Measurement Tools

[Kelley W King]

Has anyone tried the calipers from Harbor Freight? I would use one very little but the price is right. I would just use it for general things, not engine clearances or things like that. I have their temp laser and it works great and one of the magazine tests rated it very well. Just trying to do better than a cresent wrench and steel ruler.

[ko-lek-tor]

It will be fine. Buy it.

[Kelley W King]

Thanks Bentley. Trying to measure some pins on my 69 SS Dover white backhoe.

[z28z11]

As bad a critic as I am about Chinese sourced tools, they'll work for what you need them to do. I bought a digital micrometer from my local store (in a pinch to accurately measure drill diameters down to the micron), and they worked as I hoped they would. Amazing results for $35.00 - but I still prefer a good Starrett or B&S if I can find a pre-owned one.

Regards,
Steve

[Stingr69]

I have one and use it a lot.  No regrets. It is not digital, just old school with mechanical dial.

Have a dial indicator and magnetic base from them too.  Good for degreeing cams and such.

[69Z28-RS]

As bad a critic as I am about Chinese sourced tools, they'll work for what you need them to do. I bought a digital micrometer from my local store (in a pinch to accurately measure drill diameters down to the micron), and they worked as I hoped they would. Amazing results for $35.00 - but I still prefer a good Starrett or B&S if I can find a pre-owned one.

Regards,
Steve

Steve,  I trust you don't really believe the tool  you purchased is accurate to 1 micron???        There are 25.4 microns in 1/1000 of an inch... 
ie.  1 micron would be 0.00004"

[z28z11]

Gary,

Tolerance on these particular drills is an .008mm total h6 or k6 class, h6 is + 0.00/-.008mm (minus tolerance), k6 is +0.001/=0.009mm (plus tolerance). Target drill diameters are usually 3.968mm or 3.920mm h6 or k6. Yep, my company can grind them to these tolerances, and hold them. I get inspection reports with every order, unless one gets mis-placed (which is why I had to check them). It's a little tedious, but you get the hang of finding the high points of the margins after a bit. Don't get me wrong, a laser mic is way more reliable than me checking by hand -

Thanks,
Steve

[m22mike]

There are lots of good used ones on eBay , starret or brown and sharp for a couple .
JMO

Mike

[bcmiller]

I have two of the cheap digital calipers that I take to swap meets (they work good) - and one good set of Starrett micrometers for very fine measuring.

[z28z11]

I sold Starrett, Brown and Sharpe, Mitutoyo, Fowler and others for years, I can remember the first digital caliper I ever saw (believe it was a B&S), cost was unreal. Now you can buy the cheap versions for $15.00 on sale, and they work for what you need them to do. Break 'em or lose 'em, go buy another.

Mike's right, surf eBay and pick up the great older tools for a fraction of what they sold for, and treasure them. Use the cheap ones for field work -

Regards,
Steve

[bcmiller]

Steve, which brand or brands were usually the best?

[z28z11]

People were usually split, depending on what they were exposed to early on. Both Starrett and B&S were first choice for most toolmakers and tool and die guys, maybe leaning towards B&S in the earlier days for me. I remember being horrified to see "Made in Japan" on Mitutoyo tools when they were first introduced (to me), but the quality sold a lot of people on the line.
Boiled down to personal preference -

Regards,
Steve