Instead, I purchased an instrument used for testing the trigger weight on firearms. I got the Electronic Lyman Trigger Pull Gauge, but there is also the Wheeler branded. I then tie my line to a hook or jig that I normally use, and put the hook on the gauge, and pull slowly. That gives me an actual breaking strength of the line in the actual setups I use.
Observations:
1. The gauge I have is accurate to a few tenths of an ounce, so it is plenty accurate.
2. The gauge is very consistent - or perhaps the lines I tested are very consistent. I tested some lines over a dozen times.
3. Using the actual line on a hook also lets me know if I have good knot strength. (I do - I use the Palomar and my line almost never breaks at the knot.)
4. The gauge freezes right at the moment the line breaks - the max tension. So this is a lot easier than using a regular fishing scale which drops back to zero when the line breaks.
5. The gauge can take up to 10 pulls and calculate an average for you if you wish.
6. The gauge's max measurement is 12 lbs so it should be plenty for ultralight aficionados.
7. And it also allows one to test the trigger pull on one's firearms...
