Shopsmith Forums

If you have an iPhone, you can download any one of several level "apps"; they work on the same principal as the Wixey and it is as accurate as my Beal Tilt Box (Wixey clone).

My favorite, which is free, is Johnson's "Bubble Level" app, which will display both an animated spirit level/bubble and a simultaneous digital read out. The digital read out can be selected to display in degrees, percent, mm/m, in/ft (decimal) or in/ft (fractional).

The only 3 disadvantages are that the iPhone (1) is longer than a Beal/Wixey which is a disadvantage when trying to get a reading off of the table saw blade for purposes of comparing it to/setting the table angle, (2) it is narrower and thus must be balanced on its edge rather than sitting on one of the wide Wixey/Beal cube faces and (3) it isn't magnetic.

If I had my iPhone before my Beal, I might not have bought the Beal at all.

Al

FWIW, the main reason I chose the Beal over the Wixey was that the Beal takes a standard 9V battery. They are readily available and last a very long time.

mountainbreeze wrote:FWIW, the main reason I chose the Beal over the Wixey was that the Beal takes a standard 9V battery. They are readily available and last a very long time.

I have a Wixey but I do not have the battery life issue that some complain about. Why? Well there is a remote possibility that this is because I attempt to turn mine off when not using it. Same with my flashlight except I don't always remember. I have a flashlight with three brand new batteries that are dead. It was turned on when I found it sitting on the shop bench.

The beal(and igage) have a 'resettable' reference(0) for relative angle measurements function.

putttn wrote:I have a Wixey. It is a battery hog. There have been posts on other forums concerning the Wixey vs the Igaging. The Igaging doesn't exhaust the batteries any where near what the Wixey does. I take the batteries out when I don't use it so it's a bit of a pain to have to "load" the batteries if I'm going to be using it. I'd buy the Igaging just because of the battery situation.

The Igaging uses a 9v battery. With a power source that big (it barely fits into the case) the Gauge should have enough strength to adjust the dang trunions for ya.
But it IS nice to put it in the drawer and not worry about it.

JPG40504 wrote:The beal(and igage) have a 'resettable' reference(0) for relative angle measurements function.

I find the resettable reference works great when I am constructing jigs and building unique Shopsmith attachments and accessories.

I find the flat round batteries are only good for up to a year while the 9V ones are good for quite a longer period.

dusty wrote:... Same with my flashlight except I don't always remember. I have a flashlight with three brand new batteries that are dead. It was turned on when I found it sitting on the shop bench.

One of the gadget companys has a nifty alarm device that can warn you of when batteries will need replacing, up to two years ahead. Not real big, pretty cheap, takes a CR2032 batter---

uh,

never mind.

putttn wrote:I have a Wixey. It is a battery hog. ...

I see there's a new Wixey angle (etc) gauge out, and it looks pretty spiffy. Price isn't changed too much either.
But back to the Wixey vs Igaging competition, the new Wiz uses 3 AAA batteries instead of the Igaging 9v job. Sounds the newbie may have solved the batt-hog problem with the bigger batts. ?
Coincidentally I just pulled my Igag outta the drawer to set up my Conical. Hadn't used it in months. Battery's fine.

I have the Igaging and the magnets are not strong enough to stick to my red coated Freud saw blades.
I prefer the Wixey.