General Tools Contour Gauge 837 - 6" Angle Finder Tool for Home Improvement - Gadgets for Men

This contour gauge is everything I hoped it would be. It creates a near-perfect replica of the shape you need. We recently remodeled several rooms and this tool did a GREAT job of getting the duplicate outline we needed to cut tile "just right." The metal rods are tight but not too tight. In my opinion, that's good, because they hold their shape better when you're tracing your outline. The key to success for me seemed to be to work it slowly. You'll see videos promoting similar products in which the user is pressing it quickly onto the shape needed. I found it worked beautifully if I took it just a tad slower.Side note: Because these metal rods can get bent if the tool is tossed about or thrown in a tool bucket, I strongly recommend storing it safely. (Ours now has its own place in my tool drawers.)Bottom line, the pricepoint is excellent, and so is the tool. Definitely five stars.

I can't figure out why people don't like this tool. It works exactly as it should. I have owned several of these over the years. I have bought some expensive ones and this product worked the same as the pricey ones did. This is a delicate tool. You have to be careful to keep the pins from bunching up. As for the comment from the person who said the pins were in too tightly...obviously, if they were looser, they would fall out. Also, it is important that they stay exactly in the same position without moving when you finish taking your measurements.

I wanted a metal one, as this is, because of the much finer resolution. I was concerned that it might not work well, because of all the negative reviews. Well, it is a bit fragile, it isn't easily adjustable if at all, and it's a little bit stiff, but it works fine.My recommendation is to baby this thing. I'll probably make a box for it. It's not going to stand up to rough use, and if it falls apart I can see it being miserable to try to get back together. But again, it works.My use for it? To get contours for various wood trim things or obstacles when replacing trim or making moldings. For that it should be perfect.

Yes, this is a niche tool that you may or may not use in your lifetime. But if you are renovating an older home, this tool comes in handy when trying to decipher the profile of an existing moulding in order to determine what to buy at the local lumber yard, or if you are a woodworker, what tooling would be required to replicate the moudling. This particular contour gauge is well-made, with the pins tight enough in the body to not readily fall out but loose enough to quickly and reliably take a measurement. The only trick with this type of gauge is to store them properly in a sturdy case when not in use since they are relatively fragile and kids like to play with them.

It does a pretty good job at taking an imprint expecially if you help the pins a bit. I havent had a lot of experience with these tools so Im not sure these are the normal problems these things have. I got this one over the plastic thicker ones in hopes the tiny pins would bring more accuracy but at least in this one its all revited together very tightly so a lot of the pins stick together leaving gaps or ledges where there were none when taking the inprint if you dont carefully help seperate and push or pull the pins to help it. Also the pins have no stop on the ends of them so you have to be careful not to accidentally pull pins through because you can pull them straight through and out of the device (Im not sure if they are easy to put back in). As I mentioned before this thing is revited together so there is no taking apart by screws to fix or adjust. Another thing I didnt think about when buying but realised after leaving this thing for awhile, that any moisture will cause the pins to start to rust. A quick sand and a little oil will probably fix this and maybe make the pins a little smoother but I havent tried that yet. All in all its not a bad tool, it does its job well, expecially for its price.

Works great!

The pins were overlapped which lead to them leaning and falling out the first time used. No way of fixing it. Completely junk.

I am by no means a carpenter. This tool is priceless for those hard to calculate contour cuts. The pins are solid enough that they stay in place so that you can move from your measurement to your drawing board or work table without fear of losing the design. It has measurements marked on it which is an added bonus. This is a must have tool for the DYI people out there.