Starrett ProSite Miter Protractor, 12" Aluminum

Amazing little job site tool. I use it all the time. It finds the perfect angle every time. I highly recommend this tool. Makes the job so much easier.

Look, let's be blunt. No matter how good your hotshot framing and drywall crews are, even new construction is never square. And in old houses, it just gets worse. And this doesn't even take into account irregular angled walls that are anyone's guess. Now I know the rest of you all payed attention in 8th grade geometry, but for those of us who don't like mulling over math problems on the job site, the Sarrette is as good as it gets. Read the single cut angle off one side. Read the miter cut off the other. And the tool can (and should) be used to set your miter saw to the exact angle you need. Read it off the wall, set the blade using the tool, cut. Perfect. Oh, the pain I could have saved myself if only I'd bought one of these earlier. Cutting scrap test pieces and banging my head against the wall wondering how I'd gotten it wrong again. Basically, if you do a lot of finish carpentry, having one of these will save you a lot of time and money. Even for the homeowner that's doing a few rooms, it's probably worth it if you want really good joints, especially in an old house where most of your "90 degree" corners will be off by several degrees from 90. I only have two minor beefs. OK, for me it's worth it as I'll easily save it back over and over again. In fact I bought two. But c'mon guys, $42.99? I'm surprised someone hasn't ripped off the idea and isn't making one at $14.99, but keep charging this price and someone soon will. Also, I'd like an easy way to adjust the tension of the legs so it would hold the exact angle more firmly. One of my miter saws has a habit of swinging slightly when you reach to tighten the adjustment knob. Then the blade hits the protractor and messes up the reading. The ease of use does make up for the shortcomings. If you have a miter saw and do finish work, you need one of these.

This is just a very nice tool, well made, hefty, comes with a carrying pouch for protection and it has that "old school" feel, not some flimsy cheapo tool. This protractor is a solid tool, accurate, and a pleasure to use. I use it for setting table saw fence and miter gauge alignment, and I check the lineup of my Festool MFT track, and any angle that needs stetting I always check for square and with this Starrett 4041-12 it is a snap. I keep it within reach and always verify my setups. There nothing better than knowing that you are dead on every time. I have other devices that serve the same function, even digital ones but tins is the one sitting right where I am working, always, and I trust it implicitly it does not let me make mistakes. I think one reason that I choose this is that it just feels right in your hands the movement is firm and smooth and you know you can trust it. Although the movement is quite firm and retains it's setting well, it can be prone to accidental movement as there is no physical lock so you need be careful if you are taking the measurement to another place, this is not a problem as it holds the setting as long as you don't somehow bump the protractor and move the setting. I don't even worry about that as there is nothing wrong with working carefully, in fact that is a plus you ought to be paying attention to the job at hand. I am most satisfied with this item and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get serious when dong setups in the shop. Don't accept some crappy plastic substitute, ignore the price, pay the man and be happy knowing you will know the angles for years to come.

Solid and precise tool. Invaluable for wall moldings such as chair rail and baseboard. Very nicely made and worth having the aluminum over the lesser solid plastic option.. My only wish is that it gave absolute wall angles as well on the reverse side (which is blank). This tool only gives degrees for single or dual (miter) cut angles for your trim work. But if you want to use it purely as a protractor to measure the wall angle, it is not as useful. (For example, if you place it up against a 120* wall, it does not have any indication on the markings for 120*, it instead gives you 2 different cut options for single or dual cuts to fit trim into that 120* wall angle, but will not display in anyway the absolute angle of the wall at 120*. But it does exactly what it advertises for cuts, and does it very well. Just beware if you are looking for a simple angle measuring protractor that give absolute values of a wall angle (which is needed frequently for tables or apps that solve for crown molding cuts - where you enter the spring angle of the crown and the absolute wall angle and it gives the miter and bevel settings for your miter saw to cut crown molding)

This protractor has been a very good tool for reading and setting up angles. The readout is a little off, so instead of reading the degrees, then setting the same angle on my miter saw, I use the protractor to physically set the angle of the saw blade. The Starrett protractor is well built and is easy to use (other than the problem noted above).

I read several old reviews here of the 505A-12 - and its smaller 7" sibling - and became nervous about the suggested lack of accuracy due to poor decal placement. So I contacted Starrett to verify if - as their web site claimed - the scales are now laser engraved and don't still employ simple decals. They assured me that the laser engraving was an enhancement implemented a few years back, and expressed frustration that Amazon reviews never expire due to age and this has lead to much confusion about their products. Based upon this information, I bought a 505A from Amazon. It is, indeed, a great tool with a highly-accurate scale that exhibits none of the inaccuracies that others mentioned here years ago. One of the qualities that I like most - in addition to the accuracy, of course - is the very smooth yet snug action of the pivot, i.e. the pivot action is tight enough that the protractor will easily hold its position. You can use it in tight places where you can't read the scale until the protractor is removed from the measurement location; it's not going to move. Wish I'd had this gizmo 40 years ago!

This is a great tool to have in your shop, but nearly everyone has said that. I wanted to address the accuracy, having read many of the less-than-stellar (and older) reviews on the topic. The comments mostly singled out the degree wheel decal being mislocated, leading to offset errors varying from a half-degree to more than a couple. I decided to buy anyway, based on the updates that said returning a bad one usually resulted in getting a better/good one. When the packaging for my recent purchase included a bold sticker, "New! Laser accuracy!", I expected to see degree marks laser engraved into the metal, but it had the same basic construction as used for years: an opposing set of printed plastic appliques. I called Starrett to challenge their marketing claim, but the Engineer stood up to it. He said that laser tooling is now used in the placement of the marks. I didn't grill him to learn whether they use a laser index to apply the same pre-printed decal, or if the marks are printed onto the decal matrix using a laser printing process after it is affixed. Either way, they have apparently taken a technological step toward putting the accuracy issues behind them. My protractor has not yet had the trial by fire of the kitchen trim rework, but it has shown to be as accurate as I am capable of measuring with my other shop tools. In my opinion, if your mitre saw is properly dialed in, you'll get the solution you need from this tool.

I do my share of angle work. This tool allows me to absolutely NAIL the angles on repairs and upgrades. Yup it carries the Starrett price differential but the quality is there AND you'll eventually make the money back on less scrap.

This protractor is solid and well crafted. Well worth the little extra to pay for this product. Accuracy is incredibly good and when compared to known angles it is spot on! The protractor holds the angle measured without any movement and I have used this to copy angles for my wood working projects. The gauge is very easy to read and markings are sharp and clear. Highly recommend this product.

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Its easy to use. And its accurate enough for what i do. Again what you pay is what you get.

Good, sturdy piece of kit. Does the job well and seems to be pretty accurate. Bit on the pricey side if your only doing occasional work but if your into your household DIY projects it's probably worth the expense if only to cut out all the math as well as the time it saves. So it gets thumbs up from me.