Starrett Last Word - worth fixing?

Pat of TN

Pat of TN

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Hey guys, pop quiz!

I have the opportunity to get my hands on what I believe to be a brand new Starrett Last Word DTI. Haven't looked at it, but I will tomorrow. I believe it's basically brand new, but the needle won't move. I'm not going to try to guess on the reason, I'm clueless when it comes to the innards of a DTI. I recall it being graduated in half-thou increments, may just be .001.

Anyway, I'm not sure how much my pal wants for it, but he almost implied giving it to me. Now, looking at new ones, new Last Words run about $160 to $180. Would it be worth it to fix this indicator, including the actual quality of the tool itself?

Looking at Long Island Indicator Service, they say they charge $90 before anything for repair on an un-tampered-with Last Word DTI. The guy who owns it was going to call Starrett and see how much they would run (I would assume a similar charge), but he's old and forgetful, y'know!

Anyway - if I get it for free or for a couple of tens or something, plus at minimum $90 to repair it, is it worth it? It would seem Starrett's quality has been questionable for the past few years. I don't know firsthand, as I only own a Starrett combination square which I regret buying due to the cost and 6" dial calipers which were given to me.

If it really wouldn't be worth the time, I can buy the supposed king of DTIs, a Brown & Sharpe BesTest for about as much as a new Last Word.
 
Please do not peg me for this. I do have a liking for Starrett stuff but not there Last Words. If I was to have only one test indicator it would be an Interapid. And if the thing is new? Was it dropped? Is it under warranty? It takes watchmaker repair finesse to fiddle with them. Don’t let me get you going in the wrong direction, I have taken many apart, it’s not that hard, just a few tricks. Not too much to go wrong unless it’s dropped and stepped on or it was crashed when using or if it’s new then made/assembled wrong at the factory and they didn’t QA it?…Good Luck.
 
For that kind of money, I can't say for certain it would be worth it unless it has some sentimental value.

For free? Take it apart and see if it is an easy fix within your capabilities. Nothing to lose.

If it is a high dollar one, at $90 for repair, it is a pretty good bargain.

That said, I just came into a BesTest that was being thrown away and just needed a new stylus. $20 later, I have a great new DTI. It is nice but I really can't say it works any better than my $30 DTI that it is displacing.
 
I'll post a little more info tomorrow when I ask him about it. I think the person he got it from kept it for a couple years in a drawer somewhere after they both lost their jobs, and perhaps something became gummed up. I recall it looking brand new, though... I dunno, I'll let you guys know!
 
Starrett last word indicators seemed about useless to me and I got rid of mine bout 25 years ago.
If I remember correctly, there's a lever to revers the direction it will read off deflection of the arm.
That lever can be hard to move and stick in the center so the indicator cant register.
Hope this helps.
Jim
 
I think I'm going to opt out on it, unfortunately. I looked at it today. It isn't jammed or stuck like I thought, it's sluggish and jumpy. Either a weak spring or - well, I don't like to guess at problems. Hearing some negative comments on Last Words across the board means it's not worth my time. I can buy a Fowler DTI set for a little over $100.

But he has an old Lufkin back-plunger that I can get my hands on for 25 bucks, so I think I'll go with that after some research.
 
Pat of TN said:
I think I'm going to opt out on it, unfortunately. I looked at it today. It isn't jammed or stuck like I thought, it's sluggish and jumpy. Either a weak spring or - well, I don't like to guess at problems. Hearing some negative comments on Last Words across the board means it's not worth my time. I can buy a Fowler DTI set for a little over $100.

But he has an old Lufkin back-plunger that I can get my hands on for 25 bucks, so I think I'll go with that after some research.
Click to expand...

Check with Starrett before you give up. I had an old (<1930) dti, sent it in for repair, and for about 50 bucks they sent me a new one. Don't know that they're still doing that, but at one point buying old Starrett and getting a factory 'refurb' was the cheapest way ever to get good measuring tools.
 
I don't have any DTI's myself. Although they come in handy sometimes I find high quality plain plunge dial indicators work great.
I have (just got) a .0005 BS and a tenths .0001 federal indicator. The federal is the same size as a DTI and even has a dovetail in the back. But cheaper than a tenths DTI.
 
I think in their day the Starrett Last Word indicator was THE indicator to use/have. I don't think that is the case any longer, there are better choices out there. Personally, I wouldn't put any more money into it unless it really has some meaning to you. I use a Brown & Sharpe Best Test indicator that I have had for the last 15 or so years that I really like.

Mike.
 
The reputation of one to the others are about the same. They all make precision measuring equipment and just which is the best is only one person like and dislikes. If your parents bought Ford the chances of you owning a Ford is very good. With that said I like the Swiss better. There is a repair service I know of that does fantastic work. The place is called "Long Island Indicator Services" their web site is http://longislandindicator.com/ for about $50.00 you can have a Last Word that works like new and looks like new.
 
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