A counter assembly for use with coiling machinery for the measurement of line being wound or unwound on a reel includes a body, an upper arm, a lower arm, and a tensioner assembly. The body defines a central channel for passage of the line. Rollers are coupled to the upper and lower arms and used to press against the line. Movement of the line between the rollers causes at least one roller to rotate. Rotation is converted to a linear distance for accurate measurement. The upper arm has a pivot axis that is below a horizontal portion of the upper arm and is shared with the lower arm. The tensioner assembly is oriented to share the same vector components of motion as the pivoting upper arm. The tensioner assembly also permits adjustment in the resting spring force acting on the rollers.