Hi Steve, Moore and Wright used to be a good name for measuring equipment 20 ish years ago. The stuff I have seen in the last few years at customers' in industry under that brand name was cheaply made badly finished far eastern rubbish. Same for Fowler and even some items from Starrett. I think firms there have bought the rights to use these old and trusted brand names and are badging their tat with the names to gain market trust.

I personally prefer Mitutoyo and have many of their older instruments, beautifully made and finished, that continue to be accurate and operate beautifully, earning their keep. Absolutely happy with those, some I have used for 35 years.

Several here though have reported there are fake Mitutoyo instruments being sold.

One 0-8" dial caliper I ordered recently was extremely roughly finished, full of gritty muck, and would not operate smoothly. It was genuine Mitutoyo, very expensive, but marked as made in Brazil (apparently by semi skilled staff not following the normal high Mitutoyo standards). I sent it back, but had to pay a 15% restocking fee to the dealer.

My recommendation would still be to buy Mitutoyo but only from a genuine Mitutoyo distributor near you, and if you are not 100 % satisfied with what you buy, send it back.

Bad measuring instruments can really steal the satisfaction and enjoyment of making things. I hope you can find some good ones and leave the tat behind.

Edited By Jeff Dayman on 23/01/2020 20:02:08

I am lucky to have a few Mitutoyo instruments all of Japanese origin, a bit pricey at the time but I have never regretted spending a bit more than intended for a quality tool built to last.

I bought a Moore and Wright MW110-15DBL caliper about a year ago with the intention of modifying it for use as a centre scribe. For the princely sum of £24 the quality is surprising good, so much so that I can't take it to the grinder, it's too good. The only minor gripe I have is that the auto off timer is too short.

The Aldi verniers are good value for everyday use and they come with a 12 month waranty. Make sure that you keep it (most people do not) and take it back for a replacement.

Paul

Pedant alert – no such thing as a Digital Vernier, but we all know what Stevie means – a digital caliper.

I keep a couple of inexpensive calipers for rough work – they're more than accurate enough for most ordinary work, and I don't mind abusing them to scribe lines. Nor does it matter when they get dropped on a concrete floor. The main problem is they don't feel smooth, are little difficult to feel when it's safe to trust a measurement, and they tend to lose zero. Mine have been mildly inferior, with only one that was truly second-rate. When I'm in a hurry, I use a £30 caliper from ArcEuro – not first-class. but it's nicer to use and results are more repeatable. It holds zero better than the cheepies, but isn't totally reliable, hence has to be watched. For best I have a Dasqua, which does hold zero, and has a silky feel. However, calipers aren't ideal for accurate work – for anything better than 0.02mm, an inexpensive micrometer will be about twice as accurate as any caliper, even a fancy one.

Like Dasqua, Moore and Wright are mid-range, probably better than the average home workshop needs. Mitutoyo or Starrett have more expensive models if that's what's wanted. The extra money doesn't deliver better accuracy, just a better feel, improved reliability and then you're paying for features like a coolant-proof enclosure.

Don't get carried away by Brand Names: most stuff today is made abroad and there's no particular reason why it shouldn't be, digital calipers aren't rocket science. If you do buy an expensive instrument, heed Jeff's warning about fakes.

Dave

… knew someone wouldn't be able to resist.

You might find this interesting:

http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/news/article/digital-caliper-comparative-review/24798

They are all pretty close in terms of accuracy, but there are other things to take into account.

Inaccurate readings usually come down to one of four things:

• Dirt – clean the main bar with a suitable solvent, wipe the jaws (this is probably what is affecting yours, you don't have to be able to see the dirt for it to affect the readings).
• Poor adjustment – 99.7% of digital caliper owners don't realise most have an adjustable gib strip.
• Dying battery.
• Poor technique.

Neil

Get a Mitutoyo, excellent verniers and the battery lasts for years

I didn't doubt that, but it's surprising how inconsistent new users can be, especially if the gibs are a bit loose as well.

Thanks for the prod on that one too. I'd thought that because the display came up sharp and prompt, the battery must be good even after a year or so's use. Not so – testing it showed 2.7 V. Putting in a new one put the accuracy back on the money for my 1 out of 3 'suss' M&Ws.

Always worth thinking about what others say, even when you think you know…

I would always recommend mitutoyo for callipers and mics but Tesa and Etalon make very good micrometers also in truth you only get what you pay for .

Digital verniers & digital rules are rare beasts indeed and about as useful as a digital sundial 😁

I bought a set of left hand callipers thinking they would be easier to read but they weren’t and the jaws looked as if they had been ground by drunken blacksmith wielding a bastard file !