track pump showdown: Tesco Via Velo floor vs. Bikehut Performance track

Last week I bought a Tesco Via Velo floor pump with gauge for GBP 18.00

I tried it on both my hybrid's Presta tubes, and on my folding bike's Schrader tubes.

In both instances, the head would not seat on the valve properly; with the Presta valve, the pump's head got stuck and nearly ripped the valve core off. Attempting to remove the head from the valve caused loosing several psi's worth of inflation.

With the Schrader valve, the head would not stay on the valve at inflations higher than 60 psi. Reaching the required 80 psi was a struggle!

Needless to say I returned the pump the next day for a full refund.

Very disappointed.

On the other hand, the Halfords Bikehut Performance track pump I bought nearly three years ago for GBP 30.00 is still working well and can pump the Vittoria Open Pave' tyres on my race bike up to 140 psi effortlessly.