The pull-out hose puts less stress on the valve. And you weren't stressed to start with. It's all very well hauling a giant pump around, but all that leverage can snap a delicate valve stem right off. This is a slimmer version of our Core Pump that features a thread-on Presta specific head with a short pull out hose to give more options on where you pump from and fewer chances of your rippling muscles pulling the thing clean off. We weren't using that space in the barrel anyway, so the hose doesn't even affect the pump's efficiency.