indicators?

+1 on the Compacs. I have two: a 0.001 and a 0.0001. I went through three Asian DTIs before I got the Compac 0.001. It's been absolutely bulletproof in use for several years now.

It did fall off the bench once while attached to a magnetic base. As Murphy's law dicates, it landed on the probe tip. Internally, all that happened is the bearing pin on the main crown gear broke. I was able to get a replacement from Long Island Indicator. I just called ahead and Rene' already had it ready for me when I got there. Of course, they'll do mail order if you're not right around the corner from them as I am. The point is they're tough and can be repaired.

John
 
Guys, please enlighten me (and I am NOT saying that in a cockey way)... but what are the real, tangible differences between the ones I pointed-out in a previous post in this thread vs. the ones costing $150-$350?

I use those Shars brand units and I've tested them on granite plates and gauge blocks and they show the right results. Two of my oldest ones are just over 3 years old and they get used at least 5 days a week. They were checked about a few weeks ago and they measure properly.

I have no reason to doubt there are differences but for the life of me, I don't see what they are or could be.


For years I worked as a mechanic. I liked Snap-On tools and bought them almost exclusively. I just liked the way they felt. In reality, I could get the job done with Craftsman brand.

Are we talking about the same thing here? -Again, I'm not asking this to be a jerk and cause problems. -Not my intention. I really want to know if there are tangible differences.


Ray
 
I have 2 cheap ones from HF that seem to do the job, at least both of them agree with each other :)
 
Ray C said:
Guys, please enlighten me (and I am NOT saying that in a cockey way)... but what are the real, tangible differences between the ones I pointed-out in a previous post in this thread vs. the ones costing $150-$350?

Ray
Click to expand...

Ray,

One difference is reliability. I can rely on my Interapid to work as advertized every time I use it. I've had inexpensive indicators before that have fooled me into thinking that a part was aligned, when in reality it wasn't and the indicator was sticking a bit near the end of its travel (that particular indicator is no longer with us). That can NEVER happen because one such incident will cost more in time and money than the difference between a cheap indicator and a brand name one.

Another difference is durability. I've had the same two Interapids for at least 25 years and they work just as well today as when I first bought them, and they lead a hard life. They been dropped, tossed, rammed into stops, you name it and they just keep on ticking. It's not that I'm careless, its just that I use them all the time. My indicators are one of the few tools I have that never get put away, they are within an arms reach all the time. The Mitutoyo that I recommended will never be as good as the Interapids, but it is a much more reliable and durable indicator than the Chinese knockoffs and barring an unfortunate accident, they will still be working long after the others end up in the trash bin.

Tom
 
I hear what you're talking about...

The Snap-On tools were a little "sleeker" and on a few rare cases, I was able to reach a bolt that a Craftsman brand wrench would not be able to reach. On the flip-side, the two wrenches also had a slightly different offset angle on both the box and open end and there were a few rare times one could do the job and the other couldn't. These situations are rare and in my years as a mechanic, cannot think of a single case where it really made a difference in the overall outcome of the job.

I must confess something... I feel badly about it to this day. I was young and stupid in the days I worked as a mechanic and there was another guy who always bought Matco tools because they were much cheaper. I always used to rib him about those "clunky" tools. I didn't realize then, the magnitude of him supporting a wife and 3 kids and saving money by buying less expensive tools. Turns-out, he was actually jealous of the Snap-On stuff and there I was rubbing it in -blindly and stupidly. We got along fine and I considered him a friend. I wish someone would have set me straight.

I appreciate your mentioning your experiences of passing/failing equipment inspections. If my $30 DTI didn't pass after a few years of use, I'd thank it for a job well done and toss it in the garbage can. I do indeed have a conscience -but not for worn-out tools. Some folks repair their DTIs but, I gotta believe the round trip postage and insurance cost more than the 30 bucks I pay for the Shars brand.


Ray



Senna said:
I don't know if this is analogous but I work on my cars all the time and there have been times, not many but a few, where multiple Craftsman tools failed to do the job but where a Snap-On did it just fine.
For 99.8% of the work we do maybe the imports would work perfectly but when you're in that .2% only the top quality instrument will work.
I do know that when I was doing a lot of tool calibrations for ISO9001 compliance I was often surprised that the cheap tools calibrated as well as the expensive ones.
I did fail more cheap instruments than expensive ones however. The owner of the failed expensive instrument was a lot more disappointed than the owner of the cheap tool was though.
Click to expand...
 
