# Starrett quality



## JPigg55 (Jan 20, 2014)

Looking to buy a set of digital calipers.
While researching reviews, I came across a couple that likened new Starrett calipers to ones from HF.
One I found on eBay had a picture of the label that said "Assembled in the USA". This speaks of parts being produced overseas.
In short, I'm looking for information/opinions as to the quality of new Starrett measuring tools.


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## ScrapMetal (Jan 20, 2014)

I can't speak for the quality of the Starretts as I ended up buying Mitutoyo calipers and micrometer.  The Mits are top notch quality wise at a comparable price to the Starrett and much of what I read online said that the battery life was significantly longer with the Mits.

-Ron


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## SavedbyHim (Jan 20, 2014)

Personally, I really dislike starrett, just doesn't feel right, and I especially don't like their last word indicator. I have been in  aerospace machining for many, many years, and one company, Garrett turbine engine company/ Airesearch, sold them exclusively in their store, but that was back in 1978. I think the quality was better back then compared to now. However, for the hobby machinist, they may work for you. I tend to prefer brown and sharpe as well as mitutoyo.


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## Bill Gruby (Jan 20, 2014)

IMHO the new Starrett Tools will not make the grade as their older (pre-overseas) ones did. This is not to say they are not good. The best bang for the buck today is Mitutoyo. Again, my opinion.

 "Billy G"


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## Crain (Jan 20, 2014)

I just got a Starrett dial caliber and the quality is just not there. Ditto a mike I got a while ago. I have some Starrett tools that are over 30 years old and the new one don't measure up. I guess it's just the way the world us going. I heard today the China is now making printing presses. I bet there fun to run.
DonN


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## valleyboy101 (Jan 20, 2014)

From what I've seen in person and heard from tooling dealers, I'd go with the Mit.  Some of the Starrett tools are now imported and they don't tell you which is which.  Sad to see one of the greatest American brands in decline - it used to be such a thrill to open the red box and find a perfect tool.
Michael


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## Tommie D (Jan 20, 2014)

You have to be careful with any toolmaker today. Even Mitutoyo has some lower quality products. Two months ago I ordered a new Mitutoyo 6" dial caliper model 505-712 because it's one of the few models still made in Japan. Other lower priced models they have like the one's with colored faces are Made in Brazil. I do not like the plastic "frame" Mitutoyo went too as I liked the metal frame and thumb roll better on my old one's.
I gave up on Starrett seventeen years ago when I spent over $250 on their top of the line combination square set. Very nice square set at first I thought, until the day I noticed the left and right zero's on the protractor head did not line up with each other.
I have been doing this for over thirty years and I have very few Starrett tools. Most of my tools are Brown & Sharpe followed by Mitutoyo. 


Tom


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## awander (Jan 21, 2014)

Personally, Starrett are some of my favorite tools(surpassed only by Lufkin, and that's only because Lufkin Combination square heads are green-my favorite color!).

All of my Starrett tools are older ones though, from ebay auctions and antique stores.


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## JoeSixPack74 (Jan 21, 2014)

awander said:


> All of my Starrett tools are older ones though, from ebay auctions and antique stores.



That is where I usually pick up those.  It seems like all the older stuff is of higher quality.


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## Hexhead (Feb 14, 2014)

I bought a new starett height gauge and the zeroing button didn't work right out of the box. I bought it on Amazon but when it didn't work I called Starett. They said send it to them rather than sending it back to Amazon and they would fix it for free. When I got it back it was a new one and it worked. I had bought a new caliper and was really disappointed with quality compared with my old one (made in USA). The face on the dial looked very cheap, the accuracy was ok though. I won't be buying anything else that Starett unless it something older and made in the US..


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## Senna (Feb 14, 2014)

I'll echo what everyone else has said regarding new production Starrett tools.

That said, when it comes to calipers there is IMO one which stands above the others.

The 8" Mitutoyo Digimatic. The head is reliable and accurate just like the other Digimatics but the size of the 8" Mitutoyo is perfect.
The jaws are larger than those on the 6" but not as huge as those on the 12". A happy medium which just works.
Most other 8" calipers have the same size jaws as their 6" offering.

After using the 8" Mitutoyo a 6" feels like a toy and a 12" feels like a hammer.


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## 2Tite (Feb 14, 2014)

Starrett has factories in China, Brazil, UK, Dominican Republic and Germany................


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## Senna (Feb 14, 2014)

It really is a shame that the quality is dropping off in the Starrett line.

It doesn't have to be that when you offshore the production of a product it inevitably becomes lower quality.

