Quite possibly, the single most common piece of kit in a four-wheel driver’s arsenal is the tyre deflator. But which one is right for you? Let’s have a look at the main contenders on the market, ones that you can walk into a local 4X4 or camping store and purchase today; then we’ll put them through their paces. Bear in mind that we’re not holding back on the testing and our thoughts on the deflators we’re looking at. If it’s junk, you’ll know. Likewise, if it’s over-priced, you’ll know. If it’s a solid bit of kit worth your hard-earned, you’ll know that too. Let’s get into it.
Why we did what we did…
In this comparison, we’re looking at a few main points, which we’ll give a rating out of 10. These will be:
There will of course, be an overarching winner based across the average of the scores. That said, I think it’s prudent to give the cheaper options a winner, and the more expensive options a winner too. As if you don’t want to spend a lot of coin on a deflator, at least we can help you work out the best one for your money. Or, on the other hand, if you just want the best of the best, we’ll work that one out too. Think of it as bang for your bucks.
Each box you’ll see below gives the broad strokes on each deflator, and the video will show you the testing we did. From there, at the bottom, you’ll see the massive table where we recorded all the scores we got and how they each fared in the testing.
Here’s what we kept the same across all tests…
In terms of the test itself, we wanted to remove a whole heap of variables that, while they might seem more real-world, would only have got in the way of our results, making them harder to defend and easier to ignore. We opted to use a 33-inch tyre that wasn’t attached to a vehicle. After every test, the tyre was inflated back to 40psi and checked with our control gauge, a 5-100psi tyre pressure gauge from BluePoint (aka Snap-On). We wanted a test methodology that was repeatable and fair for the products we were testing.
So, why’d we choose 10 seconds, 30 seconds and 60 seconds? Well, for a start, they’re nice round numbers and also because, as a general rule of thumb, they kind of, almost, just about get you close to pressure drops for dirt driving, sand driving and oh, crap, I’m stuck driving… obviously that has a lot to do with the tyres on your rig and its weight, but you can see where we were going.
If you cast your mind back a few years, when we first ran a test like this, we cut the hose on the deflator. This time around, we decided to focus on the quality of the valve itself because that’s where the air comes out. And we noticed a few interesting things. Now, some might ask why we didn’t just test from, say, 40psi to 10psi and the increments in between – we were looking for quality and accuracy with this test. In another article coming soon, we’ll look at the time to go from 40-10psi on the top picks from the below deflators. We’ll also put them up against a couple of wildcard entry products that aren’t ‘traditional’ deflators.
What we didn’t compare
We didn’t include the newish type simultaneous mini deflators (like these from Direction Plus) as they don’t have a gauge, and there are so many on the market now they deserve their own comparison. Stay tuned!
So, without further ado, here’s what we found!
Bushranger 4X4 Gear tyre deflator
The Bushranger was the better of the two non-core removal deflators. It was nicely built, more accurate and quicker than the Dr Air competitor. It’s priced reasonably well at $49 and all in all, this would be the go-to if you’re after a non-core removal deflator.
Adventure Kings tyre deflator
As you’d expect, the Kings Kwiky was cheap, both in construction and price. They’ve moved up to having a circlip at the end of the brass tube, but the circlip groove was tiny, and it wouldn’t take much to knock it off. At $24.95, it’s bloody cheap and does get the job done, albeit somewhat inaccurately. If price is your greatest concern, and you want to step up from a stick, this isn’t too bad.
80 Outdoors tyre deflator
For a newish contender, the 80 Outdoors tyre deflator is actually a pretty handy bit of kit. It’s priced reasonably well at $40 and was rather accurate. It has the added bonus of coming with a tyre valve tool, and a set of four valve caps for when you inadvertently lose one when you’re airing up or down. It reads from 0-60psi, is pretty well built, and is probably the pick of the mid-range deflators.
Ironman 4×4 tyre deflator
The Ironman 4X4 deflator was the fastest deflator and nearly the most accurate. It was, however, the most expensive at $84. It’s well built as you’d expect a high-end product to be, reads between 0-60psi, however its price is a touch higher than I’d want to pay for a deflator, even a high-end model. It’s also the only deflator that did not come with a bag or container.
TJM tyre deflator
This is the offering from TJM. We’re not going to lie, it’s a magic bit of kit. It’s a digital-style gauge, so it gets full points for the pressure range it will show. It was also super accurate, being just a touch out of perfect at the top end of 40psi. It’s priced very well for a higher-end deflator at $59 and also came with a valve core tool and four spare valve cores in case you lose one, which is worth bonus points. The only downfall is that it wasn’t quite as quick as some of the other options out there, but an exceptionally well-built tool, nonetheless.
