Pocket Ruler - what do you like?

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sign216

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I need a better pocket ruler. What should I be looking for? What's the best that people have found?
 
You mean the thin General Tools ones, that are floating all around? In the hundreds (thousands?) of years we've had analog tools, and that's the best?

P.S. How about something of thicker metal, with engraved scales?
How about inches with two scales; decimal and fractional.
And on the flip side it'll have the Godless Metric scale.
And...what else should I looking for....?
 
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When I look in my KBC catalog there’s a ton of different options. But honestly, I find myself using a cheap digital caliper more than anything else. All the options mentioned and more.

Be interested to see what the others recommend.

John
 
I use the flexible "General" SS with slide for what I need a pocket ruler for.

Most people don't use them right so I've taught a few, over the years, how to use them properly.
I'm sure that most, here, use them the right way.

I've tried many knockoffs but none seem to have a decent slide fit.
 
Starrett and Lufkin both make fine steel rules. Get one with the scales you like to use, there are millions of 'em out there. Just watch out for tenth-inches, they'll bite you in the azz when you least expect it.
 
Pontiac, I accidentally bought a ruler from England that had inches in tenths. I threw me at first. I was astounded. Now I'm not sure whether it's good or bad.

Matthew, for two or three significant digits I grab my vernier caliper. It's easier. Admittedly, for real precision a digital caliper gives it, but ... it's like the argument between an electronic calculator and a slide rule. The calculator gives a false precision in the answer. I.e. gives seven digits, when only two or three are accurate.

Inferno, by "slide" do you mean the pocket clip, or the slide stops that woodcrafters use? I didn't think General had rulers with slide stops.

Joe
 
Most of my life I have carried a Starrett #C604RE, it is a 6" X 3/4"ridgid spring tempered rule with 8ths 16ths, 32nds and 64ths plus end graduations in 32nds on both ends of one side. I consider those flimsy pocket clip ones as junk at best. My overalls have a pocket in the front that fits a 6" rule, so I always have it easily available for use.
 
sign216 said:
Pontiac, I accidentally bought a ruler from England that had inches in tenths. I threw me at first. I was astounded. Now I'm not sure whether it's good or bad.

Matthew, for two or three significant digits I grab my vernier caliper. It's easier. Admittedly, for real precision a digital caliper gives it, but ... it's like the argument between an electronic calculator and a slide rule. The calculator gives a false precision in the answer. I.e. gives seven digits, when only two or three are accurate.

Inferno, by "slide" do you mean the pocket clip, or the slide stops that woodcrafters use? I didn't think General had rulers with slide stops.

Joe
Click to expand...
Rules with 10ths usually have 100ths also, sometimes handy for setting dividers to nominal dimensions, I have one also but very rarely use it, can't remember the last time that I did use it --- can't see well enough anymore even if I wanted to use it!
 
sign216 said:
You mean the thin General Tools ones, that are floating all around? In the hundreds (thousands?) of years we've had analog tools, and that's the best?

P.S. How about something of thicker metal, with engraved scales?
How about inches with two scales; decimal and fractional.
And on the flip side it'll have the Godless Metric scale.
And...what else should I looking for....?
Click to expand...

Food for thought, this works for me, but it's kind of a big jump from one to the other, kind of like there are (or ought to be) a couple of other intermediate steps-.

My most frequently grabbed rule is literally the blade out of a 6" Empire (Home Depot) combination square. They're not precision metrology, but they're pretty OK in that regard. No doubt imperfect, but more accurate than what I can scribe off of a pocket rule... A little lacking on the Metric or decimal inches part though...
 
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