Advice on a eBay micrometer set fowler

[Ben Dono]

Hey guys,
Has anyone out there used fowler branded mic's? There is a set in 4 metric on eBay for $240. Amazon has what looks like the same set for $100ish but the reviews are pretty bad and they won't ship them to OZ.
Is it better to buy one starrett in 0-25?
What do you guys think?

[welder]

I have the same set but not fowler They are okay but I replaced them with Mitutoyo and Brown and Sharpe ones and am now trying to sell my 0-100 mm Chinese micrometer set for $80

[pipeclay]

If you dont 4 then buying 1 would be the better option.
If you did need to buy 4 why not just get the sets that are on ebay,there a lot cheaper and seem to work well.
If these were being used in an industrial enviroment where they were regularly calibrated then you would look towards the higher end of the market,but if there being used in the backshed go with the cheaper type.
Buy Andres.

[Greg Q]

I wouldn't leap at Starrett either...their reputation is I think better than they deserve. B & S, Mitutoyo, and of the Hexagon Meteology brands like Etalon and Tesa are all good. If you don't mind old school, Lufkin made a good mic as did Scherr-Tumico. Moore and Wright have fans, as do the Japanese NSK brand.

I'd stay away from the Chinese mics and look for something more suitable on ebay or a local auction. I purchased a new set of Tesa metric mics in a case on Italian ebay for 15% of the local new price for example.

Greg

[MuellerNick]

Here is a picture of an inside micrometer (5..30 mm). After that slight modification, it worked as expected:
219462

I have been wondering, why I couldn't make fittings that ... errr ... fitted.
I recalibrated the mike, it was OK. Then I went to a company to check my calibration ring. It was damned perfect, maybe 0.5 µm too small.
Then I got a set of gauge blocks and accessories and I was able to check the other end. IIRC, it was 0.04 mm off. Just a slight pitch error, but enough to ruin some work and lose a lot more hair.

It is not worth spending money on untrusty tools. You'll only end buying a reliable one.
If you buy used metrological equipment, you need other equipment to verify that one. If you can't, it's only a sensitive C-clamp.


Nick

[eskimo]

I have a 0-2" Digital Fowler and although it seems accurate (to me anyways) it doesnt seem to shine the same quality like my 1 week younger 0-1" Mitutoyo digital

and as to what Greg said above..I would like to say this about a recent purchase of a the Starret back plunger dial indicator.... It certainly looks cheap when placed against my Mitutoyo standard dial indicator..I was somewhat disappointed when I opened the box...but that is I guess thats judging a book by its cover..only time and use will tell
pics over in the tool gloat page

[Metmachmad]

I wouldn't leap at Starrett either...their reputation is I think better than they deserve.

Greg

There is nothing wrong with Starrett gear. I have been using the same Starrett mics for the last 38 years and they are still as accurate as the day they were bought.

[Bryan]

I think the issue is with the newer Starrett stuff. I've read that a few times.

[morrisman]

hi

You can see the quality in the older brands . The older Moore & Wright sets come in a black felt lined case . You can pick them up for reasonable prices on Uk ebay , many of the mics must be from the 1930's to 50's . I won a inside set for 25 quid . There seems to be plenty of them around over there in the UK , thats why the prices are lower . Mike

[Greg Q]

There is nothing wrong with Starrett gear. I have been using the same Starrett mics for the last 38 years and they are still as accurate as the day they were bought.

Just to clarify: i think that the older Starrett stuff is fine. Your set is a time traveller from 1974, before the offshoring rot set in. I think you'd be dismayed to see what passes for a Starrett now. I had a couple of older Starrett mics that I thought were pretty good...I only sold them becauae I was trying to settle on one brand of mics in an effort to have them all read and feel the same way.

As Nick mentioned, a gauge block set is a must. You can find Mitutoyo calibration sets with an optical flat and a dozen or so blocks for cheap from time to time. This allows the user to check the anvil condition as well as the calibration. Or pay the outrageous fees asked by a cal lab. Some used mics are not quite as used though: my metric internal mic set came courtesy of the US taxpayer, surplused on ebay for ten bucks. Brand new in original packaging.

Greg

[Ben Dono]

Thanks guys,
I might spring for mitutoyo 0-25 and 25-50 mics. It makes sense and I don't think I'm going to really need any bigger.
I have a neighbor who is pretty fussy with his work recommended that the mitutoyo digital calipers were his everyday go to tool. He recommended some telescopic gauges with the calipers covers most of what he does.

Thanks for the info guys! I will be giving the fowler ones a miss.

[.RC.]

Chinese is hit and miss...

I would always buy a chinese digital caliper, as for the accuracy you expect out of a caliper they are spot on, at least all the ones I have...

As for micrometers I have a 25-50 here that measures up perfectly through the range when tested against gauge blocks....

Some others like the 50-75 are not so good... out by 0.01mm over the range....

I am not going to bitch about chinese tools, some are superb some not so.... My chinese gauge blocks seem on the ones I have tested to be superb....