reasonably priced vernier caliper

[1redTA]

call it shocking but my harbor freight vernier caliper is way off under an inch.

I would like to find a caliper that will work in some 3d printing because when I measured a part printed to .125 it was read around .20. I thought I was going to have to do some calibration blocks until I used some other tape measures and all 3 read the part was 1/8”

I don’t need a super accurate caliper since I’m not a machinist but I am inexperienced in which company makes an “entry level” caliper.

Can anyone point me in the direction for a nice one below a Starrett or Mitutoyo’s price?

Thanks!
Art

 

[AEAdam]

I bought a set of Mitutoyo inch 6” dials for $10 at a tool swap meet. That’s a good choice. Check eBay. Brown and Sharp or Starrett are excellent too.

For digitals, if you don’t choose a good brand, you will probably be buying rebranded Chinese tools. With digi cals, there is no middle range. If you are to get stuck with Chinese digitals, stick with the big CR2032 battery models. They seem to be better

 

[whateg01]

Are you sure you want a vernier? I get that there are almost no moving parts but I hate reading one even though I can. I would opt for a dial caliper because they don't have batteries. The anytime tools one I have is inch/metric and was $30, iirc. Works great every time. I also do have some older harbor freight digitals and they work also as long as I keep batteries in them. Digitals are nice when you need to make relative measurements.

 

[cmandp]

I would recommend a digital caliper. Easier to read than Vernier and no fine gear teeth to get chips stuck in.

I have this iGaging one for my good home set. I also have a really cheap set (they were like $20) for doing rough stuff and scribing. And a Mitutoyo my brother got me for fine work.

BTW a caliper by design can not technically read to finer than +/- 0.001". Most cheap digital are going to be +/-0.003 - 0.005

If you need to read tenths you need a micrometer. But that's just some metrology background.

 

[whateg01]

I would recommend a digital caliper. Easier to read than Vernier and no fine gear teeth to get chips stuck in.

I doubt there's a lot of risk of chips getting in it for 3D printer use.

 

[dscheidt]

I have this set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKG3768M?tag=atomicindus08-20
I bought them as bench top beater set, but they're much too nice for that. they're nearly as nice as my Mitutoyo set. Good battery life.

 

[cody1325]

I'm using a secondhand Mitutoyo "regular" caliper. Traded a much-to-large for my use Starrett for it.

 

[1redTA]

I bought a set of Mitutoyo inch 6” dials for $10 at a tool swap meet. That’s a good choice. Check eBay. Brown and Sharp or Starrett are excellent too.

For digitals, if you don’t choose a good brand, you will probably be buying rebranded Chinese tools. With digi cals, there is no middle range. If you are to get stuck with Chinese digitals, stick with the big CR2032 battery models. They seem to be better

you lucky guy!

 

[Torque&Recoil]

Mitutoyo for the win. I had a B&S, but it was destroyed by chips in the rack, only about 1 year old. Oopsie.

 

[loganb]

Used Mitutoyo 6" digital on Marketplace should be 50 to 80 bucks. Long as it's in good shape it'll live almost forever in the hobby/weekend user life as long as it's not dropped too many times

Big difference between them and the cheap knockoffs is battery usage. Mitutoyo batteries last years, cheap knockoffs months if you're lucky

 

[1redTA]

I would recommend a digital caliper. Easier to read than Vernier and no fine gear teeth to get chips stuck in.

I have this iGaging one for my good home set. I also have a really cheap set (they were like $20) for doing rough stuff and scribing. And a Mitutoyo my brother got me for fine work.

BTW a caliper by design can not technically read to finer than +/- 0.001". Most cheap digital are going to be +/-0.003 - 0.005

If you need to read tenths you need a micrometer. But that's just some metrology background.

I bought one of these, thanks for the suggestions everyone! can’t have my spacer blocks quality controlled with the current caliper.

Im going to be adding some magnets inside the spacers once I get a few more things ironed out

 

[RTM]

measured a part printed to .125 it was read around .20.

How the heck does a vernier caliper get "off"? With only one moving part, as long as it reads 0, the rest should be dead one, tho a PITA to read, right? Digital or dial would not surprise me, but vernier? This is what I was taught a vernier was.

 

[alfadan]

People are calling digital calipers "verniers"

Kinda common.

 

[1redTA]

How the heck does a vernier caliper get "off"? With only one moving part, as long as it reads 0, the rest should be dead one, tho a PITA to read, right? Digital or dial would not surprise me, but vernier? This is what I was taught a vernier was.

I don’t know? years in the case in my book bag going to school and work? Operator era? I was really surprised, which is why I initially thought the printer was off, if not in true Garage Journal fashion I get a new tool!

 

[1redTA]

How the heck does a vernier caliper get "off"? With only one moving part, as long as it reads 0, the rest should be dead one, tho a PITA to read, right? Digital or dial would not surprise me, but vernier? This is what I was taught a vernier was.

maybe the harbor freight tool didn’t live up to nearly ten years of being “stored” haphazardly? Who knows? Garage Journal to the rescue

 

[whateg01]

Post a pic of this vernier caliper. I'm thinking you are calling something a vernier caliper which is not really a vernier caliper.

