Originally Posted by
BCRider
Tensionometer is a nice thing to have but you don't NEED one to build or true up wheels. A lot of us do it by ear through setting up the spokes to even musical notes of the desired value. I've done a good 12 pairs over the years and only had minor tuning issues with one road wheel and no more than the issues I'd expect with my mountain bike wheels. All without a tensionometer. I'm sure you'll find a lot of wheelbuilders that built hundreds of wheels in the past without them as well.
Sorry, but I like to resist this idea.
No professional wheelbuilder will be without a tensionmeter for ANY of their wheelbuilds. For home hack mechanics yeah, you might be able to get away without having one but if you're buliding up a powertap to a reynolds dv46c rim and sapim cx-rays and charginig someone for it.
You better have a tensionmeter.
This isn't a joke.
If you can be as accurate as the DT swiss tensionmeter when doing your musical notes then you have got to be a prodigy this world has never seen. Especially considering the amount of different spokes out there you'd have to learn all the tones for. Double butted, single butted, straight gauge, different length spokes.
I like the "let's shun progress" and the "people were doing fine before without them" attitudes but it is seriously misplaced for wheelbuilding.