What a great product. Rugged, yet small and light. Allows one to gradually add flow from CO2 cartridge to a deflated tire eliminating risk of over inflation. I�ve tried other CO2 cartridge inflators. Hands down, this is the best.
This inflator is an improvement over my old one - it does all the old one did at a tiny fraction of the size. I was using an enclosed-cartridge inflator that used cheaper threadless CO2 cartridges. I realized at 2-3 flats per YEAR, the savings weren't worth carrying my old bulky inflator.
Haven't *needed* to use this inflator yet, but like all ride-critical tools, I home tested it, "wasting" one cartridge. It worked just fine. The valve on the inflator was easy to operate. The cartridge DOES get seriously (dangerously?) cold, but wrapping it in a cycling glove solves that problem.
i've been using these since 2013. in that time i've had 2 warranty issues which PDW replaced or repaired them. one time the center pin blew out and thus wouldn't puncture the cartridge. the second one was the dial would just spin and not move the stem. so in 6 yrs 2 failures in 50k miles. it doesn't seem that unreasonable, but if you've found a more reliable one, please share it. i love being able to slowly regulate the flow and partially inflate a tire and make sure it's seated and check for add'l leaks rather than blowing the load in one go. i also don't need the full 16g cartridge for 25mm tires, so saving a bit in the cartridge and throwing it in a jersey pocket with some extra is nice. if it had a pressure gauge, i'd give it another star.
Even though I carry a frame pump, there are times when a CO2 inflator really helps: Instant pressure, no pumping. It's an "insurance policy" for me and it +a few CO2 cartridges will fit nicely in a small underseat bag.
I have more than one of these because I like to keep one with me on each bike. It uses the screw in C02 canisters and allows user to regulate air flow, and to save some for later in the ride if the tire is still leaking.
I had a mountain bike tire with a bad tubeless valve, so I was able to refill it a couple of times in order to get me down the trail. They are metal and seem indestructible.
I have a Lezyne and Innovations valve inflators, but have replaced both with the PDW inflator. The PDW is the easiest, quickest, and fail-safe nozzle compared to the other 2. I inflate in 2 steps. At step 1, my PDW allows me to have very slow, controlled release (twist the valve knob) to minimally inflate the inner tube, but with enough air control to see the tire is properly seeded inside, around the rim. My Lezyne and Innovations is simple push, but each push comes in full bursts. I found these bursts are more difficult to control in my step 1. Step 2 is my more robust, but still controlled, release to reach my desired PSI. There are certainly experts using Lezyne and Innovations, but I'm not one of them. I don't flat that often. But, when I do, the PDW has ridden me of all my previous fumbling and frustrations I had with the other 2 brands.
This is the only valve I've ever used that actually holds pressure after it's pierced the C02 cylinder. I've used the partial pressure after a couple of months of initial use. I use it and several friends use them as well, all have had the same good luck with these valves.