One example I can relate is that of Burris Optics. 10 or so years ago Burris decided to offshore the production of some of their scope lines. The Fullfield II was one of those lines.
Burris wanted very badly to maintain their quality so when they built a plant in the Philippines they took much of the machinery and the tooling right out of their Colorado plant and shipped it to PI.
More importantly I think, they also relocated much of their Colorado QA staff and key production staff to PI.
After all these years the general consensus is that the quality of the PI made Fullfield IIs is every bit as good, and possibly a bit better than those which had been made in the USA.
I'm sure the way Burris did it isn't the cheapest way but Burris holds their reputation in high regard and the extra expense was worth it to protect that reputation.
Sad to say but it seems that grand old Starrett doesn't value it's reputation as highly.


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## darkzero (Feb 14, 2014)

While I do have some Starrett tools I don't have very many at all & most are not measuring tools. Most of my measuring tools are Mitu & is just what I prefer.

I remember using an older model Starrett digital calipers & they went through batteries like crazy. My digital Mitu calipers & micrometers have great battery life. I do have a few older digital Mitu stuff that don't have as great battery life but nothing like that Starrett I used, that one ate batteries like HF calipers.

I have also heard Starrett's quality is not what they used to be but of course that's not the only company these days which is becoming more common. Not sure if the new catalogs are still the same but I remember not that long ago the tools in their catalogs that had a globe icon indicated that those were their global/import models.


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## old_dave (Feb 14, 2014)

*Catalogue icons: "Global" vs U.S. Flag*



darkzero said:


> While I do have some Starrett tools I don't have very many at all & most are not measuring tools. Most of my measuring tools are Mitu & is just what I prefer.
> 
> I remember using an older model Starrett digital calipers & they went through batteries like crazy. My digital Mitu calipers & micrometers have great battery life. I do have a few older digital Mitu stuff that don't have as great battery life but nothing like that Starrett I used, that one ate batteries like HF calipers.
> 
> I have also heard Starrett's quality is not what they used to be but of course that's not the only company these days which is becoming more common. Not sure if the new catalogs are still the same but I remember not that long ago the tools in their catalogs that had a globe icon indicated that those were their global/import models.



Starrett's catalogue number 31 was the last to have the "Global" vs. U.S. flag icons differentiating products made in the U.S. vs overseas. Unfortunately they stopped this practice with catalogue number 32, their current catalogue. 

My catalogue number 31 has a copyright of 2006. I can't find a copyright date on my catalogue number 32; on the outside back cover there is what may be a date code: 08/10. I have a note that I received my first copy of catalogue number 32 in September 2011.

They first used the "Global" and U.S. Flag icons in their catalogue number 125 (for their 125th anniversary). Catalogue number 125 followed catalogue number 30. My copy of catalogue 125 has a copyright of 2004; 2005 was their 125th anniversary.

David


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## 12bolts (Feb 14, 2014)

Be aware that chinese made Mitutoyo stuff is available too. Not knocking the quality or accuracy as I have no personal experience, just that its out there.

Cheers Phil


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## Tommie D (Feb 14, 2014)

12bolts said:


> Be aware that chinese made Mitutoyo stuff is available too. Not knocking the quality or accuracy as I have no personal experience, just that its out there.
> 
> Cheers Phil





I think their "chinese made Mitutoyo stuff" is made in Brazil.


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## darkzero (Feb 14, 2014)

IIRC I have a Mitu combo square set that says made in Mexico, doesn't bother me though.


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## Walltoddj (Feb 14, 2014)

I've got a little of everything 4,6,8 MIT Dial, Starett 6" Dig, B&S 6" dig, the ones I use the most are HF 6" dig battery last long darn time. My mic's the same thing a little of each in just started getting Fowler carbide tip friction nice. Indicators Starett, B&S dig but are slow to respond, MIT dig work fine. 

Todd


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## george wilson (Feb 15, 2014)

About 15 years ago,I had a USA made Starrett 6" dial caliper I bought new. I had other calipers in the shop,and had not used the Starrett for inside measurements. When I did,I ruined a piece of work because the inside measuring jaws on the Starrett were .008" off.

I called the repair dept of Starrett and got a bunch of stonewalling because I'd had the caliper 2 years and it was out of warranty. Finally I convinced them to at least look at the caliper since it had been that way all along,and was never dropped.

They returned it with the repair woman's tag in the box. This time it was only off .004"!! I somehow got a vice president on the phone and told him the story."Oh,she's one of our very best technicians". I told him I could see how the caliper had gotten out of the factory the first time,but now that it had special attention..... I thought the repair guy I had talked to had been a real jerk.

He (the VP)  told me to return the caliper at once,and he was sending a new one. At least the new one was accurate.

I only buy OLD Starrett tools in like new condition. I hate that they have gone down hill like this. I also recommend the Mitutoyo products. I do have a set of Chinese micrometers,and they all are perfectly accurate.


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## gi_984 (Mar 2, 2014)

My tool boxes are filled with older Starrett and older Mitutoyo tools.  Both are marked made in USA and Japan.  I'm very wary of anything that doesn't plainly say where it was made.  I've got some very nice Lufkin  tools as well.  Made in the USA!


