Eric The Viking
Established Member
- Joined
- 19 Jan 2010
- Messages
- 6,599
- Reaction score
- 74
One of my Christmas* presents arrived yesterday: a GemRed digital angle gauge, promptly delivered from D+M in Twickenham:
It looks a useful bit of kit, but I'm regretting spending extra on the version with the spirit level. I can't adjust it properly, and it seems to be completely useless. There are three issues I can see:
1. As manufactured, the plastic vial has stress fractures and will eventually break (it arrived screwed down very tightly).
2. The vial is cylindrical internally -- adjustment is thus impossible.
3. The vial and the liquid inside is highly insulating and static sensitive. in this cold, dry weather, wiping a finger very lightly over the surface causes the bubble to move.
Issue #2 is the worst, obviously, putting it into the chocolate teacup department. It's a 'building spirit levels 101' class of mistake one wouldn't expect. I don't mind it being 'off' as-delivered, but un-adjustable is pretty poor.
If I'd known, I wouldn't have bothered with it as an add-on. It's not its primary purpose, but would have made it much more useful for a range of jobs (setting out DIY stuff, for example). Actually, I could even have stuck an adjustable bubble on the flat top of the ordinary version!
I'm in two minds whether to send it back or not. It isn't D+M's fault, obviously, but does it fall into the 'they all do that, sir' category?
Does the team think they all come from the same (Chinese) melting pot, or is the Wixey one (for example) better?
Thoughts appreciated...
E.
PS: If the bubble is that poor, should I trust the inclinometer bit, either?
*I'm actually spending a present - Santa wasn't a month or so late!
It looks a useful bit of kit, but I'm regretting spending extra on the version with the spirit level. I can't adjust it properly, and it seems to be completely useless. There are three issues I can see:
1. As manufactured, the plastic vial has stress fractures and will eventually break (it arrived screwed down very tightly).
2. The vial is cylindrical internally -- adjustment is thus impossible.
3. The vial and the liquid inside is highly insulating and static sensitive. in this cold, dry weather, wiping a finger very lightly over the surface causes the bubble to move.
Issue #2 is the worst, obviously, putting it into the chocolate teacup department. It's a 'building spirit levels 101' class of mistake one wouldn't expect. I don't mind it being 'off' as-delivered, but un-adjustable is pretty poor.
If I'd known, I wouldn't have bothered with it as an add-on. It's not its primary purpose, but would have made it much more useful for a range of jobs (setting out DIY stuff, for example). Actually, I could even have stuck an adjustable bubble on the flat top of the ordinary version!
I'm in two minds whether to send it back or not. It isn't D+M's fault, obviously, but does it fall into the 'they all do that, sir' category?
Does the team think they all come from the same (Chinese) melting pot, or is the Wixey one (for example) better?
Thoughts appreciated...
E.
PS: If the bubble is that poor, should I trust the inclinometer bit, either?
*I'm actually spending a present - Santa wasn't a month or so late!
