REVIEW: Hongdui T-Squares
Review and photo: Damion Fauser
Accurate layout is the foundation to accurate work, and so I’m always interested when new layout tools get designed and released. Chinese firm Hongdui recently released these two T-squares, which essentially achieve the same overall effect, just with slight design variations and included features.
The MT-2465 Pro has an aluminium alloy body available in either 16" or 24" imperial, or 400mm or 600mm metric. I was supplied the 600mm metric version for this review, and it has a length and measuring range out to 650mm from the edge of the square body. The white laser-etched graduations are marked on both edges of the tool to 1mm fidelity and are clearly distinguishable from the bright red blade of the tool, making for easy reading. Each single mm graduation has an accompanying hole to guide a pencil, turning this square into an effective pencil gauge for scribing parallel lines to the reference edge. The central axis of the main body of the tool is milled out and has two rebated keyways to accommodate a subsequent supplied range of adjustable marking and drilling guides.
Included in this range is a depth-adjustable, fully-retractable pin akin to a traditional marking gauge for scribing a tangible line in the surface, two pencil guides and two drilling guides. All are lockable with nicely knurled lock knobs and are removeable and replaceable. The drilling guides are a nice touch for those who may need to drill accurately and repeatably from a reference edge, and two collets each of 3, 4, 5 and 6mm are supplied in the box.
Both the pencil guides and the drilling stops have crisp registration cursors for accurate setting, but the scribing point device appears to be set on a bit more of a trial and error basis.
The HD38 features a more traditional flat steel blade, which is made from high-manganese Hadfield steel coated with titanium, resulting in a very tough and hard-wearing tool that, due to its satin finish, does not annoyingly reflect overhead light back into the user’s line of sight (a pet peeve of mine with highly-polished measuring and layout tools). The graduations are laser-etched in mm increments and clearly contrast against the background surface of the tool. Versions of the tool are available in 200/400/600 and 800mm lengths in metric and 24” in imperial. I was sent a 600mm metric version, with a fixed body, but when researching the Hongdui website was also interested to see that also available is the HD38V, which is angle-adjustable.
The HD38 comes supplied with two adjustable and lockable cursors that slide easily and lock firmly with the brass knurled lock knobs. These are pleasingly able to set to 0.2mm fidelity, and have a V-notch in one edge for registering a pencil for scribing visible lines.
When checked against a known reference surface, both squares checked out as being nice and square out of the box, but please note this was a simple geometric test with a sharp pencil. I don’t have the equipment required to accurately test to DIN-875, but based on my shop test I have every confidence that these are both perfectly suited for drafting and layout tasks around the shop.
The build quality and finish on both squares is quite good. At time of writing, the price of the MT-2465 Pro ranges from US$129–$136 depending on the blade size selected, and I have no issue with this price point based on what is in front of me. At the time of writing a price was not available for the HD38. Both are accurate and effective layout and measuring tools and I would have no problem with finding a place on my wall for them to see regular use in my workshop.
Review tools supplied by HongDui Tools, see www.hongduitools.com