Got talked into a cheap digital readout kit for my old Bridgeport

I was dead set against digital readouts for years. Kept saying my dials were fine, no need to overcomplicate things. Buddy at the shop swore by a $150 kit from Amazon so I finally caved. First job I ran with it cut my setup time by almost half and I haven't touched the dials since. Anybody else get converted by something they thought was nonsense at first?

2 comments

2 Comments

lewis.diana1d ago

Bought one of those cheap magnetic base indicator holders years back thinking it'd be junk, but that thing is still holding perfectly after a decade of abuse. Makes you wonder what other budget tools are actually worth grabbing and which ones are just a waste of money. Been seriously tempted to try one of those $50 DRO kits for my lathe, you ever run into any accuracy issues with yours on critical cuts?

johnson.ryan1d ago

Hold your horses on that $50 DRO kit though. I tried one and the accuracy drifts pretty bad once the chips start flying and things heat up. Fine for roughing but I wouldn't trust it on anything tighter than a few thou.