What's your favorite dial/digital caliper?

[2cool2hear]

I'm looking for one to buy one and there's crazy amount on the market. I can't tell which is junk, I just need one that is accurate enough to get the jobs done.

Thanks

 

[Adam.C]

I have done some "testing" with expensive and cheap digital calipers. All of them are generally accurate enough- meaning, if you know what you are doing, you can consistently produce .001" accuracy with all of them.

The big differences between them have to do with:

-Feel: Not mere preference but whether the slide is smooth enough to allow you feel when you are applying the right pressure. This is the key to using these precisely. You have to apply just the right pressure.

-Battery life: All the premium models exhibit WAY better battery life than the cheapies. The right battery for all of these devices is the SR44, not the LR44. But even with the good battery, the cheap calipers struggle to last 6 month, in use or not.

-Features: SPC ports, size and legibility of the display, fluid tightness are all features that seperate the best from so-so models. Be careful about choosing a feature laden model that has features you will never require.

-Longevity: The lifespan of these tools is typically governed by the wear of working surfaces, and the buttons. The best models have carbide jaws. Parts are often available for the better models as well.

-Quality: The accuracy of the jaws is one of the most important aspects to these tools.Having the inside measuring jaws meet when the outside measuring jaws (not always the case with the cheaper models) is important if you find you use the inside (top) jaws.

I can say my trusty Chinese set (purchased from littlemachineshop.com) calibrated well throughout the range, but oddly read .0005" shy at 2.00". Not sure why or how this is possible. All of my other calipers (mitutoyo, Starrett,Tesa) read perfectly. But .0005" is within the accuracy tolerance for the tool (which, off the top of my head is +/-.001").

The key to these tools is learning how to use them properly and knowing what effects their precision.

The latest set I picked up is a Tesa powered plastic set made by Wiha. The plastic calipers aren't as accurate as the metal ones, but they have their place. I paid $15 for them on ebay. Favorite set is probably the Starrett 798 8" coolant proof. They have the nicest fit and finish. Mitutoyo, a perennial favorite, are excellent and slightly easier to read.

 

[Lx460]

Not a machinist, so I did quite fine with a Harbor Freight offering for a long time until I picked up a like new Mitutoyo for under $30. I have no real way of knowing whether the accuracy is better, but overall quality is so much superior. The rubber reset button finally fell off the Harbor Freight one and it got retired.

 

[Harrison2]

what are you tryna measure? I mean if your doing real accurate stuff then go for the best you can afford. if your tryna measure your shaft. a hf should do the trick.

 

[AlexNGreen]

I personally prefer Brown and Sharp because of the single button and they replaced my caliper because I dropped it and the slide was damaged. Awesome customer service.

 

[wild cowboy]

if you go for a cheap Chinese caliper, definitely replace the cheap Chinese button cell with a high end silver oxide cell when you get the new caliper (about $5 for the new battery)

if you decide to get a finely crafted one someday, Mitutoyo of Japan is the benchmark, but those run over $100, rather than their ubiquitous Chinese clones that run $10-$20, although I will say that the cheap Chinese ones are generally well made and surprisingly accurate. 6" (150 mm) is a good size.

 

[neophyte]

I have a 6" Interapid that I like. It's older and the processor is slow, but it's made from a lightweight alloy with inset steel jaws. Unfortunately the lightweight Interapid calipers cost twice what the similar steel calipers sold under the other Brown and Sharpe brands cost. A newer model with a quicker processor was released but I'm not sure whether the model is still available, or was ever widely sold.

For a knock about version I use the plastic Swiss made digital calipers that are sold by several or more brands.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

I personally prefer Brown and Sharp because of the single button and they replaced my caliper because I dropped it and the slide was damaged. Awesome customer service.

I'm a dial, dial caliper fan.. Have a Starrett one of those that is my main stay. I also have a digital B&S one, and several vernier calipers (one 6", one metric ~ 25cm, and a Starrett 24".

