Originally Posted by
pdlamb
I know, he who dies with the most toys and all. But let's get real about cost and savings. I've only replaced one seat post collar, and it cost less than $25 at the LBS. Where can you get a decent caliper for anywhere near that? A really good mechanical one (if you can still find such a thing) is upwards of $75. The electronic cheap caliper from Harbor freight was $30, IIRC, and it took another $10 of batteries to get it working again within two years. Cheap plastic mechanical junk cost me more in ordering the wrong size part than either of the other two. So where's the savings again?
It's not a matter of "toys", it's having a useful tool when you need it. You can get a really decent dial-type stainless steel caliper for $35 or less from several sources and they are both accurate and durable and need no batteries. Since most are in inch calibration you do need to know how to multiply by 25.4.
Yes, "name brands" such as Starrett and Mitutoyo cost much more but are not needed unless you work in a machine shop.