Exectech mo280 Moisture Meter - Any good?

[Richard Amabile]

I have been looking into getting a moisture meter and read some of the forums on them. One that seems interesting is the Exectech mo280. It is a pinless meter for about $139. Any experience with this meter that you could share would be helpful before I make a purchase?

[Bill Davis]

I have been looking into getting a moisture meter and read some of the forums on them. One that seems interesting is the Exectech mo280. It is a pinless meter for about $139. Any experience with this meter that you could share would be helpful before I make a purchase?

I do not know specifically about that model but I have an earlier version model, the 407777, and have not been pleased. Maybe the 280 you are looking at is better. Mine was not preforming according to spec so I sent it in under warranty and they said they did something like recalibration - they did not clearly state what they actually found and did and that it was now 'fixed'. When I received it back it had the exact same problem. It does work but for relative readings not necessarily accurate for actual MC readings. Sometimes that is not the most important thing but then that is what they are suppose to do. Another unmentionable forum has a lot of good info on moisture meters from an expert Doc Gene Wengert which I would recommend. You could try to PM me and I will send a link to you. You might be able to find it by googling his name and 'moisture meters'. Well worth the reading and I do highly recommend a moisture meter tool for the shop since it has been said that 90% of all problems in woodworking involve moisture. We need to be able to measure it and understand how it affects wood. When I really care about a wood's MC I use the 'oven dry' method. Not convenient for some situations but I use it regularly with my kiln.