SHAHE Digital Tension Meter Push Pull Force Measuring Instruments Tension Meter Gauge 2N ATL-2

I'm an engineer and have used a lot of force gauges over the years. I understand the difference between load cell and spring gauges. There isn't a lot of information on the mechanics of this gauge, but here is what I can tell you. The nature of the unit and really small unit divisions makes me believe it is actually using a load cell, that's a good thing. The overall size of the unit is small, about the size of a deck of cards, but that is fine by me. The buttons work and display is easy to read. This 2N unit will read in grams as well as kilos, which is excellent as most of the others I see (for under $500) do not. Minimum division in the gram scale is 0.1 gram. This unit was obviously designed as a dental scale, which is fine, but makes it slightly different from other force gauges. The probe is NOT removable and is NOT designed for attachments such as hooks, probes, extensions, etc. The tip is a ball, and if you fashion your own attachment it will need a centerline that aligns with the centerline of the ball for accuracy. It is also designed to measure force applied to the sides (when looking down at the readout) NOT the top and bottom or in and out like a typical force gauge. That's fine with me, but you should beware as most force gauges apply the force in and out. There are no mounting holes on the unit. If you need to mount it you will have to use adhesive, or remove the 4 long screws that hold the case together and replace them with longer screws through a plate to make an attachment. Unfortunately I can't verify the accuracy of the unit. I needed to measure some very small forces I didn't have a small enough gauge for, so no gauge to compare it against and no calibrated weights. It does seem repeatable and that is more important for me than actual accuracy. Be aware that some load cells are less accurate at the ends of their ranges. I suspect the accuracy of this would drift slightly at the upper and lower 10%-20% of the scale. So if you are deciding which model to get, say the 2N or 5N, don't just look at the resolution. Try to pick a range where your anticipated measurements will be near the center of the gauge's range. The basic construction looks pretty good. The battery compartment is a little fidgety for 4 AAA batteries. The battery door could have been better. The door is held in place by 2 screws. They are easy to unscrew but don't want to drop out. The door doesn't slide, it hinges up. But if you don't get the screws out, they are so long they keep the door from hinging up. I had to unscrew them and dig them out with the edge of a razor to open the door. All-in-all you get a lot of bang for your buck. Force gauges with unit divisions this small and reasonable accuracy are really expensive. I am very happy with this so far. WARNING: all force gauges are sensitive to even momentary overloads. Since this one measures in grams instead of hundreds of pounds, inadvertently smacking the probe against something while you're moving it around can permanently damage it. Do keep it in the very nice box they provided when not in use.