Moisture Meter

[fritz eng]

Anyone recommend a mid-priced ($30+) moisture meter? Prefer one with prongs. I've always bought Klein tools whenever possible. Thanks

[Lee Schierer]

Not sure you'll find one for $30, but I recommend a Mini Ligno
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You might find a used one on the large auction site.

[Ed Aumiller]

I have a delmhorst pin meter, very accurate but expensive...
I saw the General pin meter at Lowes one day a year or two ago... it was on sale for $20..
Bought it mostly out of curiosity ... was pleasantly surprised to find it very close to the delmhorst...
For the price, it is well worth it..
Lowes has several models now..

[Warren Lake]

Delmhorst likely 40 years old, cost alot and never let me down. I saw Delmhorst in just about every lumber company.

I probably paid the same for a few cars. Cant see how the cheap stuff can be that accurate but it happens. There are lots of adjustments on the Delmhorst. When I did sound I had an Ivie Audio analzyer and pink noise generator. Cost as much as three cars and now you can likely do it with a mic and a program in the computer. some stuff is better and better value, have three same digital cameras and every two or three years you get way more camera for the money. Good value for us when it works that way.

[Bradley Gray]

Another Delmhorst user. 35 years old. I think the model I have cost about $200 in 1985 -uses 2, 9v batteries every 5 years. Always works.

[Jim Dwight]

I recently bought a Klein and it was at least close to your target price but no pins. Seems to work.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I bought a General meter, fits your price point. It's as accurate (I think) as my mini Lignomat. Bought it only because it was "too cheap to not buy it". At that price, it's at least a cheap toy.

[Robert D Evans]

I've got a General moisture meter. I take several readings from different spots on the wood and it gives me a pretty good idea how dry it is. It was cheap enough and works for my purposes.

[Scott Winners]

The pin type meters in the $30-60 range are all pretty similar. The circuitry is mature technology now. Not as popular as they should be with wood stove owners, but fairly common.

As a group they are calibrated for Doug Fir at +70 dF. The hot setup, if you really want to know is to split a piece of cordwood in half and then stick the pins in, parallel to the grain, on the freshly exposed face. Useless, worse than useless, to stick the pins into end grain, they will read several points low, but I see it on craigslist weekly.

I trust them between 10-30% indicated MC when used as above, but I know the correction factor for white and black spruce (all I burn) and my garage temp of +55dF, is to "add one" to whatever is shown in the display.

I don't put a lot of faith in them under 10% MC indicated. I agree the MC of the piece is probably under 10%, but how much?

Just as home ovens are calibrated for 350dF, these low dollar meters are calibrated for 20% MC.

Excellent for firewood, not the right tool if you are seasoning teak for a fussy casework build.