Are Fowler 52-008-706 calipers a good value? Was thinking for $41 they would be nice to have to use with my cheap Frankford Arsenal digital calipers
Dial Caliper ?
- Thread starter savageshooter86
- Start date
I am not an expert by any means on instruments.....just a purchaser and user over many years. I have a Fowler Sylvac (6in.) It is fine for my handloading uses. My point in mentioning these are that they are digital read out, as opposed to a dial as opposed to vernier, meaning that as your eyes get older the digital surely have the edge for these type of measurements. The digital read out models have come down in price significantly. I just looked and I have a ridiculous number of verniers. I needed my glasses to read the MAKER'S NAME! Starrett, Mauser, etc., all useless to me now.
I'll take a pair of your dial calipers that you can't read off your hands for you ;D
The "cheap" Frankford Arsenal digital one I use now seems to not go back to zero every time. Usually when closing the caliper it will read 0.0005". I assume with a better set it would return to 0.0000 every time. I have been looking at the other digital ones for several months now just can't decide
The "cheap" Frankford Arsenal digital one I use now seems to not go back to zero every time. Usually when closing the caliper it will read 0.0005". I assume with a better set it would return to 0.0000 every time. I have been looking at the other digital ones for several months now just can't decide
They all tend to ask for a rezero including the starrets that are made in CHINA now.I have harbor freight ones that measure as good as starrets.They passed our metrology instrument tests.
jon good info. I was wandering if those would be good enough to use for precision reloading
That's 5/ 10,000ths of an inch. On those calipers you have does that appear as only a small 5 (with no other numbers ever showing?)savageshooter86 said:
Aside from the accuracy a 'must' for me is digital calipers with an AUTO OFF. The cheaper one merely turn the display off but continue to draw current. The better actually turn off completely.
There are a number of machinists on this site and I am sure some will respond with better info than I can provide especially in regards to reading to the 4th decimal (10,000ths).
I don't think my digital has auto shutoff. The batteries do not last long.
The "5" is a small number. NOt sure what that means vs a "normal" size number
this is like Fords verses Chevys, but I've used about all of them for extended periods at one time or another. Starrets and Fowlers are a pain to reset the zeros in, and they will loose the zero point at one time or another. Mitutoyos are the easiest as you can do it with a brass shim they supply (takes about one minute). All the Fowlers I've used were 12" and upto 24", and you can't compair that with a six or four inch pair of the others. Accuracey wise, I from the school that says " you get what you paid for!". Starretts are accurate, but so are the Browne & Sharps, and the Mitutoyos.
gary
gary
My older Fowler had NO off button at all! The batteries lasted almost one year. When the display finally failed (half black) I had sent them to Fowler for repair....unfortunately there were no longer any parts available, but they gave some credit towards a new set which was improved with an OFF switch as well as AUTO OFF.....thought they were fair as my calipers were old and well used.savageshooter86 said:
The small number '5' (to me) means it reads 5/10,000ths only in the 10,000ths scale, a very small amount as should that you could squeeze that off with you fingers on the jaw. ( you would hit the re zero....I say this to show how small it is). And JON is correct, most always ask for a reset.
Mine are 6"
I enjoy the digital calipers for large, repetitive batch jobs (checking lengths on 50 or more cases, for instance), but after several years of using them, I make it a policy to always have a good dial caliper around. My experience has been that, regardless of make, Murphy's Law and digital caliper batteries were made for each other....
I do not know if there is any truth to the story that Murphy came up with his famous law when he needed to make a critical measurement and reached for his digital caliper or not. :
I do not know if there is any truth to the story that Murphy came up with his famous law when he needed to make a critical measurement and reached for his digital caliper or not. :
savageshooter86 said:
Fowler DIAL calipers are fine tools. Maybe not big named like Starrett but they do the job. I used to sell a lot of them to Customers in the Automotive Trade.
On that note I have a "Central Tools" Dial Caliper that has been with me for over 30 years. Never had to question it's readings or change the battery 8)
My eyes are definitely "Senior" and I have no issue reading that .0005" on the dial. It helps if one gets new eyeglasses every couple years.
BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
First of all calipers are not micrometers and should only be used for tasks that their accuracy is suitable for. I dislike digital calipers because they do nothing extra for me beyond what a dial caliper would do, and there is always the chance of the battery needing replacement right when it is inconvenient. As far as cheap calipers go, I have a couple of them that seem to work every bit as well as my Mitutoyos. The idea that you need high dollar dial calipers to reload is IMO not correct. Beyond that, getting back to my first point, every reloader that is working above the basic level should have a good 1" mic. that reads to .0001. I will add that I have seen and used Chinese mics, the better ones, that fill this bill just fine.
I had my battery go out on my digital and after 1 round I caught the reading be strange and measured something else and same thing and I keep spare battery in the case and switched it out and was back loading. Another reason I am wanting a good set of dials but not the most expensive ones.
Do yourself a favor. Go buy a Brown and Sharpe from MSC supply or Enco. I am using one I bought in 1979. It never changed zero and works perfectly to this day.
You can find them on ebay once in a while for the price of the China ones you are all talking about.
You can find them on ebay once in a while for the price of the China ones you are all talking about.
What are the brands made in the good ol' USA?
phil said:
Here's what one company that reviewed a whole bunch of dial calipers had to say about the Starrett dial calipers
Seems like the Mitutoyo Fractional Dial calipers are made in Brazil (metric in Japan).
The Swiss made Brown and Sharpe come out on top for quality.
One thing about a dial caliper. I never have to turn it back on if it's sat for a few minutes on the bench. Darn Battery saving features
I just came out of the dark ages and after 40+ years of using a vernier caliper I purchased a Kobalt digital at Lowes for about $27.00.
I got tired of having to use a magnifying glass to read my vernier caliper.
I find the digital a shear delight! The Kobalt has a lifetime full replacement guarantee so I figure my downside risk is low.
I got tired of having to use a magnifying glass to read my vernier caliper.
I find the digital a shear delight! The Kobalt has a lifetime full replacement guarantee so I figure my downside risk is low. 
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