Comparison to the Big Brands

Most Advanced Features AND Lowest Prices
The SailTimer Wind Instrument™ was the first-ever sailboat wind sensor that could transmit to smartphones. Although it has a budget-friendly price, it also has the most advanced features. For example:
– It is the only wind sensor with wind blades invariant to heel. B&G claims that its WS320 has been tested in wind tunnels to be accurate at all heel angles, and this testing is why it costs so much. But the WS320 cannot defy the laws of physics: when those wind cups lean away from the wind as a salboat heels, the wind hits them from underneath. The patented design of the SailTimer wind blades solved that problem over a decade ago.
– The SailTimer is also the only wind sensor that can be raised without lowering or climbing the mast.
– The SailTimer is also the only wind sensor with a digital compass in the wind direction arrow.

The lower price is not because of inferior build quality. It is because (1) we don’t have a publicly traded company with lawyers and financiers to pay. And (2) we sell direct to consumer, without an extra 35% or more for retailers, distributors, store operations and brick & mortar rent. Our online shopping cart and app stores are all online and automated. When you make an order, our cart integrates directly with FedEx and your order goes out the next day.

Here is a direct price comparison from Google Gemini AI:

Durable materials
The SailTimer Wind Instrument is a mature product that has been refined year-by-year since 2012. That is 15 years of R&D and field testing in all types of weather conditions, and with feedback from users around the world.

The SailTimer is made of black Delrin (POM), which is unaffected by UV rays. Delrin can be machined like metal and gives us unbreakable wind cups. The mounting rod is solid stainless steel. The SailTimer is over-built. The miniature ball bearings are made of ultra-premium ceramic, to eliminate any issue with corrosion. We have never had even 1 warranty return with these bearings. The SailTimer is designed to withstand harsh sun, salt and extreme weather for 10+ years. This is the only wind sensor with a lifetime guarantee against seabird damage.

The lower price for the SailTimer does not reflect different engineering priorities. You should not buy the SailTimer because you are budget-conscious; buy it because you want the best. There were no engineering trade-offs to reach our lower price-point; our lower prices are because we sell direct to consumer, and because we design these products to have low manufacturing costs.

It is simply not true that wind sensors from the big brands like Garmin, B&G and Raymarine are built with resins that are thicker or more UV-stabilized than the components of the SailTimer Wind Instrument. That is a marketing claim to try to justify their higher prices.

Support & Ecosystem
SailTimer products are also designed so that you can easily replace a battery or wind cups yourself if ever needed. There is no reason for us to have a network of marine dealers like the big brands do. That is a big unnecessary expense, that is going the way of Sears and Blockbuster. If you have a broken part, with us you do not need to drive to a store. We have worldwide tech support every day 24/7. Just send us an email and we’ll respond promptly. In the rare case that you do need a replacement part, we will FedEx it to your doorstep.

Seamless Integration with your GPS Display Using NMEA 2000 or 0183
SailTimer’s Wind Instrument is built to talk directly to your MFD (Multi-Function Display) on NMEA wiring. Just add our low-cost Air Link™, which receives the Bluetooth transmission from the masthead and has wiring connectors for NMEA 2000 and 0183. This is the exact same connectivity that the big brands use; that is the purpose of NMEA wiring as a cross-brand industry standard.

All modern wireless systems of any brand rely on a gateway “puck” to translate wireless signals into NMEA 2000 or 0183 to get to other electronics. Our Air Link is optional, and only costs $75.

Interestingly, SailTimer gives you a lot more connectivity options. The big brands intentionally hobble their “wireless” devices to only work with their brand.  But our Wind Instrument works with 20+ other apps, and also with NMEA 0183 and 2000. With our Air Link, you can retransmit wind data from any brand of wind sensor on wifi for use with lots of apps.