digital calipers
- Thread starter HowardH
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tjbnwi
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They do not show fractions.
Do not buy them on EBay, many complaints about knock offs from EBay.
Not inexpensive….
https://www.mitutoyo.com/products/s...igimatic-calipers/absolute-digimatic-caliper/
Tom
Do not buy them on EBay, many complaints about knock offs from EBay.
Not inexpensive….
https://www.mitutoyo.com/products/s...igimatic-calipers/absolute-digimatic-caliper/
Tom
luvmytoolz
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I have a complete set of Mitutoyo's thinking I would be using them all the time seeing as I do woodwork as well as metworking, but the one I always end up reaching for is my FIL's old Swiss brand dial vernier I got when he passed. I find a dial on a decent vernier to be extremely more useful than a digital one, even ones as good as Mitutoyo's.
And of course it's a bonus never have to worry about the batteries, which even when switched off still drain. And no need for frequent calibration is also nice. Just my 2c to ponder!
And of course it's a bonus never have to worry about the batteries, which even when switched off still drain. And no need for frequent calibration is also nice. Just my 2c to ponder!
[member=396]HowardH[/member]
Mitutoyo calipers are the ones often suggested. As mentioned, DO NOT buy them from Ebay or Amazon. Lots and lots of counterfeits out there, even if Amazon is the seller. As it was explained to me, Amazon puts all the product together for the the pickers when making orders. If a box of fake ones come in from a third party seller they get put with the real ones. so it's just luck if you get a real or fake.
Purchase from an industrial supply house, like Zoro, MSC or Grainger.
Here is the one I have and I have been very happy with it.
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/86487592
Ron
Mitutoyo calipers are the ones often suggested. As mentioned, DO NOT buy them from Ebay or Amazon. Lots and lots of counterfeits out there, even if Amazon is the seller. As it was explained to me, Amazon puts all the product together for the the pickers when making orders. If a box of fake ones come in from a third party seller they get put with the real ones. so it's just luck if you get a real or fake.
Purchase from an industrial supply house, like Zoro, MSC or Grainger.
Here is the one I have and I have been very happy with it.
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/86487592
Ron
I have an inexpensive Harbor Freight digital caliper for over 15 years and still works fine. It's just as accurate as my Mitutoyo dial caliper plus you can switch between mm and inches. You do have to remove the batteries when not using for an extended period of time or it will drain the batteries.
Fred
Fred
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I have used a pair of dial types for many years nd I like those very much. One is imperial and the other is metric. And I've used a Wixey digital for a long time and still have it.
But when I got the CNC and 3D printer last year I needed another one so I wouldn't running between three places searching for one and bought a Mitutoyo off Amazon. At least I thought it was. But then I found out it was a fake and since it was still a recent purchase I requested a refund but the vendor was long gone so they made good and refunded me all my money. I trashed that and searched for and bought a genuine Mitutoyo model 500-196-30 which I have been using without issue. One plus is it does not eat batteries like the knockoffs or cheap HF versions do.
But when I got the CNC and 3D printer last year I needed another one so I wouldn't running between three places searching for one and bought a Mitutoyo off Amazon. At least I thought it was. But then I found out it was a fake and since it was still a recent purchase I requested a refund but the vendor was long gone so they made good and refunded me all my money. I trashed that and searched for and bought a genuine Mitutoyo model 500-196-30 which I have been using without issue. One plus is it does not eat batteries like the knockoffs or cheap HF versions do.
I think if you get the husky ones from HD they have lifetime warranty. I have a set of those and Starrrett dial which are nice because you never have to worry about batteries but the husky ones do metric too which comes in handy for me too and I have had no accuracy or other issues out of them. If I was a machinist I would buy the Starrett but for woodworking the Husky ones are better than good for 1/10 the price. I have had no issues on batteries either going over a year on first set.
The Harbor Freight type of calipers are probably accurate enough for woodworking. But the thing that will be incredibly annoying is how they eat batteries. They use a bit of power to maintain their memory of zero position.
Mitutoyo is pretty much the gold standard in metrology. The batteries in my Mitutoyo calipers last so long that I don't know how long they last. By the time the battery dies, I have long ago forgotten when was the last time I changed that battery. And of course you get the smooth motion that helps you make more accurate measurements. And long lasting. My digital Mitutoyo calipers are at least a 15 years old. My old Mitutoyo dial calipers are over 35 years old and probably still going strong, but about 15 years ago, I left them in the shop at work and somebody pocketed it.
But calipers from any company that is primarily a metrology company are probably equally good. Such as Starrett or Fowler.
Beware of Mitutoyo forgeries.
Mitutoyo is pretty much the gold standard in metrology. The batteries in my Mitutoyo calipers last so long that I don't know how long they last. By the time the battery dies, I have long ago forgotten when was the last time I changed that battery. And of course you get the smooth motion that helps you make more accurate measurements. And long lasting. My digital Mitutoyo calipers are at least a 15 years old. My old Mitutoyo dial calipers are over 35 years old and probably still going strong, but about 15 years ago, I left them in the shop at work and somebody pocketed it.
But calipers from any company that is primarily a metrology company are probably equally good. Such as Starrett or Fowler.
Beware of Mitutoyo forgeries.
