Anemometer is the device with which wind speed or air velocity is measured. It might sound like something only scientists and high professionals use. But in fact, it is pretty feasible and totally within in reach of the common people! With this, you can find out if the wind speed is in favor of your plan including sailing, kite flying and similar activities. So here are ten of the best anemometers for you to pick from!
Our Best Pick
Pyle PMA90 Digital Anemometer is the best anemometer overall mostly because it can measure extremely low wind speeds and that too with just 3% room for flaws. Besides, it can also measure temperature and airflow each in two units. All the information are readable on the LCD display with dual function and backlight.
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Our Budget Pick
RockyMars RA30 Digital Anemometer is a good option for the people on a budget since it can measure the wind speed up to 67 mph with a fast sampling rate. It also measures temperature and wind chill in favorable environments. There are also backlit LCD display, battery low indicator and auto power off options on this device.
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Quick Comparison: Top 8 Best Anemometers
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1. HOLDPEAK 866B Digital Anemometer
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The enterprise of Holdpeak is proficient in producing digital measurement instruments. They have been doing so keeping the global market in mind since 1998. So it is no surprise that we have one of their products on our list of the best anemometers in market!
This handheld 866B model can measure wind speed even if the weather condition is critical. Its measurable speed range is from
0.3 m/s up to 30 m/s. The maximum it can detect is 69 miles per hour or 30.8 meters per second. So, if there is a possibility of hurricane in your area, you will know beforehand and stay safe at home!
It can measure the wind speed with the
accuracy of 0.1 digits! There are
five units of wind speed measurement available here - m/s (meters per second), km/h (kilometer per hour), ft/min (feet per minute), mph (miles per hour) and knots.
You can also see the temperature and wind chill on an
LCD display. There is not much contrast on the display which is why reading it is a bit difficult. The
low battery indicator will let you know when to recharge it.
The
built-in temperature regulator here adjusts the temperature reading in either Celsius or Fahrenheit. There are options for knowing the
average, current, minimum and maximum wind speed here for more detailed information.
PROS
- up to 69 mph reading range
- 5 units available
- decimal accuracy
- fast measurement
- LCD display
- backlight
- built-in temperature regulator
- low battery indication
- supports unfavorable environment
- batteries included
- very affordable
CONS
- difficult to set up
- display is hard to read
- no USB port
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2. OriGlam Digital Mini LCD Anemometer
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Origlam is an electronic foreign trade company which has years of experience but still chooses to focus on 2-3 products. This helps them improve the products consistently and makes them capable enough to perform better than all other contemporaries.
On this digital anemometer, you can learn about
both the temperature and wind speed. It can measure how fast the wind is in
five different units namely mph, km/h, m/s, ft/min and knots. Choose whichever seems the most convenient to read for you. The maximum speed it can detect is 90 km/h or 25 m/s and the minimum is 1 m/s or 3.6 km/h.
This anemometer can be used for
both indoor and outdoor uses. Before taking part in sports such as surfing, sailing and kite flying, measure the wind speed with it. At home, it can tell you the speed and temperature of both normal fan and air conditioner fan.
A minor inconvenience is that the
LCD display here is pretty small compared to other anemometers. Though there are many helpful functions including
MAX/MIN on it, reading the display seems a tad bit difficult for the users.
PROS
- up to 56 mph reading range
- 5 units of air velocity
- built-in temperature regulator
- both Celsius and Fahrenheit units
- multi-function LCD display
- records data
- MAX/MIN functions
- both home and industrial use
- very affordable
CONS
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3. HOLDPEAK 866B-APP Digital Anemometer
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Another creation of Holdpeak is 866B-APP digital anemometer which is just as competent as the first one. The main difference between the two is that this one comes with
mobile app support. There are apps available for this device on
both Android and iOS platforms. To install it, you just need to scan the code given on the box.
If the app does not seem of any use to you, there is another version of this product with USB port instead of app support. Unlike this one, they also have three color variations of black, blue and yellow.
Besides, the
LCD display comes with a backlight to for convenient use at night. There is a
low battery indication and various recalling functions like max, average and current. It comes in a protective case and can be connected to a lanyard using screw hole.
PROS
- up to 67 mph reading range
- 5 wind speed units
- built-in temperature regulator
- measures wind chill too
- LCD display
- backlight
- mobile app support
- low battery indication
- MAX/MIN
- ideal for outdoor
- batteries included
- affordable
CONS
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4. Ambient Weather WM-2 Handheld Weather Meter
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As you can guess from the name, the brand of
Ambient Weather is an expert when it comes to producing electronic equipment based on weather behavior. They have been doing so since 1998 and are really here to stay.
This weather meter modeled as WM-2 is capable of offering much more than just wind speed readings. It is also equipped to inform the user about the
temperature measure and the wind chill. Besides, information about wind gust and Beaufort Scale are also available on it. All these extra guidance have made it perfectly suitable for daily use by pilots, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts.
But for all the display functionalities to work, the device needs to be in an environment with a temperature above 14 degrees Fahrenheit. For this, you need to warm it up with body heat or some other heating process in cold weather conditions.
