Fowler dial caliper quality ?

[mksj]

Fowler has been going down hill for awhile, very similar to SPI. I have been very disappointed in the quality for the price they charge, I have one of their EuroCal Calipers which was not inexpensive at the time, the battery door broke almost instantly, and then I started having problems with it loosing it's 0 reference and screwing up work to the point I couldn't trust it's readings anymore. The fit an finish was no better than a $20 generic caliper. I subsequently purchased an Igaging Absolute for 1/2 the price of the Fowler, it has been trouble free and accurate for years. If I was looking for a dial caliper, I would look at NOS or lightly used ones not made in China. I see machinists using these for decades and they continue to function well. You might look closely at the rack and gears with a jeweler's magnifier, it might be poor fitment/engagement of the gear. Unless something is obvious, probably not worth fixing and not being able to trust the readings.

I have had a few other Fowler and SPI products purchased when Enco was still around, unfortunately a lot of the trusted brands from years past have gone the cheap route (at least at products I can afford). In many cases the item was returned because it was defective or poorly made. At this point, I would not buy a new Fowler product, for that matter SPI and a few others that offer poorly made products. Like others have mentioned, most of the products are just branded with the name, it means very little about the quality/function/durability of the product.

 

[mikey]

I don't think Fowler ever MADE anything. They buy tools from tool manufacturers with their name stamped on the tools. Decades ago, Fowler sold very nice tools, mostly made in Europe. ... Over time, the Fowler name seems to have been placed on lower and lower quality tools. ... I find that good vintage American, European, and Japanese tools that have been lightly used and well maintained are the best bang for the buck...

Bob, I agree - Fowler used to re-brand top quality tools. I have a beautiful 0-1" mic made by Helios but branded by Fowler. Fowler used to brand Compac dial indicators, as did Alina and SPI. Once upon a time, many retailers did this and sought out high quality products to put their name on but China has made the world economy a challenge. Most of the re-branders cannot compete by selling a re-branded Compac indicator for $300.00 when a cheap Chinese DTI can sell for $20.00. So they buy a Chinese DTI, put their name on it and triple the price of the same $20.00 DTI and make you think that you're getting the same quality that used to come with their brand. Starrett, B&S, Tesa and many others are doing the same thing.

For the average hobby guy, throw away tools are a reality and are probably fine for the relatively low use they see. However, we are fortunate that high quality tools still exist at reasonable prices via ebay. If you know what you want and are patient, you can still outfit your shop with the best tools made without breaking the bank.

 

[joshua43214]

Fowler is cheap import quality at too high a price.

I bought a Fowler shockproof dial caliper for knock around use in the shop since I use my Shars one very often for scribing.
It is about the quality I would expect from HF, I'm very unhappy with it.

I have some Fowler center finders for the mill, they do not kick out consistently.

I have a Fowler scale that I am more than happy with.

Moral of the story, if it has more than 1 part and the words "Fowler," avoid. If you want inexpensive stuff, get something from Shars, they seem to have fairly decent quality for the money. Otherwise go big and get BS, Mitutoyo, Starrette, or similar. The old USA made General tools were also pretty top shelf, and be gotten cheap cause they don't have the name.

 

[David2011]

I have a Verdict DTI without the Fowler name. Is Verdict a legit company that Fowler purchased from and rebranded? It seems to be a good test indicator. I use it more than my Last Word.

 

[SouthernChap]

I have a Verdict DTI without the Fowler name. Is Verdict a legit company that Fowler purchased from and rebranded? It seems to be a good test indicator. I use it more than my Last Word.

Verdict is a British company that have been around for many years.

Their modern stuff is made from Chinese parts but assembled in the UK and they have some patented dojiggery that they make in the UK and add when assembling.

I know this because I bought an old Verdict 0.0005" DTI and took it to one of their facilities to get serviced (it cost me about £40 I think; it's now working very well) and I had a chat with one of their engineers.

Whether the modern stuff is any good I don't really know. Long Island Indicators are pretty dismissive of Verdict but they seem to have a downer on all British indicators (old or new) generally.

 

[David2011]

Verdict is a British company that have been around for many years.

Their modern stuff is made from Chinese parts but assembled in the UK and they have some patented dojiggery that they make in the UK and add when assembling.

I know this because I bought an old Verdict 0.0005" DTI and took it to one of their facilities to get serviced (it cost me about £40 I think; it's now working very well) and I had a chat with one of their engineers.

Whether the modern stuff is any good I don't really know. Long Island Indicators are pretty dismissive of Verdict but they seem to have a downer on all British indicators (old or new) generally.

Thanks for the info. What do you consider modern? The Verdict DTI that I have is probably 40 years old.

 

[SouthernChap]

Thanks for the info. What do you consider modern? The Verdict DTI that I have is probably 40 years old.

I probably should have used the term 'contemporary' rather than modern!

If it's from the 1980's, I would think it was probably made and assembled in the UK.

As good as a current Mitutoyo? Maybe, maybe not. As good as an old but well-maintained Swiss made DTI (TESA, Interrapid, etc)? Almost certainly not.

Mine is at latest from the 1970s.

 

[David2011]

I probably should have used the term 'contemporary' rather than modern!

If it's from the 1980's, I would think it was probably made and assembled in the UK.

As good as a current Mitutoyo? Maybe, maybe not. As good as an old but well-maintained Swiss made DTI (TESA, Interrapid, etc)? Almost certainly not.

Mine is at latest from the 1970s.

Thanks for the additional info. I'm tempted to get a .0001" DTI but afraid that it will just make me chase numbers as much as help. With my Rong Fu mill-drill and Grizzly benchtop lathe a .0001" DTI would probably be spitting into the wind but I think the Index mill and Victor lathe are much more capable.