Good calipers....

[bt_guy]

Looking for a good set of machinist calipers. Not sure what brand to look for....

They will basically be used for measuring press fits and small metal parts. Not looking for anything in the hundreds of dollars, just something nice. No preference between digital or an older dial model.

Have to admit I have a weakness for old tools in wooden cases and willing to spend some time on ebay to find something good even if its used. Doesn't have to be certified for my purposes.

 

[rsanter]

I like the mititoyos. I also have some starret and brown and sharp that work well

bob

 

[Stuey]

I like Mitutoyo as well - www.use-enco.com has them for "cheap" sometimes. I've got a vernier and a digital and I cannot seem to figure out I prefer one over the other.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I like Mitutoyo as well - www.use-enco.com has them for "cheap" sometimes. I've got a vernier and a digital and I cannot seem to figure out I prefer one over the other.

I like my digital...until the battery dies in the middle of a project. Then the old vernier caliper comes out.

 

[malibu101]

I have a Starret and a Brown & Sharp dial calipers. I love the Starret and hate the B&S. Why?
The Starret has a small roller wheel to move the head, the B&S has a nub molded on top.
I personally like the feel and ease of using the roller. Maybe B&S makes a model with a wheel, I don't know.

I also cut the tang off the B&S since sometimes that's just in the way. If I want to use a caliper for depth, I'd just use the Starret.
Or the depth mic

 

[nissan_crawler]

Define "good". My HF calipers have been calibrated every 6 months for 6 years now, no problems.

 

[bt_guy]

Define "good". My HF calipers have been calibrated every 6 months for 6 years now, no problems.

"good"......

Since lurking here a year or too ago I started to appreciate good tools. Especially "good" tools got at good prices on ebay or or on sale.

I do mostly bike repair (some minor auto) with my stuff right now. Resisted the snap-on peer pressure, but have some really nice SK and craftsman polished stuff, My pride and joy are my craftsman boxes. Especially building up/completing the socket draw organizer I got at sears (a few hard to find sizes in them). Just finishing up setting it up.

So "good" is probably something in a good case and a decent name/reputation as a good tool.

 

[Stuey]

So "good" is probably something in a good case and a decent name/reputation as a good tool.

I beg to differ. Basically this is saying that something that looks good and comes from a reputable brand is automatically good, which isn't always true.

Nissan is perfectly happy with his HF calipers. I've avoid a company such as HF due to their reputation regarding other tools, but their calipers may be sufficient for many people.

I've used Starretts in the past, but when looking to buy personal tools, I did a lot of googling and found that some Starrett fans have started deserting the brand. Someone recommended Enco to me, and when I saw they had a sale, I picked up my Mitutoyos.

For the most part, I've been very pleased with my choice. I didn't like the idea of dial calipers though, so my non-digital version are vernier with metric and SAE scales. My verniers came in a little vinyl sleeve, and the digital ones come in a plastic box. Gone are the days when precision instruments come with nice wooden boxes. These days, if wooden cases are even available, they would hardly be worth the extra premium.

 

[kvom]

Personally I prefer my digital since it will display both US and metric.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I have a set of older dial Starretts w/depth attachment in the fitted case I bought new over 20 years ago and I have always loved them. A while back I got a chip in the rack (a known problem spot on older Starretts) so now I need to send them back to Starrett to remove the chip. Since I cannot afford to do this right now I got a cheap HF 6" digital in stainless for $10.00. They work great, are very accurate, Chinese made, and unfortunately I love them! Who knows when I will spend the bucks to fix my old dial now!

 

[eschoendorff]

I have a set of older dial Starretts w/depth attachment in the fitted case I bought new over 20 years ago and I have always loved them. A while back I got a chip in the rack (a known problem spot on older Starretts) so now I need to send them back to Starrett to remove the chip. Since I cannot afford to do this right now I got a cheap HF 6" digital in stainless for $10.00. They work great, are very accurate, Chinese made, and unfortunately I love them! Who knows when I will spend the bucks to fix my old dial now!

Same here. I have a set of HF digitals (not the cheapest one, but a step up) and they work quite well... not to mention that they are they same exact design being peddled by the big name companies as their own...

These ones...

 

[Uncle Buck]

Same here. I have a set of HF digitals (not the cheapest one, but a step up) and they work quite well... not to mention that they are they same exact design being peddled by the big name companies as their own...

These ones...

Yup, that is the set I meant alright!

