POLL......What do you think of Starrett?

[Finster]

I think one of Starrett's problems in todays world is that they still try to make every kind of machinist tool instead of concentrating on a few tools that they can make well. Look at their catalog,they make everything and I am not sure on some of the items how many that they even sell. I have one of their electronic calipers and the thing is junk compared to my Mitutoyo. I don't have a problem with paying for a high priced quality tool, but it better be the best out there.

Starrett is outsourcing a lot of it's tools also. They, like many others, have discovered China and in my opinion, not for the better. I believe that you will start paying for the name and not the quality. For the price of Starrett tooling, I see no reason that everything can't be made in the USA. Other than maybe greed. I do not own a single "new" Starrett tool. However, I use new Starrett tooling every day for work. I'm not impressed.

 

[Rustrp]

And, NOT to pick on you Bob, because I like the old tools too, but when we buy used tools in preference to new, we "hurt" domestic companies like Starret just as
much as if we bought something from HF.

I think this is more than a stretch if we are discussing global economy. Buying and selling new and used, barter and trade, has and always will be part of our economy. HF is the section or slice of our economy based on no deposit, no return and the thought that goes along with; It's so cheap it doesn't matter if it works, works like it's supposed too, or if I throw it away. Starrett tools were based on quality, built to last and was the backbone of America's economy, along with many other machine tool companies. Buying a quality tool is an investment and buying an old tool is purchasing equity, someones investment. Starrett, along with many other companies are competing with CNC production of products, in a labor pool of machine operators, who will never be machinists. I'm not against trade in the global market, but I'm not happy with how it's done or how it's affected middle American jobs. In regards to precision and quality, many Americans are disillusioned when it comes to us having the market cornered on quality and precision and they look west (far east) for the answers.

The irony that exists within the walls of HF is frightening. American corporations send jobs to China/offshore, etc. and have the cheapest, poorest quality products manufactured by cheap labor, costing American jobs. The same folks who lost their jobs walk back into HF and purchase the product only to spend hours making it function or improving on the design so it functions better. Yes, the same design and quality that was stripped so it could be manufactured cheaply.

 

[Doubleeboy]

As most of us here have not bought a lot of recent Starrett tools, I think this poll is flawed. Garbage in Garbage out so to speak. I have always like Starrett tools except for the last word indicator. Last year I got frustrated with my import telescoping gages, they were about the same as my more expensive USA built PEC gages. So I sucked it up got out the credit card and bought Starrett, made in USA, much rougher operating than my import ones that cost ten cents on dollar compared to Starrett. That is not to say all Starrett stuff is garbage, but I sure found one instance. Luckily I have most of the measuring tools I will need for the rest of my life, but if I was in market , just starting out, I would look to European made stuff or even the SPI branded import. I notice Shars is starting to go after more up market price point and specs, be interesting to see how the quality and support down the road work out.

So my vote would be , older well taken care of Starrett, great stuff, with exception of Last Word, other than that buyer beware, the game has changed.

 

[Bob Korves]

As most of us here have not bought a lot of recent Starrett tools, I think this poll is flawed. Garbage in Garbage out so to speak. I have always like Starrett tools except for the last word indicator. Last year I got frustrated with my import telescoping gages, they were about the same as my more expensive USA built PEC gages. So I sucked it up got out the credit card and bought Starrett, made in USA, much rougher operating than my import ones that cost ten cents on dollar compared to Starrett. That is not to say all Starrett stuff is garbage, but I sure found one instance. Luckily I have most of the measuring tools I will need for the rest of my life, but if I was in market , just starting out, I would look to European made stuff or even the SPI branded import. I notice Shars is starting to go after more up market price point and specs, be interesting to see how the quality and support down the road work out.

So my vote would be , older well taken care of Starrett, great stuff, with exception of Last Word, other than that buyer beware, the game has changed.

