406EM

I recently purchased the Johnson Level & Tool 406EM Professional Inch/Metric Combination Square, and I must say, it has far exceeded my expectations in terms of quality, value, and usability. I have a number of larger squares but needed something smaller for a project. Given its surprisingly affordable price, I was initially skeptical about its performance and durability. However, after using it extensively in various projects, I'm thoroughly impressed. It's a tool that not only meets but exceeds expectations, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone in the market for a reliable combination square.

Good med. Size square. Good Quality! Strong, and comes with a scribe screwed in on the bottom. I been using it daily for work for over 5 yrs and it's still in great condition. As a press break operator making parts for aerospace I definitely recommend this square!

Problems: 1. The main reference surfaces on the Johnson combo squares (both big and small) are slightly hollowed/concave. This makes the square unreliable unless you are using it on perfectly straight, smooth, and hard/rigid edges, and you keep the entire reference surface of the combo square against this perfectly machined stock material. These flats can be lapped flat, if you have the tools and time. 2. The slide does not lock in metric. The groove in the slide is about 4-6 thousandths closer to the metric edge of the slide. And Johnson uses the same drawbolt for the 12" combo square as the 6", even though the slide is 20% narrower. The drawbolt just barely has enough travel to lock the inch side. The metric side will not lock, properly. This can be fixed by spinning the drawbolt in a drill and hitting the bottom shoulder with a dremel tool. It's only a few thou that has to be removed. 3. The stamped slide is warped. If you have OCD, you might spend hours amending this. There's probably no way to flatten it completely, but you can get it close enough to fake it over this 6" span. Other: Metric/imperial: You can only read this square properly from one side. So you can either use imperial or metric (if yours locks in metric). On my other combo square, you just flip the square to read in imperial or metric. On this one, reading the back will give you a reading counting down from 6"/15cm. There are pros and cons, of course. Stamped slide. The slide is a little hard to read because it is stamped and doesn't have a color fill. But on the plus side, some slides are etched only very shallowly and could theoretically be unreadable if they get scratched up enough. This slide is readable forever. Overall: this square might require a bit more tweaking to get in top shape than some other brands. But everything wrong with mine was fixable. This is now one of my favorite squares. Nice and light and attractive and accurate as I will ever need. But I would hopefully not do this again anytime soon.

I like the smaller size of this unit and i can use it in smaller places. the quality is impressive. i still keep it wrapped for protection when in my tool bag.

Only square type I buy. Very accurate easy to adjust

I’m a machinist and have taken over the cnc lathes in my shop. This tool works perfectly for setting up my next bar and as a 6 inch scale, I can measure with it too. Every machinist needs one. Update. 10 months later it dropped and seemingly exploded. Parts went everywhere, and I had to get a replacement of another brand, that’s blue, that is seeming built better. Dropped from a 5 star to a 3 star.

Had this item before and it came complete,lost that one bought another one and now I received it incomplete

Love this smaller version, comes in handy for tighter spaces, very well made, solid, and accurate

Excelente. Muito preciso. O material do parafuso é melhor do que o Irwin que eu tinha.

Nicr sturdy ruler.

Nice finish.

Punches above its weight, as does it's 12" big brother, but who even needs the tight mechanism and accurate scale when they have 12" to play with. That why this is the smart money combo square for you, the 12" is for people who know how to wield it 0.0