Bought a cheap paint thickness gauge for $60 and it cost me a whole job

I was working on a 2018 Honda Accord that needed a quarter panel. The gauge kept giving me wild readings, sometimes 2 mils, sometimes 8, on the same spot. I based my blend on that and the color match was way off. The customer saw it and refused the repair. I lost the $900 job and had to eat the materials. I should have just used my old reliable one that finally died. What's a decent brand that won't break the bank but actually works?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_lewis8514d ago

Man, that's brutal. I've been burned by a cheap gauge before too. I've had good luck with the basic Elcometer ones for a solid mid-range option.

christopher9527d ago

What's the worst that happened with the cheap gauge? I've seen some give readings that were just completely off, like not even close. Makes you wonder how they even pass quality checks.

derek7814d ago

Yeah, those cheap ones are a total trap. I learned the hard way to never trust the readings from a no-name gauge.