What's your £20 to £30 must have tool?

[custard]

Custard,

Two things puzzle me:

1. The occasional new battery aside, why would anyone want a dial caliper for £20 - 30, when they could get a digital caliper which is far easier to read?

2. Why spend up to £30k on a combi machine with all the compromises and inconveniences that entails when decent quality separates could be had for that money or excellent quality if bought used?

Jim

Jim,

1. Good digital calipers are terrific, I use the Starrett 797-B's which give 3000 hours use per battery. But...they're pricey. Cheap digital calipers are notorious battery eaters, I once had one that wouldn't go a week without changing the battery. Dial calipers are every bit as accurate and cost less, so they're probably the best bet if you're on a budget. Some dial users go further and say they're actually better at the job, giving better feedback under a wider range of temperatures and zero-ing more reliably. I believe for example that Robert Ingham insists his West Dean students use dial calipers not digital.

2. There's three discussions I try and avoid because they're tedious and done to death. A2 versus O2 steel. Bevel up versus bevel down. And combis versus separates.