Just realized that cheap spoke tension meter I bought was totally useless

I picked up one of those generic spoke tension meters for like $30 on Amazon last month, figured it'd save me time truing wheels. Tried using it on a customer's old Campagnolo wheel and the readings were all over the place, like 20kgf difference between two spokes that felt identical. Went back to my Park Tool TM-1 and realized you really do get what you pay for with these tools. Has anyone else found a budget tension meter that actually works or am I stuck saving up for the real thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarhart1mo ago

Ugh yeah that sounds super frustrating. I wasted money on a cheap one too and it was basically just a paperweight. Seems like the Park Tool is the only way to go.

tara7931mo agoMost Upvoted

I gotta push back a little here @oscarhart. I mean yeah, cheap ones can be hit or miss but I actually had the opposite experience. I grabbed a no-name truing stand off Amazon for like $40 and it's been going strong for two years now. It's not fancy but it holds the wheel straight and the calipers are accurate enough to get my wheels true. Park Tool stuff is great if you have the budget for it, but not everyone can drop that kind of cash on a hobby. Have you tried looking for a used one or maybe a different budget brand before writing them all off?