opinions on entry level outside micrometers.

There is no need to buy a low quality mic when there are plenty of quality tools available from Starrett, Mitutoyo etc. on the market.

Check this website out: https://shop.idealprec.com/collections

These folks have both new tools on clearance at favorable prices as well as Closeout/Demo/Used listings. I purchased a reconditioned
mic from them this year and was happy with their service. Better than taking your chances on eBay. They have lots of Mitutoyo stuff.
 
Heresy and blasphemy: I have a set of vernier micrometers that I built up over time, all either Starrett or Brown & Sharpe. They work well and I like them. I like them so much that I bought a cheap Chinese vernier Micrometer to use while working on the lathe and spare my good ones the oil, chips, etc. The Chinese one gives me the same reading as the made in USA, just not as smooth. This is the one I bought:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Aerospace-E916-0-1-0001-Outside-Micrometer/131855287984
 
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Thank you all for your comments so far, I read every one of them carefully and appreciate them all.
My preference is to get a digital but it seems like the so called analog or vernier type is more often available for sale so I'm not going to rule it out.
Since I've been including it in my search I've found quite a few on kijiji,ebay CL, I'm still hoping to find a digital one but put an offer for an old Starrett vernier mic for $40, still waiting for the seller's response.
We'll see,thanks again for your inputs.
 
I wouldn't pass on those Chinese ones, you know the set of 0-4" for $49.99 or some thing like that. They go by names like Kurt, Fowler, IGaging, or Swiss Precision They are copies of Etalon,(sp). The Swiss made Etalon are by far the world's best. I found them to be clunky and the 5 place vernier different than the 10 place I was use to. I had a 0-4" set that I gave to my son when I bought a 0-6"set of Polish made VIS that I picked up from a pawn shop for $125. They were a pain to clean and calibrate. But are much nicer to use than the Mituyoyo . I like friction over ratchet. The Starrett 0-1 has a hard to read small barrel that's not satin chrome, it doesn't get used, but Peter gave it to me when he retired, so I keep it.
 
Thanks Bob, Nogoingback also mention IPI, their prices in my opinion seem to range from reasonable to high but it makes snse if they recondition the mics before putting them up for sale, here is a funny listing I found on ebay:
Swiss precision instruments or SPI micrometer, it only piqued my interest because it sounded like IPI but after I searched on Google about SPI ,it is actually made in China!
 
Etalon, IMHO, is the Gold standard when it comes to precision micrometers. An Etalon will be around long past the life of any Mitutoyo
digital mic. Mitutoyo makes a fine product, but the mechanical gage has no electronics that will go bad after a long time. That said, I would buy a digital to compliment my mechanical gages, maybe, one day. But it would be a Mit high accuracy or QuantuMike, for fast checks on some work.
Etalon mics can be purchased on Ebay for comparable Starrett, Mitutoyo prices and you will be getting a micrometer that is heads above them all.
New Starrett is just not up to the old standards. Spi, Swiss Precision Instruments is actually Chinese now. They make nothing in Switzerland or the USA like the Old days.
 
One caveat on Etalon. The very last iteration of the 260 series, the very last model Etalon put out, has very confusing barrel markings that make it very hard to read. For some odd reason, they changed the markings to all long, instead of the older, long-short-long markings. ????
 
One of the unfortunate compromises to on-line purchasing as that it takes away the tactile aspects of selecting the product. My hands aren't dainty, but they aren't what most would consider large either. I find a mic with shorter barrel is easier for me when doing the one-hand thing. Especially if you want to use a ratchet thimble. Sure they all measure the same range, have the same divisions, etc, but if one just feels better in the hand than another it'll likely be the one you turn to. I remember the first time I held a Starrett caliper in my hand -- holy moly it was like discovering electricity. I just stood there mesmerized at how much different it felt compared to my garden variety ones.

My point: if you have the opportunity to hold a few before buying your "one and only" it might make a difference for you.

-frank
 
Ulma Doctor said:
is it possibly some kind of wax??
i have a perfectly preserved surface gauge encased in a plasticy/waxy substance that i haven't had the courage to try to remove the surface gauge from.
Click to expand...
Sounds like cosmoline. Most machinists had access to it, to protect tools and parts that needed protection for whatever reason.
 
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