Wasted $400 on a fancy load cell that crapped out in 3 weeks

I dropped $400 on a wireless load cell system from some online outfit. Thought it would make my picks faster on the downtown Seattle jobsite. No more climbing down to check the hook roller. First week it worked fine. Then the remote stopped pairing. Then the display went blank. Customer support ghosted me after two emails. I ended up going back to my old mechanical gauge. Costs me ten minutes per lift but at least it works every time. Anyone else get burned on expensive digital gear like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

eva_thompson1021d ago

Think about how these companies make their money. They know contractors on big jobsites hate stopping work to swap out tools. So they rush a product out with no real testing, then bank on you not wanting to fight for a refund while you're already behind schedule. I had a digital torque wrench from a different brand that lost calibration after one rainy week. Took me three months and a credit card dispute to get my money back. The real trick is buying load cells from companies that sell to bridge inspectors and crane rental yards, not just online startups. Did your unit have any kind of serial number or certification sticker on it?

veramiller19d ago

Forgot to check before I dropped it in a puddle.

tylermurray21d agoTop Commenter

Forty bucks for a load cell from some random Amazon brand, and you're jumping straight to three months of credit card disputes and bridge inspector suppliers? Seems like a lot of dread over a gadget that probably sat in a toolbox next to a rusty hammer. I get that calibration is nice and all, but most guys on a jobsite are just checking if something is tight or loose, not measuring to the foot-pound for NASA. If it broke after a week in the rain, that's a bummer, but you could have just bought another one for less than the cost of dinner and a movie. Not everything needs to be a war against corporate greed, sometimes it's just a cheap tool that dies like it's supposed to.