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Jack Duncan photo
South Africa, Pretoria
1 Level
683 Review
39 Karma

Review on 🎨 Datacolor ColorReader – Instantly Identify Paint Color: Optimal Tool for DIY, Painters, Designers, and Facility Managers by Jack Duncan

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Not even a close match. Flip cards/fan decks are better.

Not working. I was really excited to get this color picker because I was trying to match multiple colors by hand and while I got close it wasn't a perfect match. Therefore, when this device arrived, I thought my problems were solved. My first try was on the ceiling, right? It's just a white blanket with a perfectly flat surface. I did a few readings in the area I wanted to colour, maybe 20 or so and always 2 came out the same colour, great sign! I went to Sherwin Williams and chose the exact color he recommended. I painted over the spot, and. it wasn't even close! (see photo). The color selection cards from home storage were much closer. Okay, maybe I need to try another area. I needed to trim the plaster on the back of my house so I took the device there and it was a bit tricky as there were no flat surfaces but I got about 30 readings of which 3 came back in a row so I bought 3 colors and colored. Don't even close again! (see second picture). In any case. The device is not working. Even if the wall is flat and white and you're just trying to achieve plain white, it's far from it. On the complex walls (like my stucco) purple came out, not at all the same as my grey. Let's summarize. This device costs less than $100. Also, it requires 2 people to work, which is not very good. One person must hold the device perfectly level on the surface and another person must press the button on the phone to take a reading. Finally, the software is not very good in use. It will tell you "collection name" instead of the paint company name. So it could be called "Great Ocean Collection" and then you have to google it to see if it's a Sherwin Williams or Benjamin trademark.

Pros
  • Excellent overall performance
Cons
  • Everything is fine