Milton448 Tire Tread Depth Gauge

I saw Kenneth C. took a pic and mentioned the inaccurate version he got in a plastic bag and, when Amazon sent him another one in the actual packaging, received an accurate replacement. Well, mine came in a plastic bag, NOT the Milton packaging so I was immediately alarmed. I have a Dino-Lite digital microscope so decided to nerd out and take a good look at this item. I took two pics. One at 50X magnification and one at 25X. I drew lines with measurements. When you set the correct magnification setting in the Dino-Lite app the measurement lines tend to be very reliable. When I look at the hashmarks for the 4/32nd and 8/32nd marks in the 50X pic there seems to be a somewhat acceptable tolerance error. But then when I took the same measurements in the 25X view, and included two more marks because of the wider field of view, you see that the hashmarks appear to be spot on. Not sure what to make of that. However, my copy of the item does zero out correctly when set on a flat surface and at 25X the hashmarks seem to also be perfectly calibrated at 1/8th of an inch intervals. The plastic bag thingie pisses me off, so perhaps I'll call the nice people at Milton to ask them what's up with that. Other than that am happy I was able to buy an American made item. I wish more stuff on Amazon was of that origin. As a retired Air Force officer I'd much rather buy something made in the good ol' U.S. of A. even if it costs a little more. Deducted one star for the chinese-made plastic bag it came in and the substandard way this was shipped to me.

Milton S448 Tire Tread Depth GaugeThere are many reviews that state that this device is hard to use. I think if you understand my explanation below you will find that it is not hard to use, and turns out to be a fairly convenient device.Parts of the Milton S448 Barrel - The measuring barrel (the part with the numbers on it) Bar - The tire depth bar (the part that goes into the tire tread) Flanges - The flanges (the two flat pieces of metal that press against the tires surface)Understanding the Barrel Push the bar all the way up to the flange (thus all the numbers are showing on the barrel). Find the column whose bottom most number is 0 (zero) with a line under the number. This column counts up by 0, 4, 8, ..., 28, 32 That is the first column. Each successive column rotating to the right is the next column. There are 4 columns of measurements on the barrel. They all work together as one measuring device. The units are in 1/32 of an inch. Rotating right from the first column is the second column starting with 1 (one) and counting up 1, 5, 9, ... Rotating right from the second column is the third column starting with 2 (two) and counting up 2, 6, 10, ... Rotating right from the third column is the fourth (last) column starting with 3 (three) and counting up 3, 7, 11, ... Rotating right from the fourth column is the first column again. When I say rotate right, that means to move your eyes to the next number that is to the right. [Note: I guess technically that is rotating the barrel to the left (or clockwise). However, I feel it is easier to explain using your eyes as the reference frame of rotation.] Begin with the first column, at zero, and rotate right one column, to one, and rotate right one column, to two, and rotate right one column, to three, and rotate right one column, to four, (which is the initial column again) this pattern will continue, increasing by one (or 1/32 of an inch each time), until you hit 32 (or one inch).Using the Gauge Press the barrel all the way down to the flanges. You can see some or all of the number 32 but NOT the line below 32. Place the bar into the tire thread. Press the two flanges down until both are flat with the surface of the tire. The barrel should stick in place, so feel free to remove it for convenient reading of the measurement. Look at the barrel and find the lowest line you can see next to the flanges. The number directly above it is the depth (in units of 32's of an inch). Even if you can see other numbers on the other columns next to the flanges; only the number whose line you can see below it is the actual reading.I experimented with this device on many different tires and measured the bar with a tape measure which had 1/32 of an inch units and compared that to the barrel reading and it was spot on every time.

A little bit coarser and sloppier than the one I borrowed from a mechanic and impressed me. Hopefully they'll "come in" with use.A box of 10 was still cheaper than the retail garbage you usually come across so it's worth it regardless, just doesn't have that wow factor that the mechanic's did...which was especially impressive because I never gave a crap about tread depth gauges and specifically asked what kind he had.

This tire gauge is solid and tight. When you take measurements you know that your measurement is going to be accurate and will not change from the time you take it off the tire until you read it.

Perfect size, nice clip function and super easy to read the tread on tractors to get the tires swapped out!

Quality instrument easy to read built strong should last a long time

Fast shipping item as described.

This is the ONLY tire tread depth gauge that you will need...until you lose it, someone steals it from you or it somehow gets destroyed through a nuclear blast!Readouts are in "32nds" and are clearly marked. The construction is all aluminum and very sturdy. You don't have to worry about it breaking after a drop....or a few. The gauge moves smoothly without issues. Reset is simple by pushing the gauge readout back down.Buy the right quality tool for the job. Do it right the first time and you won't be wasting money buying replacements outside of losing it.

This depth gauge is very accurate. I measured my wife's winter tires and when her car was in for service a few days later they measured the exact same tread depth.

Very well made product. I bought two of them. I checked them against a machinist's ruler. It is very accurate. Takes a few minutes to get used to using. In the instructions on the rear side of the package says to wash hands after using. This unit contains lead. In reality, there is most likely very little lead used. I suspect the lead in in the ink of the markings on the measuring part. I would not worry about this small an amount.When I was a kid we used to use lead fishing weights. Lead was used in many products we used to use. I never met anyone contracting some condition from handling lead in a normal fashion. From my own knowledge and belief, as long as you are not drinking, breathing the dust, and eating from lead, there should not be any problems.

Works as intended. Gauge might be a bit confusing foe new users as it is not written where we have to check the numbers from (for example, do we have to observe the numbers from the side or where the attach is as they are not the same height and might confuse non-car people). Great buy.

there the best tread depth gadgets (may need to adjust). very easy to read and theirs no millimeters to scratch off. got a box 10, a week later i only have 4 left, all the guys at work wanted one. ordered 2 more boxes. 2 months to ship the first box of 10 and i'm happy to wait for the other 2.edit: they increase the price but there still worth it.