Ortofon Balance Type Stylus Gauge

A Balance Beam That Reads 1.25 to 4 Grams, With No Battery to Go Flat

The Ortofon Stylus Force Gauge is a pivot-type balance scale for setting tracking force. It reads between 1.25 and 4 grams, it needs no power of any kind, and there is no display to misread — the beam either balances or it does not.

Tracking force decides how well a stylus stays in the groove and how hard it works while it is there. Too little and it mistracks on loud passages; too much and it wears both stylus and record faster than it should. Cartridge makers publish a range for a reason.

Accuracy, Range and Fit

What It Reads and How Far

The gauge covers 1.25 to 4 grams. That range takes in the great majority of moving magnet and moving coil cartridges, which are generally specified somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 grams. Check your cartridge's published figure before ordering.

It is a small plastic balance. No batteries to go flat, no electronics to drift out of calibration, no self-test to run — a beam is either level or it is not, and that is a state you can see rather than a number you have to trust.

Nothing about it is turntable-specific. It sits on the platter, takes the stylus and works the same way on any deck with a conventional pivoted arm, which also makes it the gauge to keep in the drawer if you own more than one turntable.

Who Is the Ortofon Stylus Force Gauge Best For?

• You want a gauge that always works — no battery, no display, nothing to fail between uses
• Your cartridge tracks between 1.25 and 4 grams — which covers most moving magnet and moving coil designs
• You set force once and check it occasionally — a balance is quicker to trust than a digital scale you have not calibrated in a year
• You are starting out — it is the least expensive way to stop guessing at the one setting that wears records
• Your cartridge tracks below 1.25 grams — some low-compliance and exotic designs do, and they need a digital gauge from stylus force gauges

How Do You Use It?

Set the gauge on the platter. Lower the stylus onto the marked point on the beam and watch where it settles against the scale. Adjust the counterweight, lift and lower the stylus again, and repeat until the beam reads the figure your cartridge maker specifies. Work slowly — the beam needs a moment to settle each time.

Pairs Well With

What most owners of a force gauge shop next.

• Cartridge alignment tools — force is one setting; a protractor covers the geometry
• Phono cartridges — a gauge turns a cartridge swap into a five-minute job
• Test records — for checking the result of what you have just set
• Stylus cleaning — the other job that changes how a cartridge tracks

Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate is it?

It is a balance rather than a digital scale, so you read it against a printed scale between 1.25 and 4 grams. For setting a cartridge to its maker's recommended figure that is enough; for resolving hundredths of a gram, a digital gauge is the tool.

What range does it cover?

1.25 to 4 grams. Cartridges specified below 1.25 grams fall outside it.

Does it need batteries?

None. It is a pivot balance, so there is no power source, no display and nothing to calibrate.

Does it measure anything else?

Tracking force only. Overhang, offset and azimuth are geometry and need a protractor.

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