This probably won’t come as a surprise to many of you, but I really enjoy exploring – and sharing about – new and unfamiliar tool brands and styles.
Here is a collection of 11 tools from my kit. You would be hard pressed to find any of these tools at the local hardware store or home center, except for maybe Phillips screwdriver bits, although certainly not these.
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Starting from the top left corner:
- Bausch & Lomb 5x loupe (magnifier)
- Canary short blade cardboard cutter
- WE Knives titanium pry bar tool
- PB Swiss offset Phillips screwdriver
- Tone breaker bar spinner handle
- Victorinox bit driver
- KWB Swiss LongLife pocket calipers
- Tone 3/8″ quick socket adapter
- Vessel Phillips screwdriver bits with tool magnetizer
- Hozan rounded-tip tweezers
- Engineer Inc ceramic tip tweezers
Most of these tools were purchased because they seemed potentially useful for my own needs, and some were purchased because they seemed interesting for exploration and review purposes. Often these justifications aren’t mutually exclusive.
Each tool was purchased to fill a need or help answer a question.
Take the 1/4″ breaker bar for example; I don’t need another breaker bar, but this one struck me as interesting, as it has a passive locking mechanism to help keep the square drive anvil positioned at a set angle. Does it work better than standard breaker bars? “Maybe, let’s find out.”
There are 11 tools from 10 different brands here.
How many of these brands are you familiar with? Which of these tools are you interested in learning more about?
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Some of the tools have not yet seen much use, such as the PB Swiss offset Phillips screwdriver, which has largely been redundant since I have low profile bit drivers. I thought it could be useful, and there is still time for it to prove me right.
If anyone is up for a friendly game, you get 1 point for every tool and brand you recognize, for a maximum score of 21.
If you want an extra challenge – do you know where each of the tools brands are based? I haven’t doublechecked, but one is an American brand, one is a Chinese brand, three are Swiss brands, and five are Japanese brands.
Leo B.
I recognize the WE Knives pry bar, and Vessel bits. That’d be China and Japan, respectively. I’m not really familiar with any of the other things, but there’s some neat stuff there. How does the Canary cardboard cutter work? What’s it best at?
Stuart
It works well as a safer thin layer cardboard cutter. I’m not sold on it as a utility knife replacement, but it has its uses.
I’ve only started to use this one, I’ve also used the longer version before.
Fazal Majid
It’s really more of a craft tool, e.g. making a kid’s play fort out of cardboard boxes, like cutting out windows, or cutting shapes out that will be painted or covered. For dismantling cardboard boxes quickly, Skil electric shears are much more efficient.
Jared
Nice. I’ve looked at Tone tools before – I wasn’t really sure what they are like compared to Koken and Nepros. They are cheaper on Amazon.jp than those other two (the only place I know where to find them). I would definitely be interested in hearing more!
I’ve heard of many of these brands… but only because I’ve stuck around toolguyd and even explored the back catalogue – so I’m not sure that should count!
How about a list of small, independent and niche tool makers someday? I’m thinking of Volcanic tool, for example, or eco diesel hammers. Brands you probably don’t hear of except by accident.
Also, even though I own one, I don’t know what an offset screwdriver is useful for.
Matt the Hoople
Offset screwdriver is used for installing a bilge pump directly beneath the engine in a stern drive boat where there’s about 2” of clearance between the bottom of the oil pan and the mounting screws.
Jared
Wouldn’t you prefer a bit ratchet? Even lower overall height and ratcheting. Are these just leftovers from a time before bit drivers?
MM
I certainly prefer a bit ratchet if there is room to get one in there. IMHO you are correct, these are leftovers from an earlier time. But there are sill some cases where the larger head of a ratchet can limit access and these style of screwdrivers is the only thing that fits.
I have this set from Wiha which is interesting because it has a #4 philips among its tips, something I’ve never come across. About once a year I come across something that a ratchet won’t access and I have to bust these out.
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/33b23177-657b-465c-b38f-77be6cc4a765_1.060378bd73346abfa8d3af623bd2e304.jpeg
Muh Fugen
Not sure what you’re referring in regards to the PH4, but Wiha makes other PH4 drivers, and i’ve ran across them on things like license plate screws
MM
Sorry, I meant that I’ve never encountered a fastener with a PH4 head. Normally these offset drivers are available for very common “drives” only. I was surprised to see one in such an uncommon size.
William Adams
Is the Volcanic Tool guy still around?
