Underwhelmed By Noga Base?

jmcghee

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I treated myself to a Noga after wanting one for a long time, thinking its the be all end all of mag bases. The arm is as advertised, but the mag base itself seems surprisingly weak... like can't hold its own weight to the column of my mill weak. I actually tinkered with it and a $10 Chinese base I already had(rated at ~50lbs vs the Noga's 175 rating) and they seem more or less equal in holding power. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm thinking I may have gotten a bad one, but maybe that's just how they are?
 
I have a Noga and think the mag base holds better than other bases that I have. I'd contact Noga for a replacement
 
I also found the base just satisfactory, I purchased it used, but the works great and I like the fine adj. At base
 
I love the articulating arm and fine adjustment on mine, but I would agree that the base is just adequate. Mike
 
I have 3 of the Noga arms, 2 have magnet bases and 1 has a stem for use in the mill. My large Noga the magnet is fairly strong but will not hold on the base of my mill on the vertical part, the small one is even weaker yet. Love the arms but the magnets are just about as weak as any I have ever seen. My old Chinese stuff is a lot stronger.
 
I don't know why, but my 2 Noga mag bases hold very strong to any steel parts. The mill table, or almost any part of my old Logan lathe, and when not being used, I store them magnetically attached to the side of a metal file cabinet, and they hold solidly. However, they WILL NOT hold to the cast iron base of my mill. This has bugged me for a long time! I have no idea why, but I'm hoping someone will chime in with an answer. JR49
 
I have several Noga’s that I found in my travels. Never paid retail, if I had, I would have been disappointed. I think they are getting too much hype for what they are. Same with the Starrett snake like indicator arm. That thing does not hold the indicator well enough to do anything. Can’t use it, doesn’t want to hold/lock position solidly, but it sure looks cool.
 
I have several Noga’s that I found in my travels. Never paid retail, if I had, I would have been disappointed. I think they are getting too much hype for what they are. Same with the Starrett snake like indicator arm. That thing does not hold the indicator well enough to do anything. Can’t use it, doesn’t want to hold/lock position solidly, but it sure looks cool.
I have not seen a snake base that is worth a damn. They do not hold rigidly, and they break when you try to tighten them enough to work. Then you have pieces all over the floor. I have two Noga bases and one with a straight 8mm/ 5/16" shank to go in a collet. They all work just dandy, stronger magnets than anything else I have had, except for a large and heavy Mitutoyo magnetic base that is stronger than anything I have seen. The part number is 7010S. The rods on it are also extra strong and beefy. Seems like I never have a job for it, though, the Nogas are easier and faster to use and more enjoyable as well...
 
The problem with mag base sticking to most mill base it the paint is just to thick.
 
I've tried it on a bunch of surfaces, painted cast, bare cast, steel etc. and it's just plain ho hum. I would've thought that for better than triple the "rating" (whatever that actually means) it'd be noticeably stronger, but apparently I'm not the only one who's seen this. Like I said, the arm is the bees knees... I wish I would've just gotten it and stuck it on an old base. Oh well
 
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