Bought a cheap moisture meter and it actually works better than my expensive one

I picked up a $12 moisture meter from Harbor Freight last weekend just to check some drywall after a leak. Everyone in my local hardware store told me it'd be junk and to spend at least $50 on a professional model. Well, I tested it on like 10 different spots in my basement and then borrowed my neighbor's $60 pinless meter to compare. The readings were within 2% of each other every single time, which shocked me. I get that pinless meters have their place for tile floors and stuff, but for basic wood and drywall checks, the cheap one does the job. Has anyone else gotten good results from budget tools that the pros look down on?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_cooper14h ago

Nah, you got lucky with that one cheap meters are usually junk and will ruin your stuff.

samrodriguez8h ago

So the expensive gear never breaks and the cheap stuff always does? I guess my $9 thrift store laser must be some kind of unicorn then. Dropped it off a ladder last month, still shoots a line straighter than my buddy's Milwaukee that he treats like a newborn baby. The thing's got electrical tape holding the battery door on and somehow it's more reliable than half the pro tools I've borrowed.

williamw7514h ago

abby said I got lucky, but honestly I've had the same thing happen with a cheap laser level. Picked one up at a yard sale for like five bucks, figured it would be worthless but needed something quick for hanging shelves. That thing has been level within a bubble or two for three years now, I've dropped it off a ladder and it still works fine. Meanwhile my buddy's Bosch cost him eighty bucks and the pendulum lock broke after six months. Sometimes I think the expensive stuff is just overbuilt for what most of us actually need.