I wound up buying a similar driver from Countycomm since I couldn’t get one from him.
http://www.volcanictoolco.com/
isn’t wired up to a server and working.
Stuart
No – he won’t respond to any emails either.
Stuart
Volcanic is gone.
There’s an independent level brand, but with reviews complaining about questionable quality.
I have a huge backlog of personal interest tools to cover and review – lots of tools like this.
Jared
I will wait patiently!
JW
I’ve used Tone at work. I worked for a Toyota supplier and they used Tone and Vessel a lot. Both are outstanding brands and were so good that I’ve been buying them for myself as I can afford to. The Tone allen wrench sets seem to be one of the best brands out there
fred
I’m not familiar with the WE, KWB, or Tone brands.
I’ve had Hozan bicycle tools for decades, have B&L Hastings triplet magnifiers for many years, PB Swiss and Baumann branded tools for years too, Vessel JIS megadora impacta screwdrivers, and Engineer negasaurus pliers. I recognize Victorinox more for Swiss Army knives. When I first bought an Engineer branded pliers the company was called Futaba tool Mfg. I’ve had a Canary (Hasegawa Cutlery Co. – GTIN 4962069097048) cutter since 2017.
Dennis
The only brands I don’t know of the group are :
WE Knives
KWB Swiss
Tone
Hozan
I absolutely love Canary cardboard cutters and Engineer pliers.
I would be the most interested to hear about Tone, I really don’t know much about them.
Stuart
I’m finding Tone to be good mid-level quality so far, but I’ve only tried a few of their tools.
I don’t know quite how to characterize them or draw parallels to western brands.
Jared
It seems like they make some innovative and unique things. It certainly looks like good stuff – but I haven’t bought any to try yet. I was under the impression that they contract out at least some production to Taiwan – but I don’t speak Japanese so I might be wrong.
Dennis
I found it interesting that when you look at their English website, it says that they are a “Bolting Solution Company”. And all the products they list seem to confirm that. No saws, knives, measuring equipment, etc. Seemed like every tool they had could either be used on a bolt of some sort, or was a to store their tools. Gorgeous stuff though.
its_jake
Hozan is well known in the realm of bike mechanics for primarily a few tools:
2 sided 14/15 ratcheting socket
Spoke threading tool- cheap and good for threading one or two custom length spokes but pitifully slow compared to the Morizumi or Phil Wood
Various pin spanners
Brett
Do you find that the B&L loupes give better clarity or any other improvement over cheap plastic lens loupes?
Stuart
Yes, but I don’t have a ton of experience here. I’ve got a cheapie somewhere, and I’ve used Bausch & Lomb one other time before.
This one was $9, and unless I mistreat it (I’ve dropped it once or twice without issue) it’ll last a very long time.
Fazal Majid
You need loupes designed for photographers for that, and the demise of film has led to the discontinuation of most of those. You can still get old-new stock ones from Schneider, Rodenstock, Mamiya/Cabin or Pentax on eBay, but expect to pay around $200.
fred
We gained a lot with the move to digital photography but we have lost quite a bit too. My darkroom equipment sits packed up and stored in a closet. I don’t recall when I last looked at a contact sheet through a loupe. I take out my Leica M4 mostly for nostalgia. The beauty of dye transfer prints will be lot on future generations. But digital cameras have promoted a whole new generation of photographers – from quick snapshot takers to professionals and artists — and editing – which could be a time-consuming process with my Omega enlarger is now mostly software-driven and much more capable.
fred
BTW – for years I was happy using my 50mm Summilux camera lens to look at negatives and slides. With a lens shade on – it helps exclude stray light. Of course I would not go out and buy a camera lens – just to use it in reverse as a loupe – way too expensive and not quite as good for that purpose.
Camera lenses in reverse on a bellows can also be useful for closeup photography
Koko The Talking Ape
A camera lens can make an excellent hand magnifier. It gives a big, bright, color corrected image. But they’re big, expensive and fragile, though used ones can be very cheap. I still have some old Pentax K-mount lens I paid less than $50 for.
fred
My old Leica and Nikon lenses still seem to command some decent prices – way more costly than even a Rodenstock 6x loupe:
https://usedphotopro.com/leica-m-50mm-f14-summilux-chrome-germany-lens-vi-ulm-06-4770-4-1759338-21369cec
BTW – I always thought that Pentax made some fine cameras and lenses – perhaps a bit underrated. There certainly were a plethora of film cameras to choose from back in the 50’s through 70’s – when I was in the mood for buying. But I moved from Contax screw-mount to Leica bayonet mount for 35mm and added Nikon when I decided I wanted an SLR. I never really considered Pentax SLR’s – but briefly toyed with Zeiss, Leica and Topcon for SLR’s along the way. By that time the momentum had swung away from German and Swiss (Alpa, Leica, Zeiss) – and was favoring Japanese brands (Canon, Minolta, Miranda, Nikon, Pentax, Topcon, Yashica et al.)
