Decent brands of measuring tools for beginners?

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An afterthought if I may; There's been a number of good responses to the question here. I wish this site had been around when I was learning.(teaching myself) Of course, in my day, a computer usually took up a couple of rooms and had a pretty healthy power bill. I know, 'cause I worked on 'em.

Oh! the afterthought, I almost forgot. What came to mind last night was that on eBay there are a number of sellers that don't know what they are selling. I saw a "Globemaster" vernier caliper selling for almost as much as a Mitutoyo. In the 70's, Globemaster tools were in a bin by the check out counter for $0.99. That in the days before plastic tools. And the shaper gauge that was called an "angle block". For $20 bux. A shaper gauge is usually $40 or better.

The name brands listed here are mostly of the good stuff variety. But I have a problem with any battery operated tool. Batteries always seem to quit at the most inconvenient times. Say, at 11:00 PM when a trip to the store is out of the question. Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me. Absence of evidence in not evidence of absence.

Personally, I tend more toward Brown & Sharpes, with Mitutoyo running a close second. Starrett is good stuff, no question. But resellers charge as much for the name as for the tool. And then others sell the tool and want as much for their low end tool as for a Starrett. And, lastly, I am concerned that with eBay fees so high, those fees are often calculated into the pricing. And if you're buying new, be aware that Starrett has moved much of their production overseas.

All in all, take pricing with a grain of salt. Nay, a pound... ... Yes, I base my purchases on price. But I still appreciate good tools as worth the cost. I wouldn't ever buy a Globemaster, even if it was less than a dollar today. But by the same token, if what I want is only available in Starrett or B&S, I'd look long and hard at it, and the price, before committing to it.

Well, I've had my say (rant) and apologize for the amount of time it's taken up.

Bill Hudson​

Bill, you're right, most eBay sellers push their prices, don't pay attention to what others are asking, and often end up not selling
stuff. BUT, there are deals out there for the finding. It just takes a little patience and paying attention to what's out there. Last
year I picked up a Swiss-made B&S 1" micrometer in new condition for $25 bucks! That may be unusual, but it shows the deals
are there.

For the OP, who's trying to tool up there may be some reluctance to buy off eBay. Another possibility is buying from someone
like this: https://shop.idealprec.com/collections/demo-items/micrometers-demo-used?page=8
Prices are decent, and the tools have been checked over and adjusted before sale. I've bought from them in the past and
was happy with my purchase.

 

[mattthemuppet2]

For digital calipers I would suggest going for ones that use CR2032 batteries. They last an age. I use my iGaging ones almost daily and I replace the battery maybe once a year - to be honest it's long enough that I can't remember when I did the previous change

I've bought all my mics off eBay, as well as some DI and a DTI (old Japanese Fowler 0.0005). I also bought a cheap but incomplete Mitutoyo metric gauge block set for $30 or so and used it to calibrate all my mics. I have Mits from 0-1 to 3-4, import 4-5 and 5-6 (not sure I've ever used them to be honest, they were part of a bundle), import 0-25mm to 75-100mm and a nice Japanese 0-25mm mic. All came to around $100 or so over a year or two. Can't tell any difference in accuracy or feel between the imports and the higher end Japanese mics. Not as happy with my used DIs, but they do the job. One day I'll save my pennies and get a nice Mit one, but I use them infrequently enough that it's way down my list.

Another thing that would be worth spending on would be a decent set of telescoping bore gauges. I use mine alot and the cheapy set has pretty poor "feel". I have some Staretts that I rescued from a guys workshed, but they needed enough loving that they're not much better.