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Looking for metric only feeler gauges

3070 Views 20 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  MiteyF, 
S
I am looking for a good quality (say Japanese made) metric only feeler gauges. Preferably longer tapered one for checking valve clearance. All the ones that I can find on Amazon or eBay are combination metric/SAE with the primary measurement being the SAE... The Suzuki OEM tool part is discontinued and I would like to be as OEM as possible...
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Big Boy
Amazon.com: 32 Blades Steel Feeler Gauge Dual Marked Metric and Imperial Measuring Tool : Industrial & Scientific
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Big Boy said:
Amazon.com: 32 Blades Steel Feeler Gauge Dual Marked Metric and Imperial Measuring Tool : Industrial & Scientific
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Those are SAE dual that also have Metric, but not precise metric. I am looking for metric.
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AZ-Stromer
www.easterngage.com

Metric Feeler Gauge Sets from Eastern Gage

As a leading quality producer of Metric and US sized feeler gage products, Eastern Industries maintains the largest inventory of gages in the industry.
www.easterngage.com www.easterngage.com
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P
eBay may be a better bet. What I looked for and couldn't find is the ones the Suzuki mechanics used, which are individual small gauges with the size stamped in large writing on colored plastic handles.

You can get sets for BMW's but I could never nail down a set with the sizes I wanted.

www.ebay.com.au

BMW Valve Adjustment Feeler Gauges set BMW R850GS R1100GS R1150GS R1200GS Gauge | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for BMW Valve Adjustment Feeler Gauges set BMW R850GS R1100GS R1150GS R1200GS Gauge at the best online prices at eBay!
www.ebay.com.au
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S
Plug this search string into ebay. Every term with a "-" in front of it is screened out of the search. It eliminates about 95% of the combo SAE/Metric sets. You get the whole range to choose from. High end Snap On for over 100 bucks, down to a beautiful looking set with the tapered form factor you describe, from China, for under five bucks, back up to the name brand Elora set (also tapered) for 50'ish bucks.

metric feeler gauge -dual -universal -"Metric/SAE" -imperial -SAE
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Nicad
Tried an eBay search for metric feeler gauges and “sae” in the search window but got a lot of sae sets. Hmmn
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Nicad said:
Tried an eBay search for metric feeler gauges and “sae” in the search window but got a lot of sae sets. Hmmn
Click to expand...
you have to put a minus in front of the things you don't want.
If you put a plus in front of a term, then every search result must include that term.
If you use put quotes around a term or phrase, every search result must include that exact phrase in that exact order

Google search has decided to ignore these standard search features (sometimes) in favor of paid placement. I very much did not like that.
The amazon search engine crapped on those features a long time ago, which also made me both angry and sad.
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realshelby
A good set of feeler gauges are worth a decent amount of money. Getting exactly the same ones Suzuki mechanics use will net no more precision than any other high quality set. Most casual users don't use feeler gauges correctly anyway. Tapered vs straight is a whole other conversation. I find the taper LESS easy to use and less repeatable. Called "feeler" gauges because they take a learned feel to be accurate. Too many think a tight fit and a tug to remove is ok.....You want a drag. A good description USED to be put the gauge in the center of a phone book, then "feel" what it takes to pull it out. Phone books or catalogs are not so common now!
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S
Yeah, not easy, but not hard either. Goldilocks drag.
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P
I like the plastic handled ones for the same reason mechanics do. Fast and easy and very hard to make mistakes - mistakes like two gauges in the stack ;). The stubby versions work even better on bikes.
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S
I measured a few out of curiosity. I have 5 different sets from cheapo imports to Made in USA PennCraft. Pennies used to sell tools in competition with Sears/Craftsman.
Everything measured within 0.0002 of the designated thickness.

Buy what you like. Nice tools are generally really nice to use. But they all work.
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richlandrick
www.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com www.mcmaster.com
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RichlandRick
Rectangle Font Material property Screenshot Parallel
Rectangle Font Material property Screenshot Parallel

Yikes! McMaster Carr shows a choice of 12" or 10FT feeler gauges. That's funny right there.
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richlandrick
I like the "economy set" for $110.
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S
I like nice tools as much as the next person, but no way am I going to spend over 100 bucks on feeler gauges. Snap On's set is also over 100 bucks.
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P
I have to agree, I'd spend more on a set of those plastic handled things though. The eBay ones are ~$10 here and more than accurate enough.

One tip, my feeler gauges live in clip lock baggies with a dollop of engine oil on them when not in use. It's hot and humid here and if I don't do that they'll be one lump before I get to use them again ;).
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S
They are hardly ever made of stainless steel in order to have sufficient hardness to not get scratched and dented and useless after 2 or 3 uses.

So absolutely yes, keep them well oiled.
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R
Thousands of an inch is better than stupid metrics
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S
Invest in a reliable micrometer - and then check your gauges... I bought a few sets of "less expensive" feeler gages, and to no surprise, some were slightly over (plus gages) and some were slightly under (minus gages). I mixed and matched so now I have a couple "plus" sets and a couple "minus" sets, depending on what I need. And it was all for the total of like $40...

But, at any critical use, I pull out the micrometer and check - to make sure I didn't roll an edge, or cause a measurable dent. When I did the valves this past fall, I used the gauges to find the right "feel", and then measured the gage with the micrometer to know exactly how thick that gap was. It only takes a couple extra seconds, and accuracy is literally an order of magnitude better.

Since we're on motorcycles and "feel" of gages, and like @realshelby said, there aren't a lot of phone books around anymore - I like to think of that level of drag like good trailbraking... Just enough you can feel it happening, but it doesn't exert a lot of force.
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