Which Starrett mics to get

So I start a new cnc milling job soon and I was advised I needed to get my own tools. They offer a program (after 3 month) that I can purchase tools and what not from the company. But i dont want to be that new guy not having the basics on the first day.

Little background, very new to the trade one been doing it for about a year. This will be my second machinist position and the first one had Mitutoyo digital mics/calipers but since I'm having to pick up my own tools I would like to stay away from digital tools.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a good starrett mic/caliper? I want quality but not trying to drain the savings account. I've had my eye on the 216 (mechanical digital) and the 231 that I've seen on ebay. Anyone have experience with these?

Any advise will be appreciated
**PSA new to forum
Thanks!

What tolerances will you have to work with? +/- 0.005", 0.001", and/or 0.0001"?
If everything is no tighter than 5 thou all you need is a good caliper.
If everything is no tighter than a thou get a good mechanical micrometer that can read in tenths. The Starrett 231 is fine but I prefer the clean look of the 230. The 216 is also fine but not as rugged as you might think. Never remove the spindle on the 216 (should be obvious how I know this.) So never get it dirty.
If you have to work in tenths ask your employer what they require and what they will be using to check your work with.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with any Mitutoyo digital caliper that I have ever used (so long as it isn't broken/mangled/abused.) Same goes for Mitty digital micrometers. I bought a Mitty digital mic and caliper over 35 years ago and while they have never seen hard use they have also never failed me.

If you are working to a thou or tenths I would be inclined to buy new. Yeah it costs more (sometimes a LOT more) but you are investing in your career not a hobby. If you get a "bargain" on eBay and the micrometer isn't damn near perfect you are just gonna end up buying a new one anyhow and you might be out the cost of both.

Best of luck to you.

-DU-

Being a long-time Starrett fan, I hate to say it . . . but I suggest you seriously consider Mitutoyo micrometers. The economy models with painted frames are fine.

I've always found the Starrett mikes and calipers kind of clunky feeling. I prefer Mitutoyo, B&S/Tesa are also nice calipers.

If you're just starting out to get tools, you need more than a 0-1" in your shirt pocket when you walk in. Hard to give specific advice without knowing more about the job. Basics to start:

A small rollaway, don't worry about the top box yet and you don't need a Kennedy, a Craftsman will do for a starter.
0 to 3" mikes.
6" calipers
6" and 12" scales
.0005" test indicator
edge finder
wiggler
center punch
6" steel square
needle file set and rout-a-burr
dead blow hammer
Allen wrench sets, metric and fractional
work gloves
yo-yo (tape measure)
flashlight
mirror
tweezers
small whetstone or EZ Laps

You may not be able to get all of this, but get as much as you can and add whatever other hand tools you can scrounge up- combination wrenches, large crescent wrench, files, ball peen hammer.

If all you are gonna get is a mike and calipers. recommend the 6" Mitutoyo IP67 digital calipers and a 0-1" friction thimble Mitutoyo vernier mike.

I'm not saying Starrett micrometers are bad or anything. They're good, I have some. I always grab the mitutoyo, I just like them more.

My one and only Starrett story.

I wanted to add another pair of good calipers to the collection, so I ordered up myself a nice pair of Starretts. And at the same time ordered about 5 pairs of no-name $15 garbage calipers just to have around the shop..

Right out of the Box. ALL of the $15 calipers were more accurate than the Starrets, the cheapies were dead nuts at 5". The Starretts were out .002". And I know they are calipers, but if no-name chinese garbage is nuts, why can't a $140 pair of calipers be better???

The Starrets lasted 3 weeks. I think they were made out of A36. They were ground and they weren't even shiny. Softest crappiest calipers I've ever owned in my life... And that includes the $10 cheapies from Harbor Freight.

I should be a Starrett fan, I'm from Massachusetts.. But they suck. Mics.. No idea. One chance and done. Mits has never done me wrong, and I like B&S calipers.. Silver face, because EVERYBODY has a black one.

Just a word of warning, there are a LOT of counterfeit Mitutoyos out there. If it seems like a deal, it's probably fake. And I have heard of counterfeit dial calipers of other brands, but I haven't seen any specifics.

I have 0-1, 2-2,2-3 Fowler "Swiss" style micrometers. I have only one complaint the barrel covers the .025 graduations till it's about .01 past on the 2-3 mic and I have to pay attention to that. I got them because someone I worked with let me borrow their 2-3 and I liked it.

