Zefal Floor Pumps

ZEFAL - Their Floor Pumps

Beginning in the 1990's Zefal started making floor pumps with a single piece molded plastic base which also functions as the compression tube's lower cap. Any flex or irregularities in the compression tube's fit into the base during the down stroke, because the plunger isn't moved just straight up and down may cause weakness, air loss, or failure near where the compression tube joined the base. The first effort to manufacture a plastic base design was the original "Double Shot" which used two Blue plastic compression tubes side by side to compress air on both the up and the down stroke. The Blue plastic tubed original model was replaced with the current Black and Red plastic design, which we have experienced a higher than average return rate on. We no longer sell the Black and Red plastic Double Shot floor pump. The current Zefal brochure shows that they sell four floor pumps with a gauge, including the Double Shot, three are made in France, one in Germany. The three from France have a plastic base, the one from Germany has a cast steel one. We have included the three other than the Double Shot in our writing because their place in floor pump history hasn't yet been established, and they provide a possible quality alternative to a very poorly built Taiwan floor pump that you might buy locally for real money. At the price we sell each of these Zefal floor models for, they represent a good value. Lastly, Zefal's frame pumps have a justly deserved excellent reputation, none of their mini or full size frame pumps are known to have a significant failure rate.

Made in France, the Rush Plus is an inexpensive single action floor pump that is built, it seems, to be sold down to a price rather than up to a quality, but if you use it with care it shouldn't need replacement too soon. The Zefal Rush Plus is an enhanced model of their Rush pump. Enhanced because it has a gauge and the Rush model doesn't. The base for the Rush Plus is made of a single piece of molded Black plastic, and the base also functions as the lower end cap for the compression tube. The plastic base also feeds the air hose and gives pressure to a gauge. We can easily flex, in our hands, the base. Since everything vital to the pump passes through the base, delicacy should be used when exerting rapid and full body weight on the Rush Plus. The Rush Plus has its air hose positioned on the base between the gauge and the compression tube. The 27" long hose screws into the plastic base, the air chuck is made of molded Black plastic and is crimped permanently to the end of the hose. The air chuck has a thumb lock and comes from the factory to inflate Schraeder valves. A brass Presta to Schraeder valve adapter comes with the pump. The gauge at the end of the base reads up to 140 PSI. The compression tube is advertised as being made from "hard wearing heat resistant 3103 magnesium alloy", which is deceptive. 3103 is an aluminum alloy designation with over 98% aluminum and just about 1% magnesium. The upper cap on the compression tube is made of molded Black plastic. We can't tell you about the plunger assembly, the upper cap is pressed into the tube, then a special crimp is applied around the top of the compression tube to hold the cap in. Removing the cap for any repair would probably destroy it, and replacement caps aren't yet available. The cap has molded into it, a clip for the air hose to snap into when not in use. The handle is molded of Black plastic onto the plunger shaft. The Rush Plus is functional and should be used with care. The Zefal Rush Plus Pump weighs 596.5 grams and we found that 1 stroke of the pump delivered 300ml of air. It took us 34 strokes to bring a Dart HC to 40 PSI on a Mavic 231 rim, and 23 strokes to bring a 700 x 25c Continental SuperSport Ultra on a Mavic Open 4 CD up to 90 PSI. $ Price in Catalog

Made in France, the Zefal Maxi is another of Zefal's floor pumps which uses a Black plastic molded base. Unlike the Rush Plus the piece for your foot to stand on, to hold the pump down during the up stroke is made as a separate piece. This separate foot piece is firmly affixed to the base using a tight snap fit over an axis molded into the base. The flex we were able to introduce to the Rush Plus foot area is pretty much absorbed by the Maxi's independent foot piece, which can be folded up when the pump is not in use. The molded plastic base provides the lower end of the compression tube, and has the connection for the air hose and a gauge built into it. The air hose screws into the base between the compression tube and the pressure gauge. It is 26 1/2" long and has a cast aluminum air chuck with a plastic thumb lock. The air chuck is permanently attached to the end of the hose using a crimped steel enclosure. The air chuck can be used to fill either Presta or Schraeder valves by reversing some internal parts, though it comes from the factory set for Schraeder valve inflation. The air pressure gauge appears to have a large reservoir or "tank" for equalizing the air pressure beneath it. A look at the underside of the pump shows this area of the base to be hollow, so the reservoir is considerably smaller than it appears. The gauge is unconventional for floor pumps which usually have the air pressure deflect a needle around the face of dial. The gauge on the Maxi instead uses a "dial" in the form of a cylinder which revolves against a fixed line on the face of the gauge. As the air pressure increases, the cylinder revolves forward revealing the pressure. The gauge reads up to 140 PSI. The Maxi's compression tube is made of the same tubing as the Rush Plus but a little longer in length. Like that of the Rush Plus, it is said to be made of 3103 magnesium alloy. As we've said about the Rush pump, 3103 is really known as an aluminum alloy with a tiny amount of magnesium in its composition. The Maxi floor pump uses the same upper end cap on the compression tube with the clip molded into it to hold the hose when in use. Like the Rush Plus the upper compression tube end cap is held in place by a special crimp near the top of the tube. Removal of the upper cap would probably destroy it, so we can't reveal how the plunger assembly is made. The handle assembly is made of two parts, the handle itself and a fitting molded of Black plastic permanently attached to the plunger shaft. The handle comes as separate piece in the box, slides over the plunger shaft fitting and a near 90¡ clockwise turn locks it onto the pump. The Zefal Maxi Pump weighs 837 grams and we found that 1 stroke of the pump delivered 325ml of air. It took us 34 strokes to bring a Dart HC to 40 PSI on a Mavic 231 rim, and 18 strokes to bring a 700 x 25c Continental SuperSport Ultra on a Mavic Open 4 CD up to 90 PSI. $ Price in Catalog

The Zefal Husky, though marketed by Zefal, is made in Germany, by what the old timers here believe to be a company known as "SKS" that marketed quality pumps under their own brand name for many years. It is a single action pump that follows traditional and enduring design by having a cast steel base. The cast steel base has two foot stands that can be folded up when not in use, made of monstrously heavy duty wire. The base provides the lower end cap for the compression tube. The compression tube is tightly lodged into the base which seems to have tapered walls to grip the tube. At one end of the base is a reservoir over which is the air pressure gauge. The gauge reads up to 230 PSI or 16 barometric atmospheres. The air hose is screwed into the side of the base between the compression tube and the gauge. The air hose is 31" long with a crimped steel fitting permanently attaching the air chuck to its end. The air chuck is made of nickel plated machined steel, has a thumb lock and its inner rubber washer is easily replaceable. The air chuck will directly inflate Schraeder valves only, but comes with a machined steel Presta to Schraeder adapter. The Husky plunger assembly is traditional in nature. The plunger shaft is machined of 9.2mm diameter steel rod, threaded on both ends. The piston is a molded plastic plug, with a cupped shaped rubber "leather" below it, both greased to make a tight seal. The compression tube's upper cap is machined of steel, threading over the top of the compression tube. On top of the upper end cap is a plastic fitting that has a snap in clip to hold the air hose when not in use. The handle is made of turned hardwood held between two concave washers with nuts above and below on the plunger shaft. The Zefal Husky weighs 2210.5 grams and we found that 1 stroke of the pump delivered 265ml of air. It took us 35 strokes to bring a Dart HC to 40 PSI on a Mavic 231 rim, and 22 strokes to bring a 700 x 25c Continental SuperSport Ultra on a Mavic Open 4 CD up to 90 PSI. $ Price in Catalog