Just splashed out on a precision instrument

[Ady WilsonParticipant @adywilson52106]

[Ady WilsonParticipant @adywilson52106]

Just spent some hard earned on this very rare dial indicator by the well respected company Miluloyo. I have always wanted one but sadly they were always out of my price range. I got it off Ebay and I am guessing that someone at the factory perhaps pinched it because it obviously never got to the inspector for quality checkup or even got an enginery number.

I bought it because I lost the stylus/lever of mine and it was going to be £5 quid for a new one so I took a flyer on this for £8 delivered. I trammed a vice in with it today and it worked perfectly well. The cheap copies done by Mitutoyo come in at over a £100 so I think i got a deal getting the real thing so cheap.

Ady.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Nice one Ady

… and, I see that these real ones don't have all that messy writing on the 'Certificate of Inspection'

MichaelG.

[Simon Williams 3Participant @simonwilliams3]

Well, I'm sorry to p$$s on the party but that isn't a Mitutoyo certificate, signed or otherwise.

Or did I miss the point?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Simon Williams 3 on 24/11/2017 20:33:22:

Or did I miss the point?

.

Yes

[Michael BriggsParticipant @michaelbriggs82422]

I bought a 'Mitutoyo' micrometer on fakebay last year. It was quite convincing until I removed the screw, got a refund from the seller who claimed they had been duped. I doubt that.

[Rick Kirkland 1Participant @rickkirkland1]

Unless my eyes deceive me the OP has written Miluloyo and that is exactly what it says on the dial face, therefore it is NOT a Mitutoyo dial indicator but one of those items of fake Chinese junk that are catching out the unwary, with increasing frequency.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

You are supposed to fill in the certificate with whatever makes you feel happiest.

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Just as an aside – I'm sure people have noticed that Chinese and Japanese QC certificates have little rubber stamps on them instead of signatures. While this may sometimes raise suspicions, that is the legal way of signing a document in those countries. My daughter expects to spend a gap year in Japan and she is likely to need two or three for different purposes (you would use a different one to open a bank account to eh one you might use to sign a letter).

Neil

[Ady WilsonParticipant @adywilson52106]

I just wish all my tools had an "enginery" number, it sounds very professional.

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

I'm afraid if you want a real mitutoyo product then ebay isn't the safest way to do it. You need to go through a proper distributor like MSC industrial or machine DRO.

I'm sceptical as to whether it'll be as decent as a real one. Why would they charge so little if they know they could get more for it? 

Michael W

 

Edited By Michael-w on 24/11/2017 22:01:15

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Many of my tools didn't have an 'enginery' number Ady – but since I've put one on them, I do feel they are a lot more accurate.

IanT

[Ady WilsonParticipant @adywilson52106]

Posted by IanT on 24/11/2017 22:30:53:

Many of my tools didn't have an 'enginery' number Ady – but since I've put one on them, I do feel they are a lot more accurate.

IanT

haha nice one Ian. I think I might print out a few certificates to go with my tools would probably increase their value aswell as accuracy

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

Hi Ady,

I got a similar DTI as a gift, but the label says Mitutogo, not "Miluloyo" as yours. It has worked well for several years, I haven't checked it against my older DTI though.

Thor

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

It seems a few people may not be familiar with the leading brands and er not so leading. Perhaps there should be an article in Model Enginery Workshop.

[doubletopParticipant @doubletop]

Posted by Bazyle on 25/11/2017 09:51:24:

It seems a few people may not be familiar with the leading brands and er not so leading. Perhaps there should be an article in Model Enginery Workshop.

"Misleading Brands?

[jimmy bParticipant @jimmyb]

I've got a couple of these for day to day clocking up.

If its "important", I get the real one out!