I look at tools as if they are tools you might fumble an drop it, lone it to bubba the ham fist, or somehow cause it to not work, wear it out etc. If course you will be careful with it but, stuff happens.

Starrett 2x or 3x the price and from what I can tell most of there items are not 2x or 3x better. I do have some nice Starrett tap wrenches, small hole gauges, pin vices indicator attachments act. I got them because I handled them and felt that they were the best.

Stay away from the Brown an Sharpe value line, it's garbage.

I have gotten some good machinist tools from pawn shops. Where ever you get your tools and whatever brand they are they should be checked against a "calibrated" master to ensure they are accurate. Some places will even calibrate every gauge in the shop. I worked in a shop the manager an calibration company didn't know how to calibrate a Blake coax indicator so the manager smashed it and threw it in the dumpster.

If money is a concern for you, then I would worry less about being the "new guy without" and more about how your money would be best spent.

Since you say there is an option to buy tools from the company after the first 3 months, they obviously have the tools that you will need. I would use their tools for a while and just see what should be purchased and what can be delayed. You may even find that they want you to buy from them so they can control what brands and styles you are using.

If you are really bound and determined to buy right now, I would visit some local pawn shops and get some there, not necessarily the top of the line ones. A good pawn shop that sells mikes should have some Jo blocks to check them against so you can see that they are in spec. before buying them. That way if your tools are questioned, you can rest assured that they will pass a calibration check. And you can replace them with better, new ones later.

I have a tenths reading, non-digital mike that is over 50 years old. I got it second hand and it shows signs of rust pits. But it still checks +/- 0.0001" against my shop blocks. Many people will talk about the need to have constant accuracy checks and I will not try to argue with them. BUT, in reality, there really is very little that can go wrong with a mike that is not obviously damaged.

BTW,. you say you do not want digital mikes. But the accuracy and speed of use of the digital types may be needed for the proper conduct of your new job. My digital 0-1" is my go-to mike, not the older but still accurate non-digital that I spoke of above.

You don't mention if you're going to be working in inch or metric.

Since metric and digital came in, the older inch vernier instruments are going for dirt cheap.

Today, in a home shop, because the old Starrett tools are going for dirt cheap, I've got more and better measuring instruments than the best machine shop I patronized as a young guy.

jack vines

I went with Etalon micrometers in the beginning and never regretted it.

On the other hand, if money is tight, lots of the very cheap asian mikes have carbide faces and measure fine, work smoothly. If it's just about function, lots of the cheap junk is just as good as mittymoto et al. You have to have them in your hands to tell, though.

Not a big fan of digital, myself. I think it's slower and less accurate and more prone to failure.

If possible I'd wait to purchase much until you've been there long enough to see what they're going to have you actually do. You might be on the burr bench to start.

My first big employer had a recommended tool list. I went out and bought as many of them I could before I started. I only actually used a few of them on my specific task. The list was meant to cover any possible task in the shop.

I agree with jancollc's post 4 list..but think starrett micrometrers are good/OK
$30 digital caliper is good to have..Fowler 54-101-150-2 Xtra-Value Cal Electronic Caliper, Stainless Steel, 0 to 6"/0 to 150mm Measuring Range, 0.0005"/0.01mm Resolution, LCD: Digital Calipers: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Pocket handbook
Pocket Ref 4th Edition: Thomas Glover: 9781885071620: Amazon.com: Books

tool box advice.
rollaway, tool box - Video Search Results

Your own checking plate. Future item ..perhaps a 8x12x 1/2" or better set on roll away tool box., ground steel to act as a small plate check...with a height gauge.
Other furure items: an angle plate, V block, surface gauge, square head protractor,decent solid square.

Lots of questions I didnt consider lol. The shop mainly handles AR firearms and pneumatic hand tools. My first job we would get into tenths every now and then and they were making firearms components as well. I'm not hell bent on Starrett and will definitely look into the mitutoyo tools. I would imagine that I would be working with inch. I could always reach out to their HR and ask a few questions as to what people order/what shop requires.

Nothing like throwing out a questions and getting good feedback in the morning!

Appreciate all the advise!

Some shops want you to use only their measuring tools.

Bobw said:

My one and only Starrett story.

I wanted to add another pair of good calipers to the collection, so I ordered up myself a nice pair of Starretts. And at the same time ordered about 5 pairs of no-name $15 garbage calipers just to have around the shop..