Is there a "Calipers of GJ"? Might be an interesting thread of all the variations and makers...

Dennis

 

[catalytic]

What are you trying to measure? I use a Mitutoyo 0-6" digital caliper a lot, but I often wish I had the 0-8" version. I use a micrometer when it actually matters, though... Digital calipers claim 0.0005" accuracy, but the truth is that unless everything you're measuring is perfectly square and the jaws are positioned perfectly, accuracy is more like +/- 0.006" or worse. It's easy to position everything perfectly if you're measuring a ball bearing or thickness of steel, but odd parts...not so much. Point is, if you need an accurate measurement in order to machine a part, you're often better off with a micrometer or height gauge and surface plate -- it's much less likely using one of those to get an incorrect-yet-believable measurement .

 

[OccupantRJ]

Same Brown and Sharpe dial caliper for 26 years in a machine shop setting 10 hrs a day. Just replaced the clear dial cover. I use dial because it is quicker with one hand and always ready to measure instantly. I also keep a Mit digital basically for metric conversion when needed.

 

[Adam.C]

One more piece of advice- I'm not a fan of the "mid priced" digital models (Fowler, etc). They seem to be the same Chinese readers in nicer boxes, with possibly better fit and finish, but not sure.

I suggest you buy the absolute cheapest, or spring for a set with Japanese or Swiss readers (electronics). Starrett uses Swiss electronics (Tesa) but the tool is manufactured and assembled in Athol MA. I think B&S, Interapid, Tesa, all use the same Swiss electronics.

 

[Matt Irvine]

If a cheap caliper isn't accurate enough you should probably be using a micrometer,
I love my mitutoyo a though. Have a 200mm vernier, 150mm digital, and a 300mm dial

 

[txvwnut]

I've had a Mitutoyo digital since they came out in the eighties. I recently quit using it as I noticed it was loosing calibration the farther out it was extended. I now use my Fowler vernier caliper and removed the battery from the digital.

 

[29Sedanman]

If you buy a digital caliper, I would suggest getting one that has an inch/mm button. Makes it handy for standard to metric conversions quickly. I have an old set of Craftsman dial calipers that I have had for 20 years that still work perfectly and I also have a set of Mitutoyo digital calipers that work perfectly that are about 5 years old.

 

[BillK]

I have several cheap digital ones for quick checking stuff. I don't have to worry about them getting dropped etc, if they do I can get another one.

I actually prefer a dial type one for a lot of measurements, I have a 6" and a 12" Starrett that I have had for probably 20 years. I like the 12" one because it has longer "arms" I use it for measuring valve lengths and stuff like that.

No matter which one you buy, its not a bad idea to have some type of standard to check it with every once in a while. If you have micrometers you can use the standards that come with them. I actually had one of the cheap digital calipers start acting stupid. It would zero fine but would get out of whack bay a few thousandths when you opened it up about half way I think the cheap stick on scale may have started moving or shrinking ?

If you really need accuracy though you should be using a micrometer.

 

[Ckengine]

I have personally used many over the years (Mitutoyo, Starrett, Brown and sharp) at work and found that for the most part they are all fairly comparable. The price on the Starrett is a bit higher than the others generally. I currently have a Brown and sharpe which is Swiss made by Tesa in my personal shop. It has been good so far but I have noticed a few very small rust spots forming after only owing it about a year.

 

[sonvolt]

Mitutoyo digital calipers have worked well with me for years. I would get digital because metric/inch conversions

 

[wild cowboy]

I prefer digital over dial type, because our brains can easier misread a dial type.

 

[cheechi]

for dials I prefer Starrett for digital Mitu. I'm not a machinist so they rarely get used 'properly' but some times I will pull one out and check something.

I suggest you have a dial caliper even if you already have a digital. Similar to a dial gage, there are some situations where it's more useful to watch the needle move than just to get the measurement. Of course in that situation accuracy isn't as important as the quality/condition of the caliper itself.

