The features on this gauge kept piling up and the contractor judges of the 2013 Dealer Design Awards decided it deserved gold. Leading the Electronic Tools category was hilmor’s Electronic Gauge with Vacuum Sensor. This hybrid gauge weighs in at 4.25 pounds and offers both analog and digital displays. The outer gauge face changes color to coordinate with the selected refrigerant and the outer gauges also have a real needle to show system pressure and LSAT/VSAT temperatures. This gives technicians an instant double check on their readings. The inner LCD displays pressures, temperatures, and calculated superheat and subcool. The self-calibrating gauges provide 1 percent accuracy every time the gauges are turned on, according to the company, and the cleanable vacuum sensor is integrated right into the tool.
The Electronic Gauge with Vacuum Sensor, along with rest of hilmor’s line, was a long time in the making. Hilmor spent six years researching existing HVACR tools and developed a full line of hand tools, manifolds, and gauges. “The Electronic Gauge with Vacuum Sensor is one result of that extensive research and development process,” said Julianne Tacy, product manager, hilmor. “We worked alongside technicians — studying their tools, how they used them, and finding out how they could be better.”