Do you prefer metric or imperial units of measurement?

[Blackpaw]

Okay living so long over in Europe the metric system has become second nature to me, other than people's height for some reason I still use feet and inches for reference on that one. Plus I have a science and engineering background so the metric system is just the norm in the field.

However, now being in the airgun world with most of the guns made in we use made in the metric world (outside USA) we have to live with terms like BAR for pressure, Joules for impact energy, meters, meters per sec, mm, kg and etc. Some European manufactures only put the metric units for their gun specs. If something is in mm I do convert to inches for a better frame of reference.

At the same time when people mention said air tank is 75 cu ft I go just stare because I am use to liters for volume. The same applies to PSI, I use BAR for pressure, for the other stuff I can swing both ways.

Every day I speak to people on both sides of The Pond so my brain is constantly going "metric to imperial units" back and forth if talking about temperatures and etc.

The one main advantage of the metric system is that it is a base 10 system...10 mm = 1 cm and so on, and so on. The imperial well....the brits are known to drink and they did when figuring out how to measure things and the Americans just kept the party going.

SO...who uses metric and imperial....and which do you prefer ?

 

[L.Leon]

I work in a wood shop so we use imperial units of measure. But can and do interchange between metric and imperial. 

 

[M0ist0ne]

I prefer metric. Everything is by 10's. In my other hobby, fpv drones, almost everything is measured in metric as well. 3d printing and design...metric. 

You're not alone with height conversion. I golf a lot too, so everything is in yards. I find I tend to convert things like length/distance into feet/yards in my head. 

Kinda weird...

 

[Elis5173]

I prefer metric. Easier for my brain lol height tho is still in ft . 

 

[wyshadow]

I wish we did away with imperial system. For filling my pcp's I use Bar and when I talk with another shooter who uses psi, I have a hard time understanding them. 

When I was in early 20s, I spent 2 weeks in Mexico. I was surprised at how quickly I got use to the metric system.

 

[Bam86]

Also an engineer but not a scientist. Work in the power industry. Almost everything is Imperial, so that carries home as well. Did metric in school, but really didn't like it. Much better frame of reference with PSI, feet, inches, yards. Overall as long as we can convert from one to another it really doesn't matter.

 

[Blackpaw]

Well, again I kind of go British with some units. But yeah for PSI and volumes I am definitely more metric

 

[qball]

Metric hands down! Imperial system is horrible!

 

[biohazardman]

I grew up in the US of A so Fahrenheit, feet and bar are the standard here. I was told way back in grade school that we would convert to the metric system soon. I am still waiting. Although I still lean towards the SAE the rest of the world uses the metric system so I often have to resort to using it as well.

I can see why we don't make the complete change over though as if we keep our American measuring standards we need two sets of tools in the USA. So, tool makers and many others as well would loose a ton of money not being able to sell us two sets of tools or other items. Probly lots of lobbying and payoffs going on to keep it what it is as well as to keep our useless penny coins.

 

[L.Leon]

@blackpaw, you understand that the metric system is in actual use in the USA? It's simple enough to convert so it's really a non issue. Also, America has always been since its inception a unique ideal. We go our American way, everybody else can get in line. Tomato, tomatoe.

 

[Franklink]

In my healthcare career, mostly metric for volumes and weights, although conversions from things like ounces to mls are necessary. And I do like easy moving of the decimal, based on 10s situation in the metric system. 

When measuring distances or lengths outside of my job though, I prefer good ole yards, feet, inches. I can wrap my brain around imperial easier in distances, sizes, lengths. 

 

[ChRiSiS]

I much prefer metric, but I am "bilingual" with respect to the measurement systems. There are a few exceptions though. I can switch easily between Fahrenheit and Celsius, between MPH and KPH, but don't ask me to figure out what pellet speed is in anything but FPS. Meters per second fries my brain. Similarly, Miles and Kilometers are easy for me to go between, as well as feet, inches, centimeters and meters, but square meters just don't compute. I know my weight in Lbs, and can switch to Kg, but I only know my height in feet and inches. It takes me a while to calculate what it must be in Centimeters.

I can't explain it

 

[bigHUN]

Metric system in my entire life other then work , I work on a larger and complex CAD platform - transportation for North America. Designing all units imperial, but I don't know the fractions at all, I design and calculate by the numbers so for me the unit of measure is - just a number.

Now, please grab a dual unit measuring tape and visit Home Depot lumber section, and measure those 2x3s, that is not a 2" x 3" but a 40x90mm, 2x4 is not 2" x 4" but a 40x135mm. Only the length we can call it correct 8 FT or 10 FT or 6 FT. It looks like numbers for everyone, you all US friends will get there, sooner or later

 

[MikeVV]

I live and work(ed) (retired) in the USA.

So yes, Imperial (US customary) units for me. Not opposed to change, but it should have happened many, MANY YEARS ago. I remember when American cars had a "mixture" of fastener types in about the 80's. THAT was a pain in the ass. At least the Metric fasteners had the heads coated in blue.

Mike

 

[2L8]

My favorite new tool. Does it all for $20! . Metric, Inches and Fractions.

 

[harrymoreland]

Being British and of a certain age I prefer both, and slip between both as the situation requires.

 

[GBGUNNER]

I'm 72, raised on imperial, an acre still has 43,560 sqft in it, a mile is 5280 ft and 1760 yards. a pint of water weighs about one lb ( close enough). still calculate fractions in my head, figure gas mileage driving home from the gas station miles/gallon. I know 2.54 is used to convert inches and centimeters but I seldom use it and .6 to convert kilometers to miles. rented cars in Ireland and Mexico. But I still measure my groups using a quarter. I had a 7mm kidney stone that's the same as a .287 ackley improved. I was a kid in grade school when they told us we had to learn metric. NEVER did. I still want to be buried 6' under in a 6' box in a military veterans cemetary.

 

[Guest]

I go back and forth. 

Still prefer Fahrenheit for temperature otherwise I don't care.

 

[genericAGuser]

I do survey work, our measurements are by the foot, but in 10ths only. So, no 12 inches in a foot, there are 10 units of measurement per foot instead. We also use degrees, minutes and seconds for direction, sounds universal.

It’s not that hard to pick up, just like metric wouldn’t be difficult to learn if you do it enough. We learned metric in school, the rumor was the US would switch, nope, stuck in the past, oh well.

Grandpa left me the biggest box of tools, could be half the size, but no. Like he said, catch as catch can. Try this, which is the next size smaller from a 19/32, verses the next size down from a 10mm?

 

[Blackpaw]

I guess I remember growing up and learning to remember 8 oz = 1 cup ——> 2 cups = pint and so on and so on. Then we get to length and that was a whole other system of numbers. Where the metric system is all based 10.

The scam with not going completely metric is the tool industry would hate it. Now they get to sell you two measurement unit of tool, metric and imperial, it is boom to them, and I am sure they would lobby hard to keep things as they are, if not they would lose a ton of business profits.