# Searching - Moisture Meter - Found Stihl & Harbor Freight -- Same??



## BlankBlankBlank (Oct 30, 2011)

Look at these two moisture meters.  One is from Stihl, the other Harbor Freight.  Could these be the same unit with different color schemes?  The Stihl unit is $36.95 on Amazon.  The HF unit is $12.99.

Stihl - http://www.amazon.com/Stihl-Wood-Di...wer-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1319983750&sr=1-66

HF - http://www.harborfreight.com/digital-mini-moisture-meter-67143.html


Is the HF unit worth getting?


----------



## jimbom (Oct 30, 2011)

The harbor freight unit is definitely enough for firewood.  Works well.  Units depicted certainly look the same.


----------



## BlankBlankBlank (Oct 31, 2011)

I stopped at Harbor Freight today.  Looked at their moisture meter and decided to give it a try.  I figured that I can't really go wrong for $12.99.  Besides the package says "Lifetime Warranty".  I tested my skin and got a 32% reading.  Fresh split walnut tested at 29%.

Here's a picture out of the package.  As you can see it's small.  But, despite being made of plastic, it's weighty and sturdy.  At first I really didn't care for the unit based on the Harbor Freight picture.  Now, I really do like it.  It does what I need.  No nonsense.  And if it breaks, I'll take it back for a replacement.


----------



## Danno77 (Oct 31, 2011)

They sure look the same to me! I have the HF one and it seems to work for me!

If they had a John Deere one it would be green and cost about $50.


----------



## BlankBlankBlank (Oct 31, 2011)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> They sure look the same to me! I have the HF one and it seems to work for me!
> 
> If they had a John Deere one it would be green and cost about $50.



Works for me too!  I'm very glad that I went to Harbor Freight this time round.  I'm skeptical of much of their stuff, though I have found a few very good deals there too.  I usually get my pull ties (zip ties) there, for example.


----------



## raybonz (Oct 31, 2011)

WoodNStuff said:
			
		

> Look at these two moisture meters.  One is from Stihl, the other Harbor Freight.  Could these be the same unit with different color schemes?  The Stihl unit is $36.95 on Amazon.  The HF unit is $12.99.
> 
> Stihl - http://www.amazon.com/Stihl-Wood-Di...wer-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1319983750&sr=1-66
> 
> ...



I agree they are the same unit in different colors and branding.. I bet the same chinese factory makes both of them and they have identical specs.. Go with the HF unit and let us know what you think about it..

Good Luck!

Ray


----------



## Danno77 (Oct 31, 2011)

I think I'm gonna paint mine orange. Then it would match my saw and my fiskars.

If Craig wanted to make a buck or two, he could commission this Chinese company to make one of a different color and put Hearth.com on it. I'd pay an additional two bucks for one like that (ok, probably 5 more). Only problem is that I bet HF orders two billion to get their reduced cost.


----------



## Thistle (Nov 1, 2011)

LOL Danno.


----------



## BlankBlankBlank (Nov 1, 2011)

raybonz said:
			
		

> WoodNStuff said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Well today splitting the remainder of my walnut and then started in on the balance of my maple.  I thought the maple might be burnable this year because it was siting a year in rounds.  Well I used my trusty HF moisture meter and got 27-31%, depending on the size of the round prior to splitting.  I split and then tested.  Larger rounds got higher numbers.  Intuitive.  I tested the meter against my skin and got 32%, I think.  So reasonable.

This meter seems to be working fine for my needs.


----------



## Battenkiller (Nov 1, 2011)

Must be a good meter.  They're popping up in all shades of orange:


----------



## oldspark (Nov 1, 2011)

I agree BK, they would not put their name on it if the  did not think it was worth it.


----------



## BlankBlankBlank (Nov 2, 2011)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> Must be a good meter.  They're popping up in all shades of orange:



Ha. Ha.  I can and then again can hardly believe it.  I wonder if anyone else can come up with a fourth version of this same moisture meter?  Now that would be hilarious.  Talk about getting mileage out of a design.


