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Best moisture meters 2018 – [Buyer’s Guide]
Last Updated March 1, 2023
My name is Brayden Diaz. One of the most important sections in the article – the comparison charts for best moisture meters in 2018!
My main objective is to write article on these subject so that buyers like you can have the best assistance and education in making that next purchase. You see I’m an average member of the public just like you and the main reason I decided to publish a review website on moisture meters is because I was looking for one not so long ago.
Best moisture meters of 2018
The “Total” indicates the overall value of the product. Check them out and decide which one suits you the best to splurge upon.
Customers need to be careful on how they spend their money on these products. There’s a product for every kind of user on the list of affordable options below.
Test Results and Ratings
| Rank | №1 | №2 | №3 |
| Product |  |
 |
 |
| Total | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.3 |
| Design |
4 points
|
5 points
|
5 points
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| Versatility |
5 points
|
4 points
|
4 points
|
| Performance |
5 points
|
4 points
|
4 points
|
| Price |
5 points
|
5 points
|
4 points
|
| Awards |  |
||
 |
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|
|
 |
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How to save up to 86%? Here is little trick.
You must visit the page of sales. Here is the link. If you don’t care about which brand is better, then you can choose the moisture meters by the price and buy from the one who will offer the greatest discount.
№1 – Delmhorst 26-ES Wood Moisture Meter Remote Electrode for J-2000
| Total: |
4.8
|
Why did this moisture meters win the first place?
I don’t know anything about other models from this brand, but I am fully satisfied with this product. The rear part fits perfectly! It is mounted really tight and reliable. The product is very strong. Its material is stable and doesn’t crack. I am very happy with the purchase. It is definitely worth its money. The product is top-notch!
4
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
№2 – REED Instruments R6013 Pocket Size Moisture Detector
| Total: |
4.5
|
Why did this moisture meters come in second place?
Seems that the material is good. It has a very beautiful color but I don’t really like the texture. This is a pretty decent product that perfectly fitted the interior of our office. Managers explained me all the details about the product range, price, and delivery. I like this product. For such a low price, I didn’t even hope it to be any better. It’s decently made.
5
|
4
|
4
|
5
|
№3 – Fanme 3-in-1 Soil Tester PH Light Moisture Meter Plant for Gardening Farm Lawn Indoor Outdoor Planting with Easy Reading
| Total: |
4.3
|
Why did this moisture meters take third place?
This price is appropriate since the product is very well built. It doesn’t squeaks nor bents. Looks great in my apartment. We are very pleased with the purchase — the product is great! It is inconvenient to use due to the size. I am going to get something different next time.
5
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
moisture meters Buyer’s Guide
Why training with power meters is essential
Power meters help you measure your fitness by telling you how much power you’re putting out, regardless of temperature, wind, weight and bike type. If you’re training, they’ll help you know if you’re training effectively if you’re increasing your wattage over time. A speedometer can’t do this, neither can a heart rate monitor.
A good power meter therefore needs to give consistently accurate and precise data. If you’re measuring small changes in your fitness, then you need to know your numbers within a few watts. Those numbers need to be repeatable if you change power meters, otherwise you won’t be sure whether it’s your training giving you amazing numbers or a wonky factory calibration.
Key features of a power meter
ANT+ is a wireless data communication protocol that’s used to send data to a recording device, such as a Garmin or some smartphones. Most power meters use ANT+, while some also use ANT or Bluetooth (for sending to smartphones). ANT and ANT+ are owned by Dynastream Innovations, a subsidiary of Garmin.
Zero offset
Most power meters require you to perform a zero offset before each ride, so they know to report zero when no torque is being applied to the pedals. It’s not strictly a calibration – despite what Garmin head units say – it’s more like taring a set of scales.
Temperature drift
Because a power meter’s sensitive strain gauges are incorporated into components (cranks, spiders, hubs, pedals), which can heat or cool during a ride, it’s vital that the power meter can adjust to this on the fly. Otherwise the readings will drift with changing temperatures, resulting in a loss of accuracy.
Cons: No Bluetooth
The most significant of several recent developments by Quarq is the switch to accelerometers in place of a magnet for cadence. It makes installation much easier because you’re simply fitting another crankset. Pairing is easy anyway, and helped further by the thoughtful inclusion of an LED status light and the ANT+ ID on the outside.
Quarq meters measure power at the spider, like an SRM. It’s a good method as it means the expensive and fragile bits are tucked neatly away where they’re hard to damage. It does mean that left and right power can’t be measured independently but Quarq has beaten SRM to a trick by using crank position to calculate the effort from each leg. It’s just as good and always gave the same split as whichever power meter pedals we were running.
