I've got a cheap pair of digital calipers and also use cheap ones at work but I'm curious if you guys have ever seen comparisons between them and name brand quality calipers like Mitutoyo. Part of me thinks I should get a nice pair and use the cheaper ones as a spare to use with gauges.
Cheap versus name brand calipers?
- Thread starter zanemoseley
- Start date
I ended up going back to a quality dial caliper - too many work stoppages due to dead batteries, lol.
As a constant user of calipers for over 4 decades including setting up and supervising a calibration lab I have some experience with calipers.
The 8" mechanical calipers (.100 per revolution) sold by Mitutoyo are very good. I had 4 sets at different employers and never had a bit of any kind of problem with them. I like the 8 inchers because when you open them 2 to 4 inches you still have room for your hand to grip them.
I have also had excellent service from the Chinese made Midway calipers now approaching 15 years old.
Here is what my calibration techs told me and I have found to be true when looking for calibration services on line.
NSK, Starrett (yes), Brown & Sharpe (Helios) and many other "brand name" calipers are crap and many companies refuse to work on them. You can check out the comments made by Long Island Indicator Service. I have never had Long Island work on calipers because they refuse to work on most of them but they have repaired hundreds of beat up 1" travel indicators some of which I did the beating dialing in rough forgings on large VTLs. Long Island does good work and I trust what they say.
I know that everyone will not believe some of this but I have seen many of the top brands kept in service only by cannibalization of dead calipers.
Take care of your calipers and keep them clean at all times. Some times the cheapos might make sense especially if you damage them and have to throw them away. It is better to toss $20 because you dropped them on the floor than it is to toss $140.
http://longislandindicator.com/
The 8" mechanical calipers (.100 per revolution) sold by Mitutoyo are very good. I had 4 sets at different employers and never had a bit of any kind of problem with them. I like the 8 inchers because when you open them 2 to 4 inches you still have room for your hand to grip them.
I have also had excellent service from the Chinese made Midway calipers now approaching 15 years old.
Here is what my calibration techs told me and I have found to be true when looking for calibration services on line.
NSK, Starrett (yes), Brown & Sharpe (Helios) and many other "brand name" calipers are crap and many companies refuse to work on them. You can check out the comments made by Long Island Indicator Service. I have never had Long Island work on calipers because they refuse to work on most of them but they have repaired hundreds of beat up 1" travel indicators some of which I did the beating dialing in rough forgings on large VTLs. Long Island does good work and I trust what they say.
I know that everyone will not believe some of this but I have seen many of the top brands kept in service only by cannibalization of dead calipers.
Take care of your calipers and keep them clean at all times. Some times the cheapos might make sense especially if you damage them and have to throw them away. It is better to toss $20 because you dropped them on the floor than it is to toss $140.
http://longislandindicator.com/
jonbearman
I live in new york state,how unfortunate !
I bought 3 calipers from YES Harbor Freight for oops I dropped it and I will get you a new pair. So I had them verified by our metrology lab at Eastman Kodak and all three(6,8,and a 12 inch and they passed) passed as good as anything else. Keep in mind it is the guy who use's them that make's them work more accurately.
Having a $30 digital and a $140 Mitutoyo, one major difference is battery life. Apparently digital calipers are always on, so when you "turn them off" only the display is actually turned off.
So I take the battery out of the cheap caliper when not in use, and battery life is now fine
Aside, I prefer the digital to avoid squinting at and misreading a dial caliper.
So I take the battery out of the cheap caliper when not in use, and battery life is now fine
Aside, I prefer the digital to avoid squinting at and misreading a dial caliper.
If you want to use calipers, use Starretts.
If you want to have calipers repaired, you have to buy something that will need repairing. I wouldn't know.
If you want to have calipers repaired, you have to buy something that will need repairing. I wouldn't know.
Different types of calipers for different uses. For comparing many pieces quickly it's hard to beat a dial caliper, just turn the dial to zero for reference and then it's an easy "+" or "-" reading. For a multiple measurements on a single piece a digital may work better. Or if you need a single caliper that does inch and metric.
Comparing a Midway dial to a Mitotoyo digital on masters, the Midway was pretty close and repeatable, a less than 0.001" off. The Mitotoyo was dead nuts on.
Comparing a Midway dial to a Mitotoyo digital on masters, the Midway was pretty close and repeatable, a less than 0.001" off. The Mitotoyo was dead nuts on.
I've got a variety of calipers, including some cheap ones which I use when working with epoxy or other goo. My digital calipers can work as well or better than my dial calipers when used as you suggest for comparing many pieces quickly. You just zero the digital version just like the dial version, only it's quicker with the digital.
It's easier to zero digital calipers than a dial caliper.
I disagree, Starrett has come up quite a ways since I picked up my first set of calipers.
When people tell me they don't build equipment/homes/cars/bulldozers like they used to, I answer "thank god."
When people tell me they don't build equipment/homes/cars/bulldozers like they used to, I answer "thank god."
That's asking a lot from a caliper that shows varying degrees of daylight between the jaws when they are closed.
I go by what experts in the metrology field have to say....read what Long Island Indicator has to say about the newer line of Starrett products (see post # 4 above for link)
Are you serious? Well, then you're in the minority unless your talking computers or have a thing for plastic.
jonbearman
I live in new york state,how unfortunate !
I got bad news, the starrett's are made in CHINA. The pair I bought 4 years ago said made in china so I don't know how long they have been making tools in china.
Yep, I'll save some the trouble of reading Long Island Indicators reviews on Starrett calipers...."the metal is soft and bends easily under heavy use. The jaws quickly become misaligned and errors appear. Buy Starrett for the name ...not the quality"
They do their best to hide the fact that most of their products are not made in the USA....and Germany or Swiss locations are not one of them.
A dial caliper is a tool I use the most in reloading. The Chinese made tools will have a good enough level of accuracy. But with any tool, craftsmanship sometimes matter.
I have some harbor Frieght dial calipers but I also have this Mituyoto caliper:
http://amzn.com/B00IG46NL2
There are slight differences between the two. The wheel is ultra smooth. After several years, thousands of rounds, I've never replaced the battery (just make sure you always turn it off). It came with a small slip of paper personally signed by a Japanese worker. Overall a higher level of craftsmanship.
There is a balance between cost and craftsmanship.
I have some harbor Frieght dial calipers but I also have this Mituyoto caliper:
http://amzn.com/B00IG46NL2
There are slight differences between the two. The wheel is ultra smooth. After several years, thousands of rounds, I've never replaced the battery (just make sure you always turn it off). It came with a small slip of paper personally signed by a Japanese worker. Overall a higher level of craftsmanship.
There is a balance between cost and craftsmanship.
Since you were rude enough to bring politics into a non-political conversation, I'll answer you. I prefer goods and services from overseas. I prefer Taiwan, but China will do nicely.
Quality is not a function of geographical location, quality is a function of supervision. That's why Apple has such superior products, out of their Asian factories.
Maybe that's why Starrett's quality came back up.
LHSmith, I read post four, and that's why I worded my first post the way I did: I don't want to have calipers repaired, I want to use calipers, so I use Starrett. If you want to repair calipers or spend your time having them repaired, then yes, some other brand is probably more appropriate.
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