HDLNAK Digital Hardness Tester with LCD Display, Pocket Penetrometer, Shore A Durometer 0-100 HA for Accurate Hardness Testing, Durometer Gauge for A Wide Range of Materials

This tester is made well enough for hobbyists and people like me. It is easy to use - simply press it into whatever you are trying to measure. There is a metal spike that is spring loaded that gets pressed into the material being measured. Based on how hard the material is, the spike will sink into the material. The digital readout gives you the Shore value. You can adjust the setpoint or zero/100 point by turning a dial on the instrument. The case is pretty good and gives decent protection. It also comes with some basic instructions and an extra battery (LR44 style). In use, it'll be constantly reading, so there is a hold button that can be pressed to keep the reading shown. With 0.5 precision, the measurements are either .0 or .5 - there's nothing shown between.Shore A is good for softer materials. For instance, my flip-flops measure in the 20's, whereas a paper catalog measured 92.5

I have a lot of different o-rings and this meter ensures that I'm getting exactly what I ordered and also helps me identify the shore hardness of o-rings that I lost the packaging for.

Im a rockhound and this helps me identify stones! really cool gadget.

Is this durometer accurate? I can't say; I don't have calibration equipment. But I do know that it thinks that 3D-printed TPU filament, which is rated at 95A Shore hardness rating, is more like 88A. If it were that soft, it would jam my printer.The blow-moulded case may be the most expensive looking part of this tool. The tool itself has a metal back that looks like it was painted with a housebrush, some of the worst chrome plating I've seen since I got rid of Dad's 1970s K-mart generic socket wrenches, and a display made from soft plastic that comes already scratched. It does include a spare Chinese LR44 battery (cut off of a retail multipack).I've attached a scan of the "operation manual," which tells you how much effort went into this thing. It's a single-sided half-page of badly broken English, practically indecipherable. "Make the durometer under the gravity of the poise,the press part and the talbe contact completely"...Two stars only because it does power on and appears to operate, and the readings at least seem self-consistent.

As an engineer, I much prefer hard analytical data over highly subjective opinions when I am making purchasing decisions. When I am writing reviews for others, I am always looking for ways to make my reviews as accurate and objective as possible, providing potential purchasers with the best possible information before they part with their hard-earned money. Wherever possible, I like to employ testing tools to assist in this process, so I was happy to add this Shore A durometer to my collection of testing tools.A durometer is a tool that determines the relative hardness or softness of a material by measuring the depth of an indentation in the material created by a given force on a standardized presser foot. It is a far more objective indicator than the human hand and returns a consistent, repeatable, numeric value indicative of the harness. There is a plethora of different scales for different types of material, but this gauge is set up to measure using the Shore A scale, suitable for testing nonmetallic materials such as thermoplastics, thermosets, TPEs (thermoplastic elastomers), vulcanized and natural rubber, silicones, and generally things thought of as soft or rubbery. By way of example, a rubber band has a Shore A hardness of about 20-25 A, a gel insole around 30A, a tire or shoe sole has a range of around 65-70A, and a golf ball or hard hat around 90A.This device feels solid with a metal case and plastic front. I find it provides reasonably consistent and repeatable readings suitable for hobbyist use. As it lacks any calibrations or certifications, I do not believe it would be suitable for use in critical applications. A set of calibrated test samples cost many times the price of this unit, so I have no way to verify its absolute accuracy, but it is still useful for relative measurements. It does take a certain amount of practice to get consistent results. I like the compact nature of the durometer, and the included red blow molded case that makes it easy to spot and provides protection for a sensitive instrument. Mine came with an extra LR44 battery, a 1.5V alkaline button cell. I wish it were a lithium type battery as they have a much longer shelf life and are less prone to leaking than alkaline types. I have a number of small test devices that use LR44 batteries and if I am not using them daily, I remove the battery because they seem to be so leak-prone (pricier name brands less so, but still a problem). The included “OPERATION MANUAL” is an absolutely worthless 5 X 7-inch single sided sheet of translation so bad that they should not have even bothered to include it. If you are unfamiliar with the process, typing “how to use a durometer” into your favorite search engine will give you more than you need. I recommend looking at the sites of device manufacturers over youtubers for more succinct and accurate instructions.Currently, there are a number of these relatively low-cost Shore A durometers available on Amazon at the same price point. Overall, I am pleased with this unit and it is adequate for my intended purpose.

This digital gauge agrees pretty closely with a cheap analog gauge I have kicking around the shop. I don't have any reference standards to test this against, but I do have some TPU samples I 3D printed at 100% infill and both gauges agree on some values that land pretty close to what's advertised.Build quality for the gauge is pretty good for the price point. The blow-molded cases also seems to be a pretty good fit and seems decently durable.

This Shore A tester comes in a protective box, with a spare battery (LR44) and a battery installed. Speaking of the battery - when it's time to install the new one, there's a swing-out tray at the top of the front bezel. Don't try undoing the screws in the back!The instructions included are the only issue with this tool. They suffer from translation and don't even mention battery replacement. Fortunately this is a common style durometer tester and you can find instructions online for both use and maintenance.Measurements seem repeatable, and in the range expected. It's certainly going to do what I need (identifying durometer of gasket material).

The case it comes in is simple but appreciated, instructions being minimal it wasn't too much an issue but in the end I haven't been able to get anywhere near a consistent reading from this thing across multiple varieties of materials within its HA rating threshold.