15 Responses to “Rant: Floor Pumps That Die”

1. 1 Chad  on May 20th, 2007 at 8:36 pm

   I’ve only had a few floor pumps, but have had the same luck. The first was a Park PFP-2 pump. Never did work well, always leaked, and never could pump up past 80 psi.

   Now I’m using a Wrench Force Air Daddy pump. Been good so far, but it is starting to push up on the handle when the pressure gets around 90-95 psi. But it holds pressure, and keeps pumping. We’ll see in a few more months.

2. 2 Richard  on May 20th, 2007 at 10:20 pm

   Sounds like most of those failures are defects that a company would be willing to repair or replace the pump for. Why not contact them for repair? Repair seems more blue collar then buying yet another pump.

3. 3 Jeff  on May 20th, 2007 at 11:11 pm

   I’m currently using a Wrench Force that I picked up for around $30. It’s been the best pump I’ve had so far. This replaced the Park Tools pump that lasted about a year, which replaced a Serfas that lasted a couple years…the handle broke off. I noticed that on the previous two pumps, the hoses and heads were identical. They’re probably all made in the same factory in China, which might explain the failures. I think all these pumps have some kind of warranty, but like most people, I throw the warranty information on the packaging away before I first use the pump. I don’t remember the details of the warranty…which is probably what they’re counting on! I had a Silca years ago too. The quality was high, but the screw on schrader head and lack of pressure gauge were kind of a drag. The plunger finally went out on that pump.

4. 4 George McNally  on May 21st, 2007 at 6:35 am

   Actually, I bought a floor pump at Wal-Mart back when I started riding in 1996 and it still works. Just my dumb luck, I guess…..

5. 5 James  on May 21st, 2007 at 8:37 am

   Brad,

   I’ve been using the same Silca pump since I bought it new in (yikes) 1984. Cost me a small fortune back then, about $40 if I remember. Since that time it has cost me almost $5 in rubber washers, it has a gage that has recently started working again (it took a 1 year sabbatical) but has always pumped up the tires. It is the old, old school model, with a cast base and a shaft made from Columbus tubing.

   Hearing your experiences, I could not recommend it more. It has a push-on chuck that works great until the rubber washer goes, but I replace it every 5 years or so, and they usually cost about $1-3 at my LBS.

6. 6 nathan  on May 21st, 2007 at 8:48 am

   yeah, floor pumps suck! the smart heads aren’t, the switching heads don’t, they leak, they break. it really would be nice to have a more reliable design. the most reliable pump i’ve used (a specialized air-tool pro) still has problems with it’s various parts coming unscrewed and the valves are a bit leaky, and the rod sometimes gets hung up in it’s bushing. but it’s still kicking at least, though it’s been fixed about 4 times now.

   i have had luck replacing faulty “smart heads,” they’re in the qbp catalog so they can be obtained.

7. 7 monogodo  on May 21st, 2007 at 9:05 am

   I’ve been using a Zefal Husky floor pump since 1992. My brother is still using the Zefal Husky he bought in 1989. The only things that have gone bad on them is the rubber insert in the pump head has worn out. I replaced my hose & head with a Topeak dual head replacement hose. It works beautifully.

8. 8 michael  on May 21st, 2007 at 4:50 pm

   maybe it’s because you kept getting the pre-production prototype samples.

   

9. 9 Fritz  on May 21st, 2007 at 5:33 pm

   I bit the bullet and bought a nice Topeak Joe Blow after the pumps I owned previously all died, including a couple of Wrench Force pumps.

10. 10 Drew  on May 21st, 2007 at 6:00 pm

    I bought the cheapest floor pump Walmart sells two years ago, and it has never failed me.

11. 11 Triffid  on May 22nd, 2007 at 7:45 am

    The Silca pumps are the best!… Last and have replacement parts as needed… Stop by your local bike shop, BU, to see them in action…….. Triffid

12. 12 Sturat  on May 23rd, 2007 at 12:00 pm

    I have also had horrible luck with floor pumps. I recently bought a Topeak Joe Blow and, I think it’s one of the best products I’ve bought this year. My only beef with it is, it is very hard to use @ pressures above 90 psi.

13. 13 Karl Etzel  on May 29th, 2007 at 7:01 pm

    Third comment for the Topeak, so far so good. Forget which model but it was not cheap. I think over $70 retail.

    Had a Park, hose ruptured after 2 months. They are spending brand equity on that crappy product they oem from China somewhere, otherwise I like Park tools.

    Have a Silca that is over a decade old, but the push on head that leaks with some valve stems forced me to look elsewhere. Other than that it still works great. The microscopic base was also a downer mainly because it is always falling over somewhere and it just drove me nuts.

14. 14 Swangarten  on Aug 25th, 2008 at 7:03 pm

    I’ve been thru all variations of pumps over the years and the Silca was the best for durability by far but it’s woeful lack of features made me look elsewhere. I settled on a Specialized Comp floor pump. Steel base, steel barrel, rebuildable, common o-ring sizes for the main seal and a smarthead that is not quite genuis but smarter than anything else I tried in my search.

15. 15 Kip  on Sep 8th, 2008 at 12:25 pm

    My vote goes to the Silca. Had mine for 15 years (and counting). I did switch the hose to the topeak dual head a few years ago to cover schraeder valves, but the pump itself is a rock solid. The leather washer just gave out, but it’s a $4 part and easy to replace…

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