Another crucial feature is Quarq’s ‘10K’ temperature compensation algorithm. Older models were more vulnerable to temperature variation but this one has it covered. You should still do a pre-ride manual zero offset but after that the Elsa RS does it all.
Over hundreds of miles the Elsa RS never put a foot wrong. It responded quickly, tracked well with other meters, caught sprints well and never gave us any grief. In short, it’s brilliant.
Con: Limitations of left-only
When it launched, Stages was unique for being a left-side-only crank based meter. This design makes it more affordable, less complex and easier to fit. Power is measured with strain gauges factory-bonded to a left crank, doubled and then sent to a head unit via ANT+ to a computer or Bluetooth to a smartphone app. It’s also super-light: this one was just 20g more than a regular Dura-Ace crank, making it the lightest on test.
The limitation of a left-only system is that it can’t account for a difference in your left-right power balance and very few people are truly 50-50. What’s more, your balance isn’t consistent. A bit of muscle tightness in one side will skew your balance slightly, easily creating errors of as much as 6%. To non-power meter users that may not sound like much but to long-time users a 6% error in a time trial or interval session is a big deal. Add in a real injury and your data will be way out. That said, Team Sky uses Stages and have just renewed their deal.
We got good data that tracked very closely with other meters in simultaneous testing. It caught sprints well, too, which we didn’t expect from a lefty.
For the first two years or so of production the battery cover was a weak spot, leading to problems and earning Stages a reputation for being fragile. But this has now been beefed up, and having used both we can say it’s much more robust. While this Dura-Ace version faces stiffer competition, the 10and Ultegra versions are still untouchable as affordable introductions to training with power.
Cons: Obvious limitations of wheel choice
Species and Temperature Correction Temperature and wood density affect the readings given by moisture meters.All meters are calibrated to read the MC of Douglas fir at about 6degrees F. (The Timber Check is the only exception; it is calibrated for red oak). That means if you’re using a meter on something other than Douglas fir and the temperature is above or below 6degrees F, you’ll need to make adjustments to the meter reading. Manufacturers include charts that adjust for species and temperature variations. More expensive meters have built-in species correction and a couple have built-in temperature correction as well (see chart below). Just set the meter to the desired species and the meter automatically corrects the readings.This is a huge benefit when you have a lot of wood to test. Pin meters are more sensitive to temperature variations than pinless meters. That’s why pin meters always come with temperature correction charts. Some manufacturers include corrections for pinless meters should you need a very precise reading. Pinless meters,on the other hand,are more sensitive to differences in density,or “specific gravity”of different species than pin meters. That’s why pin meters with built-in species correction can get away with grouping species into a handful of settings while pinless meters generally require you to set the specific gravity of each species into the meter.
Important Features
Pin Length A rule of thumb states that the average MC of a board can be found at a depth equal to 1/to 1/the thickness of the board. For example, 5/16-in. pins are long enough to get an average MC reading on a 1-1/2-in.-thick board and 1/2-in. pins will work for 2-in. stock. Remember,however, that this rule works only when the board has an even moisture gradient where the surface is drier than the core. It’s tempting to think that a pin meter measures the MC of the wood at the ends of the pins. In reality, the uninsulated pins measure the wettest layer of wood they come in contact with. Wood that’s been stored in a shed or shop can have a higher MC on the surface than the core. In this case, the reading only reflects the MC of the wetter outer surface, regardless of how deep the pins penetrate. To get an accurate core reading with uninsulated pins you can crosscut the board and take a reading of the core on the freshly exposed end grain. Insulated pins only measure the MC of the wood at the tips of the pins. They come with the external probe accessory that’s available with some meters.
Built-In Species and Temperature Correction We think that built-in species correction is a feature you can live without unless you typically need to take readings on a large quantity of wood.A chart can be a bit of a hassle,but it’s no big deal if you’re dealing with just a few boards. Even with built-in correction, you may have to use a chart to find the right setting.
Unless you are an inspector, this is the best moisture meter for simply determining DRY.
That’s all it tells you and that’s all you need to know when: – you need to determine whether or not a slab has a moisture barrier underneath it. – the in floor radiant heat system has cured the gypcrete in which it was laid. – the self-leveling compound you poured has dried.
Dry is dry. IF WHATEVER YOU ARE MEASURING IS NOT DRY, THEN THERE’S NO GREEN LIGHT TO PROCEED WITH THE PROJECT.
