Mitutoyo micrometer

[Nitai LeviParticipant @nitailevi73768]

I finally decided to replace my decent but not so great caliper and micrometer with good ones, which locally means Mitutoyo (which is good and available). I decided on a caliper, but not sure about the micrometer.

I just despise batteries… so I'm leaning towards a mechanical one. They have three and I can't really figure out what the differences are, seems to be something about the ratchet/thimble.

**LINK**

**LINK**

**LINK**

I'm not sure the the last two are any different except the finish/coating/look. The last one also says it's made in China… can I relaly trust it to be good? Signfiicantly nicer than my no-name but sort of decent Chinese one?

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Nitai LeviParticipant @nitailevi73768]

[LambtonParticipant @lambton]

You can rely on any genuine Mitutoyo product to be top quality wherever it is manufactured as they have rigorous quality control and the best possible manufacturing processes. Over the years, both privately and whilst at work, I have been involved with Mitutoyo products of many types and have never had any cause for complaint.

However I understand there are some convincing fake products being made. Mitutoyo have some advice on their web site about avoiding fakes.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

I have a Tesa mechanical micro which used to work very well and would read to a micron, but I dropped it and the readout was ruined! So I bought a Mitutoyo digital mike which I hardly ever use because it's not absolute. Every time I switch it on I have to wind it right back to closed to zero it which takes forever. So last year I spent £27 on a s/h Mitutoyo mechanical micrometer, 25 mm, and it's just great! So spend a little time on eBay looking for one like this, or Tesa, or M&W.

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

They specify the accuracy of 2 of them so I would pick one of those, a bit dearer than the last one.

Personally I wouldn't rule out Starret and Shardlow although I think Shardlow are defunct now. My 0-1 is by Starret chosen because it has a vernier scale as well so reads to 1/10 thou and due to that they made the frame a little heavier than normal. I would most definitely say Mit Absolute Coolant proof for callipers – the best they do or at least they were when I bought mine.

I agree about batteries. These mic's tend to get much heavier and the 1um reading really is a bit of a joke. The problem I find with mine is that the batteries go flat at the most awkward time.

Out of interest I understand that Black and Decker have owned Mitutoyo for a long time now. That would make me a little wary of any cheaper offerings.

John

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[Graham WhartonParticipant @grahamwharton]

I bought all my Mitutoyos second hand on ebay. All chosen carefully, not accepting any that show signs of any rust. Most are as new, tending to cost in the region of 15-25 GBP each. Ive got a full set of standards and never have any problems with repeatability against the standards.

You could say my mic collection has become somewhat obsessive.

I don't have any digital micrometers, but all of my absolute digital calipers sit on my bench pretty much 24/7 with the displays on, as they don't seem to auto off, and i've not replaced any of the batteries in the last couple of years. I don't know if the mics are worse for some reason.

[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

Hi Nitai I would go for the 301, the 701 has a friction thimble rather than a standard ratchet on the very end, this type of thimble is larger in diameter and will feel quite bulky. I once had a M & W with is type of thimble, never liked it !

The 137 is the budget range, still good but if you had both in your hand you would I believe choose the 301–just my opinion of course.

Good luck with your choice and I whole heartedly agree analogue is better than digital it will never let you down and although I do have a digital caliper I regularly use my Etalon vernier — no batteries !

Regards John

[Nitai LeviParticipant @nitailevi73768]

Thanks everyone

I decided I dislike batteries enough to not get digital ones. The caliper I want is this one **LINK**

I'm not in a country where we have ebay and these kind of used tools are pretty rare here. I also rather pay more for something I buy maybe once or twice in a life time (hopfully), to not compromise and get exactly what I want.

Re the vernier scale, all the micrometers that I linked to are also available with a 0.001mm vernier scale (though not on Amazon, so I just linked to the 0.01mm ones available there) and that's what I'll be getting.

Re the thimble, the 701 says "Ratchet Thimble Micrometer" in the description…? The catalogue does explain a bit about how it works differently than the others but I'm a little confused.

Thanks again

Edited By Nitai Levi on 10/06/2015 05:19:37

[Brian O’ConnorParticipant @brianoconnor49474]

I have one of these:

http://www.mitutoyo.co.uk/small-tool-instruments-and-data-management/micrometers/193-111

As you can see it has mechanical digits, so no battery, and it also has the vernier scale as a cross check on accuracy.

