Delmhorst Navigator BDX-30 vs Lignomat mini-Ligno S/D

The BDX-30 is the only meter here that corrects for species, for temperature and for pin type, and then lets you prove the electronics are still in spec before you trust the result. The mini-Ligno S/D covers the same three jobs of wood, drywall and general building materials with far less ceremony, which is why it is the one most people should actually buy.

Delmhorst Navigator BDX-30

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The one meter here that corrects for species, temperature and pin type, and lets you verify its own calibration before you trust a reading.

• Three real scales: wood from 6% to 60% on the Douglas Fir calibration, drywall from 0.1% to 6%, and a 1 to 100 reference scale for everything else.
• Thirty seven species and material corrections are available through the EDGE app, with twelve held in the meter at a time, and the meter applies the correction to each reading automatically.
• An internal Cal Check reports a number that has to fall between 11.8 and 12.2, so a drifting meter shows itself before it costs you a floor.

• Temperature correction only becomes available when a wood material is selected, so drywall and reference readings get none.
• The integral pins reach 5/16 in, and anything deeper needs one of the separate hammer or insulated electrodes.
• Species corrections beyond the twelve stored in the meter require a phone and the app, which is one more thing to have charged on a job.

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Lignomat mini-Ligno S/D

Buy it

A small pin meter that treats wood, gypsum and everything else as three different problems, with two pin depths in the box.

• Separate percentage scales for wood and for gypsum, with two wood group settings and three settings for gypsum, drywall and various wall boards.
• Two pin sets are supplied, giving 3/16 in and 7/16 in measuring depths, so you can compare surface against core without buying an accessory.
• A 0 to 99 reference scale covers concrete, brick and plaster, kept clearly separate from the percentage scales.

• Two wood group settings is a coarse correction, and anything unusual sends you to the laminated species card that ships with it.
• The published range is 6% to 45% and varies by species, so very wet wood reads at the top of the scale rather than usefully.
• Lignomat does not publish a temperature correction or a field calibration check for this model.

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Side by side

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the Delmhorst Navigator BDX-30 - The one meter here that corrects for species, temperature and pin type, and lets you verify its own calibration before you trust a reading. Choose the Lignomat mini-Ligno S/D instead if woodworkers, flooring installers and homeowners who need one meter that reads wood and drywall honestly without a subscription to anything.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Moisture Meters: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).