For drywall, etc…
There are a variety of probes available from standard and universal to more product specific probes. If you need to measure moisture levels within a wall you may want to consider ‘Deep Wall Probes’. These allow you to measure moisture at depth within walls and other structures.
So how can you gauge a wood moisture meter’s accuracy? By understanding the technology and test methods of determining “accuracy” in wood moisture meters. Over the past 1years, Wagner Meters has commissioned four separate independent studies that compared a variety of moisture meter types to determine this matter of accuracy. And the results of those studies are as valid today as they were when first commissioned. Let’s examine why.
Pin Meters vs. Pinless Meters
When comparing two products, it’s always good to know if you’re comparing apples to apples. But with pin-style and pinless meters, the reality is that you’re comparing two different types of apples. Both measure moisture content, but there are two significantly different technologies underlying the two types of meters.
Resistance Technology
Pin-style meters use electrical resistance to make their measure content readings in wood. After the two probes, or “pins”, are inserted into the wood, a small electrical current is passed between the points, and the amount of resistance is correlated into a moisture content reading. Because moisture is a good electrical conductor, the “wetter” the wood, the less resistance there would be to the current, and vice versa. Because of the type of technology used, pin meter accuracy is affected by variances in the naturally-occurring chemical composition of wood species, but not as impacted by density variability from one piece of wood to the other.
Settings
Moisture meter features vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and in order to assess accuracy, it is also essential that the meter being tested be set to the manufacturer’s specifications. All meters require species adjustment tables or the user-entry of the correct species setting (for programmable meters). Additionally, pin meters require that readings be compensated up or down depending on the temperature of the wood if the wood is substantially hotter or colder than approximately 70 degrees F. Each meter must be used in accordance with its design to give a reading that supplies assessable data.
True Accuracy is Timeless
With the number of variables that must be taken into account for any moisture meter technology, the underlying reality is that the technology used to assess moisture content has not changed significantly over the last two decades. While there have been some improvements in the “field features” – the features that make MC data easier to collect and use in the field – the basic science of moisture meter technology remains the same.
And because the technology is still fundamentally the same, the results of accuracy studies also will predictably be the same. And in the four independent studies commissioned by Wagner Meters (see links below), the end result was that their pinless wood moisture meters were consistently more reliable for accuracy in assessing wood moisture content than any of the meters they were tested against.
So when comparing wood moisture meters for features, it is important to know your use and your specific needs for measuring moisture content in wood. But when comparing wood moisture meters for accuracy, make sure you understand which apple you’ve placed in your cart. Wagner Meters have been proven to be the most accurate moisture meters available today.
Moisture Meter Studies
To obtain regressions for your moisture meter, contact your dealer.
Moisture calculators
Moisture content calculator for grains. Use the Moisture content calculator for moisture conversion (calculator was created by using information directly from the moisture conversion tables for grains).
Moisture content calculator for high moisture grain. Use when the moisture content of the grain is higher than those listed on our moisture conversion tables.
Tube can be difficult to fill properly
We rated the pH Soil Meter, 3-in-Soil Tester Kit 5.0 out of stars, and is an excellent moisture meter, light, and pH acidity tester. Its responsive probe senses soil changes and displays accurate values to the user. No electricity or batteries are used by this product, making it environmentally friendly. Moisture is measured by inserting the probe completely into the soil to reach the root level. The correct moisture level will be displayed, and the user simply needs to refer to the included chart to find out watering needs.
Light is measured by holding the meter next to a plant and facing a light source (don’t touch the sensing element which is located underneath the gauge!). Check light level and refer to the included chart for correct light requirements. To test soil pH, insert the probe into the soil. A pH reading that’s less than is acidic, and readings greater than indicate an alkaline soil.
This quality dual soil pH and moisture meter is rated 4.out of stars (by us), and provides simple, accurate checking of soil moisture level and pH balance (alkalinity and acidity). Its extra long probe allows users to measure significantly below a plant’s root zone. This meter is perfect for commercial use (orchards, vineyards, lawn maintenance, and field production) and home use (planters, lawn maintenance, and gardens).
This product includes moisture and soil pH meter and instruction manual. It works as advertised, gives accurate pH level readings, and is good for either commercial or home use.
This 4-in-instrument is a light and temperature sensor (measures sunlight intensity and temperature using an in. (200mm) probe), and also tests moisture and pH balance. Readings are clearly displayed on a large LCD screen. This product also features an automatic power-off function and a low battery indicator.
