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It doesn’t seem like it was that many years ago when carrying a “portable” jump-starter and tire inflator required giving up a decent portion of your car’s trunk. Today, you can fit both in your glove box with room to spare. I’ve been testing this mini-sized tire inflator; roughly the size of a soda can. There are smaller units, but they aren’t useful in the car world. The Syncwire Inflate 190 tire inflator’s balance of performance and size leads me to believe that this might be the right choice for a lot of car owners.
The Bottom Line
Most drivers rarely give any thought to their car’s tire pressures until they’re forced to. If that’s the case, a small and affordable inflator like this Syncwire is an obvious choice. Users will trade the convenience of its small size for time as it can’t move as much as larger compressors. But if you’re only using it in emergencies a few extra minutes won’t matter. It also works as a power bank with USB-A out. I’m not convinced most people will ever use that functionality. The Syncwire has a list price of $79.99. This is one of those products that you will almost always find marked down on Amazon. As I write this, it’s 40 bucks.
| Syncwire 190 Tire Inflator | |
|---|---|
| Ease Of Use | 9/10 |
| Speed | 7/10 |
| Value | 8/10* |
| Quality | 8/10 |
| Overall | 8/10 |
What Are The Specs Of The Syncwire 190 Tire Inflator
When you look at the Syncwire 190 from the top or bottom, it is oval-shaped roughly 1.9 x 3.0 inches. It stands 5.3 inches high with a 2.0 x 1.75 inch LCD screen and a 5-button pad taking up most of the front of the device. It weighs roughly 1.2 pounds, with the detachable hose. It includes a carrying bag, a USB-C charging cable, and adapters for sportsballs, Presta Valves, and pool floaties.
Syncwire rates the 190 at 0.6 cubic feet per minute of airflow. For reference, the last compressor I tested from Slime was a much larger, 12-volt unit rated at twice that rate. I tested this unit against that for inflating a couple of 225/40-18 track tires. The Slime inflator takes the tires from 9 psi to 35 psi in 1 minute and 54 seconds. The Syncwire takes 6 minutes and 43 seconds for the same job. I used the automatic stop function on both compressors, which appears to be more accurate on the Slime compressor.
I also tested the Syncwire against myself and a Cannondale Essential Floor Pump for inflating a couple of 700×45 E-bike tires. The tires started at 0 pressure and I inflated them to 55 psi. Yes, I know this way above what Silca’s Tire Pressure Calculator recommends. But I went with the recommendation of the bike manufacturer. The Syncwire inflated the tire in 1 minute and 23 seconds. For all of these, I’m only using the best performance. I inflated the same bike tire in 27 seconds; without hurrying.
If you intend to use this as a power bank, it’s rated at 5,200mah capacity. For reference, if you have a completely dead iPhone 15 Pro Max, it will charge it back up to about 70%. The Syncwire also has a built-in flashlight and different inflation modes, which I still have to determine what they do.
Final Thoughts On The Syncwire 190 Tire Inflator
For me, something like this isn’t going to replace the larger 12-volt powered inflator I carry in my car. However, I’m not the target market for this. The Syncwire 190 Tire Inflator is a great choice for people who are looking for something that takes up the minimum amount of space but can still re-inflate a flat tire in order to get them to a service station. Or more realistically, it’s for the person who has two flat tires; one on the car, and the other is the spare they’ve never touched. I’ve used even smaller units than this meant for cyclists. But anything truly pocket-sized isn’t going to have the battery capacity to fill a car tire. If you can find this at the discounted prices I normally see, at least 25% off, the syncwire is a good buy.