I have had just about zero luck buying "quality Chinese tools". I pay the higher price, but get the same crap shoot chance of getting a good product. Don't get me wrong, some of the Chinese tools have been quite nice, but not due to what I paid for them or where I bought them, only luck of the draw, as near as I can tell. I am pretty sure that the reason is that quality control and quality assurance are not part of the process in China, at least not on the types of stuff we buy. Everything that makes it down the assembly line WILL go in a box and get sold. It would be nice if all that could change, they would be well accepted if that happened. The savings on labor costs for their products more than makes up for the boat ride here. Putting a bit into QC and QA could make them highly regarded, wildly successful, and taken seriously.

 

[woodtickgreg]

Over the years I have seen some chinese products improving in quality. I think they figured out that they needed to step up the game, or more than likely the american retailer that buys the stuff has said hey you need to pick up the quality of your product because it is not selling.

 

[Bob Korves]

Over the years I have seen some chinese products improving in quality. I think they figured out that they needed to step up the game, or more than likely the american retailer that buys the stuff has said hey you need to pick up the quality of your product because it is not selling.

Yes. Overall they have been improving with time, on average. There is still quite a bit of junk -- and some treasures.

 

[Finster]

Well, let me tell you a little story. Years ago I was a maintenance man for a factory and in charge of keeping up the machines. A lot of bearing making and bushing turning with that job but I digress. This place made slivers of steel to put in concrete instead of rebar for sidewalks and such. The idiot that owned the company (his daddy gave it to him) was over in China on some tour. He came across a plant that made the same thing. He finally managed to buy it somehow. The first thing he did was fire everyone and put heat and lights in the building. He then rehired the supervisors and found out who the best workers were and hired them back. He doubled their wages. Guess what he was paying......... $1 a day and they were happy as hell! Now this was in the 90's but still, how can you compete with that in the USA. There is a reason that a knockoff is 1/5th the price. Unskilled, very cheap labor. Add to that substandard materials and design, it's no wonder they are selling things so cheap.

P.S. Starrett is outsourcing some production to that country now........ What do you think you are paying for? The name in those instances, that is all.

 

[pstemari]

Starrett does have their own factories in China, but they clearly label the import stuff in the catalog. There's a recent video on YouTube with a Starrett factory tour in Athol and it's amazing how much hand finishing work goes into their products.

Frankly I'd expect most of Starrett's attention to go to the CMM equipment and other cutting edge stuff.

I've got a good mixture of new and used Starrett equipment and haven't had any issues. That said, I loathe electronic tools and tend to buy old-school items—last word, actual dial indicators, master vernier calipers, etc.

New:

Forged combination squares, full-size & junior
Scales
Adjustable parallels
Punches
Surface gages
T230XRL mic
T226XRL mics, 2" & 3"
Wiggler set
Last word DTI
Fay dividers and calipers (right before they were discontinued)
Drill point gage
Indicator clamps
Edge finder
98 machinist's level
V-blocks

Used

Engineers squares
Master vernier height gage
Master vernier calipers
T2 mic
226 4" mic
575 thread mics
Rule stand
Rule right-angle holder
Back plunger indicator (the newer one, not the 196)
Dial indicators
Toolmakers clamps
Uni-mic
Depth mic
Dividers and calipers (Fay and the toolmakers)
Drill gages
Croblox/Steel gage block set
Bench block
Ground indicator holder
Indicator stands
Parallels
199 Master level
Toolmakers buttons
More v-blocks

I should buy more new US-made stuff. If you buy everything used, you have no room to complain about companies importing.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[eeler1]

I recently got some new starrett pin vises, and can't tell the difference between them and a cheap chinese brand I had bought a few years back. Can't afford other new starret stuff, generally, but love the old stuff I've picked up over the years. In fact, seems just about any old US made tool feels pretty good to me. Some of the asian stuff is ok, some not. I guess they don't always copy perfectly.

 

[Finster]

That said, I loathe electronic tools and tend to buy old-school items

I agree here. I don't know much about digital mics, calipers and others buy I can say that I will never trust them. Heck, I still use veneer calipers all the time. I find it hard at times to trust dials without measuring for repeatability. Yea, I don't own a single digital measuring device. I don't need it and don't want it.