Features:

  • Highly accurate non-contact digital tachometer with high speed laser-aim operation and instant readings from 2.5 to 99,999 RPM
  • Readings are displayed on a large, easy-to-read LCD screen; stores last, minimum, and maximum reading; features auto-zero adjustment
  • Includes 24-inches of reflective tape and aim and measure design for non-contact diagnostics and measurements
  • Compact and lightweight, operates for hours on three included AA batteries; perfect for measuring motors, machine parts, lathes, etc.
  • Accurate to +/- 0.05 percent and capable of measuring at a distance from 2-20 inches; RPMs measured over 1 second sampling time
Helped verify milling machine/drillpress RPM.

At first I thought I wasn't going to like it, but I adjusted the way I used it and now it suits my purpose. * One drawback is the reflective tape provided doesn't stick well. You can resolve that by adding some double sided tape or superglue on the piece you use. *Second, the tach doesn't like if the part you're measuring has other reflective surfaces, like shiny metal. At one point it thought my drill press was going 30000RPM. The trick was to place the reflective tape on a normally dark section of the spinning object, in my case a collet chuck. Using this device I was able to calibrate the speed dial on my variable speed milling machine--it was totally off and I was breaking expensive bits because the speeds were so wrong. My next step will be to find a more permanent wired tachometer solution for my milling machine, with an LCD readout for RPM. This device at least got me up and running, and I can't wait to use it on other motors and engines.

Use the reflective tape!

I tried putting some white nail polish on a spinning part of a lathe to hopefully get a reading, but it didn't work. Then I put a square of the reflective tape that was included with the device on the outside edge and it read perfectly. It's great to be confident in the RPMs on a lathe that does not have a digital readout

Works fantastic, when you use this product or any like ...

Works fantastic, when you use this product or any like it, make certain you are on a surface that the reflective tape offers a good contrast. If you are using on a bright surface color the surface with a black magic marker to create the contrast as long as the surface will not be damaged by the marker or if you don't care if it stays there. If you don't want to use the marker use black or a dark color tape then the reflective tape.

Works fine.

Works great, just be sure to put a big enough piece of reflective tape on the pulley, I tried first with a small square and it didn't work well. Used a 30-mm length of reflective tape and it worked great.

Excellent device

The laser tach works as well as you'd expect, measurement range with the reflective tape is 6 feet or more (not sure where Amazon's 500mm description came from, but it's wrong). The device sends out a beamed laser spot that gets reflected by the tape or any suitably reflective surface. The sensor in the tach picks up the pulses and performs the measurement, displaying in 0.1 RPM steps for speeds up to 999.9 RPM, and 1.0 RPM steps from 1000 to 99999 RPM. 3 AA batteries for economical use with common rechargeables, after the three supplied batteries eventually get used up. They should last quite a while though, using only 40mA during the measurement. The display only comes on when the buttons are actually depressed, so it uses only the minimum amount of battery power- also means it cam't be used for extended unattended measurement however. It has a min and max RPM function, showing the variations in the speed from the measurement. If you cut a square off from the two strips of supplied reflective tape and just use some scotch tape to temporarily attach it to the object being measured, you can reuse it over and over- To measure things like fans, you could simply hold the tape behind the fan, and beam the laser through the rotating fan blades. The fan blades will chop the light signal to provide the measurement. You'll need to simply divide the measurement by the number of fan blades, since it'll read multiple counts per revolution. Very neat item to have around..

Solid build quality and easy to use

Quick and easy to use right out of the box. Seemed very accurate and build quality seems better than the similar version I previously purchased on Amazon that lasted only a single use.

Seems to work well. A good value.

I needed a tach to help me measure the speed of the router on my CNC machine so that I could dial in the speed controller that I purchased for it, and this unit works well. I don't have a way to verify accuracy other than the full speed of the router measured by this tach was very close to the 30k rpms that is the router's rating. It took a couple of tries to get a feel for mounting the piece of reflective tape on the spindle, but now it's quite easy to take readings. This was a good purchase.

It works best when held about 6" to 8" from the reflector ...

Can't gainsay the negative reviews, as mine worked as advertised. We monitor cooling fan RPM, with them. It works best when held about 6" to 8" from the reflector tape and at right angles to the tape. We noticed that bright, ambient light reflected from a shiny fan blade will false-trigger the tachometer. Turn the lights down. Otherwise, the tachometer updates every couple of seconds, or so. Very nice, reliable unit, when used as described.

Accurate Easy To Use Non-contact Tachometer

While it takes a little bit of tinkering with the reflective tape (or white paint) and some practicing, it does produce consistent readings that are accurate. I tried it on a couple of induction motors operating at no load and it gave me readings that matched the motors' rated RPM. It was a great help while tuning a large chain saw. I could not tell where max. rpm was by ear but this little unit nailed it. So far, I'm finding a white paint marker to work just as good as the reflective tape and maybe better. Both need a dark background to work properly. Actually a black spot on a light background seems to also work.

Excellent value

I've used the Neiko tach for a little over a month in my workshop. In the past I've done machine speed calculations using motor speed and pulley sizes wherever that was possible (drill press, lathe, etc) Where calculation isn't possible, the tach is a great help. I've used it routinely on variable speed machines (hand held and table mounted routers) and have been extremely satisfied. I've found that a small dab of white paint on the collet or spindle is an easy substitute for using the supplied reflective tape. Now I don't have to guess at bit speeds in the router which can be a serious safety issue using larger diameter bits.

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