# Great Innovations, But Not Perfect



## BigAl98 (Jan 29, 2010)

The value part (ie:value to price ratio) is high, but the price part is higher yet. Doesn't add up for me. Starrett (at least the pre 2020's) are still the best for me!


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## jayseedub (Jan 7, 2013)

Thanks BigAl98-first comment, and as predicted in my review, Starrett has now been brought up and accounted for!


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

It sounds like the worst part for you is the indexing feature. Could you return this and get one without indexing? (I know nothing about these products, so this might be a stupid suggestion!)


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Thanks for the review. Have you contacted WP about the issue with the index pin? I just wonder if it's designed to behave the way it is for you or if maybe you got a lemon? If there is supposed to be a spring or other retainer in there that isn't working, I feel sure they would rectify it for you.


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## jayseedub (Jan 7, 2013)

So I've done some more work to diagnose the actual problem of the catching/grabbing In-Dex Pin. It's actually not the pin-that works perfectly. It's the moon-shaped clamp (that rides in the blade's groove and secures things when locked down). Most combination squares don't have holes in that groove every inch, so that clamp-part just glides along the groove. In this square there ARE holes every inch, and the doo-hickey does skip across them and often grab them.

That part needs improvement-it's not pleasurable to constantly wonder if your $170 square is going to snag, get caught, hiccup, jerk, stop-or what.


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## rad457 (Jun 15, 2013)

*My order came with a metal bracket for wall-mounting it-something I didn't expect and was a nice surprise.*

LOL! That was a clue, you are supposed to hang it on the wall and "Just look at it" 
I am also in the Starrett club, but have a I-gauge as a bench square, as well as a bunch oh 2" to 4" ones kicking around, the 2 1/2" Lufkin gets the most use


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Incra marking square ~$30


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

> Incra marking square ~$30
> 
> - Madmark2


The problem with the Incra marking square is; you have to use 2 hands to use it. If you use the pencil lead (.5mm) to scribe a line, the lead breaks and also when scribing, the head of the square can "pivot" away from the straight edge.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Don't you use both hands with a regular square? One to hold the square, the other the pencil? The T-square doesn't pivot any more than a regular square.

The trick with the .5 mm lead is to go with the grain. Clicking the end of a mech pencil is easier than using a sharpener you can also use a marking knife.

You can set a measure and slide it giving a perfectly straight and parallel lines in 1/64" increments (or .25 mm for the metric crowd.) It even has a scale on the end so you can set it on edge to measure cutter height.


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## Johnny_Yuma (Nov 29, 2009)

I have the Joiners version of this square (in a 6") and very much like it. I also have a 12" Starrett (and a 4") that I've had for 15+ years. My Woodpeckers 642 is by far my most used square. Well, I might actually use my 1812 more.

Starretts are as good as it gets, but that doesn't mean that Woodpeckers are not damn good too!


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

I still do not understand the value proposition for just about every WP tool.

You can get a top quality combo or double square for about a fifth the cost of this thing (cosmetic blemish PEC tools). This thing isn't more square than those. Hell, a $4 speed square is just as square as this thing.

I like that they're thinking about new features. I just can't ever imagine spending two hundred bucks for indexing and a shoulder pin.


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## jayseedub (Jan 7, 2013)

@jonah-you're largely right. I have a cosmetic blemish PEC combo square-and I've come to realize/understand that many of our purchases as hobbyists aren't justified/justifiable by cost alone. My friend has a mega-sports-car-it's his hobby-but none of its features is worth $200K to me, but it's his hobby.

I did think that the indexing feature on the WP square would be worth something to me-but it isn't-and it's a cautionary tale to be told here that it ends up actually causing me frustration.

I really do like the fit/finish of the rest of it, and I can see myself using it more than my PEC square, actually. The Woodpeckers really FEELS better in the hand-but that's not worth $200 either.


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## Johnny_Yuma (Nov 29, 2009)

It's only a few bucks more than a Starrett.

To me a quality square is worth the money. I find a quality tool is almost always worth the extra money. Except Festool! Almost never worth the premium price!


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I would suspect that most woodworkers who bought Woodpecker squares never heard of Starrett or Brown and Sharpe or PEC. WP's are over priced compared to precision tools sold as such for machinists. What I really don't like about WP tools is they make parts from aluminum. IT is too soft to use for a precision tool and can get damaged easily.


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## jayseedub (Jan 7, 2013)

@MrRon-I don't know what people have heard of or not, but I'd guess that anyone laying down $150+ for a square has done some research and knows at least one of those names (probably Starrett).

Regardless, I got the combo square with the stainless steel rule for the durability and share your concern about the limitations of aluminum. I've dropped one of my steel squared and it dented too-so disasters will happen to anything.

I will say that I actually do like the functionality AND feel of the aluminum head over my high-end combo square made of steel. It feels better, more comfortable, actually is smoother, and it's a little bulkier (in a good way, for me) than the steel.

Hard to quantify, but I do actually like that part better than steel.


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