Digital Calipers

FLHTCUI said:
For $20.00 they are disposable...
No problem or worries if guys spend $$$$ on the latest from J A Pan though...
Guys can spend their money on what ever they like in the end it is just bragging rights imo.
Tight Groups and Close Tolerances.
Rob
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Not bragging Rob, but it’s PITA when your calipers go down right in the middle of a reloading session and either Crappy Tire is closed or you’ve had a few to many pops to drive lol
Not saying it can’t happen to Mitu, but I’ve been using the the same set for about 5 years,same battery too.
 
45C said:
Not bragging Rob, but it’s PITA when your calipers go down right in the middle of a reloading session and either Crappy Tire is closed or you’ve had a few to many pops to drive lol
Not saying it can’t happen to Mitu, but I’ve been using the the same set for about 5 years,same battery too.
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I do apologize 45C I didn't intend for it to sound like my opinion was directed at you specifically.
It wasn't and I haven't had a wobbly pop in many many years...
Goes to show , lol.
Regards,
Rob
 
ParksPipes said:
I’ve always been happy with the FOWLER brand through KBC Tools.
Digital for me.
Price is reasonable and they stand up to regular use.
Maybe they’re like 75-80 bucks now.
They used to be 40 or so.
Not sure about their accuracy, if it’s calibrated true, but they are consistent.
**I say this because they always read my pin gauges as -1 thou in diameter, which is greater than the amount of offset that the pins are supposed to have….I think, anyways, not a machinist here.
But hey they do it consistently, and different pairs of calipers obtain the same readings on the same pin, so….
They measure what I need them to.
Maybe I’m on my 3rd set now…..
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Calipers are good for +/- .001".

Pin gauges are centerless ground to something well under .001" diameter tolerance, depending on the quality of your set.
The set would have had an inspection certificate with them when new stating what that tolerance is. The cheapest, most open tolerance sets for shop floor use are .0004" bilateral, +/- .0002" so very likely what you have.

So what you are seeing with your chosen measuring tool is exactly in it's expected range of accuracy.

Fowler is generally good and KBC tools is exactly the kind of good source to shop from.
 
I’ve had the same pair of mitutoyu calipers for over 40 years and they have never failed me. They were stupid expensive in the day but when you need accuracy and longevity it costs.
They are tough too. Spent most of their working life in the tool box in the service truck. Still cased in the padded grey plastic box they came in.
 
HunztheMighty said:
Ive had some bad luck with digital calipers. They don't seem to last very long. Seems the plastic parts break or they burn batteries. Had a few that float and you cant trust the measurements.

I just found a new brand that I had big hopes for, Hardell. This one had every feature I was looking for and had pretty good ratings online (4.5/5). The display was huge (important for us old guys who cant see). It was rechargeable and I thought this would be great as I seem to have alot of problems with batteries getting stuck or dieing early in my cheap units.

Well long story short the Hardells pooped the bed. Used them till they ran out of charge, put them on the charger for the manual recommended 20 minutes but they wouldnt turn on. Waited a day and did it again, still wouldnt power up. Sent them back got a replacement. Exactly the same problem.

I have always wanted a pair of Mitutoyo but the price tag is a bit scary. On Graninger they are $434.00 Ive seen them on Amazon for $123.00 but Seems sketchy to me and I suspect they are knock offs. I went to Gregs distributors and they didnt have any nor did Napa. If I am going to spend that kind of cash I want to be sure they are genuine and want to try them out.

I am really curious to hear your guys feedback and or suggestions.
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I have a non digi caliper made by Mitutoyo used it for many years works great its for rough work but good enough for me if you want to measure better than a few microns dont use a calliper.
 
Cocked&Locked said:
Calipers are good for +/- .001".

Pin gauges are centerless ground to something well under .001" diameter tolerance, depending on the quality of your set.
The set would have had an inspection certificate with them when new stating what that tolerance is. The cheapest, most open tolerance sets for shop floor use are .0004" bilateral, +/- .0002" so very likely what you have.

So what you are seeing with your chosen measuring tool is exactly in it's expected range of accuracy.

Fowler is generally good and KBC tools is exactly the kind of good source to shop from.
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Just checked and my pin gauge sets are MINUS, stated as .0000” to -.0002”, and so are actually equal to or less than the nominal marked size.
Yah the Fowler digital calipers that I use measure them consistently .001” and sometimes .0015” less than the marked size.
Although I always get the same reading from any given pin, and using another pair of calipers (Fowler too) gets the same result from the same pin.

And Yes these are also definitely ‘Economy’ pin sets.
Very useful though. I have both .061” to .250”, and .251” to .500” sets, and they come in handy quite a lot in the workshop.
I do a lot of drilling, turning and fitting, basically making small simple parts on a small lathe…..

I have some other Fowler measuring tools too and I have always been happy with the quality for price.
They’re reasonably well made, but they’re not hundreds of dollars either.

I agree, KBC has good stuff 👍

Back to the bullets on paper !!
 
I’m a toolmaker so verniers / dial calipers are something I use all day long. I for the longest time absolutely hated digital. Still won’t ever see me using a digital at work. But digital is the way to go when using a comparator set. I’m shocked at the amount of guys having success with the mastercraft digis. I’ve seen many of apprentices start out with the MC calipers but usually not long after are upgrading to a mitutoyo or similar. I’ve never had any luck with the MC myself although I do have one in my range bag for measuring group sizes. That’s about all I’d use it for. And I still make sure to check the scale on the slide to make sure I’m in the ballpark as I don’t have much faith in it. On my reloading bench I have a mitutoyo coolant resistant digital for my comparator along side my starrett dial calipers for absolutely everything not involving the comparator. In my experience I have had better luck with no name dial calipers than I’ve had with no name digitals.
 
Meroh said:
The one advantage that the digital does have is the ability to work in two systems (Metric and Imperial) with one caliper. This was very handy working in a Japanese auto parts plant, with machinery from all over the world.
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That's a fair enough comment. However I NEVER work in metric so not an advantage for me.


Cocked&Locked said:
Dial calipers, even the cheapest Chinese ones are excellent. Never need batteries, low upfront cost. long life and excellent accuracy.
This is what I would highly recommend to you.
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THIS.
 
I've used dial caliper and old micrometers for 45 yrs now, once you know the mark you are seeking, it's either above or below it, which is all I really need to know. Maybe a digital has a "quicker" satisfaction factor, but, the ones I've tried don't really do it for me. Had battery issues with the digitals, one has an issue with shutting off or turning on all on its own, gave up after the second set, every time I go to use them, needs a battery.
 
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