 

[Ign]

I like the Mitutoyo IP66's. Digital can be nice 'cause no rack and pinion to care about abrasive dust, dirt, gunk etc. If you pay more than $130 for the 6" version you paid too much, and you can get 'em on sale for around $115 to $117.

Otherwise I'd probably just get a basic Fowler or SPI. Then when you drop it (and you will) you won't cry so much.

 

[johnny1290]

shoot I was just reading a thread on a machinst board about HF calipers, and they agreed they're accurate, but if you're doing something that needs to be dead-nuts-accurate, I've always heard Mitutoyo is the way(no personal experience just word of mouth)

I just bought a 4" HF caliper for i dunno 12 bucks? on sale...and I absolutely love it!

Just gotta take the battery out after eveyr use or it'll die in a few months, the off button doesn't stop the drain on the battery.

And speaking of converting decimals to fractions, here's a handy chart I just printed out and stuck in the case

http://www.accuratescrew.com/info/MetricSizes.htm

 

[MXtras]

The cheapest dial caliper out there is better than a tape measure or a steel rule.

And if you are doing something that needs to be "dead-nuts-accurate", calipers are not the correct measuring tool anyway. They will get you close but they don't fly in the world of "dead-nuts".

Mitutoyo has made better measuring tools than Starrett for the last 20-25 years. Starrett was the cream of the crop for a long time until the Japanese came to market and schooled the precision world in fit and finish on measuring tools. The only measuring equipment that has had a consistently better precision reputation than Mitutoyo is Tessa (Swiss). Even Brown and Sharp can't compare to Mitutoyo's consistency.

Scott

 

[Uncle Buck]

The cheapest dial caliper out there is better than a tape measure or a steel rule.

And if you are doing something that needs to be "dead-nuts-accurate", calipers are not the correct measuring tool anyway. They will get you close but they don't fly in the world of "dead-nuts".

Mitutoyo has made better measuring tools than Starrett for the last 20-25 years. Starrett was the cream of the crop for a long time until the Japanese came to market and schooled the precision world in fit and finish on measuring tools. The only measuring equipment that has had a consistently better precision reputation than Mitutoyo is Tessa (Swiss). Even Brown and Sharp can't compare to Mitutoyo's consistency.

Scott

Everything stated is true and accurate, I could not agree more. In the 80's when I bought my Starretts I thought there were no precision measuring instruments made of better quality, however I too learned in time that Starrett was not in fact the top of the heap when it comes to dial calipers!

 

[dxdexter]

Hey esch is this how you check the calibration of your calipers.

 

[russlaferrera]

I missed the point. The adjustable wrench is set close to 1/2 " How accurate are the calipers ? Better illustration...1/2".gauge block

 

[eschoendorff]

I missed the point. The adjustable wrench is set close to 1/2 " How accurate are the calipers ? Better illustration...1/2".gauge block

They aren't... it was just a close up of the calipers so that people could see what the hell I was talking about.

 

[Kevin54]

They aren't... it was just a close up of the calipers so that people could see what the hell I was talking about.

Yea right. "Hey what size of rod is that?" "Hell, I don't know, just grab the adjustable wrench and measure it. It was just calibrated"

 

[eschoendorff]

Yea right. "Hey what size of rod is that?" "Hell, I don't know, just grab the adjustable wrench and measure it. It was just calibrated"

I was actually surprised at how that came out too... took a pic 'cause otherwise no one would believe me!

 

[OldCarGuy]

The three (of my dozen or so) calipers that I use most often are all Mitutoyo, 6" & 8" Digimatic and an older 12" dial type. I set all three to .0000, then measured a 1" gage block shown in the lower L.H. corner.

As mentioned by Mxtra, calipers are really not that accurate. With an accuracy of .001 inch. For my precision work, I have Mitutoyo Micrometers from 1" to 12". They read in tenth’s (.0001 inch) and have carbide tipped anvils for longer wear.

 

[Stuey]

That's some serious instrumentation you've got there!! What kind of stuff have you been fabricating?

 

[Charles (in GA)]

For average work, a cheap China made caliper cannot be beat. Midway USA, an ammunition reloading and shooting supply mailorder company, has a house brand of 6" caliper that is excellent, and reasonable priced.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=119623&t=11082005

Its about $26 regular but get on the mailing list and wait till its on sale for $19.

