Originally Posted by
Spaghetti Legs
I have a triangular base like that one as well, except the chuck, Silca labeled, is aluminum, and the sticker is different. I bought mine NOS off eBay and worked great for a year or two, then had all kinds of problems. I replaced all kinds of parts, including the check valve, and it got worse, to the point the gauge stopped working and I blew up over pressurized tires. Mine has aluminum chuck, aluminum barrel, and most importantly, cast aluminum manifold, which I think corroded in my humid climate. I wonder if it was the first cost saving effort when it was moved to USA. Otherwise, maybe a weird effort at a fake. Would someone fake a Silca?
That would be from the last 5 years of Italian production: the aluminum barrel started in 2008 and the brand was sold to Josh Poertner in 2013.
I've read (post by guyintense on another forum) that the move to the aluminum chuck was driven by US regulations. I believe this relates to lead exposure from brass in line with restrictions I've seen elsewhere affecting all sorts of things like key blanks and plumbing fixtures. I imagine the cast manifold was a cost reduction measure and I agree that was the pump's downfall, inviting galvanic corrosion between the body and the still brass valve pin, cap, and I imagine the gauge.
So, no fakery at play, this was just the death spiral that Silca was in during its last few years. I think Dario Pegoretti had attributed this to Italy's inclusion the Euro zone, eliminating economic advantages previously offered by the cheap Italian lira. Cost-reduction measures started after that, including the plastic base (previously cast metal) and a plastic version of the chuck body. I've also suspected they went to a Taiwanese supplier for gauges where they'd previously used European brands like Fimet and Wika, though I've since forgotten what pointed me specifically to Taiwan.
The current US-based Silca isn't entirely free of such measures either, but seem to be faring much better for it. The current Pista and Pista Plus, and possibly others are made in Taiwan - says so right on the box. I think they're made by Giyo (or possibly Beto). I know that in browsing the product selections for one of the Taiwanese makers, I spotted certain features I recognized as identical to on the current Pista, but I've forgotten what that match was.