General Tools MMD4E Digital Moisture Meter, Water Leak Detector, Moisture Tester, Pin Type, Backlit LCD Display With Audible and Visual High-Medium-Low Moisture Content Alerts, Grays

I had a pipe freeze and leak this winter and needed to figure out what had been soaked. This worked great. I set up my fans for a while and used the meter to monitor when the moisture level had gone down to an acceptable level for me to complete the repairs.Now that I have it on hand, I am finding more uses - checking my firewood and other fun things.

It’s worth every penny. We ordered this item because we are buying a house and sure enough a day after we ordered it the house flooded. This made a big difference for us to know what where and how much the damage would coast. I do recommend to everyone to buy and keep it handy

Product was on sale and I needed to see if there was moisture in my wallProsAccuracy in Penetrative Readings – Pin-type moisture meters provide precise readings for moisture content within the material, making them ideal for professionals in woodworking, construction, and home inspection.AffordabileIdeal for Detecting Deep Moisture – Since the pins penetrate the material, they are more effective at detecting moisture inside a surface rather than just on the exterior.ConsSurface Damage – The biggest downside of pin-style moisture meters is that they leave small holes in the material. This can be problematic for finished wood, drywall, or other delicate surfaces.Limited Coverage Area – Since readings are taken at the exact points where the pins are inserted, multiple tests are required to assess moisture distribution over a large area.Inconsistent Performance on Hard Materials – meter struggles with denser woods or materials that resist penetration, leading to unreliable readings or difficulty inserting the pins.Would not spend more than 20-30 $

It works great so far and seems to be giving an accurate reading. It was easy to understand how to use it; however it would be beneficial to have instructions included in the package.

Great price easy to use.

Super tool. I like that it tests construction materials as well as wood for our woodstove. Very handy when air drying milled lumber.

Great for checking moisture in your smoker wood. No need to guess if its too wet or not.

I recently noticed a small crack in my ceiling that has a large brown outline around it. The brown outline is clearly water damage, but while the crack is definitely new, I cannot tell if the water damage has always been there or not. I bought this device to help me to determine if I need to call in a professional.The product arrived today, as expected. It was in its retail packaging, which is a clamshell. You'll need scissors to open it up. A 9v battery was also inside the clamshell. I'm not sure why the change, but I'm really happy that companies are now including batteries with their toys.So I took the meter out of the packaging and put in the battery. No screws to take out or anything. The battery cover just clips back on.The device couldn't be much easier to use. There are only 3 buttons..1. Power. Hold this to turn the moisture meter on and off2. Mode. Press this to switch between wood and "construction material" mode.3. Lock/Sound. Press this toggle "lock" of the display in case you want the percent to stay on the screen. Hold this to toggle whether or not the device beeps (you probably don't want it to beep).I'd be testing my drywall ceiling, so I put the moisture meter into "construction material" mode. I was hoping I wouldn't need to jam it into my ceiling to see the results, so I first tested a part of the ceiling I knew did not have a leak. The meter read about 3%. I moved over to the brown spot and pressed the needles against the ceiling (I didn't push in) and, depending on where I was along the brown spot, the reading ranged from about 2%-6%. According to the guide on the back of the device (which is great), this means my ceiling is not very moist. Obviously that was good news.Then I started to worry that the device would not function right if it wasn't fully pushed into the ceiling. I really did not want to put holes in the ceiling, but I figured that in the best case, I'd need to paint over the brown spot anyway, so two little holes couldn't hurt. So I jammed the needles into the ceiling in a few places and getting a consistent reading was not easy. In a few of the spots, the percentage changed from between 1%-2%, then from 7%-10% and back again. I wasn't moving the meter -- it just could not decide the moisture level. Now, I understand the science behind the device (at least I think I do), so I get that I could have been moving it a little or maybe I was there was some movement within the ceiling so the circuit was not continuously completed.. I'm really not sure. I tried a few different places in the ceiling, and in the end, I have slightly more confidence that there is not a leak on the ceiling, but I am not sure about it. Hopefully if there was a leak, the device would be more decisive in telling me about the moisture.Overall, I think I'm happy about the purchase, but only because I got a little extra confidence for $30, which is probably less than I would have paid an "expert" to come and check it out. If you're a home inspector or contractor who will be charging people for your use of a moisture meter, I would look into the more expensive options, but for a homeowner who does not want to pay $100+ for a device you'll probably use 2-3 times in your lifetime, this one will give you a little more information than you currently have.In summary, very easy to use, but I'm not completely confident in its ability to give reliable results.