Outdoors & Fitness · Head-to-head
SILCA EOLO IV CO2 Regulator vs Genuine Innovations Ultraflate
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best CO2 Inflators: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The EOLO IV is the most completely specified and most durable inflator here, with a metering dial, an all-metal body and a puncture pin SILCA rates for years of use. The Ultraflate costs a fraction as much, adds a trigger lock nothing else has, and takes non-threaded cartridges as well as threaded ones.
SILCA EOLO IV CO2 Regulator
Buy itAll metal, properly regulated, and built by the company that invented the regulated inflator.
- Manufactured entirely from 6063 series aluminium and stainless steel, with no plastic parts anywhere in the body.
- A dial meters the gas into the tyre rather than releasing it in one burst, which is the whole point of a regulated inflator.
- SILCA states the hardened tool steel puncture pin is more than twice the hardness of a traditional pin, for smooth operation over many years.
- It is sold as the regulator only, so cartridges are a separate purchase.
- SILCA does not publish a weight for it.
- There is no trigger lock, so it relies on the dial being closed when stowed.
Genuine Innovations Ultraflate
Buy itTrigger-controlled, cartridge-agnostic, and the only one here with a lock against accidental discharge.
- A built-in trigger lock prevents accidental discharge, which no other inflator in this comparison offers.
- Takes non-threaded 20 gram cartridges as well as threaded 16, 20 and 25 gram ones, so you are not tied to one cartridge type.
- Reinforced glass nylon construction over brass internals, which Genuine Innovations positions for the strain of everyday use.
- The body is reinforced nylon rather than metal, so it will not take the abuse the SILCA will.
- Genuine Innovations publishes no weight for it.
- The cupped head design is slower to seat on a valve than a threaded head.
Side by side
| SILCA EOLO IV CO2 Regulator | Genuine Innovations Ultraflate | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Riders who carry an inflator for years and want the one that will not seize or crack. | Most riders, and anyone who has ever set a cartridge off by accident in a saddle bag. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $ · budget |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the SILCA EOLO IV CO2 Regulator - All metal, properly regulated, and built by the company that invented the regulated inflator. Choose the Genuine Innovations Ultraflate instead if most riders, and anyone who has ever set a cartridge off by accident in a saddle bag.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best CO2 Inflators: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).