Metric!

[Wolverine]

In a perfect world (yes, I'm a dreamer) EVERYTHING would be Metric. Just imagine if you ONLY needed to purchase tools and fasteners that were metric???? Think of all the money you could have saved!!! You could have spent that money on other tools that needed consideration.

- One set of combination wrenches
- One set of sockets
- One set of hex keys
- One set of nut drivers
- One set of EVERYTHING!
- etc.
- etc.
- etc.



The reason I get so "chapped" about this subject is because I vividly remember my grade school teachers back in 1977 telling me how important it was to learn the Metric System because we were going to convert....... "and everything would be metric!"






.......................................................... ummmmm, I'm 38 and still waiting!

 

[Canadian Charlie]

Cross the border into the Great White North and be happy

I like having both metric and SAE tools, I'm a toolaholic

 

[dink]

Buy only imports.....work on only imports...and there you go....all metric

 

[bmwpower]

If it wasn't for the Ford truck, I'd have all metric, too.

 

[dink]

But personally I like having the full selection....makes my tool box full

 

[eschoendorff]

In a perfect world (yes, I'm a dreamer) EVERYTHING would be Metric. Just imagine if you ONLY needed to purchase tools and fasteners that were metric???? Think of all the money you could have saved!!! You could have spent that money on other tools that needed consideration.

- One set of combination wrenches
- One set of sockets
- One set of hex keys
- One set of nut drivers
- One set of EVERYTHING!
- etc.
- etc.
- etc.



The reason I get so "chapped" about this subject is because I vividly remember my grade school teachers back in 1977 telling me how important it was to learn the Metric System because we were going to convert....... "and everything would be metric!"






.......................................................... ummmmm, I'm 38 and still waiting!

I have to agree with you. And metric is so much easier to deal with (calculations-wise)... Look at any of the sciences or engineering programs - all metric. And remember the NASA fiasco when they were caught between conventions and miscalculated and lost whatever that expensive thingy was.

When you think about it, SAE is just plain odd. But, I have the requisite metric and SAE tools... but I'm with you hoping that one day we all go metric.

 

[IntrstlarOvrdrve]

I enjoy having the extra tools

but eh, after a while you remember the metric sizes real easily

 

[wythors]

Just be glad that your Bullitt has a 4.6 instead of a 5.0. On my 93 half of the fasteners under the hood are SAE and half are metric. Makes things really interesting.

If everything was metric we'd lose out on half the fun of tool shopping. Needing both let's us justify twice as many tools to our significant others.

 

[Brian]

You know it's the Stonecutters that keep the metric system down.

I used to work as a diesel truck mechanic and on some of those things it was just about half and half metric/SAE.

 

[chevy302dz]

In a perfect world (yes, I'm a dreamer) EVERYTHING would be Metric. Just imagine if you ONLY needed to purchase tools and fasteners that were metric???? Think of all the money you could have saved!!! You could have spent that money on other tools that needed consideration.

- One set of combination wrenches
- One set of sockets
- One set of hex keys
- One set of nut drivers
- One set of EVERYTHING!
- etc.
- etc.
- etc.



The reason I get so "chapped" about this subject is because I vividly remember my grade school teachers back in 1977 telling me how important it was to learn the Metric System because we were going to convert....... "and everything would be metric!"






.......................................................... ummmmm, I'm 38 and still waiting!

If everything was still SAE then you would only one set of tools, besides metric is not all it's cracked up to be. Even those of you who want metric probably use Miles for distance Inches for woodwork and pounds for weight etc. So which system is really better?

 

[Der Bugmeister]

As a 'member' of the Great White North, I started school learning the Standard/Imperial measurement system, then was forced to learn the metric system later on in elementary school. Man, did that mess me up. Although I'm relatively comfortable using both systems now, I get some wierd looks from kids when I talk about inches, feet or *gasp* pints and gallons!

What's wierd is that the construction industry up here still uses standard measurement almost exclusively. My Volkswagens have all metric fasteners, but the valve adjustment is in thousands of an inch.

 

[Fast Orange]

I just wish the automakers would make up their minds and either go all metric or all SAE.Any "American" car or truck I get into seems to be half and half. It seems as soon as I get started on a repair,I've got to make a trip back to the box for a set of whichever type I didn't grab on the first trip. Then there's the issue of twice as many tools to keep track of ,clean and put away.