Wayne R.
I don’t have a loupe, but the B&L triplets are amazing for their clarity, and of course they’re pocket-compatible.
fred
I have 4 B&L Hastings Triplets – 816168 (7x), 816171 (10x) and 816175 (14x) and 816181 (20x). they never seem to disappoint when used as intended. I had tried some Srate (Nanyang City Srate Optical Instrument) ones that were 1/4 of the price but had much more distortion.
If you are trying to use a loupe for measuring – a looks at an optical comparator – with reticles might be a solution. Mitutoyo makes a decent one:
https://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-Pocket-Comparator/dp/B007N94CJG
William Adams
Surprised for the Vessel you didn’t choose to show JIS (which was why I bought some Vessel bits) — still a bit miffed that when the Daysaver folks had PB Swiss make tools they didn’t go w/ a JIS option.
Ages ago, used a Roland plotter, and it came w/ a pair of Engineer tweezers which I still have, and which are my go to for delicate work.
I’ve got an inexpensive Bausch & Lomb linen tester which I purchased when I first started graphic design, but am very fortunate to have a wonderful Zeiss folding loupe/linen tester which was a gift the wife of one of the best pressmen I ever had occasion to meet, and a larger one w/ an acrylic base intended for negative retouching.
To expand on this, some odd/exotic tool brands I’ve had experience w/ (and don’t recall seeing come up here recently):
– Omega precision screwdriver set, made in Italy — my dad had this set, and I remember it coming out for small, delicate work. Picked up a Niwa camera toolkit while I was in the Air Force at the Base Exchange, and it wound up in a Levenger Safety Case: https://www.edcforums.com/threads/lets-see-your-small-edc-tool-kit.138327/#post-2649442
– Hitroi combination wrench, made in Japan — one of the nicest tools I can remember my father having (the other was a Vietnam-era DOD production Snap-on ratchet which he somehow wound up w/ after one of his tours)
– a Unior 15mm/9/16″ thin combination wrench intended for bike pedals — sand cast and nicely machined, it’s invaluable when removing a pedal which has worked its way way tighter than reason would expect
– a Silca T-ratchet w/ Ti-torque bar: https://silca.cc/collections/tools/products/t-ratchet-ti-torque-kit-2nd-generation — bike tools tend to be a good fit for my needs w/ their light weight and constant striving for innovation
Stuart
I very rarely come across JIS.
From what I understand, Vessel cross bits can be used on Phillips and JIS fasteners.
It’s been messy for me to sort through. They also have 1/4” hex bits that don’t fit standard power tools style chucks.
William Adams
Bicycle derailleurs, (some) Japanese cars (usually trimwork), some Japanese electronics.
Haven’t encountered the hex bits not fitting, but I don’t use many power tools.
Ages ago, went on a kick trying to get one of every sort of screwdriver tip as a hex bit — the culmination of it was getting a Wheeler 110pc. gunsmithing set since it seemed the best intersection of reasonable quality and price and variety — when I retire I’m going to get a PB Swiss set though.
Jared
Powersports. That’s where you see JIS constantly. Not so much since carburetors went out of vogue.
Still find them on some brake caps, handlebar switches and other small items.
Invariably a few are messed up on older machines from people using the wrong screwdriver. A manual impact driver is invaluable.
I bought a couple Vessel screwdrivers for exactly this purpose. So far so good – but I haven’t used them a lot yet.
fred
The most recent new tip type that I’ve seen is the Aster Recess
http://intl.bondhus.com/AsterLWrenches
BNAE is another oddball – cross pattern used on some French Aircraft assemblies.
SIT is another relatively new style:
https://www.kctool.com/wera-066031-sit-20-x-25mm-assy-insert-bit/
MM
JIS screws are extremely common on professional A/V equipment and associated electronics.
