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Birzman Zacoo Maha III

9
£49.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Not the cheapest but definitely one of the best track pumps available and the Snap It head is a killer feature
Weight: 
1,329g
Contact: 
www.i-ride.co.uk

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There's some pretty established brands making track pumps, compared with which Birzman can still be considered something of a new kid, but even so this Zacoo Maha III pump shows they're not messing around - aiming squarely at the shiny end of the market. In fact, there's a marked visual similarity between this pump and similarly priced offerings from Lezyne, but with some interesting and innovative features.

Birzman appear to have been influenced by the Cinelli school of naming things - this pump has a pretty silly name (if not quite on a par with the Bootleg Magic Bus Rat). It's an evolution of the Zacoo Next that we tested (/content/review/30339-birzman-zacoo-next-track-pump) a couple of years ago, which we liked a lot. In the 2013 range, the equivalent is the Zacoo Maha II, which gives you a shiny aluminium handle for another £20. Here, the Maha III has a wooden handle, but pretty much all of the rest of it is metal and nicely finished it is too.

Like the older model, the Maha III boasts Birzman's signature 5 degree lean, intended to make pumping up your tyres more comfortable. I've never really had a problem with vertical pumps, but I have to agree that this does make things marginally more comfortable. Likewise the feet, which are splayed backwards from the pump, are better positioned than those which come out at the sides.

In use it's an efficient device - pumping a 700x23 tyre to 120psi took a mere 28 pumps (verified by Daisy, a nearby 8 year old) and it feels solid and smooth, which is what you want from your track pump. It is rated to 220psi although I didn't have any tyres similarly rated, so I couldn't test this.

The major change from earlier models and from its competition is the Snap-It head. Dave was impressed by this when reviewing the Birzmann Tiny Tanker (/content/review/80896-birzman-zacoo-tiny-tanker) and it really is a lovely thing to use. Rather than having a lever, a screw-on connection or a rubber push-fit, the Maha III head uses a sliding collar device to fix to the valve. It's a similar concept to industrial air-line fittings but more like a Lemo electrical connectors in use - you push the valve in the hole and slide up the collar, and then slide the collar down again to release it.

I found the Snap-It head to be very quick and efficient to use - it gets a good seal reliably, and is super fast to remove once you're done pumping, just grab it and pull. It will be interesting to see how it holds up to long-term use, but as the important parts of the head are made from metal and a "composite matrix", it should be fairly durable. Having also used the Lezyne Flip-Thread adaptor, I prefer the Birzman Snap-It - it's just quicker and easier.

There is a pressure release button on the head too, which is a nice touch, so you can back off the pressure fairly precisely if you've got carried away and gone too far. There's a similar-looking button on a Lezyne Micro Floor Drive that I have, which serves a different purpose; to let the pressure out of the hose before unscrewing the head.

One point - the Snap-It head is only for Presta valves. However, it can be unscrewed and then you're left with a screw-on Schrader fitting. This does mean that if your Snap-It ever wears out, it can be very easily replaced.

We found another use for the Maha III - it was quite good for inflating the air suspension on a moving crash test vehicle (http://youtu.be/RUoS5afatk4) that I'm involved with in my day job - normal track pump heads were too bulky to get to the inflator.

In terms of other features, the gauge displays in both bar and psi and is reasonably easy to read, if not as easy as pumps where this is mounted at the top of the barrel. The hose was long enough for anything I needed, although I believe they will ship with a longer one (twice the length of the barrel) which would be good for use with shop workstands.

Verdict

It is a premium price for a floor pump given that you can pick up something which will do the job for £20 or less, but make no mistake, this is a premium product. Beautifully finished, and with one killer feature (the head) that is unique to Birzman, this is a great pump.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Birzman Zacoo Maha III

Size tested: One

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

E- Version 5 Degree Floor Pump - Intermediate.

Design evolved from Birzman's premier 5 Degree floor pump design.

1. Pump tilts towards the user providing unparalleled ergonomic comfort.

2. Stable Aluminium Alloy base with High polished premium finish.

3. Varnished wooded twin- handle for comfortable grip.

4. CNC'd and super stiff pump barrel for durability/performance.

5. 220 psi max with Presta/Schrader compatibility

6. Color option: Silver and grey

Max Pressure: 220 psi

Unique New Snap -It Valve

The unique SNAP-IT is the ultimate secure valve connection. It opens up allowing fast and easy valve engagement of any Presta valve. Once engaged two threaded bits clamp the valve securely on each side preventing blow off under high pressure. Made from aluminium and composite matrix.

