'Official' vs. 'Generic' rebound hammers

[atrizzy]

As some of you may know, there is an immense difference between the costs of rebound/Schmidt hammers claiming to be 'original' or 'official' (such as those branded as Proseq) and those sold under more generic brand names.

Does our collective group have any experience using either/both types? Is the additional cost worth it given that rebound hammer tests are really only a general indication of concrete strength? Or are the cheapos worthless and built to fail?

Thanks in advance!

 

[AskTooMuch]

I have the proseq rebound hammer. It only cost $500 if I remember right. So I don't know if it's worth saving hundred or so for generic that you have doubts but then again my company paid for it.

 

[ANE91]

Rebound hammer cannot tell you concrete strength. Don’t use it for that purpose. (It has other uses.) Drilled cores tell you concrete strength.

Rebound hammer is a poor man’s UPV. It’s simply a measure of uniformity. Correlations that try to define strength are all over the place and not to be trusted.

 

[atrizzy]

ANE91, I'm aware, a client is requesting it nonetheless.
AskTooMuch, I've been quoted 1800 CAD for a Proseq hanger. Ones on Amazon go as low as 200.

 

[ANE91]

ANE91, I'm aware, a client is requesting it nonetheless.

This could open up a can of worms. It could also be a good opportunity to educate the client on concrete NDE and perhaps position yourself/your firm as service providers in this space.

In response to your original question, I wish I could tell you the major differences between the hammers, beyond the differences in the built-in correlations/calibrations, but I specifically forego rebound hammers for other, more sophisticated methods, so I don’t know. To answer this question, my first call would be to Proseq or Olsson. They can surely explain.

 

[gte447f]

I purchased a Proseq for a recent project and was happy with the performance and results. I haven't used any other generic brands for comparison