Federal Dial Indicators

[projectnut]

As mentioned in an earlier post I recently acquired a number of Federal brand dial indicators. I've had a couple for decades and liked them, but they're metric and get limited use. Since picking up a few more I decided to do some research as to the quality of the products they offered.. I say "offered" because I'm referring to those made by Federal Products Corp. of Providence RI., not those currently made by Mahr Federal. There seems to be a considerable difference of opinion between actual users, and some repair services.

I posted a couple threads on professional boards and got a number of responses. Those that have and use them on a regular basis seem to swear by them. Often times they compare them to Starrett, Mitutoyo, Interapid, and B&S. In every case they seem to be equal to or better than the other brands. Several repair services rate them in the top 5 of the brands on the market. One notable exception is Long Island Indicator Service. They rate them as non-serviceable, and slightly lower than junk. On their comparison chart they claim no parts are available, and rate the builds as poor quality with gobs of solder inside the case.

I must say after inspecting and cleaning those I currently have (7) I can't concur with their opinion. The ones I have are all pristine on the inside, all fully jeweled, and show no signs of poor quality. To that end I have purchased another half dozen which should be arriving today. If they are anything like those I currently have I would say they are an excellent value. Most appear to be in like new condition and had asking prices between $5.00 and $15.00. Looking at similar indicators made by the above mentioned companies the federals are selling for between 15% and 30% of their asking prices.

If all works out I should have a fairly complete line of coverage. The collection will include .005mm, .01mm, .02mm, .05mm, .0001", .-0002", .0005", and .001". This brings to mind the question "Is anyone else on this board using Federal indicators, and if so what is your opinion of them?

 

[Peyton Price 17]

I have mostly federals and they dont break. been dropped a couple of times( not by me) and don't have a ding or crack. like them better than Starrett! they are built hefty and to last, unlike Starrett that isn't built as heft but still one of the best for accuracy.

 

[TIM-RANEY]

I have four (4) Federal dial indicators (vintage). All used, but in good shape. I just had to clean and lubricate them. If the dial cover [crystal] was scratched at all, I re-polished it with plastic polish. I have not had any issues with them. They appear to be well-made.

 

[francist]

I have several Federals as well as one Mahr-Federal. I’m easily as happy with them as I am with my other indicators for the type of use I put them through (non-industrial). It’s tempting to believe claims and opinions of companies or individuals who seem to have greater experience but like anything, there can be biases either founded or not. I tend to look at the track record of the company instead — if they are purveyors of junk they don’t typically survive for 50-plus years or more in a discerning marketplace.

-frank