Muh Fugen
You find JIS screws on cameras, since they’re mostly made by Japanese companies
Stuart
I know that they’re on all kinds of products, but nothing that I’ve been working with or plan to work with.
I also recently bought Japanese Phillips #2 drivers, but they work much poorer than cross-style designed to bridge the gap between JIS and Phillips.
Senorpablo
This is still one of my favorite tool makers. The Wadsworth Ratchet Set Mini Super Deluxe 52 pc w/4 Tools is one of the most compact ratchet, screwdriver and bit sets I’ve found.
https://wfmc.shop/
VindalooDiesel
Reminds me of the Chapman ratchet
Matt the Hoople
That Wadsworth kit is neat. Really like my Chapman kits for low profile use. The ratchet is especially convenient.
fred
Some Japanese Tool Brands that I’m familiar with and some of the tools that they offer:
COMPANY PARENT TOOLS
ALEC SHIMOMURA ALEC CO., LTD Reamers
ALLEX HAYASHI CUTLERY CO. LTD. Scissors
ANEX KANEKO MFG CORPORATION Screwdrivers
ARS CORPORATION GROWTECH INC. (DISTRIBUTOR) Garden Shears
DIY TOOLS – NISAKU COMPANY TOMITA CUTLERY CO. LTD. Scrapers
DOGYU IMOTO HAMONO CO. LTD. Punches and Pry Bars
GODHAND GODHAND CO. LTD. Hobby Tools
GREEN TOP TOMITA CUTLERY CO. LTD. – NISAKU Garden Knives
HAKKO HAKKO CORPORATION Solderin Irons
HASEGAWA HASEGAWA CORPORATION Hobby Tools
HI LINE KUTSUWA CO. LTD Scissors
HIOS INC. HIOS INC. Assembly Tools
HISHIKA HISHIKA INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Hand Saws
HIT TOHO KOKI CO. Bolt Cutters
HOSCO INC. HOSCO INC. Files
IPS IGARASHI PRYOR Pliers
IRIDORI NANIWA ABRASIVE MFG. CO., LTD Sharpening Stones
IWASAKI MARUYOSHI MFG. CO. LTD. Files/Rasps
IWATA IWATA-MEDEA INC. (ANEST IWATA) Spray Guns
JHT (JAPAN HOBBY TOOL) JAPAN HOBBY TOOL LTD Hobby Tools
JINKAI U.S. SEVEN OCEANS INC. Fishing Tools
KANETIC CO. LTD. KANETIC CO. LTD. Magnetics
KING MATSUNAGA STONE CO. LTD. Sharpening Stones
KO-KEN KO-KEN TOOL CO. LTD. Socket Wrenches
H. KOYAMA – KOYMAICHI Chisels
LIGHTOOL ASAHI METAL INDUSTRY CO., LTD – ASAHI TOOLS Wrenches
LOBSTER TOOLS LOBTEX CO., LTD Pliers, Wrenhes
MASUTA Sharpening Stones
MATSUNAGA STONE CO. LTD. MATSUNAGA STONE CO. LTD. Abrasives
MCC MCC CORPORATION (JAPAN) Threaded Rod Tools
MERRY TOOLS MUROMOTO TEKKO CO. LTD Pliers
MITUTOYO MITUTOYO CORPORATION Calipers, Micrometers
MIZUNO MIZUNO CORPORATION Hobby Tools
MR. HOBBY GSI CREOS CORPORATION Hobby Tools
MUGEN SEIKI MUGEN SEIKI CO. LTD. Hobby Tools
NISAKU TOMITA CUTLERY CO. LTD. Knives, Scrapers
NT CUTTER NT INCORPORATED Cutters
O.S. ENGINE FUTABA CORPORATION Hobby Tools
OKADA HARDWARE MFG. CO. Z HANBAI CO. LTD. Hand Saws
OLFA CORP. CORELLE BRANDS LLC. Knives, Scissors
PENTEL PENTEL LTD. (JAPAN) Pencils
PILOT PEN PILOT CORPORATION Pencils
SEKISUI (SEKISUI JUSHI) SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO. LTD. Non Conductive Tapes
SENSHIN SENSHIN INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Surveyor Rods
SHAPTON SHAPTON CO.,LTD. Sharpening Stones
SHARK CORPORATION TAKAGI TOOLS INC. Hand Saws
SHIMANO SHIMANO LTD. Bicycle Tools
SHINTO SHINTO INDUSTRIAL CO. LTD. Rasps
SHINWA RULES CO. LTD. SHINWA RULES CO. LTD. Measuring Tools
SILKY UM KOGYO INC. Garden Saws
SILVER BRUSH SILVER BRUSH LTD. Hobby Brushes
SK11 FUJIWARA SANGYO CO., LTD. Files
SKC THREAD TOOL MFG. CO. LTD. SKC THREAD TOOL MFG. CO. LTD. Taps & Dies
SPLEX SUEHIRO CO. LTD. Sharpening Stones
STAR-M CORPORATION STAR-M CORPORATION Tool Accessories
SUEHIRO SUEHIRO CO. LTD. Sharpening Stones
