View Full Version : Car shopping with the PTG
Accumulator
06-08-2011, 11:45 AM
There are electronic, digital paint thickness guages that you can purchase for about $225. They are accurate and easy to use.
Right, and there are even some affordable (should I put that in scare-quotes :think: ) ones that will read on aluminum.
Be careful about the "easy to use" bit though, my PhaseII is *NOT* user-friendly in the least compared to some others I`ve tried.
Bill D
06-08-2011, 11:54 AM
I`d jump on that $225 gauge if someone *must* have one because the general cost of these things seems to be going up and up. Here`s mine (http://yhst-13811118617756.stores.yahoo.net/promoelthgae.html) which I`ve seen inflated elsewhere for double! Mine was less than the price listed in that link but that was a few years ago. I`m sure glad mine was a gift too! The prices are unjustified IMHO.
Right, and there are even some affordable (should I put that in scare-quotes :think: ) ones that will read on aluminum.
Be careful about the "easy to use" bit though, my PhaseII is *NOT* user-friendly in the least compared to some others I`ve tried.
Yes you can purchase thickness gauges for "non-ferrous" as well as ferrous metals but they are more expensive. A USA-made instrument lists for $695.
Regards
Bill D
06-08-2011, 11:56 AM
Prices going up for sure but if it`s integral to ones business--body shop/ used cars/auctions. It`s a needed business expense.
Accumulator
06-08-2011, 12:14 PM
Yes you can purchase thickness gauges for "non-ferrous" as well as ferrous metals but they are more expensive. A USA-made instrument lists for $695.
AND
Prices going up for sure..
Yeah, I`m really sure mine didn`t cost nearly that much :think: I had to get the nonferrous capability due to the Audis.
Street5927
06-08-2011, 01:34 PM
I have the Fenderspledor 488. It works very well for what I need it for, and at $350.00, it was definitely a worthwhile investment.
FenderSplendor Paint Meters for Car Dealers-1SC_Order488 (http://www.fendersplendor.com/1SC_Order488.html)
C. Charles Hahn
06-08-2011, 01:55 PM
I`m going to make you guys sick by mentioning this, but I bought my electronic PTG for all of $6.
Yes, $6.
Harbor Freight used to market a PTG under their Cen-Tech brand which measures and reports in both mils and microns on ferrous AND non-ferrous substrates. Originally these were priced at I believe $199. A few years back, the gauge was discontinued from the line and marked down several times -- there were no less than 5 price tags on the box when I picked mine up, with the lowest marked at $6.00 which is what I paid.
I`ve tested this cheap meter against a couple of higher dollar units and found it to be every bit as accurate. Seems I just got lucky with that deal! Not my pic, but here`s what I`ve got:
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z207/Ram4ever/81%20Dodge%20B250%20Ram%20van/Centech95520DigitalPaintCoatingThic.jpg?t=12592097 96
They still make the same unit under a different brand name, too... available on ebay:
NIB Digital Paint Coating Thickness Gauge Meter, F&NF | eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NIB-Digital-Paint-Coating-Thickness-Gauge-Meter-F-NF-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem23115a72abQQitemZ15061 4995627QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools)
Bill D
06-08-2011, 04:14 PM
Wow! Best bargain of the detailing world! I love the design too, looks like an IR temperature gun.
Accumulator
06-09-2011, 10:36 AM
I`m going to make you guys sick by mentioning this, but I bought my electronic PTG for all of $6.
Yes, $6...
Wow, lucky you!
How user-friendly is that style?
C. Charles Hahn
06-09-2011, 05:27 PM
Wow, lucky you!
How user-friendly is that style?
It`s pretty simple to use.... only thing I don`t like is the calibration procedure.
Accumulator
06-10-2011, 10:27 AM
It`s pretty simple to use.... only thing I don`t like is the calibration procedure.
Yeah, recalibrating my PhaseII is even harder than its regular use, which is saying something :o I actually sent it back once and they returned it saying it was calibrated (and working) properly.