Pinless Moisture Meters
These operate on the principle of capacitance, which is a fancy way of saying that these devices compare the relationship of the wood’s electrical properties and the water (moisture content) that wood contains. Capacitance simply refers to the ability of a given object to hold an electrical charge. Earlier, we said that wood was generally not very good at this (low capacitance) while water is very good at it.
Pinless meters have a couple of significant drawbacks to be aware of, however. The big one is that they cannot tell the difference between core moisture, that is, moisture toward the center of the given piece of wood, and shell or surface moisture. This can be problematic if you’re burning wood for fuel, but is much better suited for wood planks and other, thinner pieces that woodworkers would likely make use of. The Pinless Wood Moisture Meter is also excellent at determining the average level of moisture in a large, three-dimensional space, so again, it mostly depends on what you need it for. Woodworkers will likely gravitate toward this type, while people who burn wood for fuel wouldn’t find it terribly useful.
Focus on your goals
Like their indoor counterparts, every smart garden device does one or both of the following: senses the environment around it and/or automates a task. Smart outdoor devices will thus help you learn about your environment, help it thrive or both. Robot lawn mowers focus mostly on automation, but still need to sense enough to stay within the boundaries of your yard. Both plant sensors and weather monitors focus mostly on senses, but can still send you push notifications and act as triggers for other automation devices. Connected sprinklers gather weather information, and use it to automate a watering schedule.
Plant sensors
This is the only category of smart outdoor tech that can actually be used indoors, making them great for keeping a potted plant alive. Even the simplest plant sensor we’ve seen measures soil moisture, and compares that info against a plant database to give you specific advice about when to water that species of plant. You’ll even get push notifications reminding you to water from all plant sensors we’ve tested, so you can steer clear of accidental procrastination.
Weather sensors
Even more of a niche item than most smart garden tech, weather sensors can be quite useful in certain scenarios. They’re the optimal device for learning more about your surroundings in general. Plus the included sensors can be used to monitor sensitive areas of your home, like a wine cellar or a child’s room. Short of having a specific use in mind though, you might not find much value in these devices beyond what you can get from the dozens of free weather apps.
Light bulbs
If that’s the case, you might need a device with a specialized signal. Your options include frequencies such as Z-Wave and ZigBee — which use less power than Wi-Fi, but need a hub to translate the signal for your router. The Blossom Smart Watering Controller supplements its Wi-Fi signal with a power line connection, which uses the electric wiring in your home to transmit signals.
You might also find devices that use Bluetooth, which connects directly to your smart phone and uses less battery than Wi-Fi, but doesn’t let you access your device remotely. The GreenIQ Smart Garden Hub — a smart sprinkler controller — goes one step beyond Wi-Fi using cellular signal provided by US carrier AT&T, allowing you to stay connected to your device even if your router fails.
The serial number or production number.
Now you know which model you have and from what year it is, this is already important information to determine the approximate value your Rolex. Next you should find out if your Rolex is still all original or if it has non original parts / later service parts. It takes years of practice to learn to compare vintage Rolex in detail but despite this I will try to help you in the right direction.
As your reference number tells you which model you have you now start comparing your Rolex with one from my „reference” list below. Your focus should be on the typo used on the dial, the exact form of the Rolex coronet and if present, the bezel typography. Search for similarities but again, this needs to be done precisely. For your information, the indication „Swiss” or T SWISS T or SWISS T<2at o’clock indicated there was use of luminous on the dial. The first „swiss” only was in use before 196and means the dial is containing radium luminous. This changed in the 196to Tritium with the T SWISS T or SWISS T<2markings.
So below the reference number is 653for Rolex Submariner Big Crown produced between 1956-1959, then below you see I.56, which means it left production at first quarter 195and all the way down you see a stamp that has shortly been used around 1956, the 1which stands for the (high) quality of steel that has been used.
Now you have an idea of which Rolex model you have, from what period it’s made and if it’s still in original condition (or at least parts of it ) you might want to check out the value by searching the sales results of the mayor auction houses which specialize in offering vintage Rolex. Every specialized auction house has it’s own database of achieved results. Find below a direct link to each of these databases where you can enter the info of your vintage Rolex to find out what a average sales price is in the market since last years.
Unpolished
Every angle is still sharp, the side from the bezel, no marks on the crown or side of the case and also not on chamfer of the bevel.
A unused bracelet is still stiff, you need to bend the links. When removing the band with the push pins before polishing, it will always leave trace marks on the case. That is why the lugs are often sealed with tape before band removal. A clear sign of a service polish are the drilled lug holes, or better yet the sharpness of the lug hole edges. Because once polished, these lug holes will lose the original sharp edges.