XTM 4×4 Accessories (BCF) tyre deflator
The XTM deflator from BCF worked as a mid-priced deflator should. It was fairly accurate, has a range of 0-60psi, and is reasonably priced at $39.99. It was probably the most accurate mid-ranged deflator, and if you can get it while on sale, it’s well worth the money.
Roadsafe 4WD tyre deflator
The Roadsafe deflator is another mid-range deflator, with the only real noticeable differences being the sheath over the tubing and a rather inaccurate gauge at the top end of the pressures. It also tied as fastest with Ironman 4X4 in that it hit a measured pressure of 9psi after 60 seconds of deflating. At $55.00, it’s not exceptionally priced; however, it’s not a bad unit.
ARB tyre deflator
As another high-end contender, in the same ballpark as the Ironman 4X4 and the TJM options, the ARB was both accurate and reasonably quick in deflation. It’s priced where you would expect at $82.95 which is nearly the same as the Ironman 4X4 option. The ARB offering was the most accurate from our testing, measuring the same as the control pressure gauge throughout the testing.
Dr Air tyre deflator
The Dr Air offering was the other non-valve core removal deflator we tested. Next to the Bushranger it felt cheap, though still better than the Kings option. It did not lock for continuous deflation and was far from accurate. For the $29.99 price point, I’d be looking at another option.
The Humble Stick (Random Tree) tyre deflator
As a bit of a giggle, we threw in the humble twig. Accuracy was all over the shop, and we found this depended entirely on the pressure applied to the stick, as well as the width and depth of stick use. It’s priced exceptionally well at 30 seconds looking for one and was actually faster than the non-valve core removal options. This is a great go-to if you really need to save the dollars or you’re just starting out. It’ll certainly give you a feel for where your tyres should be.
Wes’s thoughts on the results
At the end of the day, you’ve got the data to look over in the table. These are just my thoughts on the different deflators we ended up testing.
I think there were two, maybe three distinct groups in this test. The high-end deflators – ARB, TJM and Ironman 4X4, the low-end deflator – Adventure Kings and the mid-range deflators – pretty much everything else. Mind you, these groups are based purely on build quality that I noticed and how they feel to put hands on them. There are also the materials used, insofar as the hose connectors, whether spring or crush fitting, sheath over the hose, quality of brass in the actual deflator, and the build tolerances. Price, however, does not play a part in how I have put them in each group.
For me, the ARB and TJM (funnily enough being the two ‘big brands’) would be my personal preference. Simply due to build quality, and around $59-$83, it will get you a top-quality tyre deflator that you know you can trust. If you’re halfway across the Simmo, you really don’t want your deflator giving up the ghost because you cheaped out on a reasonably critical bit of gear.
That said, if you just need the bare essentials and don’t go touring too far from home without mates, a cheaper option may be up your alley. I guess it comes down to your own personal needs, what you’re after and what sort of budget you can justify for a deflator. Just remember, as you’ll see in the table and the videos in this article, that price isn’t always an indicator of quality.
The data and the winners
| BRAND | PRICE | START | 10s | 30 | 60 | RESULTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bushranger* | $49.00 | 42psi | 39psi | 33.5psi | 28psi | 6.6/10 |
| -control | 40psi | 28psi | ||||
| Adventure Kings | $24.95 | 41psi | 32psi | 24psi | 13psi | 7/10 |
| -control | 40psi | 12psi | ||||
| 80 Outdoors | $40.00 | 42psi | 33psi | 21psi | 10psi | 7.8/10 |
| -control | 40psi | 10psi | ||||
| Ironman 4×4 | $84.00 | 40psi | 30.5psi | 20psi | 9psi | 8/10 |
| -control | 40psi | 10psi | ||||
| TJM | $59.00 | 40.5psi | 33psi | 23psi | 13.5psi | 8.8/10 |
| -control | 40psi | 13.5psi | ||||
| XTM (BCF) | $34.99 | 40psi | 33psi | 23psi | 13psi | 7.4/10 |
| -control | 40psi | 14psi | ||||
| Roadsafe | $55.00 | 43psi | 33.5psi | 21psi | 9psi | 7.6/10 |
| -control | 40psi | 9psi | ||||
| ARB | $82.95 | 40psi | 33psi | 23psi | 13psi | 8.6/10 |
| -control | 40psi | 13psi | ||||
| Dr Air* | $29.99 | 44psi | 42psi | 38psi | 34psi | 5/10 |
| -control | 40psi | 32psi | ||||
| Stick | FREE | 40psi | 38psi | 32psi | 26psi | 4.8/10 |
WORDS AND IMAGES BY WES WHITWORTH
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