Review on Precision at its Finest: General Tools 88 Tungsten Carbide Scriber – Medium, Silver by Hco Cortes

After reading several reviews of General Tools 88CM Carbide Scriber and Magnet that described poor build quality I bought this scriber instead. I have this scriber for marking hardened steel and it does the job quite well, although it doesn't cut steel well. As for the build quality of the tungsten carbide tip and retaining threads, I took some technical photos to help you decide (below). Photo 1: Machining a carbide tip may not be the finest work I've seen, but it's good enough for my use. I calculated that the tip of the tool is about 50 microns in diameter and hard enough to resist damage from scratching hardened steel or even corundum. See photo 5 which shows the scribe carving a synthetic ruby suggesting it is slightly harder than corundum. Photo 2 shows the processing of a thread holding a carbide tip. There are rough edges here too, but the quality is satisfactory. Photo 3 shows the extent and type of markings on hardened tool steel. Notice how the tool slides a little on the steel, leaving a jagged line? Compare with Photo 6 the marks left by the diamond on the same hardened steel - they are smoother, deeper and have far fewer gaps. Ultimately, I found that this scribe worked much better on softer metals like copper and silver, as shown in Photo 4, where I was able to make detailed and straight marks on the soft copper sheet. In summary, I find this to be a well-made scriber that I find most useful when marking softer metals. I'm going to buy a diamond scriber for marking hardened steel.