Quality digital vernier calipers

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

having had a few Chinese ones which feel gritty and not very smooth I was wondering is anyone could recommend a quality digital vernier caliper

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

[Nick_GParticipant @nick_g]

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IMHO bite the bullet and go for Mitutoyo. – Initial purchase will hurt but will work out cheaper in the long run.

Nick

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

Over the years I have bought Mitutoyo and been very pleased with them, bought two a few years apart both at around the £65 mark. Having said that I also have Aldi/Lidl brand and these are my daily use ones. At £9 I really don't care about them and for 90% of measuring they are good enough. Lets face it any caliper measuring is not that accurate and varies from person to person perhaps more than a micrometer.

[Rick Kirkland 1Participant @rickkirkland1]

In addition, there’s no such thing as a Digital Vernier Caliper. And if there is, I’d absolutely love to know how they work. No pedantry, again a simple fact. It’s called a Digital Caliper. A Vernier Caliper is a different animal altogether.

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

I vote for Mitutoyu, mine has been going strong for years. I have found cheaper ones don't last the distance and use batteries much quicker.

[Brian WoodParticipant @brianwood45127]

I have been very happy with the Moore and Wright Digital calipers I bought at Harrogate several years ago.

Brian

[HowiParticipant @howi]

Posted by Rick Kirkland 1 on 12/02/2017 12:46:26:
In addition, there's no such thing as a Digital Vernier Caliper. And if there is, I'd absolutely love to know how they work. No pedantry, again a simple fact. It's called a Digital Caliper. A Vernier Caliper is a different animal altogether.

Haven't we been there already? Now getting rather boringly repetative. So long as we know what is meant, does it really matter? Surely a ' digital vernier caliper' just means a digital version of what used to be called a vernier caliper.

The vernier scale not being required because of the resolution available with digital technology.

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

We have been using the "Insize" brand calipers sold by Cutwel for 3 or 4 years now at work. We have several & not yet had one fail. The 3V CR2032 batteries last very well too.

Less costly than Mitutoyo & it's worth getting on Cutwel's mailing list for the monthly special offers.

Nigel B

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Another vote for Mitutoyo, mine must be 30yrs old and still going strong. Have a much nicer feel than the ones from Machine DRO etc

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

I've got two I rely on. One is 6" and branded Trojan and bought from Greenwood Tools at a show a few years back, they said it was a re-branded Mitutoyo, whether or not it works very well. The other is a Baty 8" from Machine-DRO which I use less so far but seems very good. I have various Aldi ones and a freebie from Arc but they don't inspire confidence, the zero isn't stable and the batteries run down very quickly.

[Tony MarshallParticipant @tonymarshall12301]

Take a look at the thread "Fake Mitutoyo Digital Callipers on eBay" (not my spelling!) from a couple of years ago before taking the plunge.

FWIW I have Mitutoyo and Tesa on my bench. I prefer the Tesa because it has a thumbwheel. I also have a cheap one that does fractions languishing in a drawer now that the novelty has worn off.

[Nick_GParticipant @nick_g]

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The lower end price M&W are rebranded far eastern ones these days. – Got a set. In the junk bin now.

Another advantage of the quality brands is that they don't eat batteries like Billy Bunter chomping in a sweet shop.

Nick

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Tony Marshall on 12/02/2017 13:57:11:

… (not my spelling!) …

.

'though it is the traditional 'British English' spelling of the item also known as Calipers.

MichaelG.

[only mentioned to balance your exclamation mark]

[mark smith 20Participant @marksmith20]

Last ones i bought were Tesa Twin Cal Ip67. They seem pretty good. Bought them used but they are in good condition.

Edited By mark smith 20 on 12/02/2017 15:16:27

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

I'd suggest a site search to OP as all of the above have been discussed many times.

(Including spelling and semantics)

+1 from me on Mitutoyo (genuine Mit)

[David Watson 3Participant @davidwatson3]

I treated myself to a cheap digital vernier gauge from Lidle for use at work bench fitting. Thinks me no one will steal a cheap one. It was in regular use until I found a Kennedy digital vernier in the bin,complete with case. It had a flat battery. As usual with any tools found in the workshop I put it in a box marked lost and found. It was never claimed along with Snap On spanners a digital multi meter and a good selection of other tools. Some people have no respect for there tools any more.

[Roger Williams 2Participant @rogerwilliams2]

Hello all, just treated myself to a Mitutoyo IP67 six inch digital caliper and its a joy to use, mainly because of the big numerals compared to my Sylvac, which has tiny numerals. Ive also owned a cheap Chinese (£8) Powerfix I think its called, and the battery is at least 2 years old. Yesterday , I tried all 3 on a bore guage set to 1 1/2 inches (checked with a micrometer) and they all read the same, 3 1/4. (Only joking)….1 1/2. So sometimes, depending on your luck, cheap ones are just as good.

Edited By Roger Williams 2 on 12/02/2017 16:24:55

[Raymond AndersonParticipant @raymondanderson34407]

Mitutoyo or TESA got one of each, both first rate. Expensive but worth it, very reliable.

[sean logieParticipant @seanlogie69385]

Mitutoyo ….best thing I've bought to date on the tool front …Apart from QC toolpost

Keep your eyes open for replicas!!! they're everywhere .

Sean

[John BaguleyParticipant @johnbaguley78655]

Keep a look out on Ebay for s/h Mitutoyo. etc. You can get some real bargains for a lot less than the full price.

After using the cheap Aldi ones for years (and I've been perfectly happy with them apart from the very short battery life) I've recently bought several s/h Mitutoyo calipers and micrometers quite cheaply. Some are in almost new condition but some have the odd scratch or two. Also bought a few 'faulty' ones that just needed cleaning and now work perfectly. I couldn't believe that the batteries are supposed to last for over 2 years!

As mentioned, watch out for the cheap chinese copies. You are not going to get a genuine brand new Mitutoyo for £10!

John

[Tony MarshallParticipant @tonymarshall12301]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 12/02/2017 14:31:21:

Posted by Tony Marshall on 12/02/2017 13:57:11:

… (not my spelling!) …

.

'though it is the traditional 'British English' spelling of the item also known as Calipers.

MichaelG.

[only mentioned to balance your exclamation mark]

I stand corrected. My reference books must have American contributors. Note to self, don't make assumptions. Many thanks.

[JAParticipant @ja]

I bought my first digital calipers 15 – 20 years ago from a well known tool shop. It was cheap, Chinese and became useless after about two years. Thinking I could do better I visited my local engineering merchants to see what they had. I came away with a Swiss made TESA IP65 digital calipers which cost about 8x the earlier calipers. I still use it and it has given me excellent service.

TESA calipers are still available but I haven't a clue where I would get one from. I don't think you will find them on eBay and the local engineering merchants is long since gone.

JA

 

Edited By JA on 12/02/2017 17:42:08

[Engine BuilderParticipant @enginebuilder]

Mitutoyo for me. I recently was able to buy a replacement battery cover for mine. How many other makes will offer spare parts?

I actually had to buy 4 to make up the minimum order , I have an ad in the for sale section if anyone needs one, I have 3 spares.

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

So, are these the real thing mYAAOSwjDZYlwuv

 

Having now seen the cost I can only assume fake

Edited By petro1head on 12/02/2017 18:04:04

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