Cartridge Set Up Essentials

dodgealum, the DB System's protractor is the most accurate because it magnifies the error. It is also relatively inexpensive. You need a small pocket mirror to set the azimuth (steal one from your wife), a stylus brush,
a digital stylus gauge, A small bright light, a Hi Fi News Test Record and whatever small tools you need to tweak your tonearm, little screw drivers, allens, etc. The digital gauge is a bit more expensive but the manufacturers will now give you a recommended VTF down to 10ths of a gram because they know this VTF will settle the cantilever into the right position for optimal symmetry of the coils in the magnetic field and put the stylus at the right rake angle. While there are counterbalance scales that can get down to 10th's accurately I have never seen one that accurate for VTF setting and they would probably cost more than a digital gauge.
The test record is absolutely mandatory. You can not set the anti skate correctly without one. The scales on the tonearms are only estimations.
Even with my old eyes I do not need magnification to set azimuth with a mirror. Just a bright light should do it. You place the mirror on the platter then the stylus on the mirror (defeat your anti skate!) You adjust your azimuth until you get a perfectly symmetrical hour glass shape in the mirror. This method doubles the error and makes it easy to see when you are right on. Leveling the cartridge body is the wrong way to do this. You only care about the stylus and they are frequently not perfectly perpendicular to the body.

Good Luck and yell if you need help,
Mike  

All very helpful. I've got a DB systems protractor which I haven't used for years. I'll investigate the Fieckert. I did purchase the lupe with the MINT tractor but just found the whole approach very tedious so sold it. I did like the idea of aligning the cantilever rather than the cartridge body--that made sense--just looking through the lupe was such an eye strain and challenging to maintain the proper distance from the cartridge so things stayed in focus. Never tried the mirror for azimuth--great suggestion!

Does anyone use the same size of shoes? My best friend uses
even smaller kind. His reason: ''it feels so good when I put them
off''. Aka ; it depends.
It depends from the number of tonearms, number of carts and
even the size of the spindle  in the number of TT's one owns.
Besides from the ''audio-nervosa'' of the person involved.
I use 3 tonearms on two TT's and own 3 x Mint tractors. For each
tonearm one. All my carts (+50) are ''pre-adjusted'' in their headshells
whit the help of an (plastic) caliper. This way exact ''eff. length'' 
(stylus distance to the pivot) can be determined. By fastening on
the tonearm the geometry can be checked by following the Mint
curve. If I only knew how to adjust the anti-skate...

Ortofon DS-3 scale for VTF - measures at record height.
SMARTractor protractor - universal, any cart any tonearm
Feickert Adjust+ (includes test record) - azimuth and many tests
Small Machinist level - Starrett 130 - level your turntable
Small flashlight - Olight S10R III - very bright
Magnification
Analog Productions Test Record

The Mint protractor is okay but it is for a single cartridge, single pivot-to-spindle distance.  The DB systems has a stylus landing spot that is too big for real accuracy.

Believe me, that last little fraction of a millimeter, that's not where its at.

Actually, it is.  The difference between "close enough" and accurate can be sonically astonishing.  Get the most out of your cartridge.

MINT Tractor and a pair of 3-4X reading glasses (to obviate the use of a lupe).