Coating Thickness Gauges

[shane@detailedreflections]

I'm curious about how many of you guys use a thickness gauge in your detailing?  Picking one up has been on my radar for a little while now.  I go back and forth over the true usefulness of them.  Part of me says the majority of vehicles I detail are newer and in "decent shape," so is there truly a need as I can say with strong confidence that there's enough clear coat to tolerate a good polish.  But the other side of me says it's useful in really determining how aggressive you can go in a damaged spot. 

 

I've seen a couple of different units out there.  The Delfesko Positector being pretty common, as well as a Highline Meter II at less than half the price.  The Delfesko offers many options depending how much you want to spend including a profile of how smooth the surface is...which is way overkill for nearly any application we would encounter. 

 

So I guess the questions are...do you use one?  What one do you use?  And how do you like it?  Was it worth the money?

 

Thanks.  And hopefully I didn't violate any conditions by discussing this here.  I know Adam's doesn't offer a gauge.  If I did, I'm sorry and feel free to pull this post!

 

Merry Christmas.

[Sizzle Chest]

I use one on every clients car.  I think of them as mandatory.  They will not only allow you to 'see' what is going on with the finish you are working with: previous paint work, previous paint corrections, etc, it will give you the piece of mind in knowing how far you can push your correction.  They will also help you decide in how aggressive to get or not get in some cases.  

 

I have a top end DeFelsko.  I really like it.  Again, I use it on every vehicle.  Even though it was very expensive, I find that it was worth it to me.  

 

IMO:  at the minimum, if you are detailing professionally or for money, you should have a basic gauge that reads thickness on ferrous materials.  That's just my opinion.

 

Hope this helps you!

[shane@detailedreflections]

Thanks Scott.  It does help me.  I do occasionally get paid to do some detailing and will actually most likely actively be seeking out new clients in the spring instead of my usual clients and referrals.  The thickness gauge is the one item I don't have in my assortment of toys.  Like I said, it's been on my radar for a little while now.  May I ask which DeFelsko you have?  I know that they make multiple versions of their kit which appear to range from $600 or so up to $2000. 

 

In your opinion would there be a big difference between the high end DeFelsko and the Highline at half the price?

 

Your work is top notch!

[Sizzle Chest]

Thank you!

 

I have the Defelsko PosiTector 200 Series.  My first gauge was a Highline or similar and it served me well for some time!

 

The difference between them are that the 'lower' end gauges can only read ferrous substrates, whereas the 'higher' end gauges can read on plastic, carbon fiber, etc.  I needed a gauge that could read paint on any surface due to the variety of vehicles I have come through the shop.

Edited December 22, 2016 by Sizzle Chest

[Jason S.]

What I fail to see about these tools is how it helps you measure clearcoat thickness. If it's measuring the distance from the paint surface to the substrate, you are still doing some guesswork on how much clearcoat there is + base coat + primer. I suppose someone with a lot more experience than the average weekend warrior might be able to make a very good estimate based on the detectors measurement. And having the experience in knowing what each step of the process tends to "cut" would be just as important. I suppose I need to do some research on the paint process to educate myself.

[shane@detailedreflections]

I decided to order one today.  I got one of the lesser expensive ones...for now.  It had quite a few really good reviews.  I want to utilize it and see how it really impacts my detailing before I make a $2000 leap into one.  Once I see some more composite cars rolling through, it'll be easier to justify.  I have a couple now that come through, including my own.  But I know the condition of the paint on them and don't necessarily worry about the thickness of the paint on those.  If I find I'm attracting more and more of those high end composites, it'll be a simple decision to make the leap and purchase the higher end meter.  The one I got does ferrous and non-ferrous, so it will work on aluminum as well as steel.  It will not work on fiberglass or other composite materials.  Looking forward to experimenting with it.  I'm actually going to use it when I do the coating on the Raptor that I have scheduled coming up even though the truck is brand new.  I'm curious about if the coating adds thickness and how much of it.  That's more the technical geek in me than anything else of real value. 

 

For the money I paid, I don't see how it could be a bad investment unless it comes and doesn't work at all.

[Sizzle Chest]

^^^Excellent.  Keep us posted!  And pics too!

[hdrdtd]

I've been wondering.... would a paint thickness gauge like the Highline II that I've seen on another web site read the thickness of just the paint (color coat) or does it read the overall coating thickness which would include both the 'paint' AND the clear coat?

 

I've been wondering about buying a thickness gauge just to reassure myself I haven't burned through the clear coat yet as I machine polish my car.

[Ls1transam]

Those higher end gauges are outrageously priced

[shane@detailedreflections]

The basic gauges give an overall thickness reading. I usually take a reading of spots that I know don't have a lot of clear coat on them (like door jambs) and subtract that number from the paint elsewhere to get an idea of the clear coat thickness.

 

One day I'll get one of the high end gauges that differentiates different layers and reads even on composite pieces.