Many of today's height gages, mechanical or digital, which are featured in on-line catalogs are made in China. ProCheck and Etalon are among them. The one good thing about these gages is the price. You won't be able to find anything cheaper. In appearance they're similar to the Japanese gages, which they have blatantly imitated since the Chinese do not respect international patent laws. The drawback will be the fact that repair parts are not available. No one has access to these. When something goes wrong, you'll have no recourse but to scrap the tool. On the other hand, you can probably buy a new Chinese height gage for the same price it would cost to repair a Japanese height gage. We find that they function accurately, at least when new. The materials may be a bit under-par and the gage won't last as long as higher priced brands. The workmanship, especially "under the hood", is also inferior in comparison, but that's to be expected for the price. If you plan to put your height gage to heavy, constant or particularly critical use, then we'd suggest - as always - invest in a brand name such as Mitutoyo and be sure they're not Chinese imports in disguise. The price will always give it away. | 
