Moisture Meter Advice Sought

M

MichaelW2014

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Jan 3, 2014
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Hello FOG. I need a moisture meter. I have watched a few youtube vids and read through some of the reviews on amazon, and still I am very uncertain about making a purchase. Some people say their $20 meter is perfectly good enough. Some say you need a $400 meter. So, what's the price and which models, reliable models, should I be looking at?

I would love to buy one for $30 and be done with it. But I also hate buying junk that ends up in a garbage dump. Do i wait and save up for a $500 model or do i get something that is good enough at 120 pounds? so, what is your solution for this quandray?
 
checking wood stock at the local wood supplier. poplar, pine, oak, beech. common woods used for furniture making. i am a perfectionist and so i aim for excellent results. so the meter should help me achieve the desired results.
 
i did learn some from it. but i really would rather buy a nice one instead of jimmy rig one off a multi meter.
 
thanks to all for the input, some food for thought. maybe i should just get a ligno mini. hmmm. or wait and get a wagner for half a grand. double hmmm
 
Reviving this thread to ask a follow up question of [member=4105]tjbnwi[/member] or any one else with experience of the mini-Ligno.

There's the model they list specifically for woodworking, the E/D:http://www.lignomatusa.com/meters/mini-ligno-ed-moisture-meter-wood/

Then there's what looks like the best model, the DX:http://www.lignomatusa.com/meters/mini-ligno-dxc-digital-moisture-meter/

Then there's the lower priced MD:http://www.lignomatusa.com/meters/non-digital-mini-lignos/

I'm a little unclear as to what the differences are between the DX and the MD, or why I wouldn't just get the one specifically for woodworking, the E/D

In particular, I want to be able to accurately check the moisture content of thicker 2-3" slabs, so does that mean I should get a model with the electrode E12 extension, like the one for the MD: http://www.lignomatusa.com/product/packages-mini-lignos-mdc/

or the DX:http://www.lignomatusa.com/product/packages-mini-lignos-dxc-work/

And when it comes to moisture meters, how much do you gain by getting a fancy model over a $30 Home Depot job.  Is the difference a question of accuracy, like one will give you a few percentage points more accurate reading of the exact moisture content?  Or is it that cheaper models will simply not work in certain contexts or for certain materials, or will break after a short while?
 
[member=37411]ear3[/member]

I’ll start with your last question first. I had a cheep meter, it last about 6 months.

I went with the D/X because as a remodeling contractor I had to deal with more than just wood.

For you, I believe the E/D would fit your needs.

Reading the specs for the MD it appears limited.

Tom
 
Thanks!

tjbnwi said:
[member=37411]ear3[/member]

I’ll start with your last question first. I had a cheep meter, it last about 6 months.

I went with the D/X because as a remodeling contractor I had to deal with more than just wood.

For you, I believe the E/D would fit your needs.

Reading the specs for the MD it appears limited.

Tom
Click to expand...
 
I made a video about a very good device from Wagner - the same make that one of my professional woodworking friends uses.


Peter
 
When I lived in Chesapeake, in southern VA, near the ocean, the constant humidity affected wood moisture dramatically -
Making it difficult to machine wood straight and true.
So... I saved my money - “Bit the bullet” -
And bought the Wagner MMC 220 Extended Range Wood Moisture Meter.
Currently at Amazon: $395 (Prime)
I wouldn’t go to buy lumber without it.

I agree with Peter. BTW... Great video/review on the MMC 220. Thx - As always, Peter.
Pin meters do get good reviews - But, IMO -
Are subject to the limitations/problems that Peter details.
Irony:
Now I live outside Colorado Springs. Colorado humidity is LOW.
I still check all the wood that I buy with my Wagner moisture meter.
But here, the wood’s moisture is SO much lower - And SO much more stable.
My tools stay dry and moisture/rust free, too. [smile]
 
One big advantage of getting a pinless moisture meter is that most lumberyards will take issue with you sticking their wood full of pin holes to see which board you might want. Can't say that I blame them as I wouldn't want to be buying boards that are full of pin holes. I personally own and use a Wagner, pretty sure that I paid almost $400 for it, and I have never regretted buying a quality model vs. some of the cheaper ones. I always have it with me if I am going to look at wood from somewhere other than my normal supplier, and even here in the Denver region it has saved me from a couple of surprises.
 
If you don't want to spend $300-400, try the Dr.Meter moisture meter.  I'm a casual user of a moisture meter, and have owned the Wagner and the Dr.Meter.  Gave the Wagner to my son, and the Dr.Meter seems to do as good a job as the Wagner did.  Same theory of operation.  Caveat - I haven't dried my own locally cut timber since I got the Dr.Meter, so I haven't tested it on wood with high moisture content.  That's the reason I got the Wagner originally.  Lately I've just used the Dr.Meter on lumber that I buy already dried, or stuff in my shop.  Since I also live in Colorado, everything is pretty much always down in the 5-9% range, except for the construction lumber that has been "kiln dried" to 15%.  At any rate, the Dr.Meter is accurate enough for my needs.
https://www.amazon.com/d/Moisture-M...=UTF8&qid=1541947828&sr=8-4&keywords=Dr.Meter+moisture+meter

The biggest difference between the two is that Wagner sensor was on the top edge, probably only 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, so I felt more comfortable using it on the edge of a board.  I would use a block plane to smooth a small section of edge and use the Wagner on that.  The Dr.Meter has a wider sensor on the back, so I'm not as confident that it can be used effectively on edge, and I've had it for less than a year, so not enough experience with it on a variety of boards to get a feel for whether that matters.  I'm -not- comfortable face-planing a board in a lumberyard to use the Dr.Meter on it.

That said, it looks to me like the one I had is no longer available new, and the older yellow Wagner meter currently for sale, as well as the new Wagner Orion pinless meters also have the wide sensors on the back.  If I had found a model for sale with the sensor on the edge, I would probably have gotten that one, but doesn't look like anyone makes one like that any more.
 
I'm bumping this thread because I'm going to get one of the Wagner Orion meters.  I just can't decide whether to get the basic 910, which has a fixed measuring depth of 3/4", or whether to spend an extra $70-$80 for the 930, which has dual depth scanning at 1/4" and 3/4".  I'm basically just using it for thicker lumber, so I'm trying to figure out if there are scenarios where the 1/4" depth scanning would be useful.  Maybe it would help during resawing operations, where I want to check the relative moisture on the freshly cut side as compared to the outer face?  I dunno.  Can anyone think of anything else?
 
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