Mitutoyo and the old fart

[tmenyc]

Mike, I'm a couple years behind you, no cararacts yet. But I've been pretty myopic my whole life, and my pen work requires a lot of small detail vision. I use an optivisor most of the time, and am currently rehabbing a Dazor magnifier lamp. Their optics are pretty amazing. Most of my shop is halogen and LED now, and it certainly helps.
Tim

 

[mikey]

Thanks very much for this, Mikey. I am in a similar situation and appreciate your sharing this.

I am now contemplating how to justify spending the $$ with the "Boss."

Bill

Thanks, Bill. Yeah, justifying the cost of these things is tough but my wife knows that if I buy something then I need it and she doesn't second guess me. What used to be no longer is and we have to either adapt to it or quit. And we ain't quitting, right?

 

[mikey]

OptiVisor Headband Magnifier

OptiVisor Headband Magnifier ON SALE. Buy discounted medical equipment and supplies at Vitality Medical. Fast Shipping and Low Prices.

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I have these, very nice.

Mike, I'm a couple years behind you, no cararacts yet. But I've been pretty myopic my whole life, and my pen work requires a lot of small detail vision. I use an optivisor most of the time, and am currently rehabbing a Dazor magnifier lamp. Their optics are pretty amazing. Most of my shop is halogen and LED now, and it certainly helps.
Tim

Yep, I have two Optivisors and I like them. Problem for me is that when I need it, I have to go looking for it and if I put it down then it could be anywhere! And, when I lean over to read a caliper at the lathe, the damned thing falls off my head and winds up in the chip pan. I'll continue to use them but I have to admit that being able to work without that thing strapped to my head is really nice.

True story. One time, I was looking all over my shop for my Optivisor. I knew I put it down somewhere but it wasn't in any of the usual places and I was starting to get ******, throwing things around and cussing. My wife heard me and asked me what was going on. I told her I can't find my Optivisor and she said, "You mean the one on your head?" I had adjusted the head band so well that I didn't even feel it and during the course of the day, forgot that I put it on. Talk about feeling stupid! I know people forget where they park their cars. I know they forget why they walked into the room. That's not me, or I didn't think so until the day I lost my Optivisor ...

 

[tmenyc]

great story! I'll think of that every time I put mine on...
Tim

 

[mikey]

OT I thought I needed new glasses as well and went to the doc. She mentioned that I was legally blind because of cataracts, put in new lenses and wow what a difference.

I meant to respond earlier. My wife is legally blind and I know how huge an impact it has had on her life. Her condition is not correctable but I'm really glad your's was!

 

[higgite]

I'm a firm believer in good tools and this especially applies to my measuring tools. I own some of the finest calipers and micrometers made - Etalon, Brown & Sharpe, Tesa, Mitutoyo, etc. I chose them because they are accurate and I only need to use them properly to get the correct reading. I've shunned electronic measuring tools because of a single bad experience with a high end Brown & Sharpe digital micrometer that went bad just a few weeks past the 1 year warranty. B&S offered to repair it for about half what a new one cost - to hell with that! After that, I vowed not to use anything digital. I was happy, too, until I turned 69 ...

Over the last year, I noticed that I had to have really good lighting to see the analog units on my instruments. That is problematic when you're hanging over your lathe, almost upside down and trying to read the stupid dial on your calipers! I thought I needed new reading glasses or something but it turns out I have a cataract in one eye. I don't feel old, I don't think old, but I officially IS old! I discussed this new issue with my Ophthalmologist and he laughed and said that while I don't need a lens replacement yet, he suggested I go with digital instruments. Crap!

So, I decided to listen to him and did a pretty exhaustive review of the field. Turns out that Mitutoyo is still the market leader at the digital shop tool level so I went looking for something with a large display. I ended up with the 0-1" Quantumike and 0-6" coolant proof 500-752-20 caliper. Both have a large display that I can see clearly ... without glasses! Both are beautifully made and as smooth as silk. I checked them on my German gauge block set and they are both well within specs. The nice thing about these tools is that the Chinese haven't figured out how to clone these models yet so they are actually the real thing, and I got each of them for about $100.00 less than retail on ebay.

So many of us are either entering the hobby as we retire or are growing older as we continue to enjoy machining. Age brings changes for all of us and at least for me, I have had to adapt because I damned sure won't quit! I'm posting this to tell you that Mitutoyo's digital displays are really good, and the quality and accuracy of their instruments is outstanding. If your eyes are old and tired like mine, have a look.

View attachment 290745View attachment 290744

I'm way ahead of you on those two instruments, young man. I don't have serious enough cataracts yet to justify them, but being lazy was justification enough for me. Enjoy'em!

Tom

 

[mikey]

Young man! That settles it, Tom, you're my friend!

 

[MarkM]

I have been using Mitutoyo for some time and have always been what I go to and trust. I have a few mitutoyo calipers and the digital has always been accurate but I still go to my 8 inch mitutoyo beam vernier caliper when it s a critical dimension. Maybe being on the other side of the century mark makes it harder to trust electronics and the beam scale can t be beat but yes, I squint and know my eyes arent what they used to be so I may have to accept the digital some time down the road. For now i ll stick with the direct reading caliper when it counts!

 

[ThinWoodsman]

I don't have cataracts, but my vision is not what it used to be and I get impatient waiting for my eyes to adjust to near-focus.

I picked up a clip-on magnifying glass online, removed the clip once I saw how weak it was, and screwed in a magnetic base I bought at a local hardware store. Total cost about fifteen bucks.

Worked well enough that I now have one stuck to the lathe compound, one on the mill quill housing, one on a mild steep bar bolted to the shelf above the workbench (to hold magnetic things), and one on the grinder.

 

[Bob Korves]

Edited for personal privacy concerns...

Now, 14 years later, I am retired and busy in my shop, doing OK, having fun, and working around the annoying handicaps. I do all the work around my house and yard and shop. There is usually a way forward if you do not give up, and keep trying. Unfortunately, the reason I am in my shop is that I can no longer fly sailplanes, my former passion for 30 years. So I make chips instead. Oh, and I am getting married tomorrow, for the first time at age 68, to a wonderful gal I have known for 38 years...

Life is good and I am happy. Never give up. Have passion in your life.