Moisture meter. Do you use one?

[Stuart Welsh]

A $35 gift card to a big box has me browsing wood shop suitable tools. More clamps? One can always use more clamps but given their obvious importance I have little trouble rationalizing that purchase to the wife. This card seems a good reason to buy something I might ordinarily pass up were it my money.

So I'm considering the Ryobi a Phone Works smart phone moisture meter. This device connects to your smart phone through the headphone jack and uses your phone screen as a display as well as allows you to store a history etc.

Thoughts? Waste of my gift card? Why? Bad product or moisture meters are rarely used.

[Peter Quinn]

I use my moisture meter frequently, I don't like surprises. I can't speak to the ryobi, sounds like an interesting concept, use that $700 computer in your pocket as the tool and sell a sensor to make it go. No idea if it works, but cool idea if it does. Gadgets are fun!

[Rod Sheridan]

I use a moisture meter occasionally.............Rod.

[John TenEyck]

I dry my own lumber so I use a MM a lot. I also use it when I need to buy lumber. It eliminates unpleasant surprises. If you get the Ryobi gadget let us know how it works. Sure sounds cool.

John

[Lee Schierer]

I own a moisture meter. It gets used occasionally.

[Clay Fails]

I have a Lignomat meter, and my main use is when I first bring new lumber into the shop, I will hand plane a section, measure the moisture, and mark with a crayon. Then when I am ready to use the wood I again check the moisture and compare to what I expect the EMC to be.

I would say a moisture meter is useful, but not essential.

[Frederick Skelly]

Nope. Not ever.

[Danny Hamsley]

I use a moisture meter almost daily (I have a kiln and dry hardwood). The Delmhorst J2000X and the Wagner MMC 210. I am interested in how the Ryobi thing works. Unfortunately, $35 would buy batteries for my meters.

[Bill McNiel]

Lignomat gets a lot of use in my shop but then I have milled and air dried a significant amount of maple.