Brian

[Brian O’ConnorParticipant @brianoconnor49474]

Curses, my link didn't come out as **LIMK**. There must be an istruction for doing so somewhere but I haven't been able to find it.

B

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

Your probably wise to avoid the ones reading to 1um. Many of the digital ones that read to that have very rigid and heavy frames which can make them cumbersome to use. I'm glad I bought mine used as I soon went back to my mechanical ones.

On the callipers I feel the ones you have linked too are a good choice. A lot of people like that style. One thing I should point out is that eventually I bought some that read to 200mm. The extra range can prove useful. They are available on this page

**LINK**

The ones I use are these

**LINK**

So far the batteries have lasted a couple of years plus and they are pretty precise. That just leaves the problem of using them that accurately when work is on machines etc. The extra length probably makes that a little more difficult than the 150mm ones but I'd say there is nothing in it really. The problem with callipers is ensuring they are dead square to the work when a measurement is taken, they also are not as accurate as a mic. The usual bore measurement is also very iffy. The older style that didn't use knife edges are better but they limit the min size that can be read and their width has to be subtracted from the reading.

John

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[Leo F ByrneParticipant @leofbyrne36951]

Mitutoyo are just excellent. I mostly use the digital caliper, and it is accurate. I have other cheaper ones but keep coming back to this. I make violin bows so my level of accuracy is high but not as critical as many on this site.

Leo Byrne

[Nitai LeviParticipant @nitailevi73768]

Thanks.

I already decided on that 15cm caliper because I don't need the extra 5cm. I don't even need 15cm really, but I think the 10cm one would be less comfortable to hold and use, possibly getting the edge or corner of the end against my palm. I also prefer the 1mm dial turn instead of the 2mm dial turn because it's more comfortable to read.

I'll look into that digit micromter, looks great and without a battery. It has all the lines and vernier like the regular one too. It has a ratchet stop right and not friction?

Edited By Nitai Levi on 10/06/2015 12:52:02

[Brian O’ConnorParticipant @brianoconnor49474]

Yes, it has a ratchet. There is a simple procedure for aligning the two readouts. When I set mine to zero, using the ratchet, both readouts read exactly zero. I highly recommend it.

B

[Nitai LeviParticipant @nitailevi73768]

About the 193-111 micrometer, does it require some kind of special tool to calibrate it? I found a used one for a decent price but it doesn't come with the tool that the new one seems to have in the case. I still have to see if cost with shipping will be worth it though.

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

On a 0-25mm and other they usually come with a spanner that is used to rotate the inner barrel to precisely align the zero mark. Ones above 25mm should come with a setting gauge as well. The spanner from one make sometimes fits others.

I did come across a micrometer spindle that had the spanner but the barrel was fixed and wouldn't rotate at all. The spanner was probably added to fool people it could be adjusted in the normal way. Also when I unscrewed the anvil part completely I found there was no ring nut to adjust the fit of the micrometer screw. I looked as I thought it was a little too loose. Turned out that the feel of it was mostly determined by the grease they had put on the screw.

Not sure you will find ratchets work out as well as you might think. They can be ok when everything is spotlessly clean but the trouble is that when the zero is set the whole area of the anvils is in contact where as when say measuring on a diameter it isn't so pressures tends clear away any oi,l grease or atmospheric gunk. It doesn't when measuring say blocks so slightly more pressure is needed to be sure of correct readings. The safest thing really is to clean the area being measured and the mic.

Even when setting a new micrometer it's best to grip some printer paper between the anvils and pull it through just to make sure there are no residues of this and that on them then check the zero.

John

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[Brian O’ConnorParticipant @brianoconnor49474]

The calibration tool is just a small 'C' spanner. the small projection of which engages in a small hole at the back of the barrel. If you can't get the correct tool it should be a simple matter to make something tha would do the job.

B

[alan smith 6Participant @alansmith6]

Hi All, I have two Mitutoyo vernier style digital mikes, the first has given up the ghost as the display has become scrambled after many years of use. the other one that I bought at a tool stall second hand has been damaged and does not read correctly when using the inside jaws but is ok for rough od measurement. The third one from the Far East that I bought in an emergency does not switch off and so eats batteries. personally I dislike these digital instruments and much prefer to use slip gauges if i`m working to tenths of a thou. Most older pre digital mikes become worn in the middle of their range, so what I do is to wring together slip gauges to the desired dimension use this block of slips to check for any discrepancy in the mike reading and then use that actual mike reading to measure the finished dimension of the work.

