Quality digital vernier calipers

[TobyParticipant @toby]

Posted by Nick_G on 12/02/2017 21:25:16:

.

Hi Toby,

Would frequently find themselves a new zero point combined with wild readings. These readings were usually so far off the mark that an error was obvious. But did little for me to have any confidence in them. They also felt cheap and of no better quality than some £7 Aldi ones I once bought.

Taking them to bits and cleaning helped sometimes but an expensive or frustrating mistake was only a matter of time.

Nick

that is a shame, obviously their quality control isn't perfect…..

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Nick_G on 12/02/2017 21:38:58:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 12/02/2017 21:26:21:

OK, it's clear that not enough people who are contributing to this thread read MEW (shame on you!)

To show you what you are missing and shed some light on different calipers, please see this article I have uploaded:

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

Neil

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Thanks for the link Neil,

But what IMHO would really be of value in a review is one written by someone who has used a product frequently for 12 months or so then drawn conclusions.

I however could not have done that for the budget M&W because it did not last anywhere near that long.

Nick

I'm think of publishing 'year or more on' reviews on my own website to follow up on the quick and dirty ones.

Neil

[TobyParticipant @toby]

Posted by Nick_G on 12/02/2017 21:38:58:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 12/02/2017 21:26:21:

OK, it's clear that not enough people who are contributing to this thread read MEW (shame on you!)

To show you what you are missing and shed some light on different calipers, please see this article I have uploaded:

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

Neil

.

Thanks for the link Neil,

But what IMHO would really be of value in a review is one written by someone who has used a product frequently for 12 months or so then drawn conclusions.

I however could not have done that for the budget M&W because it did not last anywhere near that long.

Nick

It still depends on the particular unit used in the review though. If you had done a year later review it would be doom and gloom. If I had done one based on my two it would be all good

what we really need is a 1 year on review on 30 plus units. But I doubt Neil has the budget for that

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

My Mitutoyo cost me about £120 in the very early 90s and is satisfactorily accurate, remember this is not a micrometer but a digital version of a vernier caliper which you would be deluding yourself if you expected an absolute accuracy better than a couple of thou. It is better than that. A while ago I bought a caliper at the machine dro stand at one of the shows, for £26 I got a caliper with a very large display which is the next best thing to Braille, I can comfortably read it without my eye crutches and after a very quick polish is now as smooth as the Mitutoyo, accuracy is well within what I would expect from a caliper. I would not hesitate to recommend both calipers but for value for money the MDRO wins hands down. Unfortunately it does not seem to be a current stock item. This picture is the same item from another source.

[JAParticipant @ja]

I usually use my digital calipers for general measurements. When zeroed correctly it is as good as my old Moore & Wright 0-1" micrometer to 0.001".

I am satisfied with this. I do not know of anything that will measure closer that 0.0001" and a guess in an ordinary workshop. Please correct me if you know better.

JA

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

I think Mike is spot on. Calpers (either vernier or digital) are OK for general use, but you cannof beat a micrometer for accuracy and total confidence that you have the spot on correct result. Mitutoyo or not.

While I like my 150mm mitutoyosI also often use my 4" digi of chinese origin as it is more handy at times. It has never given me any problem or eaten cells at a fantastic rate. Bought at Lee Valley in Canada, so likely specified to a quality, rather than the cheapest on the market. Cost me either $25Ca or £25 equivalent (can't remember which, but I think the former). That was back when the Canadian dollar was cheap for us.

[John ReeseParticipant @johnreese12848]

I have a Mitutoyo caliper for accurate work. I have a couple of $20.00 Chinese calipers I use for general work. I don't think there is a better caliper made than Mitutoyo. If I damage mine it will be around $200 to replace it. The $20 calipers save wear and tear on the Mitutoyo.

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

Thanks guys for all the advice

I have bought a Mitutoyo 500-196-30

 

Edited By petro1head on 13/02/2017 07:51:19

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

Posted by petro1head on 13/02/2017 07:51:08:

Thanks guys for all the advice

I have bought a Mitutoyo 500-196-30

 

Edited By petro1head on 13/02/2017 07:51:19

Over 2 years gone by and still on the same battery.

I am forever forgetting to switch it off.  Not complaining but wondering why the battery last so long in this vernier and the cheap ones the battery lasts 6 months if your lucky.

Edited By petro1head on 29/07/2019 13:01:41

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

If it is like mine then off is off, others remember the last setting so you are really only turning off the display so battery is still being use din the background..

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

Are the battery just std batteries

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

My Mitutoyo 500-130 is at least 30 years old and going strong I change the batteries every few years. This model has a ON/ZERO button and switches its self off after about a half an hour's of not being used.

David

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I have a 6" standard, and a 12" heavy duty Mitutoyo digital, as well as several of the cheap Chinese ones from Lidl.

The Mitutoyos are kept for best, I can measure consistently to 0.001", even bores, which calipers are not particularly good for.

The cheap ones are great value for money, but cannot match the Mits, which doesn't matter for most work. I have noticed that the quality of the Lidl bought ones has dropped in recent years unfortunately.

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

s

Edited By petro1head on 29/07/2019 14:28:18

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

My update… The Mitutoyo and M&W are both still on their original batteries as far as I can remember.

The Mitutoyo needs the origin resetting every few month or two.

The M&W has started losing its origin when woken up, so maybe the battery is on its way out.

Neil

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

I have two of the WORKZONE make and apart from one small thing I am quite content with them. The one "small thing" is the flimsy battery cover on the "instruments" which over time on one of them has worn on one edge and fails to lock the battery in position without an unsightly winding of sticky tape.

I performed minor corrective surgery this afternoon using a thin alu strap and ended up so:

I used the hand held pin chuck to drill the plastic case as I suspected there would be circuit/components below the screw holes (2.5mm) and so it turned out to be

Only a piddling job I know but I no longer have to wince at that mess of tape.

Rik

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

I've just damaged my approx. 5-year-old M&W by dropping it and raising a .003" burr on the slim bit of the fixed jaw. I think it's been OK within its half-thou resolution up to now, but it lost its thumbwheel last year so I'm retiring it – I don't know if I'd ever quite trust a stoned-off burr.

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