A well-known piezoelectric material, lead zirconate titanate in the 52:48 nonstoichiometric composition was successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method using lead nitrate, zirconium oxy-chloride, titanium di-oxide and potassium hydroxide with the help of an acid digestion bomb. The piezoelectric response of this sample was assessed from the voltage generated as a function of applied load using a handy tool assembled here. This tool can be conveniently used for routine measurements. For comparison, a commercially available PZT material in the gas-lighter was collected and characterized.