Planet Bike Air Kiss CO2 Inflator

I used this product once, to test it out and make sure it worked before I really needed it. It worked. As with most products of this type, they are mostly used for emergency. While on a ride last week I had a bad leak. Off went the tire and tube, new tube installed. Pulled out the Air Kiss, screwed on the CO2 cartridge and heard a hissing sound. The damn thing was leaking, not from the area around the cartridge but in the head itself. It would not shut off. I quickly attached it to the tube to empty the remaining CO2 into my tire. Luckily I got just enough into the tire to make it home.

I simply love this inflator. It's small, has just what you need, and IF YOU FOLLOW THE SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS it is foolproof. I am a big guy and I ride on some dicey roads so I can get flats several times a year. I need something reliable and easy to use and this inflator fills that need perfectly, much better than the Genuine Innovations Nano inflator it replaced.

The neoprene glove that wraps around the cartridge keeps your hands and fingers from freezing during inflation. As for the problems the other reviewers were having, the instructions say connect the inflator to the valve and clamp down BEFORE screwing the cartridge in all the way. What could be simpler? I'm not convinced you really have to do that but it's what they recommend and I have never had a problem by doing it so why fix what's not broken?

My old mini hand pump broke so I decided to buy this. I then went 6 months without a flat. Finally a huge staple got me in the absolute middle of nowhere Brooklyn. I patched up, &c., and followed all the instructions for the Air Kiss. It was totally ineffective. I went online and followed the instructions there. It was still totally ineffective. It simply does not work. The CO2 cartridge was fully threaded & the nozzle just won't clamp over the valve. It sucks. I ended up having to carry the bike 20 blocks to a flat fix place.