Japan’s venerable Hozan Tool Company (since 1946) was among the first to commercialize a spoke tensiometer in the 1980’s—C-737, see it here.
Shimano, in particular, has been partial to the Hozan tool in their many wheel assembly plants. You can’t deny the importance of a JP tensiometer to the emerging wheel scene.
While we are biased to the Brandt designed Wheel Fanatyk model, most accomplished builders own more than one type of tensiometer. Why? For experimentation, cross checking, and the experience of using a variety of tool types.
Our interest was piqued when Hozan redesigned this device and added a digital indicator in June 2020. The C-738 is a fine improvement in several ways.
- An iGaging digital indicator is used. Compared to analog, digital offers faster readout, freedom from low light and visual parallax, and the option of data output.
- Both spoke contacts are small cartridge bearings.
- The tool offers a clever, hinged arm that reaches to the rim to assure consistent spoke position.
- A simple checker is supplied to test calibration.
A link to the excellent Hozan Tensiometer Instruction Manual is here.
