paint depth gauge

[builthatch]

making the decision on what to get. how exciting, lol. just need to narrow it down. i'm sick and tired of using my mag gauge and praying.

i am averse to getting stuff where i have no real recourse if something goes wrong, so i am seriously leaning toward a name brand piece. i know they aren't cheap...but ideally, it should last me forever and if my crack habit gets too bad i can always sell it.

[rms64]

Pricey, but love my Defelsko - just my $.02. Good luck!

[FUNX650]

i am seriously leaning toward a name brand piece. i know they aren't cheap...but ideally, it should last me forever and if my crack habit gets too bad i can always sell it.
~$2500-$3000 will buy a very good Defelsko EPTG.

However:
Even without knowing how bad your crack habit is now,
or will become in the future:

Being able to recoup that kind of monetary layout?
{Except enough to possibly score a few hits}:
Not in my neighborhood...Good Luck in yours. :)


Bob

[WA.Detailer]

There are many meters out there and some are out and outright copies of others with a different name..

I purchased a Highline meter years ago, probably 8 years at least..
It is a good meter for what it does - measure total thickness of material on steel or aluminum in mils or microns..

It uses only 1 AAA battery and I would recommend taking the battery out if you dont use it a lot, as it seems to stay on or something and eventually the battery will go down.. Its not killing it immediately but will kill a battery in a few months without using it..

It is reliable, accurate, comes with some calibrating shims, and a nice, hard case..

No problems or issues with mine ever after all this time and I use it constantly when making Estimates, looking at vehicles on the car lot, and especially when correcting with my Rotary on paint that has a total measurement less than 100 microns.

I like to use the Microns scale vs the Mils scale because I find that the microns scale is going to tell me when the least amount of material is now removed while the Mils scale measures what - 25.6 microns at a time..

It is not going to ever be what the most expensive DeFelsko meter is or does, but as so aptly stated by FUNX725, can you see recouping the cost and then justifying it going forward???

Yeah, I know, it does not measure plastics so you just have to be extra careful anyway because we all know that plastic has its own set of precautions as it is..
Good luck !
Dan F

[builthatch]

thanks guys.


There are many meters out there and some are out and outright copies of others with a different name..

I purchased a Highline meter years ago, probably 8 years at least..
It is a good meter for what it does - measure total thickness of material on steel or aluminum in mils or microns..

It uses only 1 AAA battery and I would recommend taking the battery out if you dont use it a lot, as it seems to stay on or something and eventually the battery will go down.. Its not killing it immediately but will kill a battery in a few months without using it..

It is reliable, accurate, comes with some calibrating shims, and a nice, hard case..

No problems or issues with mine ever after all this time and I use it constantly when making Estimates, looking at vehicles on the car lot, and especially when correcting with my Rotary on paint that has a total measurement less than 100 microns.

I like to use the Microns scale vs the Mils scale because I find that the microns scale is going to tell me when the least amount of material is now removed while the Mils scale measures what - 25.6 microns at a time..

It is not going to ever be what the most expensive DeFelsko meter is or does, but as so aptly stated by FUNX725, can you see recouping the cost and then justifying it going forward???

Yeah, I know, it does not measure plastics so you just have to be extra careful anyway because we all know that plastic has its own set of precautions as it is..
Good luck !
Dan F

thanks!

now that i've had some time to look at all of this...

i see that the Chinese copies of the Highline (and Paintgage FNF) are popular as heck but i am not interested in taking the associated risks with getting those. i know they are cheap as heck and if they work out...it'd be amazing. but, the accuracy is apparently not up to snuff compared to a competitive unit (in terms of features) like the Defelsko DFT combo.

the older "01" and newer "02" Chinese versions out there are like 150 and 180 bucks respectively. the old standby Highline II and similar Paintgage FNF are $300-~$400. the DFT combo unit is ~$600-$700.

i feel more comfortable with the Defelsko DFT combo even though it's more expensive. the reviews for it across the board seem much more solid than the others too.

and i agree with you Bob, i'd never be able to rationalize something like the Defelsko 200 B3 Advanced, even though that thing is pretty neat in that it can measure on any substrate and measures up to three layers independently. that is definitely really helpful for a pro. but it's $2300 from reputable sources so that's definitely a pro-only expense haha

[WA.Detailer]

Builthatch -

Good for you !

DeFelsko has been around decades and they would probably rank up there as the Industry Standard for any of their material measurement meters..

You can go direct to them I believe and inquire about pricing, etc., too..

