Stihl15411852 Wood Moisture Meter for Firewood Humidity Measuring Device

This had excellent reviews and I'd concur with the best of these. It is very small, not much bigger than a box of matches. Bought to check drying out progress after a water leak therefore consistency of readings was more important than accuracy. Appears to work well for this using the `hard building material `plaster concrete brickwork' etc setting. It does take 4xLR44 batteries and whilst these may contribute to the lightness of the meter AAA batteries would be better for the user if the circuitry could be built around this?Following improvements would be appreciated:It does have an illuminated display when it is initially switched on and each time the button is pressed. Ideally, the display would be illuminated all the time readings are being taken and the led switched off automatically when the display has remained on zero for more than a few seconds. It is appreciated that this may reduce battery life to an unacceptable level?A reset button - or longer reset time - would be helpful allowing the displayed reading to remain visible until the meter is reset. In some areas it is difficult to read the LCD whilst the probes are engaged. Overall, excellent product though and has been very useful.

I looked at a lot of moisture meters and this one seemed to have everything I needed. The added bonus is that it is calibrated for brick/plaster which is a specific setting, but the wood setting is the one I am reviewing here. Some other meters are shipped with spare points but on the Stihl they are very sturdy and seem more than up to the job, which is probably why you'll never need to replace them. In use the meter does everything it's designed for with the addition of a temperature reading so you can check if your wood is stored in the best place to dry it out. Where moisture meters come into their own is getting the best pieces for burning under the 20% moisture content, this device tells you exactly what your dealing with and I had a few surprises when I thought some wood was ready to burn and it wasn't and vice versa. In the field and with the darker nights one feature of this bit of kit I really liked is that the display is backlit so it's easy to read in dim light and also it has auto shut off which is a nice touch. It also comes with a wrist strap, but it is a small device so it's easy to pop in a pocket.Would I change anything? - There's only one minor improvement I would make and that is to attach the pin cap to the body, by means of a short cord, just so you don't lose the cover, - but that's all.In conclusion I'm very pleased with this and at this price it does everything and more than a lot of other meters I looked at that were more expensive, although for what you get I would have expected to pay considerably more! Highly Recommended.

Pros - Its compact (2"x3"ish) The metal spikes are short & robust, they penetrate the log well. It seems to be accurate. I've tested some wood thats been out about 18 months & it measured 19% I then compared it to a log recently cut down which measured 52% Its easy to use, comes with batteries (those small silver disc style) and easy to follow instructions. It is suitable for other materials as well, but I've not put that to test.Cons - The reading doesn't stay on the screen. So the minute you remove the meter, the readout has gone, meaning you have to be in the right position to see it. This may sound weird, but I was initially planning on just leaning into my log store at arms reach to get the reading, but ended up on my hands and knees! This is a minor gripe, and is the only thing stopping it getting 5* I would recommend it.

"Britain doesn't have a culture of wood burning" said my Austrian woodsman friend and he's right. That said, nowadays with the plethora of wood stove installations, I think we Brits are beginning to understand the need for the right flue, the right stove and DRY WOOD. This tools is small (Swan Vestas box sized) and really easy to use. Uncap the probes. Push them into the wood. Press the button and enjoy that the display is back lit for a few seconds (very handy in the dark wood shed at night in a storm).You will get a better result if you test a few logs by splitting them and probing the fresh wood. Oak for example dries slowly, so after one year will be acceptably dry on the outside while remaining above the 20% moisture threshold on the inside. Birch on a damp day may show more than 20% surface moisture, but can be fine inside.This tool confirmed what I suspected about each of my wood bins and about different timbers, so I can burn with confidence and not destroy my flue. Twenty quid well spent. And if my wood supplier brings wet oak again, I can reject the load with no argument. Great tool and it even has bonus features like the ability to test stone etc.

Have been using this excellent product for about 2 months now and seems very good. I was surprised at how small it was (a bit bigger then a small box of matches) and didn't realise that it has a setting to check other types of material's moisture content (so you can see if your walls are damp). It also tells you what the ambient temperature is.It does have an auto off function, which seems to work fine, but other people have reported it not working properly; leading to battery drain. The batteries are expensive button type cells and not just a straight forward AAA or AA type cell, which is slightly annoying.The metal testing spikes seem very strong and don't look as though they will bend easily, which is an obvious bonus - especially for oak!I have found that unless you split the wood that you are about to test then it will not give you an accurate result - I think this should be included in the instructions.Overall very happy with it.Oh, and the display automatically lights up when taking a reading - nice touch for those dark winter nights!

This unit came with batteries, but they had leaked out and the unit therefore did not function.I bought some new batteries and the detector now works perfectly, handy for checking masonry walls as well as firewood.The unit itself is very small, easily fits in one hand.