I dropped $450 on a digital governor tester and I'm not sure it was worth it

Everyone in my shop was pushing me to get one, saying it would cut my setup time in half. So I bought the GDT-2000 model about six months ago. Sure, it gives you a nice readout on a screen, but honestly, for most of the jobs I do in these older buildings in Tacoma, my old trusty tach and a careful ear work just as well. The digital unit is fussy with some of the older relay logic, and I've had to double-check its calibration twice already. It feels like a solution for a problem I didn't really have, and now it just sits in my van unless I'm dealing with a brand new install. Has anyone else found these fancy digital tools to be more trouble than they're worth for regular maintenance work?

3 comments

3 Comments

emeryj661d ago

Ever feel like you bought the tool for the shop guys, not for your actual work? I had the same thing happen with a fancy vibration analyzer. For the old relay stuff, I keep a simple analog meter in the kit as a sanity check. The digital box is great for paperwork on new jobs, but my old tach and a timing light still get the call most days. That tester will probably pay for itself on one weird new unit, but for the daily grind, the simple tools you trust are hard to beat.

corap211d ago

Wait, you still use a timing light? I thought those went out with carburetors.

drewr1519h ago

That "simple tools you trust" idea is why my toolbox still has a breaker bar and a set of feeler gauges.