 

[Fender1325]

I have a digital caliper from harbor freight that ive been very happy with and have used a lot.

 

[rshadd]

My old eyes can read a digital display easier. Being able to convert from metric to imperial at a touch of a button is handy too. I like that I don't need to worry about batteries for my dials.

 

[Whitworth]

Mitutoyo, no question. I wouldn't bother with anything else. Even at $200 retail over the life of the product it's a bargain price.

Gary

 

[Danglerb]

HF plastic $3 before coupon does all I need 99% of the time, which is 1/16 or 1mm accuracy. I do pick through the batch on the wall when buying and make sure jaws meet well, zero is zero, and generally nothing looks funky, then use a 20% off coupon and get a free pair of gloves.

I have the fancy $10 when on sale digital one, but never use it. Like others have said, if I need to be precise I should be using a micrometer anyway.

Recently purchased a General swiss made plastic, only good to 0.01", but its clearly a little nicer than the HF $3, so it may see some use but its not a toss in the toolbag item.

 

[tool_scrounge]

Mitutoyo digitals are the the best and they have great battery life. The are counterfits out there so I would avoid buying new ones off of ebay. Wait for Enco to have a 20% off with free shipping sale.

 

[rcjoy]

Here's another vote for Mitutoyo. The "Absolute Digimatc" model is fantastic, as you rarely need to re-zero them. It is very repeatable.

They make many different models, but a good starting point is model 500-752-10.
That is 6-inch, IP67 (coolant proof), no SPC output, with standard jaws and depth rod.

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PARTPG=INLMIP&PMPXNO=25219011&PMAKA=328-0873

 

[twertsy]

I absolutely love my Brown and Sharpe. I'm doing a lot of measuring of sockets lately in order to cut socket trays and the one I have allows me to send each measurement wirelessly to my spreadsheet. This thing Rocks! Here's the Amazon listing.

 

[91bronc300]

I prefer dials. My mainstay is a Starrett No. 120

 

[Shadowdog500]

I'm looking for one to buy one and there's crazy amount on the market. I can't tell which is junk, I just need one that is accurate enough to get the jobs done.

Thanks

What jobs are you trying to get done? How accurate do they have to be?

The $15 HF dial indicator is good enough for just about anything most people need to do, unless they are building parts for the space shuttle.

I have HF and starrett. I only work to one thousands, and when I measure the same thing with both Ive never seen a difference between the two for my needs.

I usually keep the cheap HF stuff on the bench for most day to day measurments and keep the Starrett and mitutoyo stuff in my toolbox to be used on stuff that has to be dead on. No point in keeping the expensive stuff out to be accidentally dropped or knocked over if an inexpensive HF version is good enough for what I'm doing.


Chris

 

[dnschmidt]

MITUTOYO. I've had one since the day they came out (has to be twenty years now) and it's still perfect in a Woodshop environment. I've got the really long HF one for measuring push rods and it works but for a lifelong tool Mitutoyo is unbeatable.

 

[dr_clyde]

I am partial to dial calipers. I hate having to deal with batteries.

I have a Mitutoyo 6" dial and am very happy with it. If you do get a dial, get one that reads .100 per rev, not .200. This makes it easier to read where the needle is.

Digital, Mitutoyo absolute gets my vote.

I use a caliper daily, fwiw.

 

[Redkev]

There is a guy on Youtube who reviews calipers. He should not be too hard to locate, I do not have a link. His reviews are fairly detailed. He is a big Mitutoyo fan but really recommends the second line of Mitutoyo which is made in China and sold under the brand name of iGaging. I bought one from Amazon, so far extremely accurate and less than $50.00.

 

[Farmall450]

Since I've got a HF digital one, I haven't had to use my Brown & Sharp Vernier or dial. Quite honestly I'd use a micrometer if I needed more accuracy.