Threw $300 at a cheap dial indicator set from Amazon and regretted it after 2 weeks on the shop floor

The needle stuck on the third setup and now I'm back to using my old Mitutoyo that cost twice as much, has anyone else had luck with the mid-range Starrett ones?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew69014d ago

Man, I've been there with those cheap Amazon sets - they look tempting but fall apart fast. @vera_murphy makes a killer point about the stand being the real issue, but I gotta say Starrett indicators aren't quite what they used to be. I'd personally grab a used Mitutoyo instead of a new mid-range Starrett, the build quality difference is still noticeable even at double the price.

vera_murphy14d ago

Spend the extra cash on a good indicator stand FIRST before worrying about the indicator itself. I ran a beat-up old Federal with a wobbly arm for way too long before I realized the flex in the cheap stand was giving me .002" of false reading every time. That Starrett 196 you're eyeing is solid but it won't matter if your stand is junk. A rigid Noga base with fine adjustment saved my setups more than any fancy indicator ever did. The Amazon kits always cheap out on the magnetic base and that's where the real trouble starts.

loganl2214d ago

Gotta second that Noga recommendation, they're worth every penny for the stability alone.