----------



## BlankBlankBlank (Nov 2, 2011)

oldspark said:
			
		

> I agree BK, they would not put their name on it if the  did not think it was worth it.



oldspark, I think you've got the right way of looking at this situation.


----------



## DanCorcoran (Nov 2, 2011)

The Stihl and Husky both have the same number (EM4806) on the front.  I think it's just coincidence...or maybe PhotoShopped?


----------



## Danno77 (Nov 2, 2011)

DanCorcoran said:
			
		

> The Stihl and Husky both have the same number (EM4806) on the front.  I think it's just coincidence...or maybe PhotoShopped?


Nope I'm 99% sure they are all the EM4806 Meter. If you google that you can even find a yellow version.

I found at least one place that claims (I didn't confirm by ordering) that you can buy 10 or so at about 5 or 6 bucks each.


----------



## BlankBlankBlank (Nov 3, 2011)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> DanCorcoran said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I knew there had to be more.  I just Googled and found these:

Yellow generic version:  http://www.e-sun.cn/en/d.aspx?pht=1031

Yellow generic version w/ price:  http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/263451613/Mini_digital_moisture_meter_EM4806.html

This reminds me that someone mentioned a "Hearth.com" moisture meter.  That would be kind of cool.  At $5-$6 each, they could be sold for $11-$12 at a profit to Hearth.com.

My $0.02.  By the way, where is the cents symbol these days.  Fancy computer and can't find the cents symbol.  I'm only 38, so I know I'm not "that" old.


----------



## Danno77 (Nov 3, 2011)

WoodNStuff said:
			
		

> This reminds me that someone mentioned a "Hearth.com" moisture meter.  That would be kind of cool.  At $5-$6 each, they could be sold for $11-$12 at a profit to Hearth.com.
> 
> My $0.02.  By the way, where is the cents symbol these days.  Fancy computer and can't find the cents symbol.  I'm only 38, so I know I'm not "that" old.


That would be the genius about 10 posts up! Seriously, though, that cents thing bugs the heck out of me. My stupid iPad keyboard has these: Â¥Â£â‚¬, but no cents? Geesh...


----------



## DanCorcoran (Nov 3, 2011)

Actually, I was trying to be cute in saying it was coincidence.  So many products made in China (and elsewhere) are sold under different brand names and we all claim that "ours" is the best, even though they're all basically the same.  Why pay extra for the Stihl moisture meter, if the Harbor Freight meter works just fine?


----------



## Battenkiller (Nov 3, 2011)

DanCorcoran said:
			
		

> The Stihl and Husky both have the same number (EM4806) on the front.  I think it's just coincidence...or maybe PhotoShopped?



Dan, you are right. The Stihl version can be purchased at any saw shop, but the Husky one can only be had at the Photoshop. 

Sorry guys, I thought it was so obvious.  :red:


----------



## DanCorcoran (Nov 3, 2011)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> DanCorcoran said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The reason I thought it might be Photoshopped:  when I enlarged the photo, the Husky logo was printed over the little ridges on the battery cover, but instead of curving up and down over the ridges, it was perfectly straight.  That would be hard to do if it were real.


----------



## Battenkiller (Nov 3, 2011)

DanCorcoran said:
			
		

> Battenkiller said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Good eyes!

Yeah, I saw that and figured everyone would know it was a fake anyway... which is what I wanted.  It was supposed to be a joke, not a real hoax (are there such things as false hoaxes?)  

The Husky image was larger and less noisy, so it gave an unnatural crispness to the name and logo, especially after I downsized it to fit.  Also, the logo itself is not distorted by the angle of the shot like the meter in the real photo is, so it'd look pasted on even if the ridges weren't there.

Then I forgot to remove the model number, which should have been a dead giveaway... if not for the same meter showing up with the same number but in yellow.  That was just too funny.  I could have laughed about it to myself, but it was better to fess up before somebody showed up at the Husky shop insisting that they saw one on the Internet. %-P


----------

