I finally bought that $150 edge finder set and it paid for itself in one job

Been running CNC mills for about 8 years now and always used the cheap $15 edge finders. They worked fine most days but last Tuesday I had a tight tolerance job for a aerospace part and my old one broke mid setup. I blew $150 on a good Mitutoyo set right then because I was already behind schedule. That little indicator saved my ass on the first try - got the zero within 0.0002 and the part passed inspection no problem. Now I'm kicking myself for being cheap for so long because that one rush job paid for the whole set. Has anyone else found that spending more on setup tools actually saves time in the long run?

2 comments

2 Comments

nelson.nancy1mo ago

Yeah I used to think cheap tools were fine too but you're making me reconsider

sean_johnson161mo ago

Oh man, you're totally right to reconsider. I went through the same thing a few years back. Bought this super cheap set of wrenches from a big box store and they started rounding off bolts after like three uses. The metal was just too soft. Then I borrowed my buddy's mid-range set and it was night and day difference. It's not just about the tool lasting longer either, it's about not stripping out your fasteners and creating bigger headaches down the road. I'm not saying you gotta go buy Snap-On for everything, but paying a little more upfront saves you so much frustration later. Once you use something that actually fits right and doesn't slip, you'll never want to go back to the bargain bin stuff.