Should You Buy Masters for Your Thread Ring Gages? Gage users who have had bad experiences with rings that have not been set properly or who are just trying to keep their gage costs down, often ask "Should I buy masters for my thread ring gages?"
Reputable gage makers will insist that you buy a setting plug for any special rings you are buying because it is required to ensure the job is done right. Less than reputable makers will use the tooling they produced the ring with as a "master." And once they've used it on one job they may rework it for another.