New Mic

[Tin Falcon]

Just picked up one of these while at the Harbor Freight store .
I thought I got a good deal but the web site has them for 5 bucks less. . Anyway $29.99 on the web site Item number 98485 . Photo slightly differs ,web price does not reflect store price, Yada Yada Yada

The thimble is set up for metric and is surprisingly smooth. The LCD readout displays metric or imperial and is nice size for the 40 plus crowd. . It has carbide anvils
Tin

 

[Maryak]

Good One Tin :bow: :bow:

Don't worry about the $5 :'( :'(

Best Regards
Bob

 

[Tin Falcon]

Don't worry about the $5

Bob:
you are so right, no Worries mate. If I hasd ordered on line it would have likely cost that in shipping. As it was, I stopped on the way back from an out of town job on my Lunch break. less than half a mile off the highway so good deal all around. I have been eyeing the Fowlers @ Enco but IIRC the best deal I have seen is around $60.
And FYI the only difference in the photo is the actual Item is printed with the Cen-Tec brand
Tin

 

[spazman_77]

these cheap-o import mics, have some problems.....over the years i have noticed that the carbide faces offten arent square / paralllel, and have a very sharp edge on them
un square / un parallel faces will not vie you an accurite reading
the carbide faces can mar the work
the number on the thimbles are hard to read
sorry guys not tryin to bust any ones chops, but hit the pawn shops, and look for a nice set of used b&s, starrett's, ect....

i have been a trained tool and die moaker for over 20 years and i have seen many of these imoprt mics, spoil a job.....

but i do like the open fourm here

 

[Tin Falcon]

Thanks for the heads up on the sharp edges I will hit the corners with a Diamond hone.
Actuality most of my mic are B&S or Starrett and a German import or two but could not resist the electronics at a decent price.
I am not to worried about reading the thimble marks that is why I got the digitals.
Tin

 

[Mike N]

These cheap-o import mics, have some problems.....over the years I have noticed that the carbide faces offten aren't square / parallel, and have a very sharp edge on them
un square / un parallel faces will not vie you an accurate reading
the carbide faces can mar the work
the number on the thimbles are hard to read
sorry guys not trying to bust any ones chops, but hit the pawn shops, and look for a nice set of used b&s, starrett's, ect....

I have been a trained Tool and die Maker for over 20 years and I have seen many of these import mics, spoil a job.....

but I do like the open forum here

Micrometers don't scrap out parts, operators scrap out parts. I always check my mics before using them on fussy parts.

 

[Speedy]

do you all think it would be foolish to try and go all digital?
I recently became aware that Starrett's head office/warehouse for canada 15mins away from me.
I want to go and check it out, maybe they will give a kid a break? :big:

afraid of the cheaper digitals, but I do own a canadian tire brand and it seems to work fine.
starrett may just have a superior lifespan?

still dont own a mill or lathe, :'(
might look at a x2 and matching lathe and bandsaw soon

 

[rake60]

Don't be afraid of the "cheaper digital"mics.
Accuracy is in the user, not in the mic.
If your using a full fist grip to turn a mic thimble, you will get a different
reading on ANY mic than some other machinist might get.
If all of your parts are measured using a full fist twist on the mic
thimble, the finished parts are going to fit perfectly!

You can't blame the mic.
Accuracy comes form a repetitive feel of the measurement

Rick

 

[Tin Falcon]

do you all think it would be foolish to try and go all digital?

Speedy going all digital could be foolish. When I worked in the military machine shop we used digital calipers but the mobility box had dial calipers. There are no wal-marts or the like in the middle of a desert or war zone to buy spare batteries. Also E.M.P.s can take out electronics. .
There are many considerations when purchasing tools. The Buy top quality American vs cheap import has and will be argued for a long time. The quality of the tool vs the skill of the operator is another good one.
First off I am not trying to go all digital. Second off there are no perfect tools measuring or otherwise . I think most of us here do have a favorite in the shop that gets the most use.
In a perfect world we could look at a part and know the size or maybe grab with calibrated fingers. OK, WE ARE NOT THERE.
The perfect micrometer would weigh very little. Be able to take any measurement, inside,outside, measure threads, thin film, splines, tubing etc.. It should cost $1. Last for at least a hundred years.It should be easy to read even for a blind man. And be accurate to 1 millionth of an inch even when used by a gorilla. And it should fit nicely in a pocket so it is always handy. It should bounce off a concrete floor with no damage and no effect in accuracy. It should be coolant proof. It should be corrosion proof. And of course made in USA by American workers. Again non existent.
So what should one look for in a micrometer ?
Here is where the individual needs to decide what is important and what drives his or her own purchase decision.

I bought the mic in this thread because it is easy to read accurate and cheap enough to fit in my tool budget. I have a set of Starrett mics that will last 100 years if taken care of. There are trade offs to some degree with any micrometer. You need to decide what is best for you shop.
Tin Falcon

 

[BobWarfield]

I bought a Box O' Cheap Vernier style Mics. Then I got a deal on a new Mitu 0-1" Digital. The Cheap Verniers were spot on with the Mitu, the Mitu was just nicer to use with better "feel". I prefer the ratchet style, which slightly reduces the "feel" needed to get an accurate result.

My point is, my cheap Mics worked great and I felt a lot better about them having evaluated them against the Mitu.

The one issue I might have with a Box O' Cheap Digital Mics is battery life. The cheaper instruments go through those little batteries like candy. My digital calipers burn through them probably 3-4x faster than my Mitutoyos.

There may be an alternative. There is a mechanical digital version of the Mitus, and I note you can get knock-offs on those too. I'd love to try a box of them and see how accurate they turn out to be.

Failing that, I have just kept on the lookout on eBay for deals on the Mitus. To my 0-1 I have added a 1-2 (almost as handy to have for my work) and recently a honking big 6-7". I found the latter helpful in calibrating things like my 2-4-6 blocks (off by 2 tenths as it turns out, LOL).

I have to admit, I am a metrology junky though. I figure if I can measure it accurately, I can figure out some way to make the part to that accuracy if I need to. I tend to buy expensive measuring tools, and expensive cutters. Most of the rest in the middle is cheap imports.

Cheers,

BW

PS I bought mic stands for the two smaller Mitus and these have been a great addition. Highly recommended!

 

[Tin Falcon]

Part of the problem is that the import digitals come with cheap alkaline button cell as apposed to silver oxide. Both can be found on e-bay cheap if purchased in bulk. The silver Oxides are much better for digital electronics.
Tin

 

[Cliff]

This is my two cents worth about Mic's. Back in the early 70's I worked at a machine shop where I could buy tool's and they would take some out of my check each week so I bought a set of 0-6" Mic's from I think Enco and they were cheaply Japanese made and I was really put down for buying cheap tool's and not name brand I have had them all this time and they have been used quite a bit and I never had one bit of trouble with them so like Tin Falcon said it for the most part comes back to how there used and taken care of I keep mine in my tool box there kept clean and I periodically check each one with the standard and I have never had to adjust one and only one has ever been dropped. Just my two cents worth Cliff