Digital Caliper – again, sorry

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

It seems like I was a little hasty. I can still buy the item on bangood. It's name is TACKLIFE DC02 Digital Vernier Caliper 150 Mm, Stainless Steel, Precision Adjustment though I will omit a link as this may be naughty.

I'm going to buy me another one. It's about 18 quid.

Iain

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

Hmm. Firstly, it's aliexpress I found it on, not banggood. Secondly, it wouldn't post from Germany (though it said it would in the selection page), however it will post from Czech republic, though with postage added and VAT.

which has brought it up to 25 quid.

As and when it arrives I will let you know if it is as good as the first one.

Iain

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Ban good, etc? Often sub-standard stuff and little chance of correction if it is. To be avoided – unless you can afford to throw it away, if it is not to specification.

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

Posted by not done it yet on 10/12/2021 17:07:54:

Ban good, etc? Often sub-standard stuff and little chance of correction if it is. To be avoided – unless you can afford to throw it away, if it is not to specification.

I would alway choose AliExpress over Bangood

[VicParticipant @vic]

My main calliper is a Mitutoyo that’s over 30 years old. I usually leave a Lidl £10 job in the workshop but the last one failed and I haven’t seen any in Lidl lately.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

My LIDL D – C is so old that I cannot remember how long it has been in use. Battery life is acceptable, but not so good as the M & W one. I think it cost £7.99 at the time, so it must have been a long time ago!

The holder for the thumbwheel broke a long time ago, and the battery cover has had to be retained by putting an O ring around it and the main body for almost as long..

But it still functions! It has had to be stripped and cleaned a few times, (Eventually I learned how to reassemble it correctly! ) Still works, even with the low battery signal of flashing digits, and reads the same as my micrometers, so gets used a lot of the time, because of its convenience.

If it gives up the ghost completely, I'v probably had my moneys worth out of it

Howard

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Amazon has good offers on cheaper digital calipers from time to time, their buying power probably reduces the price, I bought these Tacklife calipers with a large screen on offer for £9.99 delivered for general use instead of the Swiss Sylvac ones I bought from Allendale, these Tacklife ones have been surprisingly good, feel well made and reliably return to zero.

The company Tacklife itself is Chinese and was kicked off Amazon for staging thousands of fake reviews, despite this I've found these OK, I'd definitely buy some more at the same price, but if they cost more I'd probably look at the budget brand sold by Allendale for a general use cheap digi calipers.

Edited By Pete. on 10/12/2021 20:49:30

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

I'm looking to buy another pair of digital calipers but have some questions about their operation that never seem to be answered by reading the description or specifications shown in the brochures or the sellers website.

Battery life does not bother me but I hate the auto-off function especially if it does not retain the reading and one has to zero the caliper every time its switched on. I have two Mititoyo calipers as well as 3 or 4 Lidl/Aldi cheap jobbies but now I am looking for a caliper with a larger display for everyday use.

Am I the only person that thinks product information and descriptions on Amazon are really poor (applies to most things they sell).

Ian P

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Product information can be terrible on Amazon, sometimes no more than a Product number given by the manufacturer on the box of the item, I don't know how many items Amazon sell, but I'd guess this has something to do with it.

On the plus side they do have a good review system unlike ebay despite idiots leaving reviews like 'I haven't used it yet but it looks like it will be good' 'delivery time was too long' 'I bought this as a gift for someone, they were really pleased '

If enough people have bought the item in question you are quite likely to get a response from the ask a question to people who have purchased this item function.

[Neil LickfoldParticipant @neillickfold44316]

I have had a very good run with Insize digital calipers . I got some about 6 years ago now, and are still just fine. I recently bought a smaller 4 inch set to use, instead of the 8 inch that I got 6 years ago. Just makes it easier to check things on the lathe or mill. If I need to be more accurate than 0.04mm on length or diameter then use different measuring equipment. I manly use them to check that something is not grossly wrong, ie 1 turn short of a dial somewhere etc.

Neil

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, well I bought this 3" one so long ago I can't remember when, but it was one of the well known suppliers at one of the Model Engineering exhibitions. It started plying up maybe a year or so ago but was handy for a quick check without the digital display, but a couple of weeks ago, I took the whole thing apart and cleaned everything including that stripe between the display and the printed circuit board and it now works just as good as it used to, no idea who made it, but it is as good as a Starrett one that I have, I think it cost about £6.00 at the time which would be about a tenner for a cheap one now. Very often comes in handy in a small space.

Regards Nick.

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

I didn't realise you can get ones that short! That could be handy for getting in awkward places…

Iain

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

I bought one of ARC Eurotrade's lower cost ones and am very pleased with it.

Robert G8RPI.

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

Since I started this thread I thought I would give some feedback on the Caliper I bought, the M-SURE from Amazon

Not sure whats happened to Amazon but currently their delivery time is quick. I ordered the caliper on Friday, selected std free delivery and recd it yesterday.