Right out of the Box. ALL of the $15 calipers were more accurate than the Starrets, the cheapies were dead nuts at 5". The Starretts were out .002". And I know they are calipers, but if no-name chinese garbage is nuts, why can't a $140 pair of calipers be better???

The Starrets lasted 3 weeks. I think they were made out of A36. They were ground and they weren't even shiny. Softest crappiest calipers I've ever owned in my life... And that includes the $10 cheapies from Harbor Freight.

I should be a Starrett fan, I'm from Massachusetts.. But they suck. Mics.. No idea. One chance and done. Mits has never done me wrong, and I like B&S calipers.. Silver face, because EVERYBODY has a black one.

Click to expand...

Starrett makes el-cheapo versions of their good versions. There are subtle differences but they still offer great stuff. You just need to know which models to not buy.

guest said:

I've always found the Starrett mikes and calipers kind of clunky feeling. I prefer Mitutoyo, B&S/Tesa are also nice calipers.

If you're just starting out to get tools, you need more than a 0-1" in your shirt pocket when you walk in. Hard to give specific advice without knowing more about the job. Basics to start:

A small rollaway, don't worry about the top box yet and you don't need a Kennedy, a Craftsman will do for a starter.
0 to 3" mikes.
6" calipers
6" and 12" scales
.0005" test indicator
edge finder
wiggler
center punch
6" steel square
needle file set and rout-a-burr
dead blow hammer
Allen wrench sets, metric and fractional
work gloves
yo-yo (tape measure)
flashlight
mirror
tweezers
small whetstone or EZ Laps

You may not be able to get all of this, but get as much as you can and add whatever other hand tools you can scrounge up- combination wrenches, large crescent wrench, files, ball peen hammer.

If all you are gonna get is a mike and calipers. recommend the 6" Mitutoyo IP67 digital calipers and a 0-1" friction thimble Mitutoyo vernier mike.

I'm not saying Starrett micrometers are bad or anything. They're good, I have some. I always grab the mitutoyo, I just like them more.

Click to expand...

I'm going to say about the whole second half of this list is going to depend on the work you are going to be doing to start. If you are going in to set up and run cnc, you aren't going to find much use for a wiggler-center punch-flashlight, etc....

Also, save yourself from some aggravation to start and get a vertical test indicator __ https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/06442883

Don't let that price scare you off, you can find it cheaper elsewhere, but MSC is easy to search and find stuff for reference.

Mtndew said:

Starrett makes el-cheapo versions of their good versions. There are subtle differences but they still offer great stuff. You just need to know which models to not buy.

Click to expand...

This is sad but very true. Starrett 120 Series calipers are where its at I love all of mine and have old ones and new ones. Every pair is dead nuts accurate to well better than .001" over the entire 6" range provided you have a feel for them which is true of any caliper

And personally, when I was starting out I purchased used stuff, I still buy a lot of used and I own my own shop. Don't feel like you have to have new shit, a lot of times the older used stuff is nicer and has some character!

I have what some might consider a tool addiction. I have a wood cased 0-12 set of 436 Starrett mics in addition to a pile of other Starrett, Mitutoyo, Brown and Sharpe measuring tools. Some things I've bought new and to be honest when I buy new it's almost always Mitutoyo. You just can't beat the quality for the price. Most of my stuff however is older from ebay, facebook, craigslist, yardsales, etc. I saved a pile of money buying stuff this way, and every one still passes MILI45208 calibration every six months.

All good recommendations. I wouldn't spend too much right now until you're sure this is what you want to do. No need to buy new with the economy the way it is. Plenty of used stuff out there for about 50-70% off of new prices. Recently I tried to sell a couple of Interapid indicators for half the cost of new and had only one offer for $50 each.

i have a few starrett mics ,and they're good. but i bought them used at pawnshops and flea markets for $10-20 apiece.

i have several toolmex/VIS polish made mics which i find to be of excellent quality . also consider Japan/NSK mics . for a long time there was a bunch of NOS NSK mics on ebay ,still in oilcloth and cosmoline. i bought 3 larger mics for $20 apiece.

Fowler....they want you to think it as a brand . they don't seem to make anything, but they will proudly display when
they have something good,and also sell a crap knockoff that is a dead-ringer . for this the good stuff flies under the
radar , and can be had for cheap . look for fowler/NSK , fowler/Helios, fowler/Sylvac . the other stuff wasn't made in
japan,germany or swiss....but they paint it pretty to look nice and close.it's crap.