SUGATSUNE SUGATSUNE KOGYO CO., LTD. Hardware Templates
SUGINO SUGINO CYCLE INDUSTRIES INC. Bicycle Tools
SUJIBORIDO SUJIBORI-DO CO., LTD. Hobby Tools
SUPERTOOL SUPER TOOL CO. LTD. Wrenches
TAIYO PICUS KOYO INDUSTRIES CO. LTD. Pliers
TAJIMA TJM DESIGN CORP. Tapes, Measuring Tools
TAKAGI TOOLS INC. – SHARK CORP. TAKAGI TOOLS INC. Hand Saws
TAMIYA TAMIYA GROUP Hobby Tools
TEAM KYOSHO KYOSHO CORPORATION Hobby Tools
TENRYU TENRYU SAW MFG. CO. LTD. Saw Blades
TOP TOP KOGYO COMPANY, LTD. Screwdrivers
TOP MAN TOPMAN CO. LTD. Pullers
TOYO TOYO CUTTER Glass Cutters
TSUBOSAN FILE CO. LTD. TSUBOSAN FILE CO. LTD. Files
TSUBOTAMA Files
TSUNODA TSUNODA CO., LTD. Files
WAVE WAVE CO. LTD. Files
WOOD OWL STAR-M CORPORATION Drill Bits
YAMABIKO YAMABIKO CORP. Chainsaw Tools
YOKOMO YOKOMO LTD. Hobby Tools
YONEX YONEX CO. LTD Sports Tools
ZM ZOUKEI-MURA INC. Hobby Knives
Z-SAW (Z HANBAI CO. LTD.) OKADA HARDWARE MFG. CO. LTD. Saw Blades
Some likeTenryu may have switched production out of Japan.
Wayne R.
The “KWB Swiss LongLife pocket calipers” look exactly like the General Tools 141ME that Amazon sells for about $12. I’ve found they’re a lot more durable than I initially gave them credit for, glad they’re still in the bag & useful.
Jared
Lee Valley sells two that look like this too. One is plastic like Stuart’s and Swiss made too – doesn’t say who the manufacturer is though.
The other is solid brass – I think it’s a Chestnut tools item. I don’t really need them, but the brass ones seem like something I should own!
Stuart
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/general-tools-mini-calipers/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Lee Valley has the LongLife for a little less. Both are made in Switzerland, and so I assume it’s the same model that’s rebranded for General Tools.
MM
I recognized most of the list. I didn’t know exactly what the pink thing was but I figured it was some flavor of knife; It looked a lot like an oyster knife to me. The pry bar was the only one that got me.
The offset screwdriver looked a bit strange to me. I’ve used many of these before, but this one seems to have rather long “tips” if that makes any sense. Normally these are very short to fit into tight spaces. Snap-on now has some ratcheting ones that look like they’re under a half-inch thick. That’s impressive.
fred
Another Japanese pencil make that I’ve encountered (on the golf course) is Pegcil (Okaya Co. LTD) :
https://www.amazon.com/Lite-Pencil-Pegcil-Color-white/dp/B012EVY3BE/
David Zeller
Well, I have 9 of the tools, almost all the same brands. My offset I believe came from a screwdriver set, and round Tone socket thing I think came from County Comm. I have the longer version of the Canary in my Amazon Inexpensive Christmas List list. The only thing I left is the Tone breaker bar. I do have non-floppy mini-ratchets in a couple of makes, if that counts!
My wife long ago stopped questioning… mostly because I’ve got that weird tool needed to fix most anything. It helped that her Dad always said he loved coming to our house because I always had the right tool for the job – and knew where to find it!
Richard Schneeman
I love those cardboard cutters (full size). They work way better than utility knives and fastbacks. Safer too. I slashed the crap out of my finger with one slapped a bandaid on it and couldn’t even remember I was cut a day or two later. With a utility knife it likely would have landed me in the ER.
