Digital caliper

[wicky998]

What brand of digital calipers do you guys use?

Looking for something solid and accurate . Won't be thrown around inside of a toolbox or anything , will be babied I guess you'd say.

Not looking to spend a fortune as it is not intended for work just for personal use around the house etc . Mostly for flashlight/gun/knife components and such

Doesn't have to be able to plug up to a pc for updates or anything but would like it to come precalibrated if not , it's not a deal breaker

Thanks

Wicky


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[K2-bk-bl-rd]

Mitutoyo is what 90 percent or more of the shops out in PA and NY used, when I visited them to work on their CNC machines. I also used a Mitutoyo calipers every day for two years, as a tooling machinist. They are among the best, and not too outrageous for price.

 

[archimedes]

I have Mitutoyo vernier calipers (not digital) and have been very pleased with the quality.

 

[bigburly912]

I used mitutoyo for 10 years and they held up pretty well. Probably went through 2 a year in a hardwood flooring plant. I was taking thousands of measurements a night so I would imagine for hobby use they'd last forever.

 

[Kestrel]

Have made tens of thousands of measurements with my us-mfg dial calipers over the past 30 years, and they are just as functional as when they were new. Would stack that accuracy & longevity against any digital ones ever made; certainly more accurate than digital ones of comparable price.

(Verniers are of course even better, but dials are a good compromise for us amateurs. )

 

[wicky998]

Looking at the mitutoyo models online and they have so many models.

I'm thinking the cheapest of them should do fine for hobby use? Not looking to skimp just not looking for the absolute best . Just something good . I can post model numbers of the ones I'm eyeing if needed .


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[wicky998]

Have made tens of thousands of measurements with my us-mfg dial calipers over the past 30 years, and they are just as functional as when they were new. Would stack that accuracy & longevity against any digital ones ever made; certainly more accurate than digital ones of comparable price.

(Verniers are of course even better, but dials are a good compromise for us amateurs. )

Kestrel was does your dial read in? MM?


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[wicky998]

The digital 4" pair for $108 isn't bad at all


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[Kestrel]

Nothing special re: mine, just 0.001" increments.
But with good technique, an analog dial display has greater precision than digital ones of comparable price.

Also, at some point we could perhaps move this thread to the machining subforums; IIRC this topic comes up from time to time over there.

 

[Kestrel]

For the professionals here, how long would you say that the digital calipers generally last ?

 

[Mr.Official]

Being a machinist I have used just about every type of caliper you can imagine, from generic digital and dial calipers to Mitutoyo, Starrett, & Brown & Sharpe. Depending on what you want to use, being either digital or dial types of calipers will dictate the brand. Mitutoyo hands down has the best digital caliper and micrometers on the market, when it comes to dial types I love my Brown & Sharpe calipers. If your talking Micrometers Starrett has the very best traditional read micrometers.

I personally use A Mitutoyo 500-196-30. This is their baseline digital Caliper, and for anyone who doesn't use the tool daily this will be more than enough for your needs and will serve you very well. (I only use Mitutoyo digital instruments, and generally Starrett for all dial read instruments, besides for the caliper as the Brown & Sharpe 599-579-4 is the best feeling caliper you could hope to use). So take your pick, they're all great tools!

 

[bigburly912]

For the professionals here, how long would you say that the digital calipers generally last ?

If I could make a pair last half a year or more in that dusty oily nasty environment I seriously would think they could last forever with general use.

 

[bigburly912]

Also to the OP you can get a pair of kobalt for pretty cheap. They aren't bad. My favorite set I ever had was my SPI analog micrometer but some of the guys that needed them couldn't read the analog dial as well as the digital so I made sure my men/women had what they needed. For general use you will be fine with any mid price set. Popular auction site has several used sets you can get for a steal.

 

[wicky998]

Also to the OP you can get a pair of kobalt for pretty cheap. They aren't bad. My favorite set I ever had was my SPI analog micrometer but some of the guys that needed them couldn't read the analog dial as well as the digital so I made sure my men/women had what they needed. For general use you will be fine with any mid price set. Popular auction site has several used sets you can get for a steal.

Good to know ! I'll look at the kobolts as well and thank for the heads up I'll check into that! [emoji1688]


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[archimedes]

Just remembered that I have a cheap-and-cheerful non-conductive Wiha vernier, too.

Got it soon after an oopsie measuring a battery