Review on 🔧 Precision and Durability Combined: GemRed Digital Finder Protractor Stainless by John Bourgeois

I make a living on a 20 foot press brake. That means everything I do has to do with angles. Over the years I've had all kinds of protractors, from Sterrett to Mitutoyo and five or six others. My go-to protractor is Sterrett's cast iron work from a combo square set I bought for a few hundred dollars. I use both the triangle and the protractor every hour, every day. But this thing, while cheap, knocks them out of the water like a nuclear torpedo. Seriously, it cut the time in half or even more. I check angles. Its accuracy is decent (within the 1/2 degree magazine tolerance we have of course) and it's extremely easy to use. The digital display is easy to read, which is a boon to my poor tired eyes. (On my old Sterritt, I can barely read without reading glasses, which I can't wear when working on the machine. So I kept changing my glasses. Yes, I have bifocals, but they're inconvenient when working on the machine ..) But there are also disadvantages. Disadvantages I am happy to live with. First, this thing is very cheaply made. In my environment I don't expect it to outlast batteries. It's good. Given the price and time saving, I'll just buy another one! but that's a minus. Second, the battery tends to fall out. In contrast to some other devices, the battery compartment cannot simply be closed. But okay. It doesn't fall off completely, just the spot where it shuts off. Insert the tray and you're good to go. Thirdly, he does not remember that it is zero after self-shutdown. Not a big deal, but if you leave it at a certain angle during lunch, that angle will be set to zero when you return. Easy enough to fix, but a mild annoyance. All those irritants aside, this is a great product for the price. It works wonders. The only reason I don't give it five stars is for the three reasons above, and I almost gave it anyway. If someone did almost the same thing but with stronger blades and better mechanism, I would marry them. .(Note: I work in a heavy industrial shop, mostly I bend sheet metal from 3/8 to 1/2. I also bend sheet metal to 1.25 and sometimes to 11ga. All of this up to 20 feet. This is the best solution that I've ever had.If you need to go down a 20' 3/16 plate and check for angle consistency, this is the best solution I've ever had.