Best calipers for reloading

[Webster]

Trouble with most digital calipers is they round off to the nearest .001 - round off. With dial it's not dfficult to see when something's .0002 or .0008, or be very close. I have a vernier but my eyes aren't as good anymore. If I saw a digtal that read to .0001's, accurately, I'd buy it.

Any workplace where you have to measure accurately you have to have the measuring devices calibrated by a Metrology lab once a year and have a dated certificate of calibration attached to each device. You don’t check them once and they are good for life. All our micrometers were verified once a year. Not allowed to use an in house standard.

A friend of mine was in the aircraft industry. He said before they could measure anything the part had to sit in a temperature controlled room to stabilize for 24 hours. Don’t remember how many decimals they measured too or what type of measuring devices. Probably beyond 1 ten thou.

Zeroing is not calibrating.

 

[6MMsteve]

eat more chicken

 

[X Count]

Read every single comment on this topic , and as I have in the past on several of these discussions , I'll give my .02 cents worth . As many are aware ; I am a retired Aerospace Tool & Diemaker with over thirty years doing that type of "Extreme" precision work for the military and the Aerospace industry , so you might say I have a "Qualified opinion on this issue .
I have three six inch calipers on my Bench .
A Starrett Dial .
A B&S Dial
A Mit Dial
The Starrett was my fathers , and they were purchased when he worked at Westinghouse Airbrake in Pittsburgh , when I was four .
The Mit was purchased in 1973 when I was running B&S Screw machines .
The B&S were purchased in 84 when I was working at a Tool Shop .

All three of these calipers have had to go through "Tech Inspection" every thirty days , for years , to be "CERTIFIED" for the DoD work I was doing , and none of them ever "failed" to pass that Inspection .
And last but not least ! I have never worked in any DOD or Aerospace shop that allowed any Digital calipers to be used in either the Toolroom , or the Inspection Dept .
Take that for what it's worth .

Ok I'll bite. Do you think that digital was banned because it was inherently less accurate or that its one button press away from having an alternative zero point which would void all calibration?

 

[Ccrider]

The one that I find first. I have cheaper digital calipers and Mitutoyo calipers. The feel of the Mitutoyo is what I would call tighter. They feel better in my hand.

But, when it comes to measuring to .001, the cheap calipers perform as accurate as the Mitutoyo.

The key is in the operator consistently adjusting the caliper. To a point, I can make all of them vary in reading by applying more of less pressure. There is a skill level that attaches to consistently using the calipers, zeroing the calipers properly and applying the same amount of pressure when measuring.

 

[gmr4]

I purchased a Mitutoyo set on Amazon a year ago and they ended up being counterfit.. the set was so close … but on close inpection and speaking with Mitutoyo they were fake! MSA is one of the sellers recommended by Mitutoyo…..

 

[skeeljc]

I have the Mitutoyo digital calipers mentioned in post #6. They are always ready to go and seldom need zeroing. I use them every day for 20 years. Spend the money and never look back.

 

[ELR LVR]

Ok I'll bite. Do you think that digital was banned because it was inherently less accurate or that its one button press away from having an alternative zero point which would void all calibration?

My experience has shown, certain Electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) can mess with the digital instrument
When I was working at a CNC shop, we had NO digital measuring instruments
ONLY TESA Analog Calipers or Analog Mics
I know every time the High Freq Drive started on the Fadal CNC Mill
---My phone went goofy, I had to store my cell phone at least 10 feet away from the mill
it did this so often it actually burned out the chip in the phone and I had to replace the cell phone
---In my shop currently, Just my single Phase 220V Lathe, will cause my Digital Mitutoyo calipers to suddenly read some weird 0.620" after I just rezeroed them, EVERY SINGLE TIME
I cannot use that particular Mitutoyo Digital near my Lathe at all.
My OTHER Mitutoyo Digital Caliper, for some reason is not affected by the lathe
-------------
Try this experiment
Turn on an AM Radio, then rake a file across a 9 volt battery near it
you'll see what I mean about EMF radio freq's from just an electric motor starting up due to brushes raking across the commutator
then throw in High Freq drives and Whoa nellie

 

[rwj]

My experience has shown, certain Electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) can mess with the digital instrument
When I was working at a CNC shop, we had NO digital measuring instruments
ONLY TESA Analog Calipers or Analog Mics
I know every time the High Freq Drive started on the Fadal CNC Mill
---My phone went goofy, I had to store my cell phone at least 10 feet away from the mill
it did this so often it actually burned out the chip in the phone and I had to replace the cell phone
---In my shop currently, Just my single Phase 220V Lathe, will cause my Digital Mitutoyo calipers to suddenly read some weird 0.620" after I just rezeroed them, EVERY SINGLE TIME
I cannot use that particular Mitutoyo Digital near my Lathe at all.
My OTHER Mitutoyo Digital Caliper, for some reason is not affected by the lathe
-------------
Try this experiment
Turn on an AM Radio, then rake a file across a 9 volt battery near it
you'll see what I mean about EMF radio freq's from just an electric motor starting up due to brushes raking across the commutator
then throw in High Freq drives and Whoa nellie

No doubt EMF can have an impact. But how is it possible that it doesn’t impact all the electronic position sensing equipment deployed on CNC machines? Interesting that we’re willing to use digital numerical controls to make parts, but shy away from digital and use analog tools to measure them… I’m confused. Thankfully, there are no devices that generate sufficient EMF near my loading area to interfere with using digital measuring devices.

 

[cb186]

8" Brown & Sharpe dial caliper. I hate digitalis. The 8" gives you a longer "handle" to hold on to.