Who's got a moisture meter, what's a good one to buy?

[ss~zoso~ss]

As the title states, looking to buy a moisture meter as kind of a 'gee whiz' gift for dad for xmas.

They seem pretty inexpensive, 15-30 bucks.

So lets here it, who has em and how do ya like em!

 

[stihly dan]

I was also looking tonite. Bailey's cheapest was $ 46 with $13 s&h. Where have you seen $15?

 

[REJ2]

Im interested as well in learning about them

 

[ss~zoso~ss]

not sure what the rules here are on non sponsor sites, but lets just say Xmazon.com where X=a haha

 

[cnice_37]

I bought a $15 one off eBay last year. Can't tell you who makes it, besides someone in China.

It has 4 prongs and passed the palm test (33% I think?) and reads well for 3 yr oak (20%.). The battery connection is crappy, but quality is decent aside from that for the money invested.

The majority of the year it sits atop the kindling bin in the basement, and I play with it time to time. Curiosity got the best of me, and I bought it last year after some crappy burns.

 

[loadthestove]

I've got one the I purchased on E-bay .Like a lot of Wood heat releated items,,really didnt need but wanted.
All my wood is seasoned at least a year to year and half before I burn but the meter gives me some idea of drying progression.

Also if I getting bad "burns " in stove I can check wood out.

 

[brenndatomu]

I bought one of those $15 ones off Amazingon, seems to work fine. Like someone else said, it passes the palm/finger test. I don't have another one to compare it against, I was a little suspect of it at one point, it was telling me everything I checked was 17%. But when I checked known green wood, it read high, kiln dried 2x4 was single digits, so, I dunno....I guess it's fine.

 

[Patrick62]

2 pin version here

I think I got mine from amazon, and it works okay. JT-2G it says on it, and it is about $15. Made in china (isn't everything??).
would a 4 pin give a better reading? Would spendin' more $$ get a better meter?
Would using it more than 3 times a year make me a better wood cutter?

 

[oppermancjo]

I picked one up from Harbor Freight. Super cheap both in price and quality. I question its accuracy but it only cost me a few bones and gets me in the ballpark.

 

[howard270]

I got one from Lowe's and believe it was less than $30. Pretty happy with it so far, and it seems fairly accurate as in it reads about what I think it should say. It has the 2 prongs and as long as you stick them running with the grain I believe it reads more accurately.

 

[CTYank]

I picked one up from Harbor Freight. Super cheap both in price and quality. I question its accuracy but it only cost me a few bones and gets me in the ballpark.

Been using one of them for a year now. Cost about $12. Readings seem consistent. It's useful for calibrating my personal dryness sensors, and for checking on an unfamiliar species. Don't need +/- 1% accuracy.

Batteries don't last very long, but those little 1.5v button cells can be had cheap from Shanghai or Amazon.

 

[WidowMaker]

I recently bought a General Mdl MMD4E at Home Depot for less then $30.00

Seem to work okay...scale on it shows dry wood to be under 12%. This surpised me as 20% is the number thrown around here and the hearth.

Two year split and stack Doug Fir and Tamarack checks at 7 to 9-10%.
This years cutting checks at 14-15% or medium on their scale..Which is what I would expect it to be, not quite ready for prime time, doable if needed...

 

[gregfox]

+1 on Harbor Freight model. Seems accurate enough to tell how dry your wood is. It won't tell you the true moisture unless you split a piece and check it in the middle.

 

[Steve NW WI]

I recently bought a General Mdl MMD4E at Home Depot for less then $30.00

Seem to work okay...scale on it shows dry wood to be under 12%. This surpised me as 20% is the number thrown around here and the hearth.

Two year split and stack Doug Fir and Tamarack checks at 7 to 9-10%.
This years cutting checks at 14-15% or medium on their scale..Which is what I would expect it to be, not quite ready for prime time, doable if needed...

I've got the same model, had it for about a year, forget which box store it came from, but price was in that $20-30 range. I'd not heard of the palm test before tonight - someone want to expand on that for me? It seems close enough for what I use it for, which is checking up on the wood in my stacks, and verifying that some of the standing dead I cut is ready for the "straight to the stove" shortcut that saves me from stacking, hauling, and restacking if it's not needed. It'll go straight to 50% in green oak, down to too low to measure in some 1x pallet wood that's been indoors for a while.

My one complaint is that the probes (which are replaceable but I haven't looked at where to get em or cost) are pretty wimpy and bend easily if trying to check harder woods. I've bent them back every time so far, but I'm waiting for the day one snaps off when I try to straighten it out.

 

[blades]

Got HF one, works fine, just make sure to keep a fresh battery in it.

 

[flyboy553]

I have the same General model as previous posts have mentioned. I use it alot. I show customers who ask how "seasoned" my wood is. And yes, I will split a piece and show them what the MC is in the center of the piece, not the ends or outsides. ( what happened to logbutcher, he would love this thread!)

When customers ask if my wood is dry, I can give them specific numbers, not an opinion.

Ted

 

[ponyexpress976]

I have the same General model as previous posts have mentioned. I use it alot. I show customers who ask how "seasoned" my wood is. And yes, I will split a piece and show them what the MC is in the center of the piece, not the ends or outsides. ( what happened to logbutcher, he would love this thread!)

When customers ask if my wood is dry, I can give them specific numbers, not an opinion.

Ted

That's the same reason I bought one. Customers lose the will to argue about the price when a meter shows up.

 

[Whitespider]

OK, I'll be the dissenter...
Don't have one, don't want one, and don't see the need for one... not into gadgetry.
Besides, I know when my "wood" is ready...

 

[Streblerm]

The HF units go on sale for $12. I think they are plenty accurate for firewood when you use them to check a fresh split. I had three of them and gave two away as gifts. They all read about the same when checking the same spot on a fresh split. Batteries can quickly cost you more than the unit if you buy them locally. I buy the button cells 50 at a time on eBay. They are becoming more and more common.

If I was making furniture maybe something better would be called for but for firewood...

I find most of my wood outside gets to about 15-17% moisture. Anything that reads below the limit of the meter will burn ok. If it reads OL then it is definitely a no go.

 

[brenndatomu]

I've got the same model, had it for about a year, forget which box store it came from, but price was in that $20-30 range. I'd not heard of the palm test before tonight - someone want to expand on that for me? It seems close enough for what I use it for, which is checking up on the wood in my stacks, and verifying that some of the standing dead I cut is ready for the "straight to the stove" shortcut that saves me from stacking, hauling, and restacking if it's not needed. It'll go straight to 50% in green oak, down to too low to measure in some 1x pallet wood that's been indoors for a while.

My one complaint is that the probes (which are replaceable but I haven't looked at where to get em or cost) are pretty wimpy and bend easily if trying to check harder woods. I've bent them back every time so far, but I'm waiting for the day one snaps off when I try to straighten it out.

The palm test, just hold the probes against your palm (I think mine says finger) and it should read somewheres in the 33% range, assuming you aren't all hot n shweaty. That's how my directions say to check the calibration.... not that it's adjustable anyway!