digital vernier caliper

[Mike Vastano]

Hi All

I am looking to purchase a digital vernier caliper but I am confused by the range of pricing. I usually work on the adage the more you pay the more you get (within reason of course).

But the range is Vast from less than a fiver to 300 quid and more. :shock:

Advise welcome.

Cheers
Mike

 

[NickWelford]

Aldi. Usually about £8.99. Excellent buy.

 

[Mike Vastano]

Cheers I will take a look

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Mitutoyo Digimatic for me

Had it for about 8 years now, in daily use never faultered - you get what you pay for

Regards Mick

 

[wizard]

I bought one off screw fix for £20.00 it cost a fortune on batteries then it packed up

 

[Mike Vastano]

Hi

Mitutoyo Digimatic for me



Had it for about 8 years now, in daily use never faultered - you get what you pay for

Regards Mick

MMmm but at more than £100 quid is it really worth the extra outlay?

 

[Ed Bray]

I've got a Mitutoyo Digital Caliper that I have had for about 20 years and was given to me as a leaving present when I left a job in the mid 90s, it cost a couple of hundred quid at the time and about 6 years later cost me a further £70 for it to be repaired after it refused to work anymore. I also have a cheaper version, cost about £20 including postage and they both give exactly the same readings, not only that, the cheaper version is more useable as it also has a visible scale, the Mitutoyo does not have a visible scale just a strange printed circuit board looking thing along the metal shaft, but the feel of quality is greater with the Mitutoyo caliper. If they go wrong again, I would not get them repaired, I would just buy a £20 set.

The cheap 'metal' ones seem fine and for the money will be hard to beat.

I also have a GEM RED Digital Bevel Box, a GEM RED 360 Digital Angle Rule and a Trend Digital Height Gauge all are great bits of kit and very useful alongside the Digital Calipers.

 

[Spindle]

MMmm but at more than £100 quid is it really worth the extra outlay?

Hi

You don't have to pay over £100 for a set

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mitutoyo-500-19 ... l+calipers

If I broke mine I'd buy another Mitutoyo set

Regards Mick

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I bought one off screw u fix for £20.00 it cost a fortune on batteries then it packed up

I don't know if it's just the bottom end ones, but I have heard that the batteries drain even when the things are switched off.
Does this happen with the expensive ones as well?

 

[Spindle]

Does this happen with the expensive ones as well?

Not the Mitutoyo one - never replaced a battery yet

Regards Mick

 

[John15]

I got mine off Amazon for about a tenner - it goes ok

John

 

[KevM]

I bought one off screw u fix for £20.00 it cost a fortune on batteries then it packed up

I don't know if it's just the bottom end ones, but I have heard that the batteries drain even when the things are switched off.
Does this happen with the expensive ones as well?

I've heard people level that complaint at many devices, including the Trend digital angle measurer. With the Trend there's off when you just press 'off', and there's *really* off when you press 'off' for 3 seconds or so. The first is a 'sleep' mode that keeps the device in a standby mode, the second is properly off - unfortunately there's no signal/beep/flash to confirm the operation. The Trend angle ruler is available with several different 'manufacturer' names silk-screened on - I wouldn't be surprised if many of these cheap digital measuring devices share a common generic chip-set and hence exhibit the same problem?

FWIW I've got a digital caliper and a Wiha dial caliper - I haven't used my digital since I got the dial one - I really don't need to know anything to better than 0.1mm and there's no batteries to worry about.

EDIT: I've also got my Sunday best Starrett 1201M-150 which I picked up 'used*' off Ebay, it's well worth keeping your eyes open for used Starretts & Mitutoyos.

*Still in the factory sealed bag

 

[Graham Orm]

I've had a couple of cheap ones, had to take the battery out after use or it was flat when I went back to it. I use a dial gauge type now. Works perfectly well and is easy to read.

 

[custard]

A lot of the cheap digital ones just munch batteries (even when switched off), some only operate in a fairly narrow temperature range, and others have poor screen visibility. I'm not saying you can't find decent cheap digital callipers, but I am saying it's a roll of the dice. If you're on a tight budget I'd get a decent dial calliper instead, for what it's worth Robert Ingham insists that his pupils use dial callipers.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have a couple of decent micrometers (one metric, one imperial) and a M+W vernier, so I haven't really any inclination to buy another digital. I rarely need the accuracy.

 

[dm65]

+1 Mitutoyo

I got a pair of 6" Absolute Digimatic off 'tbay for less than £40 and they work as expected but you can feel the quality - brand was recommended by friends who work to extremely fine tolerances

Previously bought a pair of Axminster own brand for £15 - £20 (can't remember how much) and they are rubbish - keep losing their place on the scale, measurements all over the place. Found that if I open them r e a l l y s l o w l y they will keep up but they are just an expensive ornament and I don't like ornaments

 

[memzey]

Is there an advantage to digital callipers as opposed to the regular old fashioned ones? I may be talking from a position of ignorance on this but digital does just seem to more that can go wrong - or is that incorrect?

 

[dm65]

If you work to +/- 10mm like me :wink: then probably not but when you want accuracy then its so easy to read these things down .01 mm

I also have the Trend angle finder mentioned above for the same reason - easy to read so you know you've got it right (think i'll check my battery now)

 

[Bradshaw Joinery]

i have some moore and wright ones, they have been great. i actually have all three type, and always go for the digital ones.

memzey, there very easy to read without cowering your head into them basically. no thinking process like with a dial type( look for the number then the dial indication, and a normal scale type is a judgement at the measurment between the printed scale.

as for batteries, buy a pack of ten off the bay or something, there about £1 each...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

as for batteries, buy a pack of ten off the bay or something, there about £1 each...
Then throw the tool away when the battery leaks. DAMHIKT.