Micrometer brand suggestion
 

I am starting my rebuild this weekend. Stroking my 2.2T.
I need to buy a micrometer set. Seems like there are 3 brands
1) Starret > $500
2) Mituyo >$300
3) No-name $59.99

A HUGE difference in price. I am not a pro machinist abviously, but I want a quality set that will measure accurately.

Recommendations?

Michael

Oh yeah , these are for boxed 0-6 sets

Mituyo is one of my favorites but even the cheap china stuff works if properly calibrated.

I have a Mitutoya that works well.

Goes down to .05mm. Was like $129 from Grainger. $300 is over the top!

Brown & Sharp make decent ones as well. The biggest mike's I use are 4" ("3 to 4") for measuring pistons.
-Chris

If your are not in a shop get the cheep ones. THey come with cal blocks and will work just as good as the expensive ones as long as you do not use them a lot, and clearly at home you cannot use them a lot.

I work at a large machine shop with a quality program that requires all mics to be calibrated yearly and we haven't seen a difference in the accuracy of the high dollar and cheap ones.

Thanks guys. Looks like China just got yet another $59.99 from America. Yeah I would probably use these for a half a dozen rebuilds.
WOuld love to work in a machine shop. I am actually going to take a break from my CS major and take a class in welding. I HAVE to learn that skill. Next maybe I can take a class in machine shop 101 or whatever.

Michael

Mitutoyo. I would not buy anything from China for my workshop, unless it is a piece of welded steel, like a jack stand or cherry picker. If you don't have $300 for a decent set of tools, you may want to rethink your choice of hobby and more so the make of car you are fiddling with. ;) What I am trying to say is, $300 is peanuts, compared to what you are about to spend. :D

George

I appreciate your input. I already have alot into it. I have new p/c's new heads, new rockers, new cams, all machine work complete, new rotors, new calipers, rebushed -rebuilt carbs, stainless brake lines, proper tools, powder coated engine tin, etc ec etc. I know this hobby is expensive. But there are times when you don't need to spend $500 on a single tool(set) just to measure cam lobe height, etc. I mean, I hate the china crap too. Thats why I am on the fence about it. I AM willing to lay that cash out, but I would love to get another new part instead.

See my point?

michael

Oh, sure, I hear you! If you spend the $ left and right, you try to take it easy wherever you can. A good alternative to buying new china stuff is to find used mitutoyo or starret on ebay. While the Chinese stuff is cheap partly because of lower labor cost and less environmental concerns, it is often also cheap, because the material and machining is far inferior.

If it comes to measuring things once, on a project you don't do on a regular basis, there is nothing wrong with going up to the next quality machineshop and have them measure your cams, pistons, cylinders etc. The other alternative is to borrow tools from a friend or purchase them together with a friend.

Cheers, George

Sorry George,

Those cheep chink tools really are good enough. The quality is reasonable and like one of the posts above they make the same measurements as the good tools, and do just as well, aparently even better than I suspected they could. They ain't rocket science and if they work and feel good at first they will do any home project as well as the best tool. The very best tools will hold up for many many years of everyday use and abuse, but at home they will never see this kind of action so why pay for something you do not need?

As to the Jap crap, Mit tool the same thing was said many years ago, and in some places is still said, thats why Starret is no longer making tools in the US or are they?

I am sorry too, Jack.

:D

George

I don't like the fact the chink tools are made with 12 year old girls, for slave labor wages, but thats the way it is and if you don't buy their tools they will starve completely. In other words these worthless girls will become completely worthless.

And if you haven't caught on I have NO respect for chinks. Who could respect a people who treat their daughters this way.

I dislike Human Rights violations like everybody else. I buy only craftsman or snap-on when I can afford it. I hate going into Harbor frieght because It all looks like cheap crap from china, because it is. But you can't ignore the HUGE trade partner china is. America as an entity does mind boggling business with that country. Wal Mart peddles it, same as every other "outlet". But then again, I have owned 6 German cars. They don't have the best human rights record history, right? Everything in moderation. I think America is so rich that we really do import just about anything and everything. Even Harley has Keihin or some other Japanese brand of carb. I like Starret too but I support a small family with 3 kids under 7. I come to this board to learn from the mistakes and successes of other who have walked the road before me. If I can save a couple of bucks, then my wife won't have to continue eating Fancy Feast! hehe

Michael

I am pretty sure germany had a good human rights record during the period your products were made there. Unfortunately its hard to say the same thing about china.

Believe it or not. A lot of old time machinests are dumping their quality little used tools on E-Bay. I have no favorites when it comes to micrometers. I have all of the name brands in my tool box. I find them at pawn shops all the time. (HINT) (HINT)

Offer them about 50%.

David Duffield

Unfortunately I know from first hand experience that a lot of machinists are dumping that equipment on e-bay when they shut down their shops because a lot of the work they used to do is outsourced to third world countries nowadays.

As a machinist, aerospace engineer and a US citizen it shames me to watch as our nation's treasonous trade and economic policies cannibalize the critical industries that helped to make america the great nation it once was.

Agreed...

Just a side note Wayne shows a dial indicator in his book that is made in china, he is useing this to set the camshaft timing. I guess we all sin once in a while??