Mastercraft 6" Digital Calipers on Sale
- Thread starter Magellann
- Start date
I have a hobby machine shop and use calipers a lot. I bought a couple of digital ones over the years and soon gave up on them. I keep them around for metric measuring but I don't keep the battery in them. The issue with the cheap ones is that even when they are "off" they really aren't off. They just go into a lower power mode. But the low power mode on the cheapies is pretty bad. A battery only last a few months at best.
So I went back to my beloved dial calipers. With a little attention to keep them clean and not handle them roughly they have stayed consistently accurate to within a half thou for years now. And I don't need to buy batteries and swap them all the time.
You'll pay a bit more for a dial caliper but if you only use them occasionally and are not good at buying batteries frequently then I'd suggest you consider them over the digital style.
With a bit of searching around you should be able to find the dial style for around $30 to $35 these days.
So I went back to my beloved dial calipers. With a little attention to keep them clean and not handle them roughly they have stayed consistently accurate to within a half thou for years now. And I don't need to buy batteries and swap them all the time.
You'll pay a bit more for a dial caliper but if you only use them occasionally and are not good at buying batteries frequently then I'd suggest you consider them over the digital style.
With a bit of searching around you should be able to find the dial style for around $30 to $35 these days.
crasheralex
Regular
- Location
- Cambridge, On
Do not buy these. They are garbage. Mastercraft does not make persision tooling. Had one when I started machining. It was +/- 0.010
burnt_servo
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- right in the middle of b.c.
I find they can be accurate down to a thou , anything smaller than that requires higher quality tools .
Sherlock Gnomes
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- St.Catharines
Bought a set thanks for heads up. I had cheap plastic PA ones that were junk.
They are decent if you are ok with +- 1 mil. I have a few pairs.
Keep them clean.
I have a pair that is off by 3 thou so maybe you should test yours against a known length.
If yours is properly calibrated, they usually read somewhere around 1 over or under...
I bought mitutoyo calipers for more precise measurements. They are more precise and always read same value but they cost 250$
I also use a mitutoyo micrometer for .0001 precision but its not often needed.
I simply dont trust mastercraft for precision measurements. The mitutoyos always read the same, always get back to zero..... The mastercraft never reliably return to 0. Always off a bit.
Still, they are ok to measure a bolt or whatever that you are ok with being a few thousands off.
Keep them clean.
I have a pair that is off by 3 thou so maybe you should test yours against a known length.
If yours is properly calibrated, they usually read somewhere around 1 over or under...
I bought mitutoyo calipers for more precise measurements. They are more precise and always read same value but they cost 250$
I also use a mitutoyo micrometer for .0001 precision but its not often needed.
I simply dont trust mastercraft for precision measurements. The mitutoyos always read the same, always get back to zero..... The mastercraft never reliably return to 0. Always off a bit.
Still, they are ok to measure a bolt or whatever that you are ok with being a few thousands off.
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Because they are cheaply made in a rush we can't always rely on them being well adjusted right out of the box. If they don't seem accurate or consistent then check the slide for play and wobble. If you find any then it can be adjusted out to where it's not quite snug to move using the two gybe play adjustment screws on the top edge of the slider. You'll need a small jeweler's screwdriver to adjust the two small set screws.
Some are better than others for battery life. Being electronics the chip inside likely changes between brand and models almost month by month. But my experience with the ones I have is that they seldom make it past around three months. Better brands like Mitutoyo use different chips that cost more and I understand that a battery in those can last for a few years of regular use. The problem is you just don't know if you're buying a good one or a hungry one at this price. Anyone with a set that lasts more then 6 months is doing well and got lucky.
Tabacco Brook
Regular
- Location
- Nova Scotia
burnt_servo
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- right in the middle of b.c.
that is kind of what I found ,I clean them out with brakeclean , then a drop or 2 of light oil , then just snug up the screw on the top a hair .
if a guy really wants t get picky , he can check to see if the jaws a sprung at all with some feeler gauges , then honing them back into square .
they also don't always reset t zero properly . I use 1"and 2" standards to make sure it is still reading properly ..
the nice thing about them is , they are disposable . there are places you don't want to take expensive tools from possible damage , or even theft .
- Location
- West Quebec
Well any thing goes there some times
These are not made by Mastercraft, these are the same generic digital calipers that appear in just about any shop, with their own brand-name on it, that sells this kinda stuff. Picked up a set off ebay last year (it died), then one from Cabela's, and now for 13 bucks can't go wrong with this one as a spare. They're all exactly the same except for company branding. All made in China somewhere no doubt.
I use a pair that are about 6 or 7 years old now with my sinclair comparator to sort bullets and to measure OAL for loading match ammo. Seem to work fine. I use them often enough that I don't bother taking the battery out....just replace the battery when it needs a new one. This same set was used when I loaded my match ammo for the F Class Nationals last year in Ottawa. During the team match, I shot 30 consecutive bulls of which 21 were V-Bulls on the F-Class ICFRA target at 700 and 800 m with my .308....I didn't even give them a second thought. Mind you, I only use them to measure to the nearest mil (thousandth of an inch). I also use a set of dial calipers.