I have never heard or read anything but positive reviews from their products..
Dan F

[builthatch]

slightly off topic but still interesting...

i found out that the 200 b3 advanced does not work on automotive metal. so, while it measures layers on everything, including metal...automotive metal is too thin for it to work.

that's crazy.

so, if you wanted to see layers on automotive metal, you are beat.

right now the tech limits you to needing a DFT or 6000 for seeing total thickness on metal and a 200 b3 for seeing layers on plastic and composites. that's A LOT of money in equipment.

i can't believe there isn't a product out there that does layers on all materials. even if it were over 3-4k it'd be worth it if the current state of affairs requires you to spend over 3k and still not get layer capability on the metal/alu side of things.

[oldmodman]

I would love to have a top notch paint meter, but what I have is the now discontinued Harbor Freight meter.

But as "crummy" as it is it has saved my bacon several times. It has allowed me to measure the thickness on various parts of a car and make a safe decision on whether to sand, or compound, or just say "sorry, your paint is too thin to safely try to correct".

Even the cheapest meter will give you invaluable information about the level of safety when working on an unknown car.

[Woob]

Love my highline, better to have something than nothing!

[allenk4]

Response from Defelsko:

Subject: RE: DeFelsko Inspection Instruments Inquiry


Dear Mr. Allen,

Thank you for your inquiry and for your interest in our products.

Our PosiTector 6000 FNS3 Advanced in combination with our Ultrasonic 200 B probe are ideal for measuring the thickness of automotive paint on steel and aluminum (6000 FNS) and multi-layer automotive paint on carbon fiber composite, fiberglass, plastic and SMC (200 B).

PosiTector 6000 FNS3 Advanced ($1,475):
- Hi Contrast reversible color LCD
- Storage of 100,000 readings in up to 1,000 batches and sub-batches
- Batch Annotation - add notes and change batch names with onscreen QWERTY keyboard
- WiFi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity
- Scan Mode takes continuous readings without lifting the probe
- SSPC PA2 feature determines if film thickness over a large area conforms to user-specified min/max levels
- PSPC 90/10 feature determines if a coating system complies with an IMO performance standard for protective coatings

For a complete comparison visit:
PosiTector 6000 - Gage Features (http://www.defelsko.com/p6000/p6000_gage_selection.htm)

All gages come complete with instructions, protective rubber holster with belt clip and lens shield, wrist strap, 3 AAA alkaline batteries, nylon carrying case with shoulder strap, precision plastic shims, Long Form Certificate of Calibration traceable to PTB or NIST, USB cable, PosiSoft Solutions (view and report data) and a two-year warranty. PosiTector 6000 coating thickness gages, gauge, meter use magnetic and eddy current principles to measure coating thickness on both ferrous and non-ferrous metals. (http://www.defelsko.com/p6000/positector6000.htm)

Popular Accessories include:
- Coating Thickness Standards with traceable Certificate of Calibration - $325
- Bluetooth Wireless Printer - $425
- AC Power Kit - $45
- Rechargeable Batteries - $20


Re: PosiTector 200 B probe interchangeability

PosiTector Standard and Advanced gage bodies universally accept a variety of probes from our entire line of PosiTector instruments: PosiTector - Probe Interchangability (http://defelsko.com/probes)

When connected to a PosiTector Advanced gage body, the PosiTector 200 B probe ($1,615) is capable of measuring the thickness of clear coat (individually) and base coat / primer combined. Please rwefer to our website for details: PosiTector 200 - Ordering Guide (http://www.defelsko.com/p200/p200_ordering_guide.htm)

All items are in stock and available for shipment by UPS. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards.

Please contact us if you have questions or wish to place an order.

Best regards,
Bob Wells, Technical Sales
DeFelsko Corporation
+1-315-393-4450
DeFelsko Coating Thickness Gages, Gauges and Inspection Instruments, Adhesion Tester, Dew Point Meter, Surface Profile, Ultrasonic Thickness Gages and Meters (http://www.defelsko.com)




-----Original Message-----
From: kyleallen21@hotmail.com [mailto:kyleallen21@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2014 1:16 PM
To: DeFelsko Technical
Subject: DeFelsko Inspection Instruments Inquiry

Name: Kyle Allen
Company: Detailed by Kyle
Telephone: 5127506764
Address: Venice, CA
Country:

I am interested in the following:

Coating Thickness Application Information:
Coating: Automotive Paint
Thickness Range of Coating: mils
Substrate: All
Part Description:


Additional Information about your request:
A colleague indicated that Defelsko manufacturers a PTG that will measure paint thickness on Steel, Aluminum, Carbon Fiber and SMC (Corvette)

If possible, I would invest in a device that could measure the thickness of the various layers, specifically the base coat and clear coat

Thank You,

Kyle Allen

Heard about us from: AutoGeek

[builthatch]

right. they don't have the technology yet to read individual layers on automotive Fe or NFe panels. that's what i was saying in post 7.

hard to believe but it's true.