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The SPALDING high pressure pump with gauge. Sells for $19.99 at Sears, part # 49447. Rated at 140 psi. extra (nozzle) accessories included.
CON: Zinc die cast bottom and steel cylinder is threaded and epoxied together. Once this seal leaks, it's a matter of time before they separate, which can not be repaired.
PRO: Has the Sears unlimited exchange guarantee if you keep you reciept and original pachage. (they don't have to know what your doing with the pump & why you look so familiar)
Most pumps have inadaquate "pump handle steel shaft" diameters and hardness . As you increase the pressure in the rocket, it get increasingly difficult to push down on the handle. Most pump manufactures, which claim to be "high pressure pumps", make the mistake of not matching the diameters and hardness of the "pump handle shaft" with the bore of the "pump cylinder". The pump pictured with the bent shaft is a typical pump found at stores: Target, K Mart, and Wal Mart. It's advertised as "high pressure", but rely on it for long.
Here's another example of typical air pump failure. The plastic hose (or gauge) fittings that attach to the pump's zinc die cast bottomwill blow out. Pictured at left is a pump die cast bottom that has blown out the gauge, leaving a hole. (Another pump headed for the junk yard.)
In the long run, it's actually more expensive purchasing cheap pumps because they simply won't last the stresses of high pressure. They may appear to operate satisfactory in the beginning, but after several thousand strokes of the handle, the true quality of the product will be evident.