HFS(R) Coaxial Centering Indicator Co-Ax Precision Milling Machine Test Dial CNC

This is a quality Coaxial Centering Indicator. This is the same indicator that other sellers have for $20.00 more. I just used this to center my rotary table. Worked perfectly. Got the table within .0005 in just a couple of minutes at most. I highly recommend this product and the price is way better than anywhere else I found it for sale. Shars' has this same indicator on sale for $64.00 right now + shipping. This may not do the job of a $400 indicator but it will get you within .0005 accurately and quickly/effortlessly. I checked the center with a quality .0001 indicator and this was right on the money. AND THE TIME SAVINGS IS ENORMOUS. Check out the youtube video of Tubalcain using this same indicator to see how you can save time also.

This is a good value, and it is a functional tool for indicating holes. Of course there are more accurate methods such as using a good lever indicator, but this is convenient and fast, as long as you know its limitations. One benefit over a lever arm indicator is that you can use this to center your tailstock, which I found very useful. The one I received is within advertised tolerance, and shows .0002 deviation when I turn the spindle. If I mark the angle where the 'high' and 'low' spots are, I can indicate a hole to less than .0002. Since that takes more time, I just accept that I can get within .0005, which is fine for my work.Overall quality is good, it turns very smoothly, and there is no visible backlash. The feelers are chrome plated and sort of cheap looking, but they are functional. The box screams 'cheap Chinese tool.' I use it either by hand, or at around 100 rpm, and it works fine.Regarding the actual measurements, this is really a comparator, and not an absolute indicator. But you can easily measure the true values if you have either another indicator, or a DRO. The actual measurement depends on the feeler length and the hole size. With the 2" feeler and hole sizes between 1/2" and 2 inches, I measured about .0005 per graduation. So that's where they get the ".0005 Axis Offset."

I'm not a big fan of co-ax indicators since there's so much opportunity for errors. These get you within a few thou which was all we needed for the deep in a dirty hole HBM job I bought it for.It does look a little fragile and the adjustments are a bit hokey, but for the price I was expecting to have to fix it out of the box.I bought this for one job because it was the cheapest 1 day delivery option.

I like this tool. Easy to read, and works well.

It's not meant for everyday indicating. Can be very inaccurate in the wrong hands, pretty cheaply made. It will get the job done. You will eventually want to get a Blaker or something that is better quality. I was setting up dual spindle lathes with live tooling..I was indicating every rotary tool and drill.

It's built pretty well. Has a tiny bit of wobble as it spins, but I mean maybe 1/20th of a division on the dial. It's very minimal and not a problem.The set screw that holds the feelers in stripped putting in the very first feeler with almost no force applied. The female threads on the unit are fine - that's made out of some mildly hardened steel. The screw itself is pot metal and lost its threads right away. I ended up drilling and re-tapping the female threads to 6-32 and used a screw out of an outlet cover. It holds much better and with much less chance of stripping now.The dial divisions mean nothing since there are multiple feelers that are different lengths and shapes. It's good for zeroing and centering, which is what I bought it for.-1 star for useless divisions on the dial.-1 star for a cheap pot metal set screw that took me half an hour to re-tap and find a tiny screw for.Still saved money over a US-made unit at $300-$700 and will do what I need it for.

So far my indicator has done EXACTLY what the more expensive brands do,I'm just starting out in the machining industry and don't have a ton of money to spend,this tool has been worth its price so far

I have only used it a couple of times and it seems to work alright. The first time I used it I had to fumble around and have the instructions in my hand. Finally when I figured out by reading between the lines of the instructions the light bulb come on. Once the light bulb come on I was able to indicate in my part. It was off by about .003" on a round hole but for what I was doing it was acceptable. If I wanted more accuracy I could have paid four times the money.