We get this question from time to time. The truth is the first rolling device ever made to measure concrete floor profiles was developed by The Face Companies in the late 1980s and early 90s. We wanted it to be a “quick check” profiler for contractors to estimate their FF numbers. But our rolling device never produced repeatable data. Each time we measured the same line, we got different F-Numbers. The FFs would vary by 10% or so. The FLs would change by as much as 25% each time we measured the same line. We decided not to sell the product because the quality of the data it produced didn’t meet our standards.

The rolling profilers on the market suffer from the same problems we had 20 years ago.

(Click here to see a third-party comparison of Dipstick and the Leading Rolling Profiler.)

For instance, rolling devices have wheel slippage and they jostle as they are manually pulled... or mechanically driven... across the floor. These problems throw off the profiler’s reading of both the surface conditions and the distance it travels. That hurts the F-Number calculation.

They also have problems when they roll over even tiny debris on the floor such as grains of sand... which act like micro speed bumps for the profiler's hard wheels. That introduces more errors in the profile measurement.

It doesn’t take many errors... even tiny mistakes... to make the F-Numbers reported unreliable... particularly the FLs.

Others have recognized this reality. One rolling profiler doesn’t even try to measure FL. It reports only an FF number.

And there are other problems: Rolling devices can’t deal with real-world problems like joints, sawcuts, rebar and other surface discontinuities. Dipstick walks right over them. In addition, rolling devices can't measure forms... and better forms are the key to better FLs. Dipstick is perfect for this, too.

Some people think rolling devices are “faster.” But, if they’re used so as to minimize the effect of the errors in data collection, they're no faster than the Dipstick. But really, what is the advantage of a “faster” profiler that produces different data each time it measures the same line? What good are data that you can’t count on?

We want our products to maintain the reputation of Dipstick. Our profiler is so accurate and reliable that it’s the only device used by governments and industry bodies around the world to calibrate other profiling devices. And that’s been the case for more than 15 years.

Experts in 60 countries know that Dipstick produces reliable, repeatable data. And that’s why we say... Dipstick is the fastest way to the right answer!™