The also have a digital caliper.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=604242&t=11082005

Badmouth the China stuff all you want, but its as good as it gets short of buying the real pricey stuff like Old Car Guy has. He is a machinist, so he needs good stuff. Average guy, average garage, the $26 one will work just fine.

I have a Brown and Sharpe dial Caliper I bought over ten years ago. It was $100+ then for the caliper, wood case, and T attachment for depth measuring. It stays in the box most of the time, I usually use the cheap one.

 

[OldCarGuy]

That's some serious instrumentation you've got there!! What kind of stuff have you been fabricating?

Precision tools,, Just gotta Love’em… But I’m a Tool and Diemaker by trade, so I may tend to overdo my purchases a tad bit. Consequently I’ve been collecting serious instrumentations for over forty years. Nonetheless I have acquired them plus all my machinery to restore antique cars in my retirement years… Bringing back fossil remains such as this 1914 Cadillac discarded in the woods for 50 years,, to the glory that it deserves…

 

[eschoendorff]

Just... wow.

 

[old salvage]

OldCarGuy
Awsome !!

 

[milkovich]

Has anyone heard of or used Fowler's?

Good, bad, ugly?

 

[OldCarGuy]

Has anyone heard of or used Fowler's?

Good, bad, ugly?

Fowler has made precision measuring instruments for as long as I’ve been around. Years back they were made in Germany and well crafted. Though I’d imagine they may be made in Asia now. Fowler became popular amongst machinists because of their quality and were priced lower than Starrett, Brown & Sharp, and Lufkin.

I do own two Fowler calipers. However they are the old vernier style and hard to read. Consequently rarely used.

 

[MXtras]

I think their quality and reputation was comparable to B&S until the early to mid eighties.
I don't know about now, but the last Fowler tool I saw I would not own.

Scott

 

[milkovich]

I wonder how good their current products are. They sure look the part and are almost affordable.

I'd like a decent quality 12" dial caliper for ordering custom pushrods and stuff and I've found the fowlers for a reasonable money.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I think their quality and reputation was comparable to B&S until the early to mid eighties.
I don't know about now, but the last Fowler tool I saw I would not own.

Scott

I have not seen any Fowler stuff worth owning in recent times!

 

[dxdexter]

I have not seen any Fowler stuff worth owning in recent times!

I bought a 0"-1" Fowler AGD Series Dial indicator with case and magnetic stand and am very happy with my purchase. I don't know where it is made but the quality appears as good or better then my 1" Starrett in which the lens keep popping off.

We also have 6 Starrett 0"-2" dial indicators at work for measuring deflections when load testing anchoring systems and I have never been happy with them. The .1" scale is very difficult to read, as the needle does not point to the appropriate number after each revolution of the dial. This is the same on all of the indicators. You have to read the gauge and then watch the hand revolutions in order to guess the .1" value.

If anyone knows what may be the problem with these gauges let me know. I try to avid them when possible and use a 0"-1" Mitoyoto gauge when possible.

 

[Coach James]

I got that HF caliper on sale last summer for ~$10. I got them for checking brake rotors. They don't need to be super accurate as I change the rotors if they are anywhere near their limit. I've been suprised how well they have worked. From what some folks say about Hf stuff, I thought they might break removing them from the bag.

Coach

 

[Uncle Buck]

I got that HF caliper on sale last summer for ~$10. I got them for checking brake rotors. They don't need to be super accurate as I change the rotors if they are anywhere near their limit. I've been suprised how well they have worked. From what some folks say about Hf stuff, I thought they might break removing them from the bag.

Coach

No, the digitals are one of their decent tools for the price, also they are sufficient for most home shop guys.

 

[OldCarGuy]

I dug out my 6” dial type Fowler Calipers that I rarely use. Because I’ve been spoiled by using digitals. They're about 30 years old and are marked made in Germany and have the quality, look, and feel of Mitutoyo’s.

 

[eschoendorff]

I dug out my 6” dial type Fowler Calipers that I rarely use. Because I’ve been spoiled by using digitals. They're about 30 years old and are marked made in Germany and have the quality, look, and feel of Mitutoyo’s.

Are the Germans lurking in Japan?

 

[gorilla]

If you are doing press fits on small diameter work a good quality micrometer with a slip clutch and some gage pins may be worth considering.

 

[JayL]

This looks a bit different than the generic ones.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QW6OGQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Stuey]

This looks a bit different than the generic ones.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QW6OGQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

It could look different and smell different, but I get the feeling that it's just another generic import.