One walk down the lumber section at your local Home Depot or Lowe’s offers a practical example of why it’s so important for serious woodworkers to know the moisture content of their material. If you do a search for the best wood moisture meter, Wagner Meter’s Orion 950 comes up consistently as a top choice. But what makes this model so popular?
Four Reasons Why Woodworkers Rely on the Orion 950
The Orion 950 isn’t a new wood moisture meter. It’s been around since before 2020, so it’s had plenty of time to earn a reputation in the field—good or bad.
I checked a few of the usual sources to see how other people feel about this model, and the customer reviews are generally excellent. On Wagner’s website, it has a 4.95 rating (out of 5) with nineteen 5-star reviews and just one 4-star. Amazon has more than two hundred ratings with a 4.7-star average.
A deeper dive reveals its popularity surrounds four key areas that we’ll take a closer look at.
Accuracy
Getting an accurate measurement is priority number one—if you’re considering a moisture meter that can’t accomplish reliable accuracy, don’t waste your money.
The Orion 950 can read moisture content from 4.0% to 32.0%. While that’s helpful, it’s how the meter gets those results that matters. Some pinless moisture meters might only give you a surface reading, but Wagner’s design is able to take readings at 0.25 inches or 0.75 inches deep, giving you a much better idea of the wood’s moisture content.
It’s still a pinless design, though, so you don’t have to worry about damaging your workpiece or filling in holes.
There tends to be some disagreement among woodworkers about the “magic moisture level.” You can take that as gospel truth, with a grain of salt, rely on your experience, or use the Orion 950 to determine what your actual equilibrium content should be. Thanks to auto EMC calculations, you can have much greater confidence about when your wood is ready for use.
Versatility
The Orion 950 is versatile on several levels. The most important is its ability to adjust for different wood species. Using a specific gravity range of 0.20 – 1.0 SG, you can adjust for the species you’re measuring to ensure a more accurate result.
It’s also multi-material capable. If your project calls for plywood, OSB, MDF, drywall, or other construction materials, you can check their moisture levels as well. While this isn’t the meter I’d pick for general inspection use, it does offer high-confidence readings in those materials as a nice value add for multi-material projects.
One other nice feature that adds to the versatility of this model is its ability to automatically capture and store data. In it automatic collection mode, you can grab multiple readings without having to see the screen or manipulate controls, which is incredibly helpful when you’re taking measurements on sections of material that’s hard to reach or pieces that are difficult to move.
Ease of Use
Despite the complexity of what this meter can do, the layout of the control panel is convenient and easy to learn. Seven buttons help you navigate through all the primary functions and are labelled to make them easily identifiable.
Beyond just the controls, the sum of the features built into the meter also makes it an easier wood moisture meter to use than other models you might be considering. Two that stand out to me are its field calibration that avoids having to send it in on a regular basis and its Bluetooth smart functions that let you send data straight to the FloorSmart and Woodshop MC apps.
Quality
Quality can be difficult to judge on the surface, but the woodworking community is quick to tell others what products they love and hate.
Even a quick glance through customer reviews and woodworking forums reveals that Wagner Meters enjoys an overwhelmingly positive reputation for its wood moisture meters. As the flagship model in the line, the Orion 950 consistently earns high praise from customers and trusted voices in the woodworking media.
There are certainly some people who haven’t had a 5-star experience, but that’s the case with any tool manufacturer. However, there’s a 7-year warranty on the Orion 950, so if something does go wrong, you have a solid guarantee backing up your purchase.
Wagner Orion 950 Wood Moisture Meter At a Glance
Key Features
- Dual Depth Measurements: Pinless moisture measurements at 0.25 or 0.75-inch depths.
- Built-In Temperature and Humidity Sensor: Easily monitor ambient conditions.
- Auto-EMC Calculations: The meter automatically calculates equilibrium moisture content (EMC).
- Dew Point and GPP/GPK Calculations: Quickly calculate the environmental dew point and grains per pound/kilogram.
- On-Demand Calibration: Recalibrate the meter wherever you are instead of sending it in.
- Fast, Non-Damaging Pinless Sensor: Pinless readings avoid damage to your workpiece while providing accurate subsurface readings.
- Relative Measurement Mode: Measure moisture in drywall, plywood, OSB, MDF, and other non-wood building materials.
- Smart App Integration: Manage your projects by storing and organizing your readings directly in the FloorSmart or Woodshop MC apps via Bluetooth.
- Auto Data Collection Mode: Save time by automatically taking and storing multiple readings without the need to have eyes on the screen, including when you use Wagner Meter’s Meter Reach Extender to access hard-to-reach sections.
- Data Collection and Storage: Select manual or automatic data collection modes to store on the meter where you can easily track and analyze the results.
Specifications
- Power: 9-volt battery (Wagner recommends using non-rechargeable Alkaline or Lithium or rechargeable NiMH batteries)
- Auto Power Shut-Down: 60 seconds
- Scanning Area: 2.0 x 2.5 in
- Depth Settings: Shallow (0.25 in) or Deep (0.75 in)
- Specific Gravity Range for Wood Species: 0.20-1.0 SG
- Internal Data Storage Capacity: 100 readings
- MC Measurement for Wood: 4.0% to 32.0% (range will vary slightly depending on species setting)
- Relative Measurement Scale: 0-100
- Ambient Temperature Range: 32˚F to +110˚F
- Ambient Relative Humidity Range: 0% to 100%
- Equilibrium Moisture Content Measurement Range: 0-40.7%
- Dew Point Range: -85˚F to +110˚F
- Absolute Humidity Range: 0 to 431.1 lb/ft (0 to 61.6 kg/m)
- Operating Temperature Range: +32˚F to +110˚F
- Dimensions with Boot: 5.75 x 3.0 x 1.0 in (length/width/thickness)
- Weight with Boot: 7.2 oz (204g)
- Backlight: Adjustable
Wagner Orion 950 Wood Moisture Meter Price
The retail price for the Orion 950 is $645. That price was consistent at Amazon, Acme Tools, and other retailers we shop at, so it doesn’t appear there’s much opportunity to shop around for savings. However, site-wide deals pop up from time to time and may be a way to save some money.
As I mentioned above, the meter is backed by a 7-year warranty,
Should You Buy It?
If you’re just getting into woodworking, the Orion 950 is certainly an outstanding option, but the price is something you’ll need to think about. You may want to consider which features you can do without and select a less expensive model from Wagner Meter’s line or look at more budget-friendly brands for now.
Those of you who make a living with your woodworking projects have an easier choice to make. If your current meter and methods are working for you, keep on keeping on. But if you’re wasting material because of bad measurements or you have a desire to be more efficient in selecting material, the Orion 950 can be valuable tool that pays for itself in a relatively short period of time.
