I've never had one so can't compare to others but have used it on a couple of projects. I have a fan that I control with a motor that reports the RPM I quickly check to see if it's running and it only seems to recognize a few RPMs from the specified motor. I then use this to check my fans/motors that aren't reporting their RPMs to see if they're still within spec and I've never had a problem. Helped me confirm an engine malfunction affecting my system tests. I've been working in the dark so haven't had the lighting issues that others have mentioned and the build quality seems spot on for a hobbyist or infrequent user like me.