Is there a best cartridge track force gauge?

^^^
What Rushton said mirrors my experience and practice with VTF gauges, as far as using them is concerned. A scale is useful for REPEATING a good setting. It won't much help you FIND a good setting.

Nevertheless, that is no reason not to have a good scale. If all good scales cost hundreds of dollars anyone would hesitate. But they don't. Only audiophile branded scales cost that much. Normal people buy equal or superior scales for literally 1/10th the price.

There are .01g scales for well under $100. There are .1g scales for under $20. Why use a $20 balance with doubtful accuracy or repeatability when you can get vastly superior performance for the same price?

Here's one source. An internet search will turn up many others:

http://www.saveonscales.com

One thing to be careful of with many digital scales, including mine, is magnetic attraction. If I dropped the stylus directly on the platform as Elizabeth does the pull between the magnets in the cartridge and the scale would make VTF far greater than normal. With my scale the attraction is so strong I'd be afraid for the cantilever.

This requires a doohickey of some kind to seperate the cartridge and scale, which secondarily affords the opportunity to weigh at record surface height.

PS: HI,Doug.Hope all is ok in CONN,after the latest barrage of rain you got.

Thanks, we're bailing out okay.

It's a good thing I use a VERY heavy periphery clamp. Otherwise this silly wood turntable might just up and float away!
;-)

Eldartford,

SOME stainless steels are non-magnetic.

Other stainless steels are slightly magnetic, probably to a degree that could readily affect the small forces involved in stylus downforce measurement and adjustment.

Whether a particular stainless steel object is magnetic or not, and to what degree, depends on both the alloy and the way it was worked or machined into the final product.