Comments from a shop that repairs measuring instruments.
http://www.longislandindicator.com/p29.html
Quote:
Mahr micrometers made in Germany are of very good quality and quite expensive. Parts are, or should be available from Mahr-Federal in Rhode Island but they have a high minimum purchase which can make these repairs problematic.
Swiss made Tesa, Etalon (and some Brown & Sharpe) micrometers are the cream of the crop and parts can be gotten through Long Island Indicator Service. If you can afford it, these would be the ones to get. Digital models, however, may not be economically repairable, regardless of their original cost.
American made Brown & Sharpe micrometers are made by S-T Industries (Brown and Sharpe no longer makes anything of their own). They very obviously lack the finesse of their European cousins.
Swiss-made Brown & Sharpe micrometers are the only ones we genuinely recommend. They'll cost a bit more but they'll last longer and you'll feel better. Designed for the professional. Forget all others.
Scherr-Tumico now goes by the name S-T Industries. They pioneered the "tubular" frame which allows for lighter weight micrometers of extremely large sizes. These American made micrometers tend to be on the cheap side and it often shows. However, you may have no other choice for a particular application such as enormous diameters.
Central Tool of Cranston, Rhode Island, makes micrometers aimed at the automotive industry. They're on par with the other American made micrometers.
Fowler sells some quality Swiss gages under the name Sylvac. Fowler also sells a lot of Asian junk. Polish indicating micrometers are also sold with the Fowler name on them. Spare parts are hard to get or not available and service is probably not possible.
Mitutoyo offers mechanical micrometers for all budgets and parts are easily available. The digital models won't be repairable if the models are obsolete, which happens about every 3 years. Mitutoyo is an innovator in digital measurement so if you're looking for the latest technology, look no further.
Mitutoyo indicating micrometers use epoxy to hold the anvil bushings in place. Unfortunately, this epoxy softens with time (and oil based solvents) and the micrometer will lose accuracy. Rubber bellows are supposed to keep the solvents away so don't remove them and replace the bellows if the rubber deteriorates..
Standard Gage is a brand name which you will now also encounter on inexpensive Chinese tools. It used to be one of the American stalwarts but has sadly been [censored] over the last decade.
Starrett does not make a good quality micrometer although it's highly popular. Repairs sent to Starrett incur a high bench charge so it's probably more economical to find an independent repair shop to deal with these when the time comes.
Carl Zeiss made in Germany. Hefty construction but repairs probably won't be possible because of the lack of parts. The dial micrometer could be used in the upright position because the dial is at right angles to the spindle, unlike all the other indicating micrometers.
Etalon micrometers are the best Swiss-made OD micrometers available. This is an excellent micrometer which can be recommended. Experience shows that these have a long useful life (we encounter Etalon micrometers that are 60 years old and still worth repairing).
