Mitutoyos

[jelenko]

Personally, I won't buy a 'knock off' that is labeled with the same name as the original.
Aside from the morality of the issue, I'm not wanting to try a product from a company who's stock in trade is lying. I.e., for such a company, how much do you think they care about how their product performs?

 

[Chiquita]

Thank you all for your replies. I heard the message.

 

[Chiquita]

@MrBarrel, do you by chance ever refer to yourself as a "Fresno Indian"?
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No. Do I have a twin out there that I don't know about

 

[Sniper338]

I have a $300+ set of mitutoyo I got used for cheaper. Yes quality mics are worth it. Batteries don't die near as quick because it turns off quicker and or doesn't stay on. Every feature in general is better to much better. Plus they last... I havent had to buy another set... cheap ones work, but don't last, everything's loosy goosey and not precision bearings with tight tolerances and tracking.

Its an rcbs scale vs a fx120i kind of difference... rcbs die vs a custom die... same kind of thing.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

If youre talking about varying prices within the real mitutoyo line its mostly due to waterproofness on the digitals and if its been certified and calibrated to what standard.

 

[XL105]

Personally, I won't buy a 'knock off' that is labeled with the same name as the original.
Aside from the morality of the issue, I'm not wanting to try a product from a company who's stock in trade is lying. I.e., for such a company, how much do you think they care about how their product performs?

I agree with on buying knock offs. I won my knock off on an eBay auction. Thought I got one hell of a deal on it! Then I received it and realized it only read to .001. I called mitutoyo and asked them why this particular model only read to .001? They said they don’t make a model that only reads to .001 and this was a cheap Chinese knock off. Live and learn I guess.

 

[riflewoman]

There are mitutoyo knock offs. You can get get on eBay cheap. The easiest way to tell is they only measure to .001, where mitutoyo measures to .0001. They look the same. The logo is slightly different. I haven’t done any comparison testing to see how they stack up to each other.
I wanna say I paid $35 for the knockoff and around $100 for the mitutoyo. But I can’t remember exactly. I Certainly didn’t pay $200 for the mitutoyo

Measuring to .0001 and resolving to .0001 are two different things. In order to measure to .001 you need to resolve to .0005. Mitutoyo and some others display the tenths digit to give an idea on the accuracy of the measurement. But this does not mean that this digit is significant as a measurement. I seriously doubt that ANY “cross horn” caliper is accurate to .0005 repeatedly.

 

[457ciSBC]

I see a Mitutoyo for $45 & up to $200.

Is it worth spending up to $200 or is the $45 the same as the off brand that is $25

Thank you.

Many, if not most of the cheap ones are counterfeit clones.Ask yourself why is the $120 model selling for $45.

 

[Lesloan]

There are mitutoyo knock offs. You can get get on eBay cheap. The easiest way to tell is they only measure to .001, where mitutoyo measures to .0001. They look the same. The logo is slightly different. I haven’t done any comparison testing to see how they stack up to each other.
I wanna say I paid $35 for the knockoff and around $100 for the mitutoyo. But I can’t remember exactly. I Certainly didn’t pay $200 for the mitutoyo

I have a Mitutoyo digital caliper that I bought a few years ago. I don't recall what I paid for it but it was probably around $120. I almost bought a cheap knockoff that in the pics on eBay looked just like the real thing. Again, I can't remember what they cost but it was likely in the $50-60 range. They were never shipped and I eventually got my money back from eBay. (I was really surprised how well eBay stood behind their guarantee. Frankly I never expected that, but my regard for eBay took a big jump that day). My guess is that they were Chinese and the photo on their ad was of a real Mitutoyo. Not that it mattered since they apparently never intended to actually ship them. Anyway, I ended up buying the real thing, I think on Amazon.com.

 

[BigJohnson2]

Nsk makes a nice caliper for reloaders.


here’s one:

Metalworking Dial Calipers for sale | eBay

Get the best deals on Metalworking Dial Calipers when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices.

www.ebay.com

 

[TheOtherZilla]

I bought a $150 Mito. I also did research on how to tell a fake. There are a lot of fakes out there.
If you are gonna spend $45 on a caliper then buy a General tools at Ace hardware

 

[lightman]

I have a set of mitutoyo calipers as well as several sets of cheap calipers . The mitutoyo battery lasts nearly forever and the cheap ones eat batteries , any one else found this.

Yes, I've noticed this in mine. I have a 6 inch digital caliper that I bought from Sinclair. I have to remove the battery when I store it away or it will be dead the next time I use it.

It was about $40 if I remember correctly and I wish I had bought a Mitutoyo instead.

 

[JohnW...ski]

Mitutoyo website and I could not get along was not useful to me.
Anyways this is what I found. I can't just buy based on price just because it has a high price doesn't mean it is better. High priced low priced look identical.

Are higher end calipers worth it for reloading purpose?

500-196-30 are one of the many calipers I have, just like your pictures, they are probably my favorite ones, they are accurate enough for my needs and the batteries last forever. I don't make this recommendation lightly, although retired now I have owned a machine shop and before that was employed as a toolmaker.

 

[6MMsteve]

the Mitutoyo calipers have a diff feel. the digimatics are not as smooth as the IP67's......there is a difference in the quality...the coolant proof IP67's r better quality, smoother, better fit and finsih, and they r tougher calipers can withstand more shock. and watchout for knockoff's Ip67's r glass smooth

 

[Chiquita]

Thank you all for the replies.
I have two digital ($35) ones and one dial caliper that is by Hornady.
I thought about stepping up the game and getting a better tool, hence my post.

 

[Flycaster1977]

Buy once cry once. I have a set of mitutoyo calipers that ive had for at least 20 years. Bought in my former life as a tool and die maker. I use them all the time. Excellent tool.

 

[Brians356]

No. Do I have a twin out there that I don't know about

I take it then that you're not familiar with the apellation "Fresno Indian". Not important, please forget I asked

Still wondering, when you mentioned prices for Mitutoyos, were you referring to new calipers or micrometers?
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[Chiquita]

I take it then that you're not familiar with the apellation "Fresno Indian". Not important, please forget I asked

Still wondering, when you mentioned prices for Mitutoyos, were you referring to new calipers or micrometers?
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Calipers as posted previously.

 

[Brians356]

Calipers as posted previously.

I see now you later mentioned calipers, but not in response to my direct question.
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[nilebartram]

Buy once, cry once. Yes, they worth it.