 

[MichaelP]

The monetary difference between a used Mitu and Chinese junk will quickly disappear considering the price of the batteries the junk will consume like crazy. Plus the price of caliper replacements when they start showing 0.200" instead of .125"

 

[whateg01]

The price difference between a used Mitu and Chinese junk will quickly disappear considering the price of the batteries the junk will consume like crazy. Plus the price of caliper replacements when they start showing 0.200" instead of .125"

My harbor freight digitals are over 10 years old. I have several sets in various places. They all still work fine. Yes I have to replace batteries a couple times a year. That beats having one set that I have to move all over the shop and house.

 

[MushCreek]

I worked with lots of machinists that called all calipers 'veneers' (sic). I still have a vernier caliper that I used because dial calipers would skip if they got a chip in the rack, and digital calipers hadn't come out yet.

 

[OccupantRJ]

A chip in a caliper gear rack can usually be dealt with by flushing the rack with WD40 and blowing it out with LOW pressure air, then running the read head back and forth with more air on it a few times. High air pressure can pop the lens off the dial and may do other damage. If the gear has jumped the rack it can be dealt with by using the tool sometimes supplied with the tool or a sliver of thin shim stock.

 

[NHtoolguy]

I worked with lots of machinists that called all calipers 'veneers' (sic). I still have a vernier caliper that I used because dial calipers would skip if they got a chip in the rack, and digital calipers hadn't come out yet.

I always bothered me that in every shop I worked in, the accepted term for a dial caliper was "vernier". I actually saw very few true vernier calipers in use, and mostly mechanical dial ones. I guess I shouldn't let inaccurate terms annoy me. There are a few others, like "clip" instead of "magazine" and "bullet" instead of "cartridge" when discussing firearms.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I always bothered me that in every shop I worked in, the accepted term for a dial caliper was "vernier". I actually saw very few true vernier calipers in use, and mostly mechanical dial ones. I guess I shouldn't let inaccurate terms annoy me. There are a few others, like "clip" instead of "magazine" and "bullet" instead of "cartridge" when discussing firearms.

That may well be a location thing as on the flip side I have never heard the word vernier used in my area. I think I actually have a 4” set around somewhere that I will now have to hunt down since it has been mentioned. They are likely in the SUV tool box for measuring when away from home. There are way too many other measuring devices around the shop for me to break out verniers to try to see with old eyes these days.

 

[OccupantRJ]

What grinds my gears is to see someone using a set of calipers as a scribing tool when attempting to do layout work. I equate that to using the screen of a good phone along with some water and Ajax to scrub pots and pans.
If it is a junk set of calipers, then fine, but it sure does not provide the learning of proper use of tool habits to new people who see it.

 

[seber]

I still have a brass 2" vernier from my wire measuring days. But I would never consider using it when I have dial calipers everywhere. They are cheap and accurate.

 

[cannuck]

Big difference between them and the cheap knockoffs is battery usage. Mitutoyo batteries last years, cheap knockoffs months if you're lucky

Yup. When you add up the cost of replacing batteries, a decent digital (i.e. Mitutoyo starts looking more reasonable. When I look around my shop, the cases low buck ($40) that I use for work outside of my shop are stacked up 4 deep - because they don't last very long before error or blank screens make them into piss poor C clamps. Also, screw up a single job from a digital readout error and the cost can be far more than a new tool. Do those calculations and the lifetime of batteries and the tool make the Mitutoyo option cost effective.

 

[Davefr]

If you really want vernier, go to Ebay and look for a brand name. The price will likely be pennies on the dollar.

 

[KnurledNut]

If you really want vernier, go to Ebay and look for a brand name. The price will likely be pennies on the dollar.

This.
I wasn’t in a rush so I set a saved search for a used Mitutoyo. Ended up with a nice one for cheap. They are not in high demand.

 

[RoninB4]

-The choice of caliper whether Vernier, dial, or digital depends upon what you expect from it. Per a previous post no caliper should be trusted to read accurately to .001" regardless of what the marketing claims are and I wouldn't trust one under +/- .003, that's the domain of a micrometer. I used to prefer an actual Vernier type and still have several of them from the $1.99 plastic Horrible Freight model to a 24" Kannon (large Vernier scale for easy reading). My eyes have deteriorated and a Vernier is difficult to read so I use a dial caliper now. I've never warmed up to digital instruments due to durability and battery life but the Mitutoyo digital (expensive) is well regarded for shop use. The dial calipers do have a potential problem with chips in the rack but digitals also have potential problems with debris getting in the head or the reader losing the reference setting if it moves too fast along the beam. Dial calipers can be reset to zero either with the shim or without it, keep the rack clean and it should be fine for years.

 

[bwringer]

I would recommend a digital caliper. Easier to read than Vernier and no fine gear teeth to get chips stuck in.

I have this iGaging one for my good home set. I also have a really cheap set (they were like $20) for doing rough stuff and scribing. And a Mitutoyo my brother got me for fine work.

BTW a caliper by design can not technically read to finer than +/- 0.001". Most cheap digital are going to be +/-0.003 - 0.005

If you need to read tenths you need a micrometer. But that's just some metrology background.

