Precision Brand Feeler Gages selected as the "No Substitutes" Brand for Small Engine Manufacturer

A Feeler Gage is a precision measuring tool made from tight tolerance high carbon steel material used to check spacing and gaps of dies or any machinery during set-up or repair. In addition, Feeler Gage is used to measure critical clearances of manufactured components. Feeler Gage is also commonly called “1/2 inch shim” which is used under components or dies.

The Precision Brand® Feeler Gage is made from high carbon (C1095), close grain, spring steel. The high carbon content ensures that the material does not compress, producing consistent accuracy, which is the most important aspect of this precision measuring tool.

With today’s highly precise equipment, setting proper gaps is critical.

A bearing house branch manager shared with us a story of how Precision Brand Feeler Gage tolerances helped him. His story clearly illustrates how trying to save a few dollars really can cost a manufacturer a lot more.

Precision Brand® 25 Piece Steel Feeler Gage Fan Blade Asst 1/2″ x 3″ Rounded Blades

The Precision Brand customer is very large manufacturer of small engines that was purchasing Precision Brand Feeler Gage. At this particular plant, Feeler Gages are used to measure the clearance of the pistons and the cylinders.

A distributor in the area offered to save the plant some money by selling them another brand of Feeler Gage at a cheaper price. Within the first month after the product switch, the Quality Control Department began reporting that some engines were being rejected due to poor performance. A few bad engines had actually made it into the marketplace.

The Quality Control Department immediately began an investigation into the cause of this unexpected problem. After two months and pages of documentation, the Quality Control Department determined that the new brand of Feeler Gage they had switched to, was inconsistent and did not hold any type of tolerance.

What the manufacturer “saved” in price was quickly devoured by the cost of these rejects and the investigation. Immediately following the investigation, the manufacturer switched back to Precision Brand Feeler Gage. The last thing the manufacturer wanted to do was tarnish its reputation by selling an unreliable engine.

To guarantee this incident will never happen again, the plant has now specified
“Precision Brand – No Substitutes!”

Precision Brand® offers tight tolerance Feeler Gage material that is also burr free. Edge burr on either the sides or the ends of the blade will cause the material to appear thicker than it actually is.

This means that burrs can cause false readings. It is important that Feeler Gages have a thickness that is consistent across the entire blade. Precision Brand® Feeler Gage is put through an additional manufacturing process to ensure that it is burr-free.