PROS
- measures wind chill and wind gust
- 5 wind speed units
- both Celsius and Fahrenheit
- LCD display
- backlight
- low battery indication
- replaceable battery
- ideal for outdoor
- affordable
CONS
- Inconsistent performance
- not for cold weather
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5. Pyle PMA90 Digital Anemometer
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From the worldwide renowned brand of Pyle comes this digital anemometer with a variety of functions. It can not only measure the air velocity, but also the
airflow and temperature. You can switch between
five measurement units for air velocity here. All the readings will be highly accurate with
only 3% possibility of flaws. The sampling rate is also up to the mark with one reading per second.
Temperature can be measured in
both Celsius and Fahrenheit. However, the button to make this switch is placed quite inconveniently below the battery. It can give you an accurate reading as long as the temperature is within the range of 14-degree to 140-degree Fahrenheit.
The airflow can be read in two units - CMM (Cubic Meters per minute) and CFM (Cubic Feet per minute). All these information will be found on the
4-digit LCD display with dual function. The sensors used here are very neat. There are the conventional angled vane arms with low-friction ball bearing and an NTC-type thermistor. The sensor head is large enough with 2.75 inches in diameter.
PROS
- 5 air velocity units
- Can detect low speeds
- 3% inaccuracy
- 1 reading per second
- 2 airflow units
- Both Celsius and Fahrenheit
- dual function LCD display
- automatic backlight
- battery included
- foam-lined case provided
CONS
- Inconvenient switch for temperature unit conversion
- high price
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6. Extech 45158 Mini Waterproof Thermo Anemometer
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This is one of the best anemometers in the market due to its super-convenient design and very useful functionalities. It weighs pretty light with just about 5 ounces and comes in a compact size making it is easy to carry around in a pocket. The case allows you to flip it open and instantly start using the device.
Extech 45158 can measure air velocity up from
100 to 5500 feet per minute. Among its measurement units, you can find more variations with meters/second, km/hour, mph and knots. There is an averaging function included to record data in particular intervals.
Besides, you can also check up on the relative humidity, dew point, wind chill and temperature with this device. It measures
relative humidity from 10% to 95%, and
dew point from 32°F to 122°F. All these can be seen from its
large dual LCD screen.
PROS
- Up to 62 mph reading range
- 5 air velocity units
- Measures relative humidity up to 95%
- Measures 32°F to 122°F dew point
- Measures temperature and wind chill too
- dual LCD screen
- water resistant housing
- flipping case design
- battery included
CONS
- Expensive
- no max/min function
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7. RockyMars RA30 Digital Anemometer
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The RockyMars RA30 is here to give a tough fight for all other devices on the list! That is because, it is very hard to find a drawback in this one! This anemometer can also measure the
wind speed in five units like the previous ones. As long as the speed is below 30 m/s or 67 mph, it can detect the movement. There is
only 5% possibility of an inaccurate reading here.
This device will also tell you the temperature when it is
between -10°C to 50°C or 14°F to 122°F. It can
measure wind chill only if the heat in that environment is below 0°C and the wind speed is over 5 m/s. The sampling rate is much faster than others with
two readings per second.
It has the
auto-power-off feature to save battery life which can be turned off if you want. You will know how much charge is left from the
battery low indicator. Use the
backlit display in dark hours or areas.
PROS
- Up to 67 mph reading range
- 5 air velocity units
- 5% inaccuracy
- Fast sampling rate
- max/min/average functions
- backlit display
- battery low indicator
- auto power off
- batteries included
- compact size
- very affordable
CONS
- Cannot detect wind chill if temperature is above 0°C
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This digital anemometer from Proster can be a viable option for your outdoor sports activities like windsurfing, flying kites and sailing. You can easily keep it in hand wherever you go and read the output from the
large LCD display. This LCD screen comes with a
backlight for convenient readability in the dark.
In terms of wind speed, it can measure
up to 67 mph with
only 2% possibility of inaccuracy. There are five units for the air velocity measurement. It can record date for figuring out the maximum and minimum values. You can also check what is the current airflow in
three units of CFM, CMM and CMS.
The required battery is included in the package and from the
low battery indicator, you will know when to change that. A carry bag is also provided with this device for convenient handling.
PROS
- Up to 67 mph reading range
- 5 air velocity units
- 2% inaccuracy
- 3 airflow units
- Large screen LCD
- Backlight
- Max/Min functions
- auto power off
- low battery indication
- battery included
- affordable
CONS
- No temperature measurement
- no wind chill measurement
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Things to Consider Before Buying the Best Anemometer
How does an anemometer work?
An anemometer takes the working principle of wind turbines and uses it to measure the wind speed itself. Similar to the turbine plates, the rotor blades of an anemometer run but at a much faster pace. The greater the pace is, the quicker the generator spins producing high electric current. By measuring this current, the wind speed can be measured too using the mathematical relationship between these two entities.
Why would we use an anemometer?
1. With most anemometers available in the market right now, you will get much more information than just wind speed. They also contain options for reading at least one of the following terms - wind gust, wind chill, temperature, airflow and relative humidity.
2. Taking the help of mathematical calculations, an anemometer can tell you a very accurate measure of the current weather. Be it air velocity or something else, the accuracy of a good anemometer goes wrong by less than 10% of the exact value.
3. Even though it measures many terms with the same equipment, its power consumption is much lower than expected. Thus, it lasts for a very long time.
4. Most of the anemometers come at a pretty low cost. Thus, they are very feasible options for students or professionals who have a limited budget.
Final Verdict
Go through the specifications of each and find out which one is the best anemometer for you. Make sure to install them correctly and keep them away from high-temperature areas since that can harm their functionality.