When you are working in the shop, it is frequently very important to have reliable measurements. I have owned a number of calipers and one good dial micrometer (which I can’t find) over the years. I am definitely not a machinist but I run into situations regularly where I need more reliable measurements then what a normal pair of digital calipers can give. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but it is really easy to get readings all over the place on a caliper depending on how hard you squeeze it. At any rate, I realize I really should invest in a digital micrometer but had a limited budget also I started doing a bunch of research and found the IGaging 0-1″ micrometer at Amazon. I bought it back in January 2017 and have been very happy. Everything about it is very easy to use. This is exactly what I have and you can click on the link to learn more and order one:
4/10/2017 Testing:
After I posted the blog, some guys asked me to take a feeler gauge, get some samples and post the results. I must admit I know I should take 30 samples but opted just to do 10 for the sake of time. I zeroed the micrometer and pulled out the .027″ blade and I have no idea where the set came from – quite possibly Autozone or Harbor Freight so just how exact it is, I don’t know. I would take a measurement, back the anvil off a few turns, and bring it in again until I could hear the clutch click. The work and the micrometer were resting on the table at all times unlike the photo I took above. Here is the results that I generated in Excel:
I think it is remarkable that out of 10 scores there was only a spread of 0.00015″ – that repeatability is pretty cool given the price of this micrometer and is exactly why I wanted a micrometer vs. a caliper for some of the stuff I do.
What I like:
- Very easy to use with simple instructions
- Large easy to read digits
- You can adjust a little clutch to get consistent clamping during measurements
- The battery is easy to get to
- Appears to take consistent measures
- As you can see from testing, repeatability appears to fall very close to their 0.0001″ claim
- If we assume that the gauge really is .027, then the average (.026895) is exactly .000105 short of that but that is an assumption
- Easy to toggle between inches and millimeters, which I have to do all the time
Con:
- One small complaint is a very cheap case. Now, I’d rather have the money spent on the tool so this is a nit-picking con but also the only one I have so far.
If you’re looking for a good budget 0-1″micrometer that does not break the bank, I would recommend you buy it.
7/19/2019 Update: Still going strong. No problems to report.
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