Topeak JoeBlow Booster Pump Review
June 29th, 2016
By Andrew Dodd in Reviews
Product Full Name | Topeak Joe Blow Booster track pump
Retail Price | £119.99
Available From | Extra UK
Topeak JoeBlow Booster – the Daddy of instant inflation
The Topeak JoeBlow Booster is a heavy duty floor standing pump, with an additional chamber for seating tubeless tyres.
This extra chamber can be charged up using the pump, and the stored air released in one hit – forcing the tyre beads to seal on the rim. It’s an excellent system, and far more compact and convenient than having an air compressor.
The Topeak JoeBlow Booster is a sturdy, heavy duty pump that is perfect for daily use, and an essential if you’re a tubeless tyre fan.
As with most Topeak tools, the JoeBlow Booster is well thought out and a quality bit of kit.
The Detail
The Topeak JoeBlow Booster is a heavy duty bit of kit – certainly more substantial than the similar Bontrager Flash Charger pump, and it feels much more solid.
With dual air chambers made from anodised Aluminium, and a wide steel foot plate, the Topeak JoeBlow Booster weighs in at 6.5lb/2.9kg. Despite having a plastic handle, the unit is far more robust that the Bontrager offering and would fare well in a work shop environment.
The display is really easy to read – even at a glance. Although the dial is not as intuitive to use as the lever on the Bontrager pump, it’s effective.
The display is nice and large, and is housed within a rotating dial that changes the pump between inflate and charge modes. The display itself is easy to read, and displays air pressure in both bar and pounds.
The hose is much longer than other similar pumps – at over a metre – which makes working on a bike mounted in a work stand far easier. This combined with the sturdy handle and weighted foot plate make the pump great for heavy duty use.
One end of the hose features a decent chuck that accepts both Presta and Schrader valves, and has a simple locking lever that feels a lot better quality than the Bontrager version.
Where the hose attaches to the main body of the pump, there is a nice anodised button for releasing air – for accurately fine tuning pressure without removing the chuck from the valve.
How well does it work?
Everything about the Topeak JoeBlow Booster pump feels quality.
The chuck attaches to the valve easily and has a great action. The handle – although plastic – has a nice rubber grip and is shaped well. The shaft is also very long, so the pumping action is excellent – and very fast.
There’s no mistaking which mode you are in on the Topeak JoeBlow Booster – the clear markings are easy to spot at an arms length.
Charging the extra chamber for seating tubeless tyres is a little different to the Bontrager pump – which has a nice flick up lever. Once used to turning the dial, inflating the charge chamber is much easier than the Bontrager – which progressively gets tougher to pump. The JoeBlow inflates to the marker with ease.
We’ve successfully inflated 2.8 WTB Trailblazers – which can be a pain in the arse – as well as all the usual 27.5in and 29in options and have had barely any issues. The Trailblazers needed a little persuading with some soapy water, but went up easily enough.
Check this video of the pump in use:
We Say
The Topeak JoeBlow Booster is a really solid and nice pump to work with.
The ergonomics make it easy to use and the long hose really makes a big difference in a workshop environment.
The gauge is accurate and easy to read; and the overall feel of the pump is great and it’s not let us down to date. It’s a bomb proof pump that will certainly stand the test of time – and a modern essential with tubeless tyres being common place nowadays and a keeper in the Factory Jackson workshop.
As far as comparing it to the Bontrager goes, they are both decent pumps. The Bontrager hasn’t let us down but it’s just not as nice to use – the cheap handle isn’t nice to use and charging the Bontrager is harder. Everything about the Topeak is just nicer to use – though the Topeak is a beast.
If you want a pump to chuck in the boot of you car – the Bontrager is the one you probably want. But if out and out performance and durability in the longterm are more important – the Topeak is the winner.
It’s a substantial bit of kit that is a worthy addition to any garage or home workshop.