So, as I mentioned earlier in the thread I went for the M-SURE as it had recd good reviews on the Mig Welding Forum.

The case is very sturdy and well moulded, very similar to the case you get with the Mitutoyo calipers. It comes with one CR2032 Lithium battery which you have to fit and a small tool to get the battery cover off. The cover for the battery has a seal. There is also a data port as well, not tested.

Its auto on when you slide the caliper and auto off however it takes a long time to go off which is good. When off, I press the zero button and then switched it on and it was still at the same measurement so think its actually off and not just a display off so battery life may be good but obviously time will tell. It does advice to remove the battery if the caliper is not going to used for a long period of time. The slide action is smooth, the display is smaller than I would like, the one I got the other day was brill but of course the item faulty

On the paperwork there is a web address, m-sure.co.uk which taked you to a landing page and then to Machine Dro.  Its also looks like they do other models, mine is the MS-220-15- but they also do a MS-222 but the longer one here

Edited By petro1head on 12/12/2021 07:27:26

Edited By petro1head on 12/12/2021 07:32:13

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

If it is from Machine DRO, you can be fairly confident in it. They are a reputable supplier.

Howard

[brian roberts 2Participant @brianroberts2]

For some time now I have had pretty good service from budget digital calipers – except for their short battery life due to the 'soft' on-off switch which is never really off, so the caliper is always drawing a very small current.

This became so annoying, especially in cold weather when batteries were regularly failing, that I fitted 'proper' on-off switches – as shown.

These involve dismantling the calipers and intercepting the wiring or pcb track to one of the poles of the button cell and connecting it via the switch, which is held onto the body by Araldite epoxy glue, it helps to have a steady hand and magnifier.

The switches are RS 125-1860 'Slide switch, SPDT' and are made in Japan. So far, they have survived regular use and the batteries now last for years instead of months.

Despite the foregoing, my daily 'go to' measuring instruments are analogue dial calipers by Mitutoyo for metric and M & W for imperial. They are just so convenient to pick up and use.

Out of interest, I once checked the accuracy of my calipers against micrometer setting gauges and they were all within a thou' or two over 5" or 125mm. So the cheap ones, from the likes of Aldi, Lidl, etc. can be useful for home workshops where great precision is unwarranted.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

The biggest difference in quality if the 'feel'.

It's nice having pairs of M&W and Mitutoyo calipers just because they are so nice to use.

Confession… for the last year or so I've just had an old unbranded vernier calipers from Halfords to hand. It's been useful mire than once and the battery hasn't gone flat

Neil

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Posted by Iain Downs on 11/12/2021 13:50:07:

I didn't realise you can get ones that short! That could be handy for getting in awkward places…

Iain

Hi Iain, I think there was only one trader selling this size and being that I was just about spent out and this was the cheapest one, I bought it as all the others were 4" and a significantly dearer. It was at the time when they were becoming a must have tool and a number of the traders wouldn't take credit cards for small value purchases.

Regards Nick.

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

It sounds a bit trivial but its actually quite annoying; the M&W calipers I have don't have auto-wake, so I have to turn them on every time. I know that sounds pathetic but it makes it annoying enough that I tend to use my cheaper ones more often than not. Maybe that means they will have a better battery life but so far that hasn't proven to be the case.

[Ian MellorsParticipant @ianmellors72388]

Santa brought me one of these, very handy for the lathe

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Posted by Ian Mellors on 02/01/2022 15:29:29:

Santa brought me one of these, very handy for the lathe

But that is the only time the flip up display feature brings any benefit to an otherwise very ordinary digital caliper.

I purchased the identical item a few months ago and have never actually made use of it so its languishing in its box. Yes it can be used left handed in the lathe, but it then needs both hands if a button has to be pressed.

Ian P

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

I often use a 30 year old 6" Mitutoyo caliper that has never had a battery fitted and it's always ready for use.

Emgee

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

What I really need is a caliper which remembers not just where I left it but also has a way to remind me where I left it.

But I don't think I'm alone in this …

Cheers, Tim

[Ian MellorsParticipant @ianmellors72388]

Posted by Ian P on 02/01/2022 20:26:17:

Posted by Ian Mellors on 02/01/2022 15:29:29:

Santa brought me one of these, very handy for the lathe

But that is the only time the flip up display feature brings any benefit to an otherwise very ordinary digital caliper.

I purchased the identical item a few months ago and have never actually made use of it so its languishing in its box. Yes it can be used left handed in the lathe, but it then needs both hands if a button has to be pressed.

Ian P

I’ve got to agree that the display flip switch should be built into the hinge so it’s automatic. Hey ho.

[garrygunParticipant @garrygun]

Hi guys happynew year to all.

I purchased a cheapo vernier guage from thebay carbon fibre composite for work 5 years had it , ive found it more acurate than my home workshop mitutoyo vernier, admittedly its had lot use but cheapo one is so acurate ive just purchased another if it breaks no real loss just buy another.

Garry C

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