George

 

[SuperKid]

I like having both Metric and Standard. It makes things more exciting. Although it does make things kind've confusing when some vehicles have both standard and metric fastners. Why manufacturers insist on doing this is beyond me.

 

[Stuart in MN]

The reason I get so "chapped" about this subject is because I vividly remember my grade school teachers back in 1977 telling me how important it was to learn the Metric System because we were going to convert....... "and everything would be metric!"

My grade school teachers told me the same thing in 1966...

Fortunately, my vehicles are either all metric are all SAE so I don't have make two trips to the toolbox.

 

[evildky]

this is why I perfer to work on imports, I know it's gonna be metric, "american" cars are half and half, getting to be more and more metric

 

[Thumper]

.........Bring back the Whitworth system.......

 

[eschoendorff]

.........Bring back the Whitworth system.......

NOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooo!

 

[Wolverine]

I say ALL METRIC, EVERYWHERE, EVERY TIME!


Starting 2009, nothing on the planet manufactured using SAE!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[Rickster]

There will always be two systems because there's no money in having just one. Manufacturers can buy fasteners cheaper when there's more to choose from and tool companies can double thier offerings. There's not one vitamin or one asprin or one wrench for that matter - box, line, open end and repeat for 12 pt & 6 pt. Nope, no money in one system, unless you have the patent.

 

[l_bilyk]

.........Bring back the Whitworth system.......

 

[bamatj]

well it can be argued both ways about which is better. 90% of our blueprints at work are metric. so i have to take the time to convert them to standard. i hate the metric system but thats just me.

 

[milly]

If you work in a domestic dealer shop, you need both since most domestic cars are half and half. The newer cars are mostly meteric now, but if you see any older cars, you need SAE tools also. One type would be great, but we all know that is not gonna happen. It might take another 10 years to weed out all the older SAE cars from the dealer shops.

 

[MarkH]

and over 25 years to weed them out of my driveway. By then well have something like E-Torx replacing all metric and we will have the same discussion.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I have both standard and metric, but in my ideal word I would only have standard. What does a metric fastener offer you that a standard does not? Other than a headache if you do not have a correct sized tool. If you understand metric I suppose you might make better sense of the entire metric system, however, if you understand decimals and fractions well I see no gain in the metric system!

 

[Uncle Buck]

I forgot the whole europeans and other countries reasons, give a reason other than that!

 

[filthy_shovel]

The reason one could adopt metric is that the whole world, expect part of the states, use metric. Amercians, get in the game. Get into the 80s man....

 

[Uncle Buck]

Now Now, I said give a reason other than that whole world thing!

 

[evildky]

I have both standard and metric, but in my ideal word I would only have standard. What does a metric fastener offer you that a standard does not? Other than a headache if you do not have a correct sized tool. If you understand metric I suppose you might make better sense of the entire metric system, however, if you understand decimals and fractions well I see no gain in the metric system!

I see no gain in the SAE measures

SAE is to measures what Macintosh is to computers
metric=pc

 

[Uncle Buck]

That is funny, but you still have not explained any real benefit. I suppose the only benefit I can imagine is that we would be on the same system as the rest of the world, unfortunately I am too damned narrow minded to care about political correctness or the rest of the world! Nope, for me I see no benefit too the metric system as it applies to me in my life, and clearly stubborn old farts like me must have made a strong case through the years or guys working on the shop floor would not still be converting prints to standard measure, and I would read road signs in metric instead of standard! I hope I do not live long enough for a full metric conversion to take place. At least not before I retire or die!

 

[Uncle Buck]

evilky: Was that metric=pc thing in your last post supposed to mean metric = politically correct?

 

[KeukaDan]

Remember that metric is not just measurements. The benefit falls into the whole system. For measurements it is easier because sizes run up as decimals so it is easier to know what is between a 12mm and a 10mm wrench, now I understand that all of you have that figured out in SAE but metric is still easier. The other benefit falls into the ease of moving through units. 1000mm is one meter, 1000 meters is one kilometer, 1000mL is 1 L, etc. then you have the benefits of 1ml of water is = 1cc = 1 gram. Other benefits include water freezes at 0 Celsius and boils at 100. Everything in the system is based on 10 which makes understanding what the difference in a decaliter and a milliliter is much easier than understanding what the difference between a fluid dram and a pint.

