Have been looking to get a digital durometer trying to decide which brand will be best the intercomp or longacre have always used intercomp with the analog durometer but after going through over 5 last year deciding to go digital any body with experience on both please give input
I bought a starrett shore a, and it's been a good one.
I'm the only one that uses it, and it goes back in its case after use.
I also have a Rex that was my grandfather's that he used, and it's still dead on, but i's analog
I am not a big fan of digital durometers (for many reasons.)
I can tell you that my high dollar PTC durometer that NEVER leaves this shop reads just the same as the ~$60 Intercomp that I carry with me in the trailer, and sell through our shop.
Between Intercomp and Longacre is pretty clear to me. Longacre durometers have a history of losing calibration and/or reading 5-7 points higher than everyone else's. We've run into this over the years with tracks that have a duro rule, then come to find out that the tech man uses a Longacre duro.
If you're going through 5 Intercomps, you're doing something wrong - ie dropping it, too rough handling it, not storing it correctly, something. I've used the same Intercomp for the last 6-8 years or so and it's gone down a lot of interstates in that time.
Personally, I'd stick with analog, but we can sell you whatever you want.
Give us a call at the shop if there's anything we can help you with.