Best micrometers according to redditors

OMG. Just got my new micrometer. It can tell that the printed part of a business card has swollen up by 0.0002 inches or so due to the ink.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SG7QCO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The perfect micrometer for mechanic work is a Mitutoyo digital caliper. Link.

If his mechanic work truly requires the precision of a micrometer, you should buy him a mechanical micrometer where the entire thimble is a ratchet. Link.

If your mechanic boyfriend is actually a machinist, you should buy him this. Link. Be careful with this one though... he may take a knee and propose to you on the spot.

I just picked out the first link to the product I'm describing. There may or may not be cheaper options out there.

Best of luck! You're awesome for deciding to buy him a tool he will use.

I probably wouldn’t use calipers for measuring the rotating assembly. I’d look in to a budget set of mics. A couple guys at work have a set of these and we were all really impressed by the quality for the price. Probably if I were in your shoes and not needing the tools for continued use I would get a set of telescoping gauges for measuring the cylinder bores rather than a dial bore gauge set, but know that the bore gauge set would be more accurate.

get him one of these https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00MBHXWGY/

or maybe one of these https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0018Q77EM/

or maybe one of these https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B016C04APC/

or maybe some of these https://www.gesswein.com/p-10220-degussit-ruby-stone-assortment-700.aspx

or maybe one of these https://www.kemet.co.uk/products/flatlapping/hand-lapping-and-polishing-kit

or maybe one of these https://gerstnerusa.com/made-in-usa-products/chests-and-bases/2610-chest

sorry i am shopping for myself on accident again

https://www.craftbrewquality.com/seam-inspection-101/

http://www.cask.com/service-support/seam-evaluation-videos/

https://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-147-202-Micrometer-Graduation-0-003mm/dp/B003UATEK4/

Your can supplier and seamer manufacturer should have specs for seam tolerances.

For the micrometer, the one I linked has the angled end that allows for seam width and seam height measurement. The ratcheting stop is a good feature, so you can't overtighten the micrometer and get a false low measurement. Make sure the micrometer you get reads in inches or millimeters, whatever units your spec is in.

Personally, I use just regular digital calipers, which have more potential for incorrect readings with incorrect technique, but it's not like you won't need to have correct technique regardless the micrometer you use.

(*edit: links line spacing)

I love How It's Made. After watching videos like this, I always have a greater appreciation for how things are priced.

Hell, $200 seems like a straight up bargain after seeing the amount of manual labor, industrial processes, and quality control mechanisms that go into a tool like this.

I use this one on a daily basis.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002SG7QCO/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_328_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AW2WQWTHW3EQKG68VV2P

The Mitutoyo Combimike Micrometer looks pretty solid. Same with the Starret Protractor. I wouldn't get anything else out of it. Those two items don't even come close to adding up to the 170 the whole bunch costs. If you're going to use them all, maybe. As far as Calipers go, I have a few of these Fowlers and I've always been happy with them. ~40 bucks with shipping. https://www.amazon.com/Fowler-Stainless-Adjustment-52-058-016-0-Graduation/dp/B000KL2NMM
No batteries to die on you is always critical, if you ask me.
The Fowler version if the micrometer would be https://www.amazon.com/Fowler-52-229-201-Micrometer-Measuring-Graduation/dp/B00B5HEI3W/ref=sr_1_sc_3?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1486344035&sr=1-3-spell&keywords=fowler+micromimeter another 40ish bucks

These , and this.

Better than the clapped out ones knocking about in a machining tech class for sure. And quality enough to last well into the job market.

Well, the kit includes calibration standards so in my book they are good enough.

im assuming its this one btw, the link seems a bit wonky: http://www.amazon.ca/Accusize-Ultra-Precision-Outside-Micrometers-EG00-0906/dp/B00I4AV6BK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_60_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=518k-ga3eJL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0PDEBSR7CAEBMD6NSA28

For a lot of things-- especially measuring filament diameter --a micrometer would actually be preferable.

That said, only reading one decimal place is weird... I've got like a dozen calipers and they all display two decimal places for mm... (And my mic displays three) o_O

I suspect /u/kuteKerri is correct in part. I find my inexpensive digital calipers are very repeatable. By that I mean that I can take a finished round, record the length of that round, come back to it days later, and get exactly the same measure (+/- .001). Now then, I do wonder how accurate they are, even if they are repeatable. I'm guessing that accuracy increases with price, but that's a guess with zero research behind it.