Following is a GMT Ref 654also unpolished and unused. Hard to believe that these almost 60 year old Rolex have been tucked away and now see the daylight. In a scale of impossible to find these unused miracles are listing top position. Collectors grail.
Another part to check if a watch has been polished are the chamfers, the bevelled edges between the matte part and the middle case. Tool watches like the Daytona or dresswatches like the DateJust and Daydate did not have chamfers. You will only find them on the Submariner, Milgaus, GMT-Master and Explorer II. Perhaps because of this rarity and value, bevels are particularly loved by vintage collectors. A bevel was merely for esthetical purposes. Each model had its own bevel, the bevel on the GMT-Master was a bit smaller than the Submariner one. This has to do with the fact that the Submariner model was thicker than the GMT-Master and the Submariner winding crown larger.
Another indicator if a watch has been polished or not, is by looking at the fine lines on a watch. If these are not straight, the polishing has been done by hand. Unpolished watches only have a manufacture polish, meaning the case has a satin polish that was done at the Rolex factory before all parts were assembled.Every place where wear and tear could happen is still unused, the crowns, the case back, the lugs, the sides, bracelet, crystal. If you compare the case with the band, you will often see a difference in finish because the band is easier to polish than the case. The lugs are especially difficult to handle, so this is an area that requires extra attention with your magnifier. While attempting to make the case matte again, there will always be a 1mm spot against the edge, impossible for a polishing machine to reach. In fact, you could only do a proper polishing job by taking the whole watch apart.
All FAQs
In any year we receive approximately 400 – 600 instruments for service/repair. The vast majority of those come to us during the harvest period so that over a period of about – months we get anywhere between 200 – 400 instruments. It’s physically not possible to repair all these instruments within a week of receiving them and so turnaround times lengthen.
Much of the work we undertake is due to the lack of maintenance and care of meters and spears. Having paid several hundred pounds for the unit when new, many farmers then proceed to abuse them and do not have them serviced. They use them to the end of the harvest and put them away, without cleaning them, in leaky sheds until next year, fully expecting them to work when they get them out again when the next harvest begins. A check of the unit in about February or March would probably let you know in plenty of time if it’s going to work, or not, when you need it.
There are two main reasons for this.
If the grain has only just been laid, then the compaction is uneven throughout the depth and will become stable after a few days on the floor or in the bin. You’ll see the readings stabilise as the compaction settles down.
If the grain has been down for some time, then most commonly the GrainSpear hasn’t been inserted into the grain far enough, it really needs to go in for approximately half its length to get an accurate reading.
When the GrainSpear is initially turned on, the first reading it displays is temperature. This is deliberate, as the temperature of the sensor needs to stabilise before a moisture reading is taken. The most common error is for the operator to switch the instrument immediately to moisture before inserting the spear and not allowing the temperature to settle.
Add half of the cup of vinegar and stir.
If the soil foams or bubbles then your soil is alkaline. If the soil does nothing, then test it for acidity.
Testing soil for Acidity! Take a new sample and clean the glass container before beginning this test.
Take a sample from 5-inches below ground in the place where you want to plant something. If your garden is small you can test your soil in all garden by mixing soil from different spots.
Remove from soil anything but the soil. Break up all large clumps.
Help & advice
I bought this to try to diagnose a slight “damp plaster” smell I was picking up in a downstairs room in our house. Using the meter I was able to check the relative moisture levels of various parts of the walls and ceiling – so it’s done what I needed it to do.
How to save up to 86%? Here is little trick.
You must visit the page of sales. Here is the link. If you don’t care about which brand is better, then you can choose the moisture meters by the price and buy from the one who will offer the greatest discount.
Final Word
First of all thanks for reading my article to the end! I hope you find my reviews listed here useful and that it allows you to make a proper comparison of what is best to fit your needs and budget. Don’t be afraid to try more than one product if your first pick doesn’t do the trick.
Most important, have fun and choose your moisture meters wisely! Good luck!
So, TOP3 of moisture meters
- №1 — Delmhorst 26-ES Wood Moisture Meter Remote Electrode for J-2000
- №2 — REED Instruments R6013 Pocket Size Moisture Detector
- №3 — Fanme 3-in-1 Soil Tester PH Light Moisture Meter Plant for Gardening Farm Lawn Indoor Outdoor Planting with Easy Reading
Questions? Leave a comment below!
Chatting about moisture meters is my passion! Leave me a question in the comments, I answer each and every one and would love to get to know you better!
