Unless you work with tires all day there’s probably no need for you to add Central Tool’s digital tread depth gauge to your toolbox.  You could probably get by with a set of digital calipers, a ruler, or a penny for that matter.

If you take away the wide base and the 1″ maximum depth, these stainless steel digital calipers look exactly like the cheap calipers you find on eBay or Harbor Freight with pretty much the same functionality.  Some retailers claim this gauge displays fractions as well as inches and millimeters, but looking at the display we doubt it.

You’ll pay somewhere between $25 and $35 for this digital tread depth gauge.