we have a bunch of those dead and a bunch of dial ones dead, they are all no name harbor freight stuff, the digital ones last for a while,then either go out of calibration or outright fail,the dial ones get a couple of microns of dust in them and go way out of calibration. in reference I've had my Mitutoyo for years and yearsOriginally Posted by Vanilla Sky
While I haven't used a Mitutoyo, I understand that these are supposed to be a copy of a Mitutoyo. I guess it really helps that I don't ever get into the hundredths with mine. It is something I expect to upgrade when I start machining.
A lot of DIY guys use the plastic version of those for CNC conversions on machines. I know they're ultimately going for the cheapest ones available, but they hold their modified ones in good calibration over a period of years, so they have to be decent enough for someone that doesn't have to measure into the thousandths, or want to use them for their digital readouts.
the only good copies of the Mitutoys are the craftsman ones, but I think they are just rebranded ones that actually cost more then the original, if you get a real pair of them and then compare to the cheap sets the difference will be obvious, the quality difference is night and day,
One bit of advice is to not buy a set that looks like the HF ones but carries a slightly higher price tag, because they're the same tool. I've seen these calipers at a LOT of retailers, and everything is the same, with the exception of the name on the tool. If you're going for the knock-off, get the HF one, because you can often get them for $13 with coupon (I did). The rest seem to start at $20 and go up, for the same tool with the same model number printed on the back of it.
yep those are the ones he buys 5 or 6 13 buck pairs at once, with a coupon lol, I just spent the 120 bucks once and was done with it.
Sounds like he's penny wise and pound foolish.
naa it's people trying to use them who don't know what they are doing,then dropping them etc, drop them on concrete they are dead
Yeah, I don't trust any measurement device after it's suffered a drop, even if the electronics still work, unless I check it against a good one. I had issues with a carpenter's square once, and I learned my mistake.
Measure twice, cut once, verify measurement, test fit, and install.
after working in a test lab for a while, I agree that this is def the case. A real mitutoyo holds up very well with daily abuse, but a knockoff usually quits working or wont zero etc... the difference is huge. You def get what you pay for.
429whp 362wtq A20 TURBO. A20T>*
If you know they are going to be dropped then it would be stupid to buy anything but the cheapest ones that will do the job.
I've been using the same cheapo digital caliper (nearly every day) for 4 years now, and it's still accurate to +-0.001 against a gauge. You can't really get any better than this with a caliper because there is some measurement technique involved (i.e. how much pressure you use). I also found that you need to occasionally check the cheapo digital (and even Mitutoyos for that matter) ones to see if they need to be adjusted. On the top side there are two adjustment screws that keep the slide tight. If they loosen up the slide will wiggle and the readings will be off.
I do have a Starrett dial type at home and it works as well as you can expect for a caliper.
On torque wrenches, I have a cheap HF type and every time I've checked it with a force gauge it's been dead on. If I was a professional mechanic and was going to use it every day I might get something better, but for home use my cheap one has been just fine. One thing about torque wrenches is that they are only accurate if the conditions under which the specs were determined, are still valid. For example, if the spec calls for a clean dry bolt, the bolt MUST be TOTALLY clean and dry, otherwise all bets are off. Even a bolt that has been used once will be different than a new bolt because the surface texture of the mating surfaces has changed. The tiniest bit of dirt, corrosion, grease, oil, etc. can completely throw off the accuracy. So to me, it's not worth worrying *too* much about having a super accurate wrench because there are many other variables that have a much bigger effect. Of course the wrench is the one variable that is easiest to control so it makes some sense to control that one if you can.
Harbor Freight is a mixed bag. Some of their hand tools are surprisingly good, and some are horrible. The only power tools I have from there are a couple of angle grinders. They are noisy as hell but they have a lot of torque and have always worked for me.
I used to buy Craftsman hand tools but the ones I've bought more recently were terrible, especially the screw drivers. The best ratchet I've used so far has been a 1/2" drive Duralast from Autozone. I've beaten the snot out of that thing and it's still going. It does need to be greased from time to time though. I have a Husky brand 3/8" ratchet from Home Despot that I really liked for awhile, because it has a really narrow head and fine ratcheting action. Unfortunately it isn't holding up well and it locks up a lot (greasing doesn't help for long). The other day I bought a nice looking Kobalt to replace it so we'll see how it does.
C|
You couldn't pay me enough to buy a set of brand new Craftsman hand tools. I'd happily rock HF stuff, even if it were the same price. Quality for Craftsman isn't a priority anymore.
Yup, I sent out the SnapOn pawnshop score the day after I got it (truck just happened to be by that day) to have it checked. It was still right on the money. Never hurts to have them checked though, especially if they are being used a lot, and that one does (picked it up to replace the old inherited Proto. It is still a solid wrench but is starting to show its age). And believe me, if you use tools for a living, you do notice a difference in the "overpriced" tool truck stuff versus jobber. They do fit fasteners with closer tolerance, are less likely to damage a fastener, and are generally built better to last a lot longer.
i still dont see the point in spending heaps on tools, apart from the odd thing.
i spend all day , 5 days a week fixing cars, and the most expensive things i have are a set of kincrome reverse ratcheting spanners and my vernier calipers.
nothing else in my tool boxes would have cost me more than $20.
some things, yeah are worth spending a few bucks on, but when you have to modify a tool to do one particular job that you cant buy a tool for, why grind,cut or weld a fifty dollar spanner when a 2 dollar one works just as well and you dont mind cutting up a 2 buck spanner.
i have maybe 1200 tools at work, thats counting sockets, extensions etc and its all cost me less than 2 grand.
even my $100 1/2 drive metric/imperial socket set has a life time warranty, and i've had 4ft floor jack handles on the breaker bar and it hasnt broken yet.
if you are putting a motor together, aslong as you make sure everything is spotless, clean and dry, a cheap torque wrench will suffice.
most wrenches are accurate to within maybe 5% and manufacturers will say so many lb/ft + or - so many lb/ft or %.
a mechanic mate of mine has nothing but snap on, worth 20K + and has no more than me. i doubt i'll have to replace my tools 10 times in the next 30 odd years of my work life. somethings like screwdrivers and side cutters , yeah, but stuff all else.
The Craftsman professional line isn't too bad, we have some at work. A little pricey but not as high as some are.
As for Snap on, if you have a distributor around , the Blue Point tools are not too shabby and very affordable.
The general service sets are awesome, esp for junk yard runs.
Part #
#BLPGSSCTT71
#BLPGSSC100
#BLPGSSC155
All three of those sets are great! I like the one with the pliers for scavenging adventures. There is a partition I took out for the photo, these cases actually usable too unlike a lot of sets in blowmold...
Last edited by 2oodoor; 05-11-2012 at 04:58 AM.
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