Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

In this day of little or no service from many co, . i was pleasantly surprised to find the L>S> starrett co. still in business , furthermore willing to go the extra distance to help with a problem. i broke a vital piece of measuring eguipment ive owned for over 20 yrs. i needed a part , and figured i was out of luck, called starrett spoke to a real person was informed the part was out of stock right now, but the parts person said ( if you really need this part i have some on the assembly line, i can pull it off the line and send it to you a.s.a.p.) 2 adys later i have part in my hand and back in business. there arent very many companies that give that service anymore. its reassuring to know there are a few american companies left that still understand the customers needs. next purchase of measuring tools it will be starrett.

My father in law used to work there. It's a great company and the products are top notch, but damn they are expensive. He has a lot of their tools and they are the nicest I have ever seen.

Richard

Yes, Starrett tools are expensive. Yes, Snap-on tools are expensive. Yes, any made-in-USA performance engine parts are more expensive than Chicom parts. Yes, it's worth it to try to keep the last examples of American quality and pride of workmanship alive.

jack vines

I am VERY disappointed after ordering this Starrett dial caliper PN# 1202-12, 0- 12". On the box it reads "Suzhou Co, Ltd CHINA" I will not buy any new Starrett products again!

http://www.starrett.com/download/571_pr ... rev_p3.pdf

All my small measuring tools are either starrett or Mitotoyo. You say that the calipers you just bought are made in China, a company like Starrett would only do that is they felt that China company would make it to their specs. and do a good job. After all they are putting their name on it.

I know how you feel, it does suck but its still probably a quality tool.

Mm

RTR-1 wrote:I am VERY disappointed after ordering this Starrett dial caliper PN# 1202-12, 0- 12". On the box it reads "Suzhou Co, Ltd CHINA" I will not buy any new Starrett products again!

http://www.starrett.com/download/571_pr ... rev_p3.pdf

Sorry to hear of your model choice, and its origin of China. I too have just recently ordered a 12 inch Starrett caliper, but a Model PN# 120Z-12 which is made in USA. I am very pleased with it. It seems that most traditional companies now sell import versions in order to stay competitive. All I can say is select carefully, and consider returning the import stuff and upgrade to the USA tool.

Thanks for the info Vintrcr, but how can you tell which of the Starrett products are made in USA?

RTR-1 wrote:Thanks for the info Vintrcr, but how can you tell which of the Starrett products are made in USA?

Yes, its tough at times to determine which items are imports. Starrett is not alone. Usually, the price difference between models is a good tip off. In this case, Starrett specifies in their catalog, "The only American made dial caliper" for the series I purchased. Before laying out the big dollars, shooting them an email or a call is probably the best advice.

I can't say that dial calipers fall into my idea of precision. For a long time all we could buy was name brand.
These were just as accurate or inaccurate as the now available cheapies. I just have never found them to be accurate for much of anything automotive engine related. Close, sure but not close enough. These days I just buy the digital cheapies and treat them as throw-a-ways.

Brown & Sharpe is another company that competes with Mitutoyo and Starrett. I've found all of their equipment to be excellent.