Hardness Tester, Durometer Shore Type A 0-100HA, Digital Durometer 0.1HA Resolution, with Large LCD Display for Rubber, Plastic, Tire, Leather, Wax

I am a materials scientest who specializes in adhesives and elastomers, and needed to replace my old dial shore-A tester. I could not believe how inexpensive this Uharbour gage was, especially considering that it comes with its own box. I checked it against my hardness standards and they were within 0.2 hardness of the standard, which was actually better than my $500 gage. The gage is easy to read and zero and I love it!

Review of B0DG8CQ6PR - Uharbour Hardness Tester, Digital Durometer Shore Type DIn one of my prior lives I was a gemologist. As a gemologist, I had to identify gemstones. For identifying transparent gemstones, one of the clues was the refractive index (how much the gemstone bent light passing through it). The refractive index is measured by a refractometer. A refractometer is a critically necessary piece of equipment in a gemologist's toolbox.The refractometer didn't tell me want a gemstone was, but more what it wasn't. Identifying a gemstone is a process of elimination. So, in trying to identify plastics, I thought I'd try this Durometer to tell me the Shore-D hardness of plastics, which wouldn't tell me what the plastic is, but what it isn't. In one photo I've taken the Shore-D hardness of its case, which as you see, is 75.5 on the Shore D hardness scale.Not being a materials scientist, I didn't realize that each plastic has such a wide range of hardness due to possible additives. The 75.5 measurement is not as definitive as I had hoped. A materials specialist can probably identify this plastic just by looking at it and feeling it, but I can't. At least not yet... this Shore hardness tester may help with that. For example, 75.5 rules out LDPE (40-50), PTFE (50-65), CPVC (83-90), PET (85-95), PC (90-95), ABS (100), etc. This Shore D hardness tester will help rule out some plastics and narrow the possibilities, just as the refractometer did with gemstones.The manufacture of this device is excellent and its value to be high. It takes a standard 2032 coin cell. The knurled knob on top unscrews to expose what looks like an adjustment, but it mainly provides a solid press point. I consider this to be a great tool in my toolbox.

I’ve been using this digital Shore D durometer for basic hardness checks on rigid plastics and composite materials, and it’s done a decent job overall.The housing is lightweight, mostly plastic, but doesn’t feel flimsy. The buttons are responsive, though I found myself occasionally pressing them twice to register an input.Measurements appear consistent when taken correctly. Like most durometers, technique matters. You need to apply the same pressure and angle each time, and for better accuracy, a stand is recommended. Without a test stand, handheld readings can still be useful for quick comparisons, but there’s going to be some variation. I checked the device on a few known materials with published Shore D values, and it was reasonably close, though not lab-grade precise.One thing I did notice is that the auto-off feature kicks in fairly quickly. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you want to conserve battery life, but it might catch you off guard if you’re doing a series of tests and step away for a few minutes. Just something to be aware of if you’re mid-process.I’ll keep using it for casual evaluations and project development. Just remember that your technique matters as much as the tool.

I used this to check the hardness on potting. This product was worth the price point and worked well. The product was +- 1 perfect accurate.

Uharbour Hardness Tester, Durometer Shore Type D 0-100HD, Digital Durometer 0.1HD Resolution, with Large LCD Display for Rubber, Plastic, Tire, Flooringi dont think this is meant for a novice. the instructions are terrible. "the instrument has three forms: type a, type d and type c." i spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how to switch between the types. it doesnt do that. apparently this is meant to tell you there are 3 independent, separate meters that each do one thing. not one thing that does three types. i got this to test plastic and rubber. the sample i received is a "type d." according to the manual: "type d is suitable for testing the hardness of high hardness materials, such as hard rubber, hard resin, acrylic, glass, thermoplastic, printing plate, fiber etc." ok. now i know. so thats on me. but in practice it is a terribly ackward device unless you have a stand or are able to press in air. there is a pin on the bottom this gets pressed into sample. the manual bungles this, by having 2 different names for the base of the tool. by calling it 'stand' in the diagram and 'pressure foot' in the wording. anyway, i assume it works like this you press the pin into the sample until the base is flat onto the sample. then the reading flashes on the screen, but if you are working on a desk you cannot see the screen. there is a hold button, but you cant press the hold button to get into hold mode, then press and expect the reading to 'hold' you have to press the hold button as the reading is taken. this is terrible. i have all sorts of meters and the hold button generally is a mode, and in this mode it records and holds the max level measured. whether electrical, audio, wind, whatever. this meter makes you have to ackwardly press the hold button to keep that reading on the screen. this is just not good. maybe this is normal for this type of device, but as a novice i found this terrible in practice. in terms of accuracy i cannot help you there. i have no idea whether this is reading right or not, and i cannot tell you if the readings i got were or were not the result of operator error or pressing the hold button and jiggling the device and ruining the reading. it looks cool. it comes iwth an extra battery. and has a nice little case. but the instructions are bad, and the hold function is poorly implemented.

I need one of these every once and a while for injury investigations and it's nice to have in my kit. The unit is small and doesn't take up much space. The controls are intuitive and it seems to work just fine for measuring hardness. Nice unit.