Just bought my first sliding bevel.
I have been looking for a good sliding bevel for some time. My criterion was simple: it must be flat on both sides. No nuts, levers, knobs, or screws sitting above the surface.
There’s really only a handful of those that were ever made. There are:
1. Stanley No 18 with the lock at the base
2. Vintage Veritas with flip cam latch
3. Millers Falls No 98 with recessed knurled knob
4. H. Disston & Sons with recessed miniature wing nut
5. Vintage Marples with recessed lever
6. Some unnamed sliding bevels with a flush flathead countersunk screw
7. 1935 Stanley No 25 with recessed lever
8. Footprint with recessed flathead counterbored screw
9. Some Chinese brand, DOITOOL that has knocked off the vintage Millers Falls No 98 but added brass accents to it (while using a recessed knurled knob for the locking mechanism)
10. Stanley Sweetheart vintage gauge with recessed lever, rosewood, and brass
11. Vintage art deco Craftsman gauge with lock at the base
12. Clay Sheffield of England gauge with recessed lever
13. Millers Falls No 1408 with the eyebolt lock/hanger on the end and a see-through body with the red bolt in the middle
I went with No 3 above (for $26.99; $35.71 after tax and shipping) because out of all the options, I liked it the most.