Jim

[Brian RutherfordParticipant @brianrutherford79058]

A good friend of mine in his eighties has mitutoyo verniers and micrometers but only keeps them for "best" and uses his cheap chinese ones for everyday use. Whats the point of having them?. He should give them to me

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

Jimmy b,

Exactly so. I, like many on here I suspect, mainly use these devices to align vices, etc, on the mill or check parallelism of some description. Unless I'm using it wrongly, accuracy or scale doesn't come into it. In these circumstances it is merely a comparator. Like the man said, if it is important, use a real one.

John

[VicParticipant @vic]

I can’t find the page now but Long Island Indicator.

**LINK**

Have not in the past been very impressed with Mitutoyo indicators, much preferring Swiss made products. I don’t think I need to repeat what they think of Chinese indicators.

[Martin DowingParticipant @martindowing58466]

About 15 years ago I have purchased few micrometers of Mitutoyo on ebay but it was good old time when cheats was rare. At the time such items were going for 20 queeds or so. Bought few with ranges 25-150mm, hardly used, with certificates.

At the time I have also bought ex store 25mm and 1inch Starret external mic, bore allignement clock (0.0005" ex Verdict and precision clock ex Starret. All with vernier scale reading, mics are up to 1micron accurate but such accuracy is rarely needed and in any case requires great care to reproduce readings. These are expensive items. 15 years ago each such piece was approx 120 queeds and I had permanent 20% discount negotiated. Of course together with mics they are providing calibration bars of accurate lenght.

Perhaps my best buy of precision equipment on ebay was Watson precision level made in 1960-ties. My friend from academia (experimental physics) looks on that one with envy. Advice is to keep it as piece of historic equipment but in his opinion only laser interferometers can compete with it. Between bubble levels it is a jewel and it was only 15 qeeds on ebay.

Martin

Edited By Martin Dowing on 26/11/2017 10:22:19

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Thor on 25/11/2017 06:28:55:

Hi Ady,

I got a similar DTI as a gift, but the label says Mitutogo, not "Miluloyo" as yours. It has worked well for several years, I haven't checked it against my older DTI though.

Thor

Yes, I bought one also several years ago and have had good use out it. Mine was mislabelled as "Mitutoyo" but the price was less than $20 including a cute little magnetic stand and delivery to my doorstep from the enginery itself.

When you look at them closely, the pivot bearing for the "finger" is just a pair of points whereas the $200 Mitutoyos have IIRC a pair of tiny roller bearings or something similar that is more sensitive and precise. Also the dovetails on the body are diecast and not machined, but they still work.

My cheapo has worked well for several years now. Used for centering in the lathe, measuring up lathe bed ways and the like when reconditioning them and all the usual workshop things. So far so good.

I might follow Neil's suggestion and fill out the inspection certificate myself, just so I feel good!

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

 

Posted by John Hinkley on 26/11/2017 09:55:48:

… accuracy or scale doesn't come into it. In these circumstances it is merely a comparator.

.

Agreed, John

In those circumstances the scale is for indication, not measurement.

The difference between brands is then largely limited to the precision and longevity of the instrument.

i.e. its ability to 'provide the same answer to the same question' repeatedly.

… That's where the build-quality becomes really important.

It would be interesting to do a comparative 'teardown' of a Miluloyo and a Mitutoyo indicator of similar specification.

MichaelG.

.

Edit: Posted before I had seem Hopper's comments.

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 26/11/2017 10:26:07

[ChrisBParticipant @chrisb35596]

Posted by Hopper on 26/11/2017 10:22:30:

When you look at them closely, the pivot bearing for the "finger" is just a pair of points whereas the $200 Mitutoyos have IIRC a pair of tiny roller bearings or something similar that is more sensitive and precise. Also the dovetails on the body are diecast and not machined, but they still work.

You would be surprised as they might be on ball bearings as well! I have a £35 dti from one of our trusted dealers – a Chinese import for sure – which I took apart, the stylus lever is supported on microscopic ball bearings the size of a ball pen point.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

'Just Splashed Out on a Precision Instrument'

Ho Ho!

Dave

[Author]

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