Shars 1" Shockproof Dial Indicator 303-3117 P]

Out of the box it's dubious if this indicator will have a place in the shop. Or if it's a waste of money. With time I'm hoping the movement will wear in and smooth out. Going through some initial gauge blocks, the reading is sketchy. I like the claimed resolution, which is why I bought it. I'll give it some time, run it through some cycles and later decide if or when I may count on it being accurate. I have hopes, and after a better test scenario having improved stability, I'll know better if there's any confidence. I'd like to think I may re-visit this review with more favorable comments. They just aren't there during these first checks.

Bought to replace an older indicator used in setting up mill tables. Just had to use it last week and noticed the spindle had a rough feel to it. Like the rack was not smooth. After a few minutes, the rack skipped and now the small dial is stuck between 3 and 4. Not usable.

Used Twice over 1 month and the small dial would not return zero. Would stop between 3 and 4!!! Wish I never waisted my money

This is one of very few dial indicators that measure to .0001" and have a 1 inch travel, which is unique. I purchased it from another source for use to check disc brake rotor lateral rotor and wheel hub runout on cars and trucks (I have been repairing vehicles for almost 50 years). I was trying to measure runout not exceeding .0028". However, I soon found this dial indicator was not ideally suited for this task. An issue for me was that even with the bezel locking screw fully turned out, the blue bezel around the dial face is very hard to turn compared to any other dial indicator I have ever used. This proved to be a problem since given the extreme sensitivity of the indicator coupled with the amount of effort required to turn the blue bezel made it impossible to set a zero point once the indicator was positioned on the rotor using a Flexbar mount. Trying to do so upset the zero point every time, and I had to start all over. Same problem trying to adjust the range limiting markers, too hard to accomplish without upsetting the dial indicator setup on the rotor. I found that the best solution for my application (disc rotor and wheel hub runout) was to use a .001" dial indicator that had an easily adjustable bezel around its face. Additionally, the reduced sensitivity of the .001" dial indicator was easier to work with in my application. The compromise I had to make in this case though was to measure runout to .003" instead of .0028". For my needs, that will work. Bottom line, this is a nice dial indicator, especially given its ten-thousandths resolution and 1 inch range. However, if you are an auto mechanic or technician I would not recommend it for disc brake lateral runout measurements. Instead, stick with a reliable .001" dial indicator. If you like to set the dial face to zero to be able to easily read the total runout, look for a dial indicator where the can be moved without much effort.