've had one of these for years, works well, and lasts long," says one Amazon.com user, summing up what other posts report about the MS-4021B's long, dependable life. There are a few complaints that the batteries last only a few years, and the MS-4021B has to be sent back to the manufacturer for battery replacement -- something that's probably not worth the effort.

The similar Accutire MS-4350B Programmable Digital Tire Gauge (Est. $15) has a smaller overall range, at 5 to 99 psi, but it also lets you store the recommended tire pressure for your front and rear tires, though most users didn't seem to use this feature