For the last 15 years, I was an automotive journalist and it came with some pretty sweet perks, like driving a new test car home from work every day. That meant that most nights, my car sat in the office parking garage. And about two or three days a year, I spent my lunch break filling up the tires, which had usually deflated to the point where the rims touched the ground. That’s when I realized the value of a tire inflator like the top-rated Milwaukee M18, on sale for 55% off at Amazon for Black Friday.

(Psst: For even more savings, check out our roundups of the best Black Friday deals from across the web.)

Why is this a good deal? 💰

If you’re lucky, you have a “tool guy” in your life — a person you can go to for everything from a bike pedal wrench to a chain saw. My tool guy’s name is Kyle, and his garage is full of Milwaukee tools, because they work and they last. Sure, there are cheaper tire inflators, but in my experience, they’re more difficult to use, skimp on features and burn out after a year or two of light use. Buy this once and you’re set — it’s gone for as much as $190 in the not-too-distant past, so $141 is a nice discount.

Why do I need this? 🤔

There’s never a good time for a flat tire, but they always seem to happen at the absolute worst moment. That’s where the portability of this tire inflator shines. It doesn’t take up much room and, once you’ve charged the removable battery, it’s ready to go whenever you need it. The built-in nozzle and hose storage will also keep everything organized when it isn’t in use.

The M18 is Milwaukee’s fastest cordless tire inflator, so you won’t be waiting around forever for your tires to be filled, whether you drive a small car or a truck with 33-inch tires. It can also pump out an impressive amount of air pressure — up to 150 PSI — and comes with valves for your bikes, an inflator nozzle for everything from pool toys to rafts, and a needle for all of the balls in your garage.

Going on a road trip and need to pack up before you leave? The M18 has an auto shut-off, allowing you to walk away while it’s working. You can save up to four PSI memories as presets, so you don’t have to worry about changing the shut-off preset for each of your vehicles.

What reviewers say 💬

Nearly 3,000 reviewers have given the Milwaukee M18 a five-star rating.

Pros 👍

“Finally an inflator that actually does the job,” said one happy reviewer, who tried multiple cheaper inflators first. “I tried it right away on my utility trailer tires and it only took a few seconds to inflate a tire from 47 to 50 PSI.”

“We recently took a trip out west, and we tow an auto behind our motorhome,” wrote another satisfied customer. “I needed to add small amounts of air (3 pounds) several times to get the pressures in all four tires equal. This little compressor did a great job topping the pressures off, and it is very simple to operate.”

“It inflated from completely flat to full in a little over 3 minutes,” said another user, who has experience with more than one brand of compressor. “I have DeWalt at work, and I like their portable compressor, but I prefer my Milwaukee tools that I use at home for everything else. So I took the plunge and I am happy.”

Cons 👎

“My only gripe is that the only power source it accepts is batteries,” mentioned one four-star reviewer. “It seems intuitive that it should also have an option to be powered by the DC port in a vehicle. Kind of a silly oversight in my opinion.”

Other shoppers say the price is high, especially if this is their introduction to the Milwaukee ecosystem. “Great product design and quality construction,” said a final customer, “but overpriced at close to $300 when you add the required, but not included, battery pack and charger.”

Amazon

Stop burning through cheaper tire inflators or searching your local gas stations for an air pump that actually works — this smart buy has you covered. 

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$141 at Amazon

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)

Looking for more great Amazon home deals? Check these out:

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Among the 50 largest U.S. cities, Milwaukee ranks in the bottom half for affordability for minimum-wage workers, according to a new study by Clever Real Estate.

More specifically, the study looked how feasible it was for minimum-wage workers in each city to rent a one-bedroom residence if they were to follow the common advice that people should not spend more than 30% of their income on rent.

While some areas were more affordable than others, Clever Real Estate found that it was not possible in any of the 50 cities, including Milwaukee, for minimum-wage workers to rent a typical one-bedroom apartment in their city for less than 30% of their salary.

Here’s what to know about the rent-to-income ratio in Milwaukee and how it compares to other major cities.

How affordable is Milwaukee rent for minimum-wage workers?

Milwaukee tied with New York City as the 30th-most affordable city for minimum-wage workers.

According to Clever Real Estate, a person working minimum wage for 40 hours a week in Milwaukee would need to spend a whopping 84% of their annual earnings to afford a typical one-bedroom rental in the city.

The typical one-bedroom in Milwaukee amounts to $1,056 monthly, the study said. An affordable rent for minimum wage workers — meaning it would cost 30% of their annual salary — would be $377 monthly.

Milwaukee and Wisconsin have seen some of the country’s fastest-rising rents in the past year. Between March 2023 and March 2024, Milwaukee logged a median rent price of $1,835 per month, according to Rent.com. That’s well above the Midwest median of $1,456 but slightly under the national median of $1,987.

How does Wisconsin minimum wage compare to other cities?

Wisconsin is one of 13 states where minimum wage still sits at the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. Thirty states have passed a wage higher than this into law, including Wisconsin’s neighboring states Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan.

Seven states have no minimum wage law or a rate lower than the federal wage, meaning the federal rate applies in these states, barring a few exceptions.

To comfortably afford the typical one-bedroom Milwaukee rent, Clever Real Estate found that a person needs to make at least $20.31 an hour — almost three times the current minimum wage.

Most affordable cities for minimum-wage workers

Though no cities were affordable enough — or had high enough wages — for minimum-wage workers to follow the “30% rule,” here are the ones that topped the list:

1. Buffalo, N.Y. (39% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
2. St. Louis (46% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
3. Hartford, Conn. (48% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
4. Minneapolis (51% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
5. Providence, R.I. (54% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
6. Cincinnati (55% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
7. Cleveland (55% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
8. Kansas City, Mo. (55% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
9. Denver (56% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
10. Detroit (61% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)

Claire Reid contributed to this report.

The Milwaukee Bucks put their four-game win streak on the line as they visited the Miami Heat in a nationally televised meeting on Tuesday.

Just before tip-off, they received the news that Giannis Antetokounmpo would be out due to a knee issue, which certainly would not make things any easier. Yet, the team did what they had to do and embraced a next man up mentality. Damian Lillard dropped 37 points and 12 assists, Brook Lopez had 13 points and three blocks and three other Bucks had double-digit points.

It wasn’t the easiest victory, as the Milwaukee Bucks blew another 20-point lead to make things close, but they did manage to come out on top, winning 106-103. Let us analyze three reasons why this win was particularly crucial.

At one point this season, the Bucks were 2-8, and things looked pretty gloomy. However, since then, they’ve won seven of their last eight games, including five straight. Now, after that early hole, they are a .500 team that is building momentum with each passing win. Chemistry continues to strengthen for the Milwaukee Bucks, and they’re now up to fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been putting together a dominant season thus far, but with the Bucks dealing with injuries, he has had to play some significant minutes. He’s had little injuries of his own here and there. Leading up to this game, he was initially dealing with a calf strain before he was ruled out with this left knee effusion. A game off could give the Greek Freak some needed rest.

With Giannis missing this matchup, it will now be a week before he returns to action if he does indeed take the court in Milwaukee’s next game on Saturday. Allowing your superstar to get a week’s worth of rest mid-season is excellent, but it’s even better when the team can win a game in his absence. Hopefully the time off can help the Greek Freak heal.

The Emirates NBA Cup is still growing on fans, but the Milwaukee Bucks being 3-0 in the East Group B bracket after this win over the Heat will certainly drum up excitement. With the win, the Bucks will face the Detroit Pistons on December 3 to decide the winner of this group. Without this win over the Heat, advancing would have been far more challenging.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.