Print This Data Sheet 

 

Why Do Thousands of Doctor’s Offices, Hospitals, and Physical Therapy Clinics Worldwide Depend on B&L Engineering Every Year?

     Even though we are less expensive than the competition at only $89.95 per instrument– it’s not the price.

     Even though we test, calibrate, and ship all brands of hand dynamometers and pinch gauges back in 1 or 2 days – it’s not the fast turnaround time.

All Hand Dynamometers are calibrated with the same accuracy Elaine E. Fess specified in the

1987 Journal of Hand Therapy.[1]

      And even though facilities accepting Medicare are required by law to have their measuring instruments calibrated annually (42 CFR 410.33) that’s still not why thousands of facilities worldwide depend on B&L Engineering year after year.

     The B&L Engineering® Mechanical Pinch Gauge is the instrument Virgil Mathiowetz PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA used to develop pinch strength normative data for adults[2] and children[3]. He named our pinch gauge the “Gold Standard in Pinch Strength Measurement.[4]

     Since B&L Engineering entered the calibration world, we’ve earned ourselves quite a reputation. You see, when thousands of facilities worldwide send their instruments to us, there is only one concern they know we handle better than the rest - PRECISION.   

     We take calibration seriously here at B&L Engineering. The way we see it, we’re not just ‘fixing instruments’, we’re helping patients by ensuring the accuracy of instruments used for hand strength evaluation.

     We look forward to providing excellent service for your facility and helping you obtain the most accurate patient evaluations possible. How?  With one thing - PRECISION

     Here’s how we do it.                 

Hand Dynamometer Accuracy    

Upon arrival, our calibration experts perform 60 separate measurements (12 different weights at all five handle positions) to document the “as-is” condition. Next, your instrument is meticulously fine-tuned to achieve a Correlation Coefficient of 0.9994 or higher and a Difference of the Means of 1.5 lbs. or less. These results are taken from another 60 measurements after calibration. What’s more, both “as is” and “after calibration” measurements are documented in an Official Certificate of Calibration included with each and every calibration service.

     When your instrument leaves our building, you can trust that your Hand Dynamometer is calibrated to the exacting standards defined by Elaine Ewing Fess, MS, OTR, FAOTA - Chairman of the American Hand Therapy Association (1996-2004). This all translates to one thing - PRECISION

 

All Hand Dynamometers are calibrated with the same accuracy Elaine E. Fess specified in the
1987 Journal of Hand Therapy.

  

Our Digital Force Gauges measure the accuracy of your instruments to 1/100th of a pound and are regularly calibrated to ensure precision.

Pinch Gauge Accuracy

     B&L Engineering® Mechanical Pinch Gauges are calibrated to plus or minus 1% of full scale (PG-10, 2%). Six separate before and after measurements are performed to ensure accuracy. As with our Hand Dynamometers, an official Certificate of Calibration with all “as-is” and “after calibration” measurements is included.

 

We Calibrate Most Brands of

Hand Dynamometers and Pinch Gauges

          Jamar®, Baseline®, and North Coast are but a few of the Hand Dynamometers and Pinch Gauges sent in for calibration. We adhere to the NIST Standards and use Digital Force Gauges with accuracy of 1/100th of a pound. What does this mean? Quite simply it means one thing - PRECISION.

 What’s more, we make it easier than ever for you to maintain up-to-date records and keep up with yearly calibrations. Here’s why.

     You will automatically receive notification reports when your instrument’s annual calibration due date is near. This report includes serial number, description, calibration due date, and date of last calibration for all instruments we have serviced.

Save $50 If Your Instrument is Beyond Repair

     If your instrument cannot be repaired and calibrated, we offer a $50 trade-in discount towards the purchase of a brand new B&L Engineering® Hand Dynamometer, Mechanical Pinch Gauge, or 3-piece Hand Evaluation Kitall backed by a Two Year Warranty!  So if there is ever a problem, we will fix it. Guaranteed!

Force Gauges - Certificate of Accuracy

Many of our customers have asked us to test their force gauges.  Some of those we have tested for accuracy are: MicroFET 2, 3, 4 and ErgoFET; Chatillon mechanical & digital force gauges; Shimpo FGE digital force gauges and Lafayette 01163 & 01165 Manual Muscle Testers, to name a few.  For others not listed, email us a photo (sales@bleng.com) and we will let you know if we can test it for accuracy.

No RMA is Required

     Simply complete and include the Repair and Calibration Form (available at www.bleng.com) when sending your instruments to us.

[1] Fess EE: A Method for Checking Jamar Dynamometer Calibration. Journal of Hand Therapy pp 28-32, 1987.

[2] Mathiowetz V, Kashman N, Volland G, Weber K, Dowe M, Rogers S: Grip and pinch strength: normative data for adults. Arch Phys Med Rehab 66:69-72, 1985.

[3] Mathiowetz V, Wiemer D, Federman S: Grip and Pinch Strength: Norms for 6- to 19-Year Olds. American Journal of Occupational Therapy pp.705-11, 1986.

[4] Mathiowetz V, et al: Comparison of Baseline Instruments to the Jamar Dynamometer and B&L Engineering Pinch Gauge. OT Journal of Research pp 148, 2000.