I`m surprised that modelers don`t seem to use slips, they`re not so expensive to buy second hand and never get worn down enough to compromise the accuracy that modelers require. They have many uses once one learns how to use them properly.

PS. When looking through a catalogue on digital measuring devices, just look at the tolerances quoted for accuracy, you will be very surprised at how the accuracy of some are not up to par and you`re still paying through the nose for them.

Alan

[Jesse Hancock 1Participant @jessehancock1]

Nitae: I also have a micrometer with revolving numbers and I think as long as it's treated with respect should last as well as any other micrometer. As pointed out no batteries to buy either.

Alan: In my experience slip gauges were kept solely for calibration (masters) and since these were the standard for all other moving gauges (Verniers micrometers and height gauges) they were kept just for that job. It would have been impracticable to leave loose slips on the shop floor as they could be lost or easily damaged. This of course applies to model engineers in their shops.

That's not to say that various specially made go no-go, plugs and slips weren't chained at strategic points on the production line and used to check the fit of critical parts because they were.

Not trying to provoke argument here since if you are young and have gecko fingers why not use slips where you can. Personally I find them too fiddly these days and if not kept in pristine condition they won't stack either. Then again feeler gauges are cheap by comparison to slips.

[alan smith 6Participant @alansmith6]

Hi All, Jesse, I served my time at "Matrix" The Coventry Gauge & Tool Co, one of the main manufacturers of slip gauges in the fities and sixties copied from the originals manufactured by the Swedish company C: E: Johansen.

As you say, these very expensive sets weren`t just left lying around but one could borrow a workshop set from the tool stores by leaving one of your tool checks as security. The tool checks were round brass discs that had your works number stamped on them. The tnspection sets were used in the "Gauge room" which was kept at the official standard temperature for accurate measuring.

You can buy half a set on fleabay for around £50 and a full 81 piece set for under £100. Far better to buy a set of slips than spend hundreds of pounds on a digital readout kit which won`t last very long! How does one calibrate a digital readout? You use slips of course!

I have a small collection of Matrix measuring equipment including a set of highly accurate lengths of rod that can be screwed together for longer lengths that can`t be achieved with slips where normally the longest one in a set is 6 inches. These lovely old sets hardly used, that cost a fortune when new, can be picked up for peanuts.

As far as wringing the slips together is concerned luckily at the age of 77 my fingers are slightly arthritic but I can handle slips without any problem. To keep my joints lubricated I take a high recommended dose of Omega 3 fish oil, which seems to work for me.

Alan

[alan smith 6Participant @alansmith6]

Forgot to say that if you look at a catalogue of these caliper type digital and mechanical readout mikes you will be very surprised at the tolerances quoted for accuracy. Nital mentioned that he wanted to buy the Mitutoyo 505-681.

This has a tolerance of plus and minus 0.03mm (0.0012 inches) this cannot be called a precision device and can only be used for rough work! It also costs a lot of money.

I only use this type of caliper for rough work where I want quick results. As far as the amateur`s needs are concerned, there is no substitute for using a second hand mike that costs a fiver at a boot sale together with a set of slip gauges that also cost a fiver as explained in a previous post. This will give far better results than any of these digital devices for accurate work.

Alan

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

My tool checks were plastic but still had name and number engraved on them. Allowed 3 but there was a sort of black market in them. Who ever did the engraving did some spares.

For larger sizes I have a vernier calliper with a 0-25in scale and metric on the other side. Marked 27.5in by Starret. It's in a bit of a state but still zero's perfectly. Workshop grade though so not marked n degrees F. I have needed it a couple of times.

John

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[Nitai LeviParticipant @nitailevi73768]

Thanks again everyone. I ordered the 193-111 digit micrometer which has everything I want – no battery, easy to read, vernier to 0.001mm (more or less accurate) if I need it and ratchet stop.

[Nitai LeviParticipant @nitailevi73768]

Leo F Byrne, I repair musical instruments (mainly woodwinds) and that's why I need the micrometer.

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