My old craftsman timing light finally crapped out. What is everyone using these days? I understand there are timing lights where you can measure the timing by turning a dial on the unit.

You can't go wrong for the price ...

https://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3568-Digital-Timing-Light/dp/B000EVYGV4/ref=asc_df_B000EVYGV4/

I got the red Digital Pro version of that INNOVA light and it is really nice to use. A few more bucks but it has more features that you may or may not want.

I have not had good luck with the Inova units. They are of quality construction as far as the case, leads, etc., but of the three I had over a three year period, only one failed while it was still under warranty. The warranty replacement, after a year and about three uses, just started going flaky during use, intermittently flashing, tach being way off, voltmeter being wrong, completely going off while connected, etc. (I'd guess that was due to sloppy soldering on the circuit board). I tried swapping lead sets to no avail. The next one I bought blew the strobe after about three uses and sitting for over a year between uses. They were all the pro units.

That said, the strobe was nice and bright, the features and interface are useful and handy, and the detachable leads ability to change the angle of the strobe and case are also nice. I explored replacing the strobe with their tech support, and the bulb was $60 plus shipping.

I'm currently using the Bosch one they sell at O'Reilly's. Not as feature packed and is definitely of chintzier construction than the Inova, but over a year now and no fails. Also, O'Reilly's will swap it out easily enough in the event of a fail. Leads are hardwired in, no case and the display is an LED panel instead of LCD.

Dial-back feature is almost a must with my aging eyes, even though my damper is laser etched up to 60*.

My take, dialbacks ain't 100% accurate cuz there are different dia (circumference) balancers out there plus the additional error potential from the delay feature (might all be miniscle/not enough to sweat) but they are so much fun to play with! For dead on I prefer to get a timing tape (install & spray it with clear paint to keep it from flying off) or mark the dampener & you only need 4 or 5 numbers such as 15/20/25/30 & your preferred total for your engine type. 0.0632683" is (1) degree. I would get a light with the RPM feature in the dial.
Wouldn't hurt to check numbers with a non dialback & to confirm true TDC

Still using my old snap on dial light.
Its at least 25 years old

And it was probably made here.. Not so much for the new stuff.


I still use the same ancient craftsman unit my dad bought new in 198? old enough the entire housing is chromed aluminum and the leads are nice flexible rubber.

One of the ign companies way back (MSD?) did a comprehensive study on accuracy & they said the old Craftsman was the best (not sure if this was dialback or not but I am thinking no).

Same here, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it..........

and am also using a Snap on that i picked up used

Multiple spark ignitions wreak havoc with dial back timing lights
Most guys with MSD have better luck with the old Craftsman lights for that very reason

Dial back lights do not care what the balance diameter is.

If there is a zero, it will light it up.



Next mention is a dial back is the only way to fully set the initial, total and full advance as long as zero is marked.

I have an OTC dialback that i paid a fair bit for many years ago it works just fine.

A lot of dial back lights have problem with accuracy.

The only down side of a normal light is you need timing tape if you are into really setting the advance, or your base timing is past the marks on the engine.

Same, been using an OTC light for years, works great. Burnt the cables once on the exhaust, they sold me a replacement very quickly.