The Cherub WST-600B is a guzheng multitool that I want to love but can’t quite. It combines a clip and microphone tuner with a wrench and nail storage compartment, but its clip mode only picks up vibrations 70% of the time.

The screen, tuning features, and ergonomics are great and it is overall a neat idea, but at $22 USD for a clip tuner that only sometimes works the value proposition is weak. (The microphone tuner works fine.) You probably already have a wrench if you have a guzheng, and a cheaper clip tuner will provide better tuning performance. Is combining those two items into a rather large, single object worth $25? For most people, no, not really. Read on for more details.

This is a simple clip tuner designed for the guzheng and guqin. Produced by Meideal, a company that got started in 2008 producing clip tuners for guitars, the T83Z provides exactly what you need to tune these instruments without getting lost in bells and whistles. Usage is straightforward: power it on, set the tuning mode and key you are using, clip it to your instrument and pluck away. The screen glows orange by default then changes to a dramatic green when your pitch is correct. Online retailers in China have it for the incredibly low price of $3 USD.