HFS (R) 132lbs/60kg Max Pull Clamping Hole Diameter 8mm Magnetic Base Adjustable Metal Test Indicator Holder Digital Level 14" - Tool Stand

Pros:-Inexpensive, yet does what it's supposed to do.-Fine adjustment works well and in both directions.-Arms articulate well and locking knob holds secure.-On/Off switch is smooth and reliable.-Body of base feels solid and weighs about 1lb+.-Depending on angle of arm or weight of you dial indicator, it's possible to use without an anchoring surface.-Slightly V-shaped allows for use on irregular ferrous metals.-Both the base and the back have surfaces that are ground reasonably flat. Two possible mounting options.-Decent item for the price.Cons:-If you have a Standard dial indicator with a 3/4" diameter stem mount, you will need to modify (drill) the main clamp to accommodate your dial indicator. Other reviewers have noted this and it's stated in the specs that the mounting clamp is about 8mm. This is not a product flaw!-The hex nut that secures the arm to the base was slightly loose. A quarter turn with a wrench fixed that.-Other reviews have noted that the machined bases surface are rough. This may be true, but once the magnet is engaged, it's less of a problem. For price, there's no way this would have hand-finishing from the factory.Final Judgment:Worth the money, despite the minor flaws. If you want perfection, you'll need to spend more than $30. With quick modification, this stand and arm is perfectly usable with imperial dial indicators. DIY-ers and hobbyists, this stand is more than capable.

Really nice arm for the money, great build quality and when you tighten the knob a series of internal linkages lock all of the ball joints. Very neat the way that works. The magnetic base works really well too.The only thing I didn't like was the fine adjust knob, it is located on the end of the arm at the point where the indicator mounts so it is pretty hard to adjust it without moving the whole arm and causing the indicator to jitter around. I think a better location would be at the magnetic base so your hand doesn't flex the arm.

This is versatile and high quality mag base for machinists and for proto-type situations. It's a great value, in spite of the fact that the indicator mount is designed for metric (8mm) mounting pins.I use this mag base both in my machine shop with my indicators, and in my lab where I proto-type various optical / mechanical setups. I own 5 of these units. In the machine shop I use two to hold dial indicators and tram in the mill head, vise, etc. With a depth indicator I can get precise depth of any machining operation I want to.In my lab I use up to 5 of these at once - I made a steel platform 12" x 12" x 1/4" with padded feet. On this platform I can place these mag bases fitted with laser, mirror and other optical mounts, and precisely adjust every optical component to create any scenario I want, even X-Y laser scanning setups.When you gradually tighten the main knob on this mag base, every joint tightens as well, so you can achieve a wonderful and precise set of angles from the base all the way to the end point where your indicator or other device is mounted. Once you firmly tighten that main knob, the entire thing is really firm and stable - nothing will move, unless you get careless and bump it real hard. Then you also have fine adjustment right at the indicator mount. I love these things! Very well designed and great quality!

Works splendidly. It's also better than I expected. Seeing the listed all over the place, it was never quite clear whether this was just the base for the arm. This particular listing (hoping it hasn't changed) seemed (more than others) to suggest it was the base plus the arm. I was also never quite certain how long the overall reach was of any particular model. It turned out to be just what I hoped for and works very well with me 44991 mini mill (an X2 clone) as the reach of this indicator holder is very compatible with it. The magnet base is strong and the switch effective. The arms themselves are quite loose and without any binding or grittyness when the knob is unscrewed and easily locked in place quite firmly.Suggestion: The terminal ball joint sockets are black plastic cups that swivel 360 degrees and have a slot for the arms to swing to get full extent range of motion. I found I was often trying to move the arms where the slot was not, thus bumping into the cups' rims. I put a stripe of white nail polish opposite the slot to give me a visual clue which direction to swing the arms. I've had no difficulty since then. I always know which way to try to swing the arms.

So this thing probably works well for many purposes. Holding an indicator is not one of them. I got it to hold the nozzle of my homebrewed mist coolant in my backyard hobby shop. Works but if i could go back I would buy a new Noga and swap out one of my old ones. I'm sure it would work to hold an indicator for a hobbyist tinkering in their garage. But if you're a professional machinist just buy a Noga. Save yourself the headache. Might be 3x the price but they're 10x better. No machinist would deal with this thing or any other direct from China machinist tools. They are never worth it. And anyone who tells you different is full of it. But what do I know, I just make spaceship parts. Occupy Mars!

Super cool and easy to use and works wonderfully! The price was fantastic too! I bought this for my son who is in college as an animation major at an art school. He will be using it as a jump rig for his creations and he was super excited to receive this and had heard about it. Bought some metal discs for it to attach too and it works wonderfully. The cost of animation jump rigs is often really high for good ones so this allows you to add a few pieces and have a fab jump rig that you can customize at a fraction of the cost and will be sturdy and last far longer! At this price you can buy many more if you have lots of characters.