The display on my HF caliper died about a year ago, aged maybe 5 years. I still use it occasionally for those times when when +or- a mm is good enough. [wink]
Otherwise I have a Brown and Sharpe SAE dial caliper and an unmarked brand German metric. The German one can't be zeroed easily and it's off by 1/10 mm or so.
One of these days I'll probably buy a digital from Starrett, because they are more or less local to me, and it would be nice to have SAE and metric in one device.
Otherwise I have a Brown and Sharpe SAE dial caliper and an unmarked brand German metric. The German one can't be zeroed easily and it's off by 1/10 mm or so.
One of these days I'll probably buy a digital from Starrett, because they are more or less local to me, and it would be nice to have SAE and metric in one device.
I bought a NEIKO 01407A Electronic Digital Caliper | 0-6 Inches from Amazon.com for $27.00 about a year ago. It works fine. I can toggle between Metric, Imperial, and fractions.
It seems to be highly repeatable. I can measure an item several times and get the same result. Repeatability is a good indicator for accuracy.
It seems to be highly repeatable. I can measure an item several times and get the same result. Repeatability is a good indicator for accuracy.
SRSemenza said:
I don’t consider battery consumption to be much of a factor. My calipers came with a spare battery which I used within the first 6 months. I bought a pack of 20 more batteries for $6.00 from Amazon, which should last me between 10 and 20 years.
Cheese
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I prefer a dial caliper as there are no buttons to push every 10 minutes. [smile] However, I did purchase a set of Brown & Sharpe Dura Cal digital calipers 11 years ago. The stand-out thing about the more expensive digital units is battery life. I use the calipers 10-15 times each week and I'm still on the 2nd battery after 11 years.
Another nice feature on a good digital caliper is ingress protection or IP ratings. Look for an IP 6_ rating, the 6 denotes no ingress of dust, important in a wood shop. And if you spill your coffee or cola frequently, look for an IP 65 rating at the minimum, the better units will be IP 67 - IP 68 rated.
As already mentioned, repeatability is really important. I keep a standard around to check the calipers & micrometers on a somewhat yearly basis. Here's a 1/2" Webber standard in the Brown & Sharpe, if the jaws are opened and closed 15 times, this is the reading you should see 15 times.
[attachimg=1]
And if you toggle back & forth between imperial & metric 15 times, this is the reading you should see 15 times. [smile]
[attachimg=2]
One last item, when you're not using or are storing the calipers, open it up to make sure there's a small gap between the measuring legs for air movement. It can prevent some rust from forming in certain environments. This is also the case for micrometers & micrometer storage.
Here's a caliper guide from Travers Tools.
https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/...m_referrer=https://marketinginfo.travers.com/
Another nice feature on a good digital caliper is ingress protection or IP ratings. Look for an IP 6_ rating, the 6 denotes no ingress of dust, important in a wood shop. And if you spill your coffee or cola frequently, look for an IP 65 rating at the minimum, the better units will be IP 67 - IP 68 rated.
As already mentioned, repeatability is really important. I keep a standard around to check the calipers & micrometers on a somewhat yearly basis. Here's a 1/2" Webber standard in the Brown & Sharpe, if the jaws are opened and closed 15 times, this is the reading you should see 15 times.
[attachimg=1]
And if you toggle back & forth between imperial & metric 15 times, this is the reading you should see 15 times. [smile]
[attachimg=2]
One last item, when you're not using or are storing the calipers, open it up to make sure there's a small gap between the measuring legs for air movement. It can prevent some rust from forming in certain environments. This is also the case for micrometers & micrometer storage.
Here's a caliper guide from Travers Tools.
https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/...m_referrer=https://marketinginfo.travers.com/
Attachments
I've only ever owned Mitutoyo. I still have my first pair from when I worked at a motorcycle shop back in the 90's. It's a 6" digital, model 500 something, I believe. I also have the newer 6" digital with absolute encoding and a 0-1" outside micrometer.
If you want genuine and sometimes better than retail prices, check out idealprec.com. They're a Mitutoyo dealer and a repair shop.
If you want genuine and sometimes better than retail prices, check out idealprec.com. They're a Mitutoyo dealer and a repair shop.
For years, I used the vernier calipers (no dial, no digital read out). Up until 6 months ago, I always used a dial caliper, but a screw that kept it all together disappeared and digital was far less expensive and offered the option of toggling between imperial, metric and fractions. I quickly got used to the digital.
I do wonder how quickly I would adjust to going back to dial, or especially vernier which involves counting an requires good eyesight.
I do wonder how quickly I would adjust to going back to dial, or especially vernier which involves counting an requires good eyesight.
For woodworking the dial is more than sufficient. I have a plastic set from 20 years ago and it still works perfectly with accuracy to 1/64". I doubt it is that accurate, but it has never been an issue. I use it for thickness planing and dado depths.
Cheese
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Packard said:
Never enjoyed using vernier calipers [smile] all those closely spaced lines made my eyes cross. Dial calipers on the other hand are enjoyable to use.
I do keep the digital calipers next to the metal lathe because of the lubricants that can get splashed about. I also use the digital calipers when I'm machining metal on the drill press and using IPA.
The rack & pinion on the dial calipers also do not like tiny metal shavings...sometimes the pinion will jump a couple of teeth on the rack.