With Pressure Control Button

All Zacoo Maha pumps have an integrated the Pressure Control Button allows accurate air release from the tyre to achieve the perfect pressure.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

Very well put together - I would expect it to last for a good long while. I would probably prefer the version with the alu handle, but not enough to pay £20 more for it.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

A good quality track pump is something every cyclist should own, and this is a peach. Pumping is smooth and stable, and the Snap-It head is genius.

Rate the product for durability:
 
10/10

A solidly made pump, should last for ages. I could imagine the head might wear out eventually, but can be unscrewed and replaced if it did.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
10/10

Wooden handle is comfortable in use, feet are well positioned, and it's got the lean. What's not to like?

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

There are cheaper pumps, there are pricier pumps. For the money, this is excellent and probably the one I'd buy. Ergo, decent value.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well indeed - a real pleasure to use.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The Snap-It head and the general feel of a high-quality product.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Not much.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 35  Height: 6"3  Weight: 81kg

I usually ride: Boardman CX team for the daily commute  My best bike is: Fixed-conversion Eddy Merckx MX-Leader

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

Jez spends his days making robots that drive cars but is happiest when on two wheels.  His roots are in mountain biking but he spends more time nowadays on the road, occasionally racing but more often just riding. 

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8 comments

Avatar
Jez Ash | 10 years ago
0 likes

A further update. The distributors got a spare head out to me and it's been working just fine ever since (although my flirtation with tubeless is a thing of the past ... for now).

On reflection I think the sealant just gunked up the mechanism, rather than the teeth having been worn down. The distributors also suggested that if you get sealant in it, a quick rinse (before it dries) and a blast of WD40 should be enough to keep things working properly.

Still in very regular use, still like it.

Avatar
Jez Ash | 11 years ago
0 likes

Update here - been trying tubeless tyres for an upcoming review, and I think it's buggered the Snap-it head. Getting the tyres (Ultremo ZX tubeless) to seal requires some pretty energetic pumping and the pump head just blew off. Now it doesn't reliably grip valves, which has quickly got very annoying.

A new head costs £15 which seems a lot. I tried replacing just the o-ring inside the head which didn't make any difference. It seems the teeth that grip the valve stem have got worn down. Meanwhile, the (£9) head on my Lezyne pump is still working fine...

Avatar
Leviathan replied to Jez Ash | 11 years ago
0 likes
Jez Ash wrote:

Update here - been trying tubeless tyres for an upcoming review, and I think it's buggered the Snap-it head. Getting the tyres (Ultremo ZX tubeless) to seal requires some pretty energetic pumping and the pump head just blew off. Now it doesn't reliably grip valves, which has quickly got very annoying.

A new head costs £15 which seems a lot. I tried replacing just the o-ring inside the head which didn't make any difference. It seems the teeth that grip the valve stem have got worn down. Meanwhile, the (£9) head on my Lezyne pump is still working fine...

Oh dear... makes a big difference to performance.

Avatar
chrismday | 11 years ago
0 likes

Does the Snap-It head grip smooth or ribbed (not threaded) valves such as those on Mavic or Vittoria tubes? Assuming it does, does it chew them up?

Avatar
jezzzer replied to chrismday | 11 years ago
0 likes
Goodtwist wrote:
snooks wrote:

Looks alot like my Lezyne pump.

My thoughts exactly.

Indeed - I mentioned as much in the review.

chrismday wrote:

Does the Snap-It head grip smooth or ribbed (not threaded) valves such as those on Mavic or Vittoria tubes? Assuming it does, does it chew them up?

Used it last night on Mavic tubes, as it happens. The gripping seems to take place on the threads where a valve cap would go, not on the smooth part of the valve. Worked fine.

Avatar
chrismday replied to jezzzer | 11 years ago
0 likes
jezzzer wrote:

Used it last night on Mavic tubes, as it happens. The gripping seems to take place on the threads where a valve cap would go, not on the smooth part of the valve. Worked fine.

Excellent. Thanks for the reply.

Avatar
snooks | 11 years ago
0 likes

Looks alot like my Lezyne pump.

Avatar
Goodtwist replied to snooks | 11 years ago
0 likes
snooks wrote:

Looks alot like my Lezyne pump.

My thoughts exactly.

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