Axminster "precision" combination set square - total joke

[AJB Temple]

Bought one of these as shop soiled (light rust) off the bay to use for current project alongside my Starrett gear. I wanted to use it as a square depth stop.

Just checked it using the draw a line then turn it over test, and over 300mm it is 2.5mm out of true and the sprung spindle when fully tightened does not prevent the blade rocking.

I have no idea what makes Axminster think they can label junk like this as "precision" 8)

Return instigated obviously.

 

[yetloh]

I am only surprised that you are surprised. They are cheap and if you are buying off ebay, it may have been dropped on a concrete floor or worse. When it comes to measuring and marking Moore and Wright and Starrett are the only names to be trusted. I long ago taken to heart th old adage - if you buy cheap, you will buy twice.

Jim

 

[sunnybob]

Lifted direct from wiki;

Starrett employs about 2,000 people worldwide and the company claims to be the last remaining full-line precision tool company to be manufacturing their products within the United States.[1] However, much of the firm's manufacturing takes place at facilities in the People's Republic of China, Brazil, Germany, and the UK, with 28% of Starrett's worldwide sales being in Brazil in 2013.[2][3]

No point being obsessive about a name anymore. :roll:

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I bought a 10" Starett woodworking square a year or more ago. It's perfectly square and has a convenient mitre at the top of the stock. Iirc I paid less than £6 delivered. I doubt it was made in the USA. I suspect Starett, Snap On and other high end manufacturers maintain an American manufacturing base as they still need to flog their ware at home - the rest of the world presumes all their stuff is still made in the States.

 

[AJB Temple]

It was £15 so worth a punt and returnable. As I said, I have Starrett as well. As one or two of you have said, I should know better. 8)

 

[woodbloke66]

It was £15 so worth a punt and returnable. As I said, I have Starrett as well. As one or two of you have said, I should know better. 8)

The 'Precision' brand is still made in India. Sometimes you can get lucky and sometimes you don't; mostly it's pretty good but there are 'Friday afternoon' ones that get through the net; I came across one a while ago and couldn't believe just how appalling it was. That said, both my bigger 'shop squares are Ax, made in India and are as good as both my Starrett's- Rob

 

[powertools]

I can't see the advantage for anybody buying a combination square of any make. Could someone enlighten me as to the advantage of a combination square as opposed to buying a standard square.

 

[Bm101]

I can't see the advantage for anybody buying a combination square of any make. Could someone enlighten me as to the advantage of a combination square as opposed to buying a standard square.

It's adjustable innit.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combination_square

 

[powertools]

So is a steel ruler with a ruler stop init.

 

[adidat]

Yeah but how does that help you if you need to mark a square line and theres only 60mm of available space?

Adidat

 

[Inspector]

So is a steel ruler with a ruler stop init.

Yup a sliding rule with stop, precision square (okay Starrett and Mitutoyo are) & 45º, bubble level, scribe point, 2 types of protractor head with level, centre finding head, that can be fit to different rules from 6" to 24" and metric equivalents. Totally useless to you perhaps but very useful to me. :wink:

Pete

 

[Racers]

Bought one of these as shop soiled (light rust) off the bay to use for current project alongside my Starrett gear. I wanted to use it as a square depth stop.

Just checked it using the draw a line then turn it over test, and over 300mm it is 2.5mm out of true and the sprung spindle when fully tightened does not prevent the blade rocking.

I have no idea what makes Axminster think they can label junk like this as "precision" 8)

Return instigated obviously.

Get one of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bahco-Combin ... 1438.l2649
I bought the 400mm one and apart from the rule being a little sharp on the corners its faultless.

Pete

 

[TheTiddles]

People who think the county of origin drives quality of a product... I don’t really know where to start.

Maybe, drive a fantastic British car like a Leyland instead of one of those cheap and nasty Japanese makes that annihilated many of the world’s other car makes through their obsessive drive to reduce price and increase quality (and let’s not mention the German’s with their American and British subsidised car factories, they’ll never come to anything I’m sure). Perhaps text on your dependable Finnish Nokia instead of accessing the internet on that beautiful, sleek iPhone from China. The list goes on... a lot.

You can have great quality from anywhere, you just need the right process.

As for precision... if your square is 2.5mm out, try it tomorrow and the day after, maybe 1000 times, I’d lay money it’s easily as precise as your ability to measure it, but not very accurate if you were after 90 degrees.

This is probably a case of caveat emptor. I see many nice measuring tools up for sale occasionally, things like micrometers etc... because it was £300 new they think it’s worth £250 now, it’s really not. £5 is more realistic because if it’s not still got its accuracy and precision, it’s a paper weight and there’s no way to tell from a picture, or eBay description.

So, buy once, buy quality and carry fine tools like you carry fine china, but don’t serve cake on them.

AidaN

 

[Bodgers]

It was £15 so worth a punt and returnable. As I said, I have Starrett as well. As one or two of you have said, I should know better. 8)

The 'Precision' brand is still made in India. Sometimes you can get lucky and sometimes you don't; mostly it's pretty good but there are 'Friday afternoon' ones that get through the net; I came across one a while ago and couldn't believe just how appalling it was. That said, both my bigger 'shop squares are Ax, made in India and are as good as both my Starrett's- Rob

Soba I think? I think they also make the Rider planes.

I have a couple of the branded Axminster "Precision" series engineering squares and they are well finished and dead accurate on a flip test. Maybe they do different levels of QA and finishing depending on price. Similar to food manufacturers that do a good/better/premium product for supermarkets...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

They make what the purchasers are prepared to pay for.

 

[woodbloke66]

It was £15 so worth a punt and returnable. As I said, I have Starrett as well. As one or two of you have said, I should know better. 8)

The 'Precision' brand is still made in India. Sometimes you can get lucky and sometimes you don't; mostly it's pretty good but there are 'Friday afternoon' ones that get through the net; I came across one a while ago and couldn't believe just how appalling it was. That said, both my bigger 'shop squares are Ax, made in India and are as good as both my Starrett's- Rob

Soba I think? I think they also make the Rider planes.

I have a couple of the branded Axminster "Precision" series engineering squares and they are well finished and dead accurate on a flip test. Maybe they do different levels of QA and finishing depending on price. Similar to food manufacturers that do a good/better/premium product for supermarkets...

Same here; I have the branded 'Precision' engineering squares and they're spot on and indeed made by Soba as are the 'Rider' planes, which are generally pretty reasonable for their price point. They're not LN, Veritas or Cliffie quality but that's reflected in the cost...apart from the completely unnecessary black box - Rob

 

[Discobob]

This was on HUKD - I was gutted I missed it - not now though!!

 

[Trevanion]

I bought this old antique off eBay not too long ago, listed as a "set of levels".

It's OK.

 

[Bm101]

Yeh. Passing just this side of alright. :roll:
Nice one.

 

[Peptidoglycan]

For what it’s worth I got it via the HUKD as well. Mine seems to be perfectly fine. I need to do some more rigorous testing, but I followed the Paul Sellers method and it was bang on.

Kind of upsetting that a tool manufacturer will have that much variability batch-to-batch in a “precision tool”. But at least some of them seem ok?