Now when it comes down to measuring distance for carpentry or buying gasoline I am stuck in SAE but the metric system is by far a much smarter system.

Just think we could be working with furlongs per fortnight and taking temperature in Rankine

 

[Uncle Buck]

KeuKaDan: I give you high marks for trying to explain the benefits of the metric system to me. I will admit, I never fully grasped the whole metric system thing while going through school, and I still do not! I suppose the real problem is me, I just do not understand metric, it seems too complex, and I fail to see where learning the metric system will positively impact me in any appreciable way beyond the benefit of simply saying I understand metric! But again, I do appreciate your patience in trying to explain the benefit.

 

[Rory Bellows]

You know it's the Stonecutters that keep the metric system down.

I used to work as a diesel truck mechanic and on some of those things it was just about half and half metric/SAE.

Who controls the British crown?
Who keeps the metric system down?
We do! We do!
Who leaves Atlantis off the maps?
Who keeps the martians under wraps?
We do! We do!
Who holds back the electric car?
Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star?
We do! We do!
Who robs the cave fish of their sight?
Who rigs every Oscars night?
We do! We do!

This song is the ancient drinking song for the Stonecutters. The Stonecutters are a 1500 year old secret organisation "who, since ancient times, have split the rocks of ignorance that obscure the light of knowledge and truth" (according to "Number One" - the Springfield Stonecutters' leader). The aim of the society is for the members to get drunk, play ping-pong and find the Chosen One who has the Stonecutters symbol for a birthmark. This turns out to be Homer.
2F09 - Homer the Great

I love the Simpsons but don't like the metric system. Then again I drive an 86 CJ7 with only one metric bolt that I know of. It's on the alternator! I love Sae but do own some metric sockets and wrenches because the rest of the world won't comply with "OUR" standards.

 

[Blue]

Good thread topic.

Personally, I don't think the US Government will ever be the driving force behind a change from SAE to metric. It’s just not a **** enough topic for a lawmaker to grab a hold of and try to push. Not to mention the US govt has tried it in the past, and they couldn’t get it to work.

If the US ever goes to metric, it will be the different industries that make it happen. The bug automakers will decide to go metric in order to make it easier to use imported parts. Boeing and Lockheed may do the same to make it easier to use parts imported from other countries.

It’s becoming more of a global maketplace, and I can see industries slowly changing themselves to metric in order to be competitive. Note that not all of this means US manufacturing jobs going overseas. Boeing recently spun-off it’s large aircraft manufacturing plants in Kansas so that they could bid on making Airbus parts, Boeing’s chief competitor.

Now, on the other hand, I think we’ll always see miles on interstate signs, and gallons at the gas pump. Why? Because those things really only affect us here at home. There’s no benefit to any industry to change the mile makers on interstates to kilometers. There’s no benefit to Mobil to sell us gas in Liters instead of gallons.

Personally, I wish the automakers would make the jump to one or the other (SAE or metric).

 

[KeukaDan]

KeuKaDan: I give you high marks for trying to explain the benefits of the metric system to me. I will admit, I never fully grasped the whole metric system thing while going through school, and I still do not! I suppose the real problem is me, I just do not understand metric, it seems too complex, and I fail to see where learning the metric system will positively impact me in any appreciable way beyond the benefit of simply saying I understand metric! But again, I do appreciate your patience in trying to explain the benefit.

I have to admit I am very split with the systems as I use SAE at home as that is what the US runs with but while I am doing research everthing in the lab is done in metric so I have been forced to use both. While I think metric is a better system, I would really have to start thinking if someone asked me at a fire scene " how many liters per minute is that truck flowing" or if I had to determine how many liters of hydraulic fluid my tractor holds.

Industry is such a slow group to change when it comes to units. I have seen companies that use units that few people have ever come accross simply because that is what one person at the company used 100 years ago and now they are stuck because everything they do is based on it.

To simplify the measurement system a bit there is a standard conversion that was accepted and is useful if you ever find yourself in the cm to inch problem. there are 2.54 cm in one inch and therefore 25.4mm in one inch (Just a useful number to have floating around in your head).

 

[evildky]

evilky: Was that metric=pc thing in your last post supposed to mean metric = politically correct?

lol,
PC as in Personal Computer, typical reference of an "IBM" compatible machine, this discussion reminede me of the old "PC" vs "Mac" debates, and as Mac people are aware Mac's are becomeing more and more compatible with "PC's"