Review on 📏 Accurate Coating Thickness Testing with Extech CG204 Coating Thickness Tester by Justin Butler

I am a licensed auto appraiser, my business appraises around 3,000 cars a year, I have used many paint testers over the years and have decided to go with the Extech CG204 as my business expands and I am recruiting by about a dozen other field inspectors. I didn't want to spend $750 on a colorimeter and since I'll be buying a lot I wanted to try the cheap ones. Against this background, I unfortunately have to give this colorimeter 3 stars. .First, let me start with the pros: - Inexpensive, actually about 25% of the cost of the leading competitor in this space (my other counter) - The screen is easy to read - Stores values (not very useful to me, but I see the Advantage ) -Compact and easy to carry -Accurate when calibrated Now my cons: -Requires calibration after each use. Let me clarify that for some reason the colorimeter loses its calibration within 5 minutes of use or after being turned off. -Requires calibration when switching between black and colored body parts -Default is microns after power off (I prefer using mils as unit) -Too many buttons -Confusing instructions and menus -Has a USB port but the software doesn't work on a Mac, and it's hard to understand - it doesn't seem very strong. I measured the thickness with my other caliper and compared it to the Extech, they were within 1% of each other which is a good sign for me. Bottom Line: If you have the time and patience to calibrate this device every time and are on a tight budget, buy extech. If you're a big wholesaler and want a tool that works in harsh environments and is accurate every time without calibration, I recommend you look elsewhere. For me the search goes on.