Starrett Steel Combination Square with Square and Center Head - 12" Blade Length, Cast Iron Heads, Hardened Steel, Reversible Lock Bolt, 4R Graduation Type - C11HC-12-4R

The moment I took it out of the box and held it in my hands, I could feel the quality. This is a very well made tool and the best combination square I have ever owned. The blade is satin chrome that has little to no reflection which makes it easy to read. But most impressive is the cast iron square head. It is slightly larger than other square heads I own. The thumb screw is a nice size for large fingers and tightens with ease. It doesn't jam when tightening. The screw threads are well machined which makes the thumb screw very smooth in either direction. The blade slides smoothly and locks solidly in place with the thumb screw tightened. It was also absolutely flat with no deviations of any kind. The square is perfectly accurate at 90 and 45 degrees. Overall, it is worth the money. This is a tool that I will pass down to my son.

The price is ridiculous, but the quality is great

When accuracy counts, this is the tool. That being said, I have to go over some issues that are easily solved. When the item arrived, it was covered in oil -- which would be fine if the oil was clean, but the tool was leaving dark marks on everything I used it against. I grabbed a rag and rubbed out all the oil and cleaned every nook and cranny. This of course left the item both clean as a whistle (able to be used on my clean work pieces) but it also left the piece extremely rust-prone. The latter was solved by rubbing some paste wax on it. I first tried beeswax but that did not last very long (a week) while paste wax (such as Minwax) seems to last months. The spring hardened steel is showing no signs of rust, which is good. Not deducting any stars because the functional quality of this unit is beyond anything else. It truly is dead-on accurate and for that, I am willing to buff it and apply some wax a couple times a year. I will note that the more you handle it, the more you'll have to keep it clean. The oils from my fingers seem to be the catalyst for rust. If I wax it, put it away, and don't touch it, it stays pretty. Another trick is to put some painter's tape on the shiny parts before you put it away. You can also use gloves when handling it if you are really averse to maintenance.Of course, after reading this, it really sounds like I *should* deduct a star, but I understand that this is an accepted problem with these kinds of tools. However, it would be really nice if the best combination square would make the best non-rusting combination square.

Perfection. THE best tool for setting up table saws, miter boxes, joiners or anything else with a fence or miter gauge. 100 other uses as well. The fit and finish are heirloom quality. Easy to read English and Metric scales, locks down rock solid, the center finder is awesome for round stock for lathe chuck up.Wish list - wish this had a dedicated case with a desiccant pocket. I know the ruler is stainless but I don't know if it's 304 or 316 stainless because rust never quits. Otherwise this tool should last for 50+ years.

I used this for general carpentry in my shop. I noticed some marked lines seemed a bit off and compared to my newly purchased woodpeckers 1812 and found the starett was quite off. I adjusted it back to nearly perfect square and a week later it was off again. I think this ‘issue’ is inherent of general combination square design and will be using fixed squares from now on.

I got tired of buying different combination squares that claimed to be square but were not or the hardware or materials used to make them were always inferior which led to inaccuracies and sloppiness. . No more of that with the Starrett. This square is square, period. The machining is flawless and the center finder is a nice plus. A very high quality tool.

I never realized how much better a really good combination square could be - always bought an economy one locally. It was tough spending the extra money - but it is worth every penny. If you want to improve your accuracy, you will not be disappointed! It is easy to read, with four fractional increments, and built to last for generations!

I made the mistake of trying to save 20.00 and bought the Pinnacle square and center finder. I found thus combo and decided to order and man, I'm glad I did. The satin chrome rule is so much easier to read than the pinnacle. The markings on the Starrett are razor sharp. When I was comparing the two side by side, the rule on the Pinnacle wasn't even accurate!!! It was off by 2/64ths of an inch as the rule read out to 12".Don't listen to douchebags that tell you a $5 made in china square is just as good. It's not and not only will it not be square, the ruler will most likely be off too. From a woodworking perspective, you will use your combination square for so many tasks it's worth the money and piece of mind to have a dead-on accurate square and rule. Do you really want to trust yout table saw blade alignment to a $5 made in china square? I don't....Get the Starrett and get the best..