rechargeable electronic clip-on tuners

[man0a]

Just for fun, a few of us in our ukulele club bought a few different cheap rechargeable electronic clip-on tuners from Amazon to test and compare what they are like. All of these recharge via USB-C cables so you don't need spare batteries. There are some name brand tuners that appear to be identical to some of these (at least in the photos) and cost a little more. Here are our results:

1. "Wegrower" brand for $15. Has a big bright display for easy readability. Also best battery life. Accuracy is comparable to the cheaper Snark tuners. Amazon also sells a Fender-brand tuner that looks similar to this one for $20. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089QRBZQ8

2. "Aroma" brand for $15. Smaller display than Wegrower, but still bright enough for easy readability. Smaller size and lighter weight makes it easier to store in a gig bag. Battery life isn't as good as Wegrower. Advertised as accurate to 0.5 cents, instead of the 1.0 cents that is typical of cheaper tuners (smaller number is more accurate). In practice it does appear to be more sensitive. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CXMF45RK

3. "Sound Harbor Store" brand for $10. We don't like the clunky design and feel of this tuner, but it is cheaper. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CRPD6Q3P

 

[KohanMike]

After trying a number of tuners, I've settled on the D'Addario Nexxus 360. It has the brightest screen of any I've used, USB recharge, rotates in any direction, very accurate. It's $29.95 and I'll pay that all day.

 

[man0a]

After trying a number of tuners, I've settled on the D'Addario Nexxus 360. It has the brightest screen of any I've used, USB-C recharge, rotates in any direction, very accurate. It's $29.95 and I'll pay that all day.

View attachment 170878

Do you know the accuracy in cents?

 

[KohanMike]

Do you know the accuracy in cents?

I haven't found it anywhere so I just emailed D'Addario for that.

 

[frets alot]

I've been real happy with the Snark rechargeable.

It was probably fun for your group to check out these off brands and see how they compare.

 

[Wiggy]

This looks interesting. Simply chromatic with a small "strobe-like" display.
Propriety USB charging cable, though --> don't lose it!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB5KBC7L?pd_rd_i=B0CB5KBC7L&pf_rd_p=0ec94899-b0d8-4fa7-8fe3-3c09a46184e1&pf_rd_r=JA5G9Y60FA073CQBWJTD&pd_rd_wg=Go9u2&pd_rd_w=JSaHb&pd_rd_r=49d01fad-4d21-4a60-bcbb-d7c1dd7ec0f7

 

[BigJackBrass]

My only concern with the rechargeable tuners is that, as with most wireless earbuds, the batteries cannot be replaced and will degrade with time, eventually becoming unusable. That's the nature of the chemistry at the moment even if you rarely charge them.

How they compare with recycling lithium coin cells in terms of environmental impact I can't say (and it may be that not everyone lives near to a battery recycling programme).

 

[TommyG]

I purchased a Snark Titanium rechargeable and it's my favorite. The battery charge lasts quite a long time.

 

[Neil_O]

The rubberized ones start breaking down and getting sticky after a few years. Even though I still have some Snarks, I will only buy the hard ones in the future.

 

[frets alot]

My only concern with the rechargeable tuners is that, as with most wireless earbuds, the batteries cannot be replaced and will degrade with time, eventually becoming unusable. That's the nature of the chemistry at the moment even if you rarely charge them.

The Snark holds a charge for quite a long time...I'm impressed by it. Plus, I have a couple of these, which spreads out my use. I'm sure they will take a lot of recharges before they degrade. I always hated the little time I got from a button battery. They were trickling down, when in the tuner. So, even when I wasn't turning it on and using it, it was dying. I'm sold on the rechargeable Snarks. Anytime I replace an old Snark, it will be with a rechargeable. I also appreciate @KohanMike 's feedback on the D'Addario. I'd consider that too!

 

[frets alot]

The rubberized ones start breaking down and getting sticky after a few years. Even though I still have some Snarks, I will only buy the hard ones in the future.

They've fixed that I think. I found that to be the case with my old burgundy Snarks. All Snarks that I've purchased in the last few years have been just fine. They were good about it. I called customer service and they sent me a couple new ones. They've been just fine too.

 

[KohanMike]

Do you know the accuracy in cents?

I got the answer from D'Addario; ±3 cents, which seems higher. In looking up accuracy, ±5 is when it can be heard. To me, my tuning is good.

 

[man0a]

I got the answer from D'Addario; ±3 cents, which seems higher. In looking up accuracy, ±5 is when it can be heard. To me, my tuning is good.

If you play a single instrument then retune it to be 3 cents different, you may not notice the difference. However, if a group is playing together with instruments that are 3 cents apart, they will sound out-of-tune to a trained audience. This report says even 2 cents is very audible. https://www.sonuus.com/tuners_guide.html

 

[man0a]

My only concern with the rechargeable tuners is that, as with most wireless earbuds, the batteries cannot be replaced and will degrade with time, eventually becoming unusable. That's the nature of the chemistry at the moment even if you rarely charge them.

How they compare with recycling lithium coin cells in terms of environmental impact I can't say (and it may be that not everyone lives near to a battery recycling programme).

Are these coin batteries really recyclable? My city treats them all (rechargeable or not) as hazardous waste. I would rather discard one rechargeable battery that lasts several years than multiple disposable batteries that need to be replaced every few months.

 

[KohanMike]

Correction, the Nexxus 360 has a USB micro recharge port.

 

[casualmusic]

I've been real happy with the Snark rechargeable.

View attachment 170880

+1

I’ve used rechargeable Snarks for the last few years.

I’ve bought more to replace gifted, lost or damaged (not yet) tuners.

The build is vastly sturdier than the earlier versions.

Data sheet indicates battery life of 300+ charges. I’ve needed to recharge about once a month when checking tuning 20-30 times a week. Which means indefinite service life.

Cheers

new snark tuners

as mentioned on TUS podcast 22.34, redesigned to be sturdier ("seem to be built a little bit better" but "seems like we would have seen that a lot earlier")

forum.ukuleleunderground.com