Electronic Calipers

Dan Gray

Dan Gray

Joined
Jun 25, 2001
Messages
8,474
has anyone had any bad experience with the electronic version of the vernier Calipers? like these
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPAGE?PMPAGE=/specials/422-3301
I've used the Dial type and the standard version for years and years and they are just plain worn out and need to be replaced..
if these are lasting a reasonable amount of time
I'd like to try one out.. but I have no experience with them.
thanks
 
Hi,

We have some in our student shop that have lasted a couple of years without incident.
They are not the same model though, but are digital.

greg
 
Hey Dan, I've had good luck with the digital mics, don't know that I've ever used one of the 100+ dollar models though.

I can't tell from the photo if this has the thumb-bob-roller-majig, which I really do like to have. The ones that you slide by hand are just a little less convenient.
 
I have used the cheaper versions, (not Starrett) and they have lasted, my oldest is 4 years old (really outstanding for cheap chinese crap) I would expect the Starrett to be a whole lot better. with digital calipers always zero before critical measurements, and always keep a spare battery at hand. In my machine shop I use my Browne and Sharpe dial calipers, and Starrett mikes, I don't trust the digital for anything where accuracy is really critical, for general use in my wood shop, and on my jewelry bench I use digital (although I will use old fashioned mechanical for anything where dimensions are absolutely critical)

-Page
 
Dan, I have a nice Mitutoyo 6" digital caliper and an "identical" $29 Chinese knockoff. There is an obvious difference in the quality of construction and finish but both do the job. I bought the cheapies so I could use them as a crude marking guage for transferring or whatever; I don't mind scratching metal with them. They work well for that, but I definitely like the Mit more, smoother, just plain nicer. I like the zero set feature and I like the instant inch-metric conversion. One difference I noticed was that the knock-off eats batteries while the Mit has been running for several years off the same battery.
My two vernier calipers haven't been out boxes since I indulged myself with the digi.
 
I use a Mit digital also...hands above the cheap knock offs. I was a little sketchy about them at first but have grown to really like them. 3 years running and no problem, also same battery
 
I dont see how you can go wrong the quality of with a Starrett.
(or Mitutoyo for that matter.)

I would think the biggest issue would just be preference.
Is the readout large enough to see, do you like the way it feels...
 
I use that exact one in your attachment. I've been using it for years, on a near daily basis both in my knifemaking and when consulting with engineers and mechanics on my job. I've never had a problem with them. The only thing you need to remember is to turn it off when you're done using it. Mine shuts off automatically (eventually), but if you remember to shut it off yourself, your battery life will go up quite a bit.
 
Dan,
You only get what you pay for. I'm too poor to buy cheap. Go with the Starrett, they are located in Athol Ma!

I have 2 sets, one Mitutoyo and one Starrett. I still use my plain old micrometer more than either of the calipers. The problem with the digital is that the reading changes depending on how much pressure you apply. Is you shift the pressure the reading changes, maybe by a couple thousandths. Not much but it means a lot when your building folders.

I think you should handle a pair and see how they feel.
 
thanks guy so noted :thumbup:

how does the Mitutoyo compare price wise ?

Chuck I know what you mean "too poor to be cheap", that should be the case 90%+ of the time I'd say with most tools :) I have only a few exceptions to the rule though..
 
I've got a Starrett digital caliper that I've had for 15 years AND I bought it used (for $20) from a company that was going out of business. They still work great, and whenever I've checked it against thickness guages, it's still spot on.
 
The price for that Starrett is significantly less than I paid for the Mit, Dan, though I can't remember the exact price.

BTW, I wasn't suggesting buy the cheap ones. :) I was pointing out that I bought a pair as a marking tool, something I'd never suggest anyone use a high-dollar caliper for. When the tip gets worn and damaged with time, I can grind a new point on 'em without qualms. That's what cheap's good for. Sometimes it's just easier to use the cheap caliper to mark something coarsely than go to the height guage and surface plate.

I agree with what Chuck said about the caliper versus the mic. There's a time and place for each.
 
Chuck good idea but, for me as long as I've had
mine the reg faced should do well. I'd be afraid the carbide would out last the eletronics..

Mike how about a cheap one in carbide :D
I'll bet those are hard to find

thanks Guys :thumbup:
 
Dan, I have the same set as Fitzo. I've been using them daily for close to 10 years now. I leave them on all the time and only replaced the battery for the first time last month. One thing you'll really like about the digital is the absence of the rack. Rack and pinion type calipers are notorious for getting a chip in them and jumping a tooth or worse, screwing up the internal workings permanently. You can also switch back and forth between metric and inch, zero at any point along its length for checking over/under dimensions and a few other functions on the newer ones. You won't regret purchasing the Mitutoyo, they are worth every penny. Starrett is always good stuff too but I haven't tried their digi-cals.
 
David Wesner said:
Dan, I have the same set as Fitzo. I've been using them daily for close to 10 years now. I leave them on all the time and only replaced the battery for the first time last month. One thing you'll really like about the digital is the absence of the rack. Rack and pinion type calipers are notorious for getting a chip in them and jumping a tooth or worse, screwing up the internal workings permanently. You can also switch back and forth between metric and inch, zero at any point along its length for checking over/under dimensions and a few other functions on the newer ones. You won't regret purchasing the Mitutoyo, they are worth every penny. Starrett is always good stuff too but I haven't tried their digi-cals.
Click to expand...

thanks Dave sounds like a great tool..

yeah the chip of death syndrome set into my dialer.. it was about time anyway... :o
 
I use them exclusively now. I have units that cost over $200 and ones from HF for $15. They all perform about the same. I keep the high end units for precision measurements, and use the cheaper units for day-to-day measurements. When you accidentally drop a $15 unit, it is not the end of the world. The mid-priced units around $50 seem to be virtually the same as the high end units now days.
Stacy
 
What Stacy sez. HF's version is what you use most of the time. They go on sale for as low as $7 . These last forever.

Now, if you want to have an item you can brag about, there're Mitutoyos. You better hold them tight when you use them, though, don't want to drop it.

I have a $125 IP5 Myo mike, $90 Bestest dial and use these when things _really_ matter.
 
I completed my Machinist courses using HF measuring tools. Then the VA bought me a great set of starrets and mititoyo's. All measured the same. The big difference (besides finished quality) is you don't cry as much when you do drop the HF digitals.

Chuck
 
I was playing with my Mitutoyo and Enco $29 cheapie yesterday, comparing them.

While they both gave precisely the same measurement on every item I checked, there was no doubt the Mit operated smoother than the Enco. Dialing in an arbitrary number to .001, I had to shoot back and forth a number of times to get it exact, whereas on the Mit I could smoothly dial in to exactly the target every time.

Minor difference, and inconsequential when the measurement is the goal, but there was a definite difference in smoooth.

On the other hand, when I went to scratch a line on steel, the choice was obvious. So, utility surely gets the nod on that one. :)
 
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