I hear you Tom and I do understand.


With only three years of track record with the ones I own, I'm not claiming any longevity records. I'd be darn surprised if the $30 clones last as long as the real McCoys.

LOL, I leave mine out too. -And here's why: At first, I kept them in their little boxes and shared 1 unit for my whole shop but one day, while chasing back/forth, I dropped it but got lucky because I managed to land it on the top of my boot and spare it a sudden date with concrete. At that point, I started to buy an extra one here and there with their own mag bases and stands. -Now, the chances of fumbling and dropping them is almost nill because they're right there where I need them, when I need them. No more screwing around putting them on different fixtures and stands...

I will say though, the one I left on the carriage of the lathe and fed it slowly on a death-path with a rotating chuck didn't look too good once it stopped bouncing around the shop... I was thinking about taking a picture and posting here but, I was too embarrassed at the time.


Think: "Lost In Space Robot -meets ******-off adult male Rhino". -The old tale of Prometheus vs Bob...


Ray



TomG said:
Ray,

One difference is reliability. I can rely on my Interapid to work as advertized every time I use it. I've had inexpensive indicators before that have fooled me into thinking that a part was aligned, when in reality it wasn't and the indicator was sticking a bit near the end of its travel (that particular indicator is no longer with us). That can NEVER happen because one such incident will cost more in time and money than the difference between a cheap indicator and a brand name one.

Another difference is durability. I've had the same two Interapids for at least 25 years and they work just as well today as when I first bought them, and they lead a hard life. They been dropped, tossed, rammed into stops, you name it and they just keep on ticking. It's not that I'm careless, its just that I use them all the time. My indicators are one of the few tools I have that never get put away, they are within an arms reach all the time. The Mitutoyo that I recommended will never be as good as the Interapids, but it is a much more reliable and durable indicator than the Chinese knockoffs and barring an unfortunate accident, they will still be working long after the others end up in the trash bin.

Tom
Click to expand...
 
I had a Chinese indicator for many years until I got a nearly new Mitutoyo pretty cheap. I gave the Chinese one away,but wish I'd kept it as a backup. The guy I gave it to turned out to be not nice at all.
 
Not the same as a test indicator, but I know several people (and have heard of many more) that have Blake knock-off Co-Ax indicators that have never worked, or they're off by quite a bit.

You can get very good indicators on eBay for a fraction of their new cost. The only ones that go for a lot are the Interapids. Look for a Brown and Sharpe version, and it will be half the cost. Like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BROWN-AND-S...3kltyd5vOkBBQtM0%2BBo%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
 
Ray C said:
Guys, please enlighten me (and I am NOT saying that in a cockey way)... but what are the real, tangible differences between the ones I pointed-out in a previous post in this thread vs. the ones costing $150-$350?

I use those Shars brand units and I've tested them on granite plates and gauge blocks and they show the right results. Two of my oldest ones are just over 3 years old and they get used at least 5 days a week. They were checked about a few weeks ago and they measure properly.

I have no reason to doubt there are differences but for the life of me, I don't see what they are or could be.


For years I worked as a mechanic. I liked Snap-On tools and bought them almost exclusively. I just liked the way they felt. In reality, I could get the job done with Craftsman brand.

Are we talking about the same thing here? -Again, I'm not asking this to be a jerk and cause problems. -Not my intention. I really want to know if there are tangible differences.


Ray
Click to expand...

Would someone please explain to me how an indicator is tested using a granite plate?
 
If you could tear the DTI apart and look at the insides the difference between a chinese and a Good american brand the difference would be obvious. the parts in the chinese ones look like brass clock parts. the more expensive American ones are made out of hardened steel parts and jeweled pivots. Also what you plan to do with the DTI may make a difference. I find Interrapid to be better on a mill while Brown and Sharpe is better on the lathe. And when i can i would use a simple Dial Indicator instead of a DTI on a lathe. Easier to read for old eyes.
I also wonder what you are going to be doing that you need a DTI with one ten thousanths divisions for. Remember the smaller the divisions the less total travel the dial has. Unless you have a compelling reason to use such a fine instrument you would be far better served by a less sensitive indicator. The .0005 indicator would be more than accurate enough for 99.9 percent of all hobby machinists.
 
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