Bathmate alternative with gauge and lower pressure

[Trollihyer Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Trollihyer]

I own a bathmate but it's honestly too inconvenient for me.

I would prefer an air pump with a gauge.

Also I want to experiment with lower pressure pumping at higher durations so something that would allow that as well.

Any recommendations?

[Dreadsteed Senior Member Member of the Month March 2022 Find all posts View Profile Close Dreadsteed]

I would look for a quality make, something with a quick release valve, and an attachable hand pump with a pressure gauge so you can see exactly how much pressure you’re applying to take out the guess-work in measuring the low pressures you’re trying to maintain. You really don’t need much else. I imagine there are a lot of brands that bring pretty much the same things to the table, and a quick google search will bring up several sellers that offer all of those attributes.

[BigO AdministratorPEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close BigO]

Check out the pumps from Leluv dot com, best prices and good quality. I have a couple cylinders from them and they are very good and fit what you seem to be looking for

[PhallicPhun Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PhallicPhun]

I've had good luck with the MOS MityVac. May be a bit pricier than other options but very good quality.

[Marlon LGHanger Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marlon LGHanger]

I've had good luck with the MOS MityVac. May be a bit pricier than other options but very good quality.

MitiVac is the brand name of the brake bleeder / hand pump. They can be purchased at any Harbor Freight for around $49 bucks + tax. The quality is good for a device that's made of plastics.

[Marlon LGHanger Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marlon LGHanger]

I own a bathmate but it's honestly too inconvenient for me.

I would prefer an air pump with a gauge.

Also I want to experiment with lower pressure pumping at higher durations so something that would allow that as well.

Any recommendations?

Major differences between hydro and air penis pumping. Each have their own pro's and con's. So depending on your goals, time and how each type of device feels to you can help you decide which is best for you. I have two Bathmates as well as a variety of air cylinders and a DP-4000.
Don't give up on the Bathmate, it has some advantages over air pumping.

The one thing I've noticed about guys who are committed air / vacuum pumping is that they never stay at the lower Hg vacuum pressure levels. They continue to use increasingly higher levels of vacuum along with timed sessions beyond what is productive. Consequently they end up with a bunch of edema that deludes them into thinking they are making gains.

[PhallicPhun Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PhallicPhun]

MitiVac is the brand name of the brake bleeder / hand pump. They can be purchased at any Harbor Freight for around $49 bucks + tax. The quality is good for a device that's made of plastics.

Yeah you're also paying for the tubes, fittings, cylinder, silicone accoutrements and a nice case. Not saying it's the best but it's decent quality for the price. The tubes could stand to be a little longer.

[iiimegamaniii Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close iiimegamaniii]

I have a Bathmate and use it only to air pump.

- Mega

[Marlon LGHanger Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marlon LGHanger]

Yeah you're also paying for the tubes, fittings, cylinder, silicone accoutrements and a nice case. Not saying it's the best but it's decent quality for the price. The tubes could stand to be a little longer.

Clear 3/8" O.D. (outside diameter) x 1/4" I.D (internal diameter) tubing can be purchased by the foot at Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace Hardware and online. At McMaster Carr you can purchase 25'ft for .32 cents per foot + shipping.

Hand pumps are really designed to be used as Brake Bleeders.... it's why the MitiVac at Harbor Freight comes with all the other stuff you described.

[PhallicPhun Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PhallicPhun]

Clear 3/8" O.D. (outside diameter) x 1/4" I.D (internal diameter) tubing can be purchased by the foot at Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace Hardware and online. At McMaster Carr you can purchase 25'ft for .32 cents per foot + shipping.

Hand pumps are really designed to be used as Brake Bleeders.... it's why the MitiVac at Harbor Freight comes with all the other stuff you described.

You know I knew it was for bleeding brakes but I never thought to check. Maybe it was providential that my hand pump died yesterday. Might just be a seal but I haven't taken it apart to see why it's not holding vacuum. It has a lifetime warranty but hopefully it's just something simple I can fix myself.

[Marlon LGHanger Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marlon LGHanger]

You know I knew it was for bleeding brakes but I never thought to check. Maybe it was providential that my hand pump died yesterday. Might just be a seal but I haven't taken it apart to see why it's not holding vacuum. It has a lifetime warranty but hopefully it's just something simple I can fix myself.

Usually when a seal goes bad or starts to leak, it's time for a new hand pump. Remember it's made in China, it's not supposed to last. Unfortunately there are no domestic made brake bleeders, which is why we're forced to buy all of our hand pumps from China. I personally test and inspect each one before we sell it or include it in one of our weight hanging systems. Approximately 25% of all the hand pumps we purchase are junk and we need to throw them away.... they can't be fixed. We typically buy 250 - 500 units at a time. We do have both plastic and metal hand pumps available, and they come with a hose and and a new male fitting. I guess I'm lucky with the hand pump I've been using, it's plastic and has been working well for over 6 years!

The hand pumps you see in the box my wife is holding are all brand new Chinese junk ready for the trash can!

hand pumps.jpg



junk China hand pumps.jpg

[Dreadsteed Senior Member Member of the Month March 2022 Find all posts View Profile Close Dreadsteed]

Is there a reason you choose to stick with plastic over metal for your hand pump gauge? Is there even a noticeable difference between the two?

[Marlon LGHanger Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marlon LGHanger]

Is there a reason you choose to stick with plastic over metal for your hand pump gauge? Is there even a noticeable difference between the two?

When we started buying hand pumps in bulk, the plastic one's were less expensive and more readily available. That's the only reason I've continued to use my plastic model. If and when it fails, I will switch over to the metal version.

We had just as many plastic ones fail my testing as the metal ones. IMO the only significant difference between the two is the metal one is less likely to break if you drop it. The plastic one has a trigger that allows you release vacuum easier than the metal one that has a little pin on the underside of the brass cylinder.

There's two reasons they fail to hold vacuum..... the rubber o'rings inside the cylinder area's don't seat correctly. I've taken many apart trying to fix them to no avail. Usually the problem is with the cylinder not being completely round or concentric, so the rubber o'rings aren't making full contact with the inside diameter of the cylinder. The second issue is the plunger inside the cylinder that strokes back and forth when you attempt to draw vacuum out. This issue is primarily due to whoever assembles the units doing a poor job and damaging the plunger. Remember with slave labor in China it's quantity over quality.