What Did You Buy Today?

Carbide countersinks..
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I added a few more tools to the metrology tool inventory this weekend. Among them were 5 Federal .0001" dial and test indicators, a dozen rods for spare parts and to extend the range of the Starrett 124 inside micrometer to 10", and an O Ring gauge.

The o ring gauge is unique in that I've never seen a 1 piece one that covers the range from 1/4" to 5". The ones I've seen and used in the past usually are separate items with one going from 1/4" to about 3", and a second going around 5", and a third or 4th with even larger sizes. This one has an overall height in excess of 20"

Over the years I've noticed Federal indicators seem to go for a fraction of the price of Starrett, Mitutoyo, B&S, and other more popular brands. I'm not sure why in that they seem to be just as accurate. I do have several of the afore mentioned brands as well as over a dozen Federal units. They all seem to work equally well. Does anyone have insight as to why the huge difference in price between the brands?

Here's a picture of the "unique O Ring gauge. It looks more like something out of a proctologists office.
 

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Well for some unknown reason, just couldn't pass this up. 1961 Case combine for $400. Will be using hyd. cyl., control valve, and pump for my frame jig/welding table build, and many of the pulley's, linkages, gear reducers, bearings, etc. for other shop projects, and much of the rest for future metal sculptures. should be able to recoup most, or all of my investment selling off the wheels and tires, which are in good shape, and possibly some of the other parts. Had to unload the Isuzu free-be from the trailer so I can pick up the combine head assembly latter this week. The ex-owner will be hauling the main part for me, as his trailer is a foot wider than mine. Cheers, Mike

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Just received a couple of items in the past few days. About a dozen assorted drill bits to replace some of the mangled and missing bits from my drill index boxes, some M8 x 35 set screws to repair my mill vise, a nice Huot drill index for my growing, but sparse collection of shorty drills, a bunch of telescopic rectangular boxes for miscellaneous taps, bits and tooling, and a set of short parallels for my toolmaker's vise. The cheapo 6" HF parallels would tend to fall off the 3 inch toolmakers vise. Thought the toolmaker's vise deserved a little more love and respect. I'm quite impressed with the Huot drill index box. Quite the step up from Harbor Freight... At the rate I'm going, it will take a while to fill that index.:)
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Picked up these adjustable reamers, taper reamers, chisels, center drills, Starrett pin vise, B&S 2 inch scale, fish tail, taps, tap handle, dies, allen wrenches, and some things gotta figure out what they are for $20. Oh, appears to be all USA stuff although some has seen better days.
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projectnut said:
Over the years I've noticed Federal indicators seem to go for a fraction of the price of Starrett, Mitutoyo, B&S, and other more popular brands. I'm not sure why in that they seem to be just as accurate. I do have several of the afore mentioned brands as well as over a dozen Federal units. They all seem to work equally well. Does anyone have insight as to why the huge difference in price between the brands?
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Karl Marx was a brilliant economist who spent his life trying to describe how economy works in a world with new technology. His descriptions tend to be concise, scientific, and able to pass the rigor and scrutiny of his peers. He was also puzzled by the phenomenon that you are pondering, and lays it out fairly early in his book, Capital. If all of the instruments work the same and are of the same quality, how does one account for the difference in value? Why is this difference in value variable from one person to the next, and why does it exist in the broader picture? He decided it must be something in each person that drives it, some sort of irrational peculiarity about (in this case) the brand name associated with it. He decides it's fetishistic, an attraction that an individual has to something that isn't explained by any real-world property. The term he uses for that difference in price, beyond the physical value, is fetish value. So, Mitutoyo and B&S, et. al. have a higher fetish value than Federal.

I'm sorta guilty of that with my instruments. I view Starrett as nicely made, but uninteresting and available by the truckload. I prize European quality, like Sühl and Tesa. For me, the fetish value applied to the Euro gauges is easily 20% over the top of the equivalent Starrett. The next guy to read this might think differently. You really gotta hand it to Marx for wrapping his head around it so that difference in value can be accounted for. Something to think about next time you get outbid on eBay!
 
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