Threw $300 at a digital height gauge and it paid me back in a week

I was fighting with my old calipers on a tight tolerance job last month, measuring each part three times because I didn't trust my eyes. Finally got sick of it and dropped $300 on a Mitutoyo digital height gauge from a guy on Craigslist. First day using it I caught a .002 error I would have totally missed on a run of 50 parts, saving me from scrapping the whole batch. Anybody else have a tool purchase that seemed steep but immediately earned its keep?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_coleman101mo ago

Preach. That Mitutoyo earned its keep day one.

phoenix_grant341mo ago

Oh yeah, I bought a nice dial indicator years ago that paid for itself in a week too.

morgan_martinez1mo ago

Huh, I don't know, @phoenix_grant34. Are we really out here acting like a dial indicator is some kind of game changer? I get that it's useful for some setups, but most folks get by fine with a half decent square and a steady hand. Feels like a lot of people overhype these tools when the basics do the job just as well.