Which digital inclinometer/angle finder to buy?

J

jsp

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Jun 6, 2007
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I'm looking at purchasing a digital inclinometer/angle finder to use with my Edgepro and for other projects. I have seen the Angle Cube and I just stumbled on to another brand from Lee Valley Tools but I'm wondering which one is the better of the two. Does anyone have experience with both brands? My budget is around $50. If there is any other models out there you guys can recommend, please let me know. Here are the links for both brands.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=67350&cat=1,43513

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1TX9PMZZCYCRVK5XQS2V
 
my guess is that it's exactly the same product with diferent brands and color ...
 
there could be a miracle but i doubt, same features, same format, same layout for the screen and buttons, same patterns for the magnets, same everything except the color and brand ... me thinks those are made in the exact same factory and sold to two different brands to sell.
 
I'm also betting these are identical, behind the labels. And I'd be amazed if anything electronic, these days, is still actually produced in the U.S. The brand name behind one or the other might be a U.S. company, but I'll bet these are actually made overseas (in the same plant, probably). Lots of different companies, these days, rely on 3rd-party manufacturers for their products. Especially for specialized items like these. The similarities between these units are too close, right down to size, shape, button layout, display and accuracy/resolution specs. Same 'box' with a different 'skin' on it. If these were actually manufactured by separate companies, I'd bet one would be suing the other for patent infringement. Not an issue, if they're both coming from the same supplier, under separate contracts.

Assuming the same supplier, I'd just go with whichever unit is less expensive.

Edit:
Might also check to see if one company offers a better warranty than the other.
 
Last edited:
I've had great luck with the angle cube. Its very accurate and a must have for the edgepro. The stock stones were all a few degrees to a few 10ths of a degree off.
 
I'm also curious about which digital inclinometer is best.

Interestingly, the iGaging and Beal have virtually the same specs, but the Wixey has different specs.

Some definitions of the specs, as I understand them:
Resolution: Smallest change in tilt that can be measured by the device. Says nothing about accuracy or repeatability.
Accuracy: Absolute error between the reading on the screen and the actual inclination.
Repeatability: Even if an inclinometer is in-accurate, it may be repeatable; meaning the same tilt always gives the same reading (even if that reading is slightly off).

iGaging Angle Cube:
http://www.igaging.com/page11.html
Accuracy: c 0.2 deg
Resolution: 0.05 deg
Repeatability: 0.05 deg

Beal Tilt Box II:
http://www.bealltool.com/products/measuring/tiltbox.php
Accuracy: 0.2 deg
Resolution: 0.05 deg
Repeatability: ????

Wixey Digital Angle Gauge
http://www.wixey.com/anglegauge/index.html#wr300
http://www.wixey.com/anglegauge/index.html#wr365
Accuracy: 0.1 deg
Resolution: 0.1 deg
Repeatability: 0.1 deg

I bought the Wixey WR365, but don't know if it's better than the AngleCube or TiltBox, or how accurate it stays over time.

If any of you can do a head-to-head review and/or test that would be great!

Sincerely,
--Lagrangian
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"What grit sharpens the mind?"--Zen Sharpening Koan
 
Thanks guys. I just ordered the Angle Cube and a 5/16" drill collar from chefknivestogo.com and I ordered a 15x Lighted Loupe magnifier from Lee Valley.
 
I have a 'angle cube' purchased at harbor freight about a year ago, the batteries recently failed and I wanted to check the angle on my Edge Pro. I remembered downloading an app for my ipod called iHandy Carpenter...son of a gun works pretty darn well.
I don't know what the tolerances are, but honestly, if it's within 1* it is more than worth the $0.99 I paid for it. I have compared it to the newly 're-batteried' angle cube and they seem to match out to the second decimal place.
Just throwing out alternatives...personally I hate the 'zero' feature on my cube and will now use my ipod for this. I only check the angle before I start sharpening so it's not like I'm exposing the ipod to water or grit.
Cheers,
Russel

Wow, as I was typing this, Dave asked the question above...weird
 
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