Mitutoyo and the old fart

mikey

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Dec 20, 2012
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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.

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I'm not sure what your lighting situation is but better lighting may help. Over the weekend I helped my 80 year old father retto fit LED bulbs in his fluorescent fixtures in his wood shop. Makes a huge difference.
 
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 don't have vision problems yet but I still prefer using my Mitu digitals. :big grin: They save a lot of time but I'll still use verniers every so often.
 
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
 
Out of curiosity I tried the HF version of the 0-1 mic. It's not half bad, comparing its measurements to a Starrett. I use it for rough measurements and break out the old school mic for more accurate measurements. It's made me keep an eye on prices for a nice one from Mitutoyo or similar.

I figured I might hate digital, didn't want to spring for a nice one in that case. :) I like the look of the mechanical digital style as well, but I haven't used one yet.
 
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