Moisture meters come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but I’ve yet to see one smaller than the Moistec. Indeed, it’s not much bigger than a cigarette lighter. Yet, despite its diminutive size, it can measure wood moisture contents that vary from 6% to 25%, a range that is perfectly adequate for furniture makers.

The Moistec won’t take up much space in a shop drawer, and it slips easily into a pocket, making it handy for visits to the lumberyard. And with a meter at the ready, you can check the moisture content of a board before buying. (As a courtesy, however, it’s best to let the clerk know what you’re up to.)

It works pretty much like any pinned moisture meter. Just push the two pins on the end of the case into the wood to be tested. The Moistec then displays the moisture content on an LED panel.

After using the Moistec to check a few samples of white ash, hard maple, red oak and ponderosa pine, I took additional readings using moisture meters made by four other companies. The Moistec readings were comparable to all the others.

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