Can we talk about buying a cheap edge finder and regretting it every time

I spent $12 on a no-name edge finder from some online deal last year and it's been nothing but trouble. The tip wobbles and I swear it's thrown off my setups by a few thou more than once. Finally coughed up $45 for a quality one from a real supplier and the difference is night and day. That cheap one cost me more in scrapped parts than I saved on the price tag. Has anyone else had a tool purchase that ended up costing you more in the long run?

2 comments

2 Comments

andrew85423d ago

Man, I don't know, seems like you're making a bigger deal out of it than it is lol. I got a cheap one for like $10 a few years back and I use it all the time for rough setups, works fine. Yeah it wobbles a tiny bit if you look close, but for finding center on a vice its close enough. I'm not doing NASA tolerance stuff though, maybe that's the difference.

the_olivia19d ago

Totally, I'm in the same boat. I grabbed one of those cheap ones from Home Depot for like twelve bucks and honestly it's been fine for everything I throw at it. Sure, you can see it wobble a hair if you put a dial indicator on it, but for getting a vise centered on a drill press or lining up a part in a mill it's dead nuts accurate enough. People get way too caught up in the tool snob thing, but for most hobby stuff these budget ones do the job just as well.