Koko The Talking Ape
What makes them safer? Do they have rounded tips, maybe?
fred
They have micro serrations along the edges (cut on both sides – right to the rounded tip) – so they work with more od a sawing motion than a slashing one.
Eddie the Hook
The only thing I ❤ more than tools is …. exotic tools 😊
Nathan
so is that the same tone tools that makes the shear nut installers and the commercial bolting tools? The Tone I’m familiar with makes this electric drive tool that runs down large bolts/nuts with torque control and zero application stress on the user.
Machine had a lever arm built into the socket adapter (not sure what to call it) so that is spins to engage a solid – them reacts the tool as it tightens down to specific torque. It’s nifty.
That tone is Japanese if I recall
PB swiss is swiss obviously.
The Victorinox is swiss
Engineer is Japanese
Hozan is Japanese if i recall – we have alot of their pieces in the avionic lab
Bausch & Lomb is an American Optics company. you see their stuff in most optomety labs and offices. But industrial too as they make the ends on our borescope cameras, well some of them. The others are cannon/sony I think.
never heard of canary or WE
Stuart
I believe they’re one and the same.
Eddie the Hook
Re Offset Screwdrivers: i haven’t used any from Peanut Butter Swiss Cheese, but have used them from Sears Craftsman since forever. When installing the top canopy on certain ceiling fans , a #1 offset Philips can fit there. Where as a stubby screwdriver won’t. Not only because its too long , but because the handle gets in the way of the vertical pipe that’s going to the motor.
fred
I love your disambiguation of PBSwiss.
My first tools from them were reamers bearing the Baumann name. I believe that they changed the company name to PB Swiss about 15 years ago – probably to emphasize their Swiss Made stance.
Wayne R.
The kind of offset screwdrivers like the one shown here, I find those to be hyper-mega frustrating to use since they roll over so easily, I think especially with Phillips – but I avoid them.
I’m not the only one, I suppose.
fred
While there are many precision tools produced in Switzerland – here are a few companies that may be a bit lesser known:
COMPANY PARENT Tools
AF SWITZERLAND FROIDEVAUX (ALBERT & FILS) Jeweller’s Tools
AM SWISS Files
BERGEON BERGEON & CIE. SA Jeweller’s Tools
ETIC FROIDEVAUX (ALBERT & FILS) Jeweller’s Tools
FELCO FELCO SA Pruners
GRASS GRASS GMBH MOVEMENT SYSTEMS Hinge Jigs
GROBET – VALLORBE GROBET USA Files
LAMELLO LAMELLO AG Plate Joiners etc.
PEGAS SCIES MINIATURES SA Scroll Saw blades
PFEIL F. ZULAUF, MESSERSCHMIEDE … AG. Woodworking tools
SFS INTEC AG SFS INTEC HOLDING AG Screwdrivers
WAGO WAGO KONTAKTTECHNIK GMBH & CO. KG Electrical tools
TonyT
WE Knives is a high end Chinese knife company (along with Reate and maybe one more I can’t remember).
Jacob
Home Depot sells a Husky version of the offset screwdriver in stores. That’s where I got mine.
fred
I think Stuart posted about these ones some tome ago:
https://www.amazon.com/Anex-6102T-Profile-Driver-Handle/dp/B0016VAIBI/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B0016VAIBI&psc=1
Jason S.
Stuart, what are you using your pocket calipers for? I am curious how often you use it and for what types of tasks. I’ve had one in mind for some time but just never could think of a good reason to that I would use it that often. Help me out.
Stuart
I use the plastic calipers for a random little things. I have micrometers and calipers nearby, but these still come in handy. I also use them for quick metric measurements.
I don’t mind carrying this to the garage and keeping it in a pocket for quick comparative measurements. I can leave these out, drop them, or use them on more delicate or painted surfaces without worrying about scratches.
I could do without them, but I wanted to see if they would be useful and they are. It was a “that might be cool” purchase that turned out well.
I bought it for $7 almost 6 years ago. Right now it’s a little more – $7.70 at Lee Valley, $12.58 at Amazon. It doesn’t have batteries that need changing, I don’t have to worry about calibration, and it won’t tear a hole in my pocket if I do want to carry it around.
MT_Noob
I was tempted to get one that I could leave in the car glovebox. I always seem to find myself at a hardware store or out and about wishing I had one with me.