A micrometer (the 0-1" tool) offers more precision at displaying five digits after the decimal (Here's one on Amazon for comparison)

Decent digitals will outlast you as well btw.
https://smile.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-293-185-0-001mm-QuantuMike-Micrometer/dp/B002SG7QCO/

IMO, etalons are a luxury item in this era. I wouldn't be purchasing them new since their price is so high relative to what's out there.

My first 0-1" micrometer was a digital but I also bought an analog one. I used the analog since it fit into my apron...

Hey I actually just bought both and returned them. Got them from amazon, and they were accurate. I triple checked everything using better measuring devices. I only returned them because I wouldn’t need them again.

HFS (R) Dial Indicator Bore Gage... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OU7SYZ2?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Professional Premium Outside... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FNYBKLP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

The dial bore gauge didn’t feel great, but seemed accurate. The micrometer felt nice. The clicky bit didn’t work well but it was easy to use and locked well.

Don't bother with a digit mic.

Get a plain jane vernier, such as this one for simplicity and cost or go to a fully digital one like this for flexibility and speed.

As a student, you probably don't need it to come with a certificate of calibration or traceability which sometimes costs you quite a bit extra. You really need to get practice checking your tools using gage blocks or a standard, a cert just states that it was in compliance when they tested it after making it, not that it is in compliance when it's in your hands after a few months of class.

Speaking of trust, you should inherently not trust any of your tools and verify that they are good to a known standard regularly. Digitals are easier to re-zero a few tenths (or many thou) off true zero, but that's not to say some ham-fisted fellow student couldn't bung up your regular mechanical mic either.

iGaging stuff would work fine for this and is cheap. https://www.amazon.com/iGaging-Digital-Electronic-Micrometer-Display/dp/B0087TMUQ8/ref=sr_1_3?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1539289545&sr=1-3&keywords=igaging+micrometer

You could be wasting money on old mics when new chinese mics may be a better choice. The problem is that it's difficult, although not impossible, to know if the screw is unevenly worn. So you might calibrate it using a 1 inch standard, but it could have significant wear when you try to measure at .875. As I said, it's not impossible, and the right way around this is to calibrate it to the measurement you're taking, which you might do with a .875 gage pin. That said, you should always calibrate to the measurements you're taking even if your mic is brand new and swiss or japanese. And seriously, if your job requires a thousand dollar mic, the job should have it as part of their tool inventory. It's unreasonable to expect a machinist to have incredibly expensive super large or extremely precise mics. A Quantumike is already pushing it for most machinists, and personally, I wouldn't buy a mic more expensive than a 4 inch Quantumike, which is roughly $400, unless my job heavily subsidizes it. Like there's no way I'm paying 100% two of these nearly thousand dollar Mitutoyo Absolute Digimatic mics just to be able to measure between 0-1 inches.

You mean Vernier slide calipers like these? https://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-Vernier-Caliper-Metric/dp/B007K34YO8

Dial calipers are quicker to read and often have a dual scale that reads in MM and SAE. The needle is also more sensitive so you gain even higher resolution than even a digital caliper since you can read the space between the lines.

Calipers like the ones I linked above are strictly for masochists and vegans.

Supposedly they fixed the battery problems within the last few years. Also if you want best of both worlds they make a line with mechanical counters. Something to note though, the barrels are sometimes in metric and readout in imperial or vice versa for quick conversions, but they are available in either full standard or full metric.

https://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-159-212-Combimike-Micrometer-Graduation/dp/B003UATG3Y

they are redding dies. just because one is willing to splurge on one product does not mean they can on all products. I am sure there are plenty of people who have reloading setups that consist of a mix of high end pieces and lower to mid end. It seems there are plenty of people who use the harbor freight tumbler and they do so because it gets the job done without spending a lot of money on it. I am just trying to find out of this particular item will get the job done so I dont have to spend a ton of money on that particular task (so i can spend it elsewhere). Simply trying to find out if this is one of those items that can be bought from the bargain bin as i dont have any real experience with micrometers. There is a decent price gap between that mic and this one.

I am looking to start reloading for precision rifle rounds (so case prep will be a big factor) and i am new to reloading so I am still in the process of piecing everything together.

I have most items ordered and on there way so far, just playing the waiting game with shipping.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000JMW4AS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483469481&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=0-6+micrometer+set&dpPl=1&dpID=51wXFi1lT%2BL&ref=plSrch