Find the perfect match for any color with this $59 sensor

Contrary to the old saw, “close enough” counts in a lot more situations than just horseshoes and hand grenades. There are shuffleboard and census surveys, just to name a couple. But color matching is one place where “close enough” can be disastrous. Just ask a visual designer or anyone who’s ever bought the wrong shade of paint to touch up a wall. Luckily, there’s now a tool that eliminates the need for guesswork when it comes to color: The Nix Mini Color Sensor V2.

This handy gadget has changed the game for house painters and workers in a wide variety of visual fields, but you don’t need to be a designer to use it. You simply hold it up against a surface and it blocks out surrounding ambient illumination, letting its own internal light give it an accurate reading. It works on walls as well as furniture, clothing, or anything else you need a color match for. In seconds, you’ve got a readout that tells you the exact hue through your smartphone thanks to the companion app.

You can get those readouts in a variety of different ways. If you’re looking to design a color palette, you can get Nix to translate the color into HEX, CMYK, sRGB, or LAB formats. You can also get your color matched to an offering from one of the leading paint brands, which is what really makes Nix useful for homeowners. The Nix database can match colors to paints from Sherwin Williams, Dulux, Benjamin Moore, and many other major makers.

The sensor is made to be durable and comes with a lanyard for easy access. It comes already calibrated – all you need to do is download the app, pair it up and you’re ready to go.

You can now get the Nix Mini Color Sensor V2 for $59 — an extra 30% off the previous sale price.

Prices subject to change.