projectnut
Stainless
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2006
- Location
- Wisconsin
Over the weekend I stopped at an equipment dealer in search of some 316 and 6061 flat stock. While I was there the owner approached me and said he had some measuring instruments I might be interested in. He had some Starrett inside mics, a Scherr Tumico bore gauge and a couple V blocks that interested me. I made him an offer and he accepted.
When I started collecting the tools He also showed me a dozen or so Federal dial indicators and a test indicator. I have all the indicators I needed so I told him I didn't need any more. He remembered I had bought some Federal indicators from him years ago so he threw 5 of them in telling me if nothing else I could use them for parts.
When I got home I looked them over and 4 of the 5 work well, are accurate, and repeatable. They need a little cleanup but other than that seem to be in good condition. Out of curiosity I wondered what they would sell for. I went to the usual places like eBay and Craigslist and found they don't sell for much compared to Mitutoyo, Starrett, B&S and other more popular brands. In fact most places are all but giving them away by comparison.
This brings me to my question as to the quality of Federal indicators compared to the other brands mentioned. Are they really that much lower quality and that much less desirable that there is little or no market for them? Or are the other brands just that much more recognizable that they command higher prices?
For the record I have no intention of trying to sell them. For the foreseeable future they will set in a drawer with a number of other indicators that rarely get used. Should I need a part for one currently in service I'll see if any of them have anything worth salvaging.
When I started collecting the tools He also showed me a dozen or so Federal dial indicators and a test indicator. I have all the indicators I needed so I told him I didn't need any more. He remembered I had bought some Federal indicators from him years ago so he threw 5 of them in telling me if nothing else I could use them for parts.
When I got home I looked them over and 4 of the 5 work well, are accurate, and repeatable. They need a little cleanup but other than that seem to be in good condition. Out of curiosity I wondered what they would sell for. I went to the usual places like eBay and Craigslist and found they don't sell for much compared to Mitutoyo, Starrett, B&S and other more popular brands. In fact most places are all but giving them away by comparison.
This brings me to my question as to the quality of Federal indicators compared to the other brands mentioned. Are they really that much lower quality and that much less desirable that there is little or no market for them? Or are the other brands just that much more recognizable that they command higher prices?
For the record I have no intention of trying to sell them. For the foreseeable future they will set in a drawer with a number of other indicators that rarely get used. Should I need a part for one currently in service I'll see if any of them have anything worth salvaging.