Bought a used dial indicator over a digital one for engine work last week

I had a choice between a $30 used Starrett dial indicator and a $60 digital one at the parts counter, and I went with the old school dial because the guy said they last forever. Got it home, mounted it on a stand to check a cylinder bore, and it was dead on after I zeroed it twice. Has anyone else had trouble with digital gauges drifting in cold hangar temps?

3 comments

3 Comments

sullivan.quinn18d ago

Cold temps mess with digital stuff. Dial indicators don't care.

henry_anderson5419d ago

Man that vintage Starrett stuff is bulletproof. I grabbed a used Mitutoyo dial indicator off eBay years ago for like $20 and it still tracks perfect even when my shop drops down to 40 degrees in winter. My buddy has a nice digital one and he's always complaining about it going haywire when the temp swings, especially in unheated hangars. Sticking with analog was the right call for engine work, those old tools just don't quit. Glad yours checked out spot on too.

robin89618d ago

Gotta nitpick one thing - Mitutoyo and Starrett are totally different brands. Starrett's the vintage American stuff, Mitutoyo's the Japanese precision tools. Both are great though, your eBay score with that Mitutoyo dial indicator is still a solid win for $20!