Yup, the iGaging digital calipers are indeed that middle ground.

And no, they don't run down the battery like the cheapies.

They cost a little more than the cheapies we all know and loathe, but they cost a fraction of Mitutoyo or Starrett. I have a pair that can switch between inch, inch fractions, and metric, and that feature has been ridiculously useful.

However expensive they were or were not, there's a technique to measuring accurately with calipers and it's best to practice with gage blocks or similar items of precisely known dimensions.

 

[AEAdam]

I assumed the OP was referring to a digital caliper, and not a vernier. Agree machinists and many many others use (and sometimes insist upon) imprecise terms. I didn’t want to be pedantic about it. (Any more than I usually am)

Reiterating my advice: I’ve not found mid range digitals from Fowler or SPi (costing $50-75) to be appreciatively better than $20 calipers. I don’t think you are getting much more for your money.

And new calipers with CR2032 batteries don’t seem to “eat“ their batteries like the old LR44 Chinese calipers did.

 

[cannuck]

-The choice of caliper whether Vernier, dial, or digital depends upon what you expect from it......Dial calipers can be reset to zero either with the shim or without it, keep the rack clean and it should be fine for years.

My Mitutoyo digitals require zero re-set on every startup. Sadly, my Mitutoyo verniers after a mere 50 years of constant use are starting to show wear on the measuring blade surfaces.

 

[zendriver]

Thought people used vernier calipers, because nothing better had been invented yet.

I tried when we had a machining business.

 

[AEAdam]

Just one additional comment- just returned from a US AFB. Brought a set of composite (plastic) Wiha digital calipers with me. They are German made using Swiss (TESA) reader heads.

They are light to carry in my work (computer) backpack, and can’t scratch an aircraft finish. Accurate enough for engineering use. One thing I really like is they have an actual depth arm (which is pretty delicate) and a real (plastic) thumb wheel.

I bought them in the UK on ebay for like £10. They are like $80 here. So maybe if you poke around you can find them for cheaper. Not sure I’d pay $80 for them, but might be worth searching for.

https://www.zoro.com/wiha-digital-caliper-digimax-41101/i/G0974526/

 

[RoninB4]

My Mitutoyo digitals require zero re-set on every startup.

-Mits are well made and well thought of in machine shops. I still won't own digital instruments.

Sadly, my Mitutoyo verniers after a mere 50 years of constant use are starting to show wear on the measuring blade surfaces.

-When you've worn out your instruments aren't you supposed to be of retirement age?

 

[AEAdam]

-Mits are well made and well thought of in machine shops. I still won't own digital instruments.

-When you've worn out your instruments aren't you supposed to be of retirement age?

I have both dials and digitals and there are a lot of things you can do with digitals you can’t with dials, not much the other way around, but some things.

 

[RoninB4]

I have both dials and digitals and there are a lot of things you can do with digitals you can’t with dials, not much the other way around, but some things.

-Unless it's an SPC log for QC, which doesn't really apply to the majority of work on the shop floor. If it's just the math I can either do that in my head or with an assist from the nearby calculator. Perhaps I'm not aware of something else?

 

[Firebrick43]

I have several vernier brown and sharpe SS calipers In different places so I don’t have to go looking for them.

All of them are the Swiss Tesa(hexagon) made ones. All I bought them all on eBay for under $30 in new or close to new condition.

I must have not played with it to much yet as I can read them just fine

 

[MushCreek]

Many, many years ago I worked in a screw machine shop, and a pile of scrap was made due to a dial caliper with a chip in the rack. The problem was that when you returned it to the zero position, it skipped BACK, so that it appeared to be OK. It was a long enough part that you wouldn't notice that it was off on casual inspection. I don't remember now how the problem was discovered, but everyone converted over to vernier calipers after that. I got my first Mitutoyo digital in the early 80's, and I still have it, and it still works.

 

[AEAdam]

-Unless it's an SPC log for QC, which doesn't really apply to the majority of work on the shop floor. If it's just the math I can either do that in my head or with an assist from the nearby calculator. Perhaps I'm not aware of something else?

Yeah, there are a bunch of tricks with zeroing that you probably either forgot or just have a better method for.

example: I was measuring the distance between fastener holes. Using the inside jaws, I measured one of the holes and set zero. Then I measured outside edge of one hole to the outside edge of the adjacent hole. The reading was a pretty close center to center measurement.

you can use a lock on a dial for stuff, but it’s not as convenient as a zero. On aircraft, or automotive, I often have to take a measurement where it’s not possible to read the caliper. I take the measurement, hit zero, and can readjust or bump the tool getting it out no problem.

So yeah, it’s not just metric conversions, tho that’s pretty awesome.

 

[MichaelP]

My Mitutoyo digitals require zero re-set on every startup.

I'm sure you know this, but I just want to mention it for those who may not. There were older Mitu models designed this way: they didn't remember zero when they were turned off. I don't think they make models like this any longer, but I still have a couple of those that require zero reset every time you turn them on. Using them for a long time created a habit when I do it (or, at least, recheck zero like I do with dial calipers) even with those models that don't require it.