Traditional pencil hardness testers can be limited in their reproducibility and repeatability by two key factors; the uniformity of the carriage speed and the variation of the applied force by the user as the manual tester is moved across the coating.

The Elcometer 3086 Motorised Pencil Hardness Tester, using the same test methods and principles as the Elcometer 501 Pencil Hardness Tester, removes both of these variables by being fully independent.

The internal motor drives the unit at a constant, uniform speed across the coated surface, exerting a fixed, user determined force between 0 - 10N (0 - 2.25lbF)

Using the pencil lead holder, pencil leads of varying hardness values can be quickly interchanged to determine a coating’s hardness rating.

Manufactured from anodised aluminium, the Elcometer 3086 can travel forwards (chip method) or backwards (indentation method), as required.