Calipers, dial or digital?

I am still using my cheap Canadian Tire digital caliper that I purchased 5 years ago. Price is right and so far has been very reliable!
 
I have Mitutoyo Vernier and digital, both are good tools. I have a Princess auto digital for the reloading bench but it eats up batteries, have to take them out when not in use.
 
OP, have you tried tightening up the tensioner on the unit? I have a CT digital and if the adjuster is too loose it will act up, it needs to be adjusted so it moves freely but has a little drag from the adjuster. there are also a couple smaller adjusters if I recall correctly. I'm guessing you just need to adjust the tension since it works fine for a couple inches.

But yes, if budget is not a concern then Mitutoyo all the way or a quality dial caliper.
 
I have chronologically gifted eyesight so I like the big numbers on digital calipers. If i use my dial calipers I need to wear clip on magnifiers for my glasses.

The link below is dedicated to all the old farts that think they need Braille calipers.

Digital Caliper Round-Up Which Digital Caliper Should I Buy? ~My Recommendation~
 
Thanks everyone for your input!
Lots of food for thought :)

I'll try to see if some tension adjustments help but I doubt it.
By the way my CT one was pretty good on batteries though, I think I only replaced it once.

Thx bigedp51 for the video link.
 
Put it to you this way, had you of bought the dial caliper the first time, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Digital calipers are a solution looking for a problem, and offer nothing over and above a dial caliper.
 
Dial calipers have issues in a shop environment, I've used them plenty but don't use a single one in my shop, and the number of times I've seen hobbyists & reloaders read them wrong...
Mitutoyo digitals are better.
 
Have you tried replacing your battery?

Dial all the way; but keep it clean. I bought one locally from an industrial supply company for $30, and have had it for 20 years. Because they use a rack in the back to drive the dial, they need to be kept very clean with minimal lubrication. For this reason I have a top of the line, Mitutoyo 10", coolant resistant caliper at work I got on sale, but usually they run about $500+ dollars.
 
I have 2x CT and a SDK?

Both CT doesn’t give reliable/repetable mesurement to mesure shoulder bump or neck thickness.
 
Mitutoyo digital is our go to for accuracy and reliability.

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Look at the error on the cert that guy showed up with.

I will admit, not cheap though.
 
Like most things, you get what you pay for. A good caliper is what all your adjustments and measurements are based on, it's a poor place to cut corners IMO.
I use a 30 year old Mitutoyo dial caliper for reloading. Other than skipping and having to be re-zeroed once (my fault) it's given me no problems over the years. I have a new Starrett dial at work that's a POS compared to the Mitutoyo.
If you go digital, I'd recommend the Mitutoyo Digimatic 6". I also use one of those at work and it's been very good. Nice to be able to set zero wherever you want it, such as when using a comparator.
Expect to pay $150+ on Amazon for the Digimatic, the dial caliper will be more than that I think.
When I consider what the rest of my shooting and reloading gear cost, $150 for a high quality measuring tool isn't bad at all.
 
Cheap dial calipers have huge problems with the indicators arms loosening , falling off etc, especially if dropped on a concrete floor.
Use Mitutoyo digital at work and an old Starret digital at home. Have three cheap dial ones I use as paperweights.

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White dial one works fine. Starret is ok but loosen up with use. Vernier scale is ok but takes time to judge which lines line up best for the last two digits, and you need good light.
Black face dial is one of my paperweights.
 
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Meroh said:
Have you tried replacing your battery?

Dial all the way; but keep it clean. I bought one locally from an industrial supply company for $30, and have had it for 20 years. Because they use a rack in the back to drive the dial, they need to be kept very clean with minimal lubrication. For this reason I have a top of the line, Mitutoyo 10", coolant resistant caliper at work I got on sale, but usually they run about $500+ dollars.
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This is my biggest issue with a dial caliper. If junk gets in the rack, it can cause the dial gear to skip a tooth and throw your measurement off. Also, cheap dial calipers are about as useful as hammers as they are as calipers. I use mine to scribe lines on parts. Lol the zero has rotated around the dial at least once already.

The cheap-o digital calipers are actually not too bad for OD measurements, if you're familiar with using them and can apply even pressure. The gritty slide makes it a little more difficult, but the scales are fairly accurate. I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them for inside measurements though. Even my $600 Mitutoyo set is questionable for ID sizes. Pretty much reference only.

Also, I LOL'd pretty good about measuring reliably to a tenth of a tenth (A hundred thousandth) with ANYTHING by hand. Even measuring repeatably to a tenth is a stretch. Sub tenth accuracy is temperature/humidity controlled room territory.
 
Dial calipers are my preferred method. I keep "inexpensive" digitals calipers all over the shop for my employees to use. I keep certified dial calipers in my desk and when I go out onto the floor to do my checks, I check my measurements against the quality control sheets to see how everything lines up.

I actually use Insize branded calipers. They hold the same certification as the Mitutoyo and Starrett, They can be sent back for calibration. My local industrial support store sells them at a rate of 10:1 of the other brands. They are significantly less expensive ($70 - $80 a piece). I just buy 6 of them at a time and at the end of a year I give them to my employees and replace them.
 
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I have both types, but usually use the Mitutoyo digital calipers, they work well. But I have seen some of the cheaper Chinese calipers that do a fairly decent job for a fraction of the price. If you are not too rough with them they should give you years of service.
 
rick357 said:
Mitutoyo. Otherwise it doesn't matter what cheap piece of ^&*% you buy for around $15. It will be stamped with whomever is peddling it, but it will be made at the same place in China. If you don't require repeatable measuring to a tenth of a thou, then just get the same one or something similar from CT or wherever. I have had a cheapo CT purchased dial caliper for over ten years, and it works just fine for measuring CBTO or COAL type measurements. $15 for a couple of years use is dirt cheap. I send that amount of money downrange in the first ten or fifteen minutes I am out shooting.
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Lol about sizes it up for me.. digitals may be a bit easier on old eyes though so look for quality
 
I have a CT digital and an old set of Craftsman branded verniers. A few years back I took the verniers to work and checked them against gauge blocks with one of the machinists and they were as good as the eye using them. A thou on a case neck is something but a couple of thou on COAL it is usually negligible. It is easy to make a gauge block for the range that you are using if you have access to something to measure it with that is accurate and then just mark it. A piece of faced off drill rod or similar works great.
 
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