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## fastback (Mar 2, 2014)

I have a number of Starrett tools.  A couple of years ago (maybe longer) I bought an old model 97, 18-inch level at a local antique shop.  The vile of the level had some evaporation that had taken place and made the level hard to read.  The level is rated at .005 at 12 inches. 

I decided that since I am from MA and Athol is maybe 1 1/2 hour drive I would take it up to have it rebuilt.  At the same time I decided to also have a mic checked and rebuilt.  I believe that the mic is a model 436.  The mic was given to me by my retired machinist neighbor.  The mic was in great shape no scratches or anything.  My problem was that when you zeroed it at any point it hid the line. I have an older Starrett mic (the same model) and you can see the line so I wanted them the same.

So I ended out leaving the 2 items for repair cost was around $175.  They get half the price of what they are currently selling for.  Well the level is now a model 98 or equal to one and is ok.  The mic, guess what, the same problem.  I did not follow up on it, because I thought it might be just me.


Oh BTW, my favorite mic is an old B&S with no ratchet.  I use it all the time.  I still have the Starrett, but have a ball installed incase I want to mic a pipe or tube.

Paul


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## Bill C. (Mar 3, 2014)

SavedbyHim said:


> Personally, I really dislike starrett, just doesn't feel right, and I especially don't like their last word indicator. I have been in  aerospace machining for many, many years, and one company, Garrett turbine engine company/ Airesearch, sold them exclusively in their store, but that was back in 1978. I think the quality was better back then compared to now. However, for the hobby machinist, they may work for you. I tend to prefer brown and sharpe as well as mitutoyo.



I hate to learn Starrett quality is not what it used to be. All my indicators are Starrett bought when I first started back in the late 1960's and early 1970's. And so are my micrometers.  That is sad news.  They used to challenge Brown & Sharpe for owner loyalty.  


The craziest thing I saw a few years ago was a plastic digital caliper, probably at Harbor Freight.  I do have a 6" metal model they have on sale sometimes which is fine for what I used them for.


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## darkzero (Mar 3, 2014)

Bill C. said:


> The craziest thing I saw a few years ago was a plastic digital caliper, probably at Harbor Freight.  I do have a 6" metal model they have on sale sometimes which is fine for what I used them for.



Not too odd, Mitutoyo also offers a plastic digital caliper as does General. I would never think of buying one either but I suppose they do have their place when precision is not needed at a lower cost. The parts buyer at my work had a plastic dial caliper by General. He used them to check the sizes of bolts, washers, switches, bar stock, batteries, etc. Calipers can be purchased for cheaper at Harbor Freight but my work doesn't purchase from places like that. I suppose there are times where non-conductivity is important.

I have have a set from HF too that I use when I need to take it somewhere. The thing eats batteries so I have to keep the battery out until I use them as I don't use them often, that's annoying.


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## David S (Mar 3, 2014)

As the only electrical engineer amongst myriad mechanical guys I watch some of them measure the height of subC nicd cells..fully charged of course.  Welded spots on the jaws of good calipers.  I got them some plastic ones, problem solved.

David


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## toag (Mar 5, 2014)

I liked my B&S shop cals digital calipers... until they walked off one day.  Once i have the budget, i'll get another set.  I use a B&S dial caliper now, and i really like the feel.  I have B&S and NSK mics, but i like, i think its more a of a feel that a brand.  FOr digital its hard to go wrong with mits.


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## Millbo (Mar 22, 2014)

Bill Gruby said:


> The best bang for the buck today is Mitutoyo.



I have to agree with Bill on the Mitutoyos


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## Matthew Gregory (Apr 29, 2014)

...does that include the Brazilian Mitutoyo stuff? I need a dial indicator with a magnetic base, and it seems like everything else I already know - three different options: crummy import stuff, good used that may or may not work when you get it, and good new that's outside my price range. The Mitutoyo stuff is right where I want to be, price-wise! but I have fears...


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## Redirish (Apr 29, 2014)

Matthew Gregory said:


> ...does that include the Brazilian Mitutoyo stuff? I need a dial indicator with a magnetic base, and it seems like everything else I already know - three different options: crummy import stuff, good used that may or may not work when you get it, and good new that's outside my price range. The Mitutoyo stuff is right where I want to be, price-wise! but I have fears...



I have both Brazilian and Japanese made Mitutoyo tools, indicators, calipers, and micrometers. There is no difference in quality, all are excellent. Dan.


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## hdskip (Apr 29, 2014)

After 42 years in precision machining and having used and owned most major brands, if I were starting over I would purchase Mitutoyo for at least 90% of the measuring tools I'd need. That's knowing what I know now and strictly my biased opinion.

     Gary


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