Good, inexpensive, digital dial caliper- Is there such an animal?

[ddavis510]

Good, inexpensive, digital dial caliper- Is there such an animal?

Can anyone point me to a digital dial caliper that is measures accurately, holds its zero, and wont break the bank?

Thanks in advance,
Dan

 

[nmjwolf]

Check eBay I got a used mitutoyo absolute for $50 shipped.

 

[ddavis510]

Does the mituyoyo work well?

 

[watercam]

Look for used Mitutoyo, Starett, Brown and Sharp. After a couple of Chinese 'offerings' I opted for a new B&S and wished I had done it in the first place. Pawn shops usually have a couple laying around.

 

[CharlieNC]

Maybe I'm just lucky but my Frankford Arsenal has worked flawlessly for the two years of its life.

 

[Joe Wade]

Check your local Craigslist.com lisings for Machinist tools.
Mitutoyo, Starrett and Brown & Sharp are the industry standards to look for. With the end of manufacturing in this country, there are lots of retired Machinist selling there tools, and most of the older tools are made better than the new ones.
For reloading, digital calipers may be nice but there is nothing wrong with dial calipers, good accuracy to .001".
If accuracy of .0001" is needed, a micrometer is a better choice than calipers.

good luck.

 

[Raythemanroe]

Igaging Absolute Origin, I have a Brown & Sharpe and I use the Igaging the most.. Best bang for the buck calipers.


Ray

 

[Macropod]

Check eBay I got a used mitutoyo absolute for $50 shipped.

Although yours is probably genuine there are Mitutoyo calipers being sold out of China that are clever fakes. I bought one and got caught but even though it is a copy and not the real deal it doesn't work too badly.

A genuine Mitutoyo is an excellent bit of kit and is well worth it. Just don't drop them on a hard floor...

I bought the fake one unknowingly through eBay and left a negative comment about it being a fake but the comment was eventually removed. Not by me though..... The cost of returning it to the seller meant it wasn't worth the refund and this is what they hope for. I would bet there are thousands of fakes out there that aren't even recognized as such by there owners. The genuine ones are undoubtedly superior.

 

[Sheldon N]

Igaging Absolute Origin, I have a Brown & Sharpe and I use the Igaging the most.. Best bang for the buck calipers.


Ray

Yep, I've really liked mine. Well worth the $40.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Look at it this way- if you design something it has an expected useful life span. If you use em a lot get the mitutoyo. If you need it coolant proof and all that buy it cause itll last 20+yrs being used to make a living. If you need to save some coin and maybe you can stand to be off .001 get the cheaper one and maybe buy another one in 5yrs and still be cheaper. Most cant really imagine .001 (they think they can measure .0001 tho). Just think about it- if you measure a case and its off .001 does it matter? If you measure that muzzle diameter and its supposed to be .900 and it measures .903 does it matter? Unless youre using them to make a living save the coin. Youll most likely never see the difference.

 

[lbran]

my frankford arsenals have worked flawlessly for three years have a mac to check it with to make sure its right, and as a backup if they ever quit!!!

 

[lbran]

Dusty Stevens prettywell sums it up!!!

 

[chkunz]

Maybe I'm just lucky but my Frankford Arsenal has worked flawlessly for the two years of its life.

I have had one for several years and have also had good experience. The only problem I have had is forgetting to turn it off and running the battery down. More expensive models probably have an automatic shut off.

 

[jds holler]

ONE -- of the things I love about my wife, is that she picked up these items for me at Goodwill. She (and they), had no clue what they were, but she just thought it was something I might want. She was right, and the risk wasn't too bad at $9.99.

 

[potatoe]

+3 on cheaaap Frankfurt arsenal, I've had a set for over 5 years and they work well, no bend very strong.

 

[Boxcar77]

I tend to use the dial calipers from Harbor Freight. I'm hard on calipers, I tend to drop them quite a bit.

I've eyeballed the more expensive ones, but the cheap ones are repeatable enough for making ammunition.

 

[jimcasey01]

I use a Mitutoyo (nondigital) I purchased in the '80's, probably for some serious money, although I do not actually remember. I purchased a Chinese set (nondigital) about 15 years ago, the lower plastic thumb wheel broke off about a year ago. I am still using them, but if I had pitched them and replaced them with another cheap set, I would still be ahead financially. I own 1 Mitutoyo and 3 cheaper sets, all work, although the cheap ones will not last 30+ years. Calipers are not designed to do precision measuring, only for roughing to around .001 at best, it does not matter what gradation they read down to, be it .001 or .00001, it does not matter. If you need true .001 measurements or lower, go with a set of micrometers (multiple units), along with calibration blocks for each unit. They will cost a bunch more, but they are truly accurate at or below .001" . Additionally you can pass them on to your grandchildren and they can pass them on to their grandchildren.

 

[jds holler]

We hear much talk around here of measuring to the .0001th of an inch, and I'm thinking, "those guys must have some killer skills and instruments." : jd

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I agree with Dusty and Ibran. The digital Frankford Arsenals are very much good enough for anything that I'd use a caliper for. In my experience, if you need better, you need a mic anyway. I've had all kinds an still have several. When I got into tool and die work, anything digital would get you laughed out of the shop. It's not so anymore as even the fairly inexpensive digital measuring tools are pretty good. Keep this very important point in mind....regardless of price, calipers were never and still aren't made or meant for precision work. That's what a good quality micrometer is for. The FF calipers I have are about 10 years old, are used daily and have become the set that I use most...even over the most expensive makes. I have zero complants with them. Just use the right tool for the job and don't use calipers where critical measurements are...well, critical.

 

[queen_stick]

Maybe I have a bad unit, but I have to re-zero my Frankford caliper every time I use it. I'm simply talking about closing the "jaws" so they touch, and they read something other than zero. I also have a fairly expensive Mitutoyo caliper that reads zero EVERY time. With that said, I've done some comparison measurements between the two, and they always measure the same. Even though they measure the same in comparison tests, I still have more trust in the expensive one I believe it's a mental thing, to be honest. I wouldn't say I'm biased, or trying to justify the purchase of an expensive caliper, because I received both tools for free from my grandfather. Just my .02....