Question on Mastercraft digital calipers

jethunter

jethunter

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Bought a set of these last week when they were on sale for $13.99. I have a good Mititoyo dial caliper but i figured another one would be handy.

Got it home and measured a dime for diameter. 0.354" - that's not right! Look at the analog scale and it reads 0.7". Got out the Mititoyo and found the Mastercraft caliper is reading exactly 1/2 what it should be on everything i measured. Checked and it's off by 50% on mm scale too. So i popped the battery out and then put it back in. Now everything reads like it should, and has been for a week.

Should i take it back or is this normal?
 
Sounds normal to me.
A fool and his "Crappy-Tire" money are soon parted :p

I tell myself never again...but I always end up back at the crimson triangle. I feel so dirty.
 
We use these calipers at work among some more expensive ones they are within half a thousandth usually. The reading half thing has never happened, they are usually a good caliper
 
KBC Tools has one on sale now for about $20 and it does fractional, metric and SAE.
It appears to work very well.
 
Well, it seems to be working fine now and accuracy and repeatability are as good as my Mitutoyo, so i'll keep this one. I guess it just needed to be rebooted.
 
Almost all the inexpensive digital calipers are Chinese. For a hobby guy or reloader they are great and will last for years. I wouldn't buy them for the toolroom at work but that's not what you're asking. Plus when you knock them off the bench onto a concrete floor you won't scream and pull a couple handfuls of hair out of your head either.
 
Calipers are only accurate to the .001 anyway, no matter the make. These cheap Can. Tire work great for the price and they are accurate and repeatable. If you need to measure to the .0001" you need to get a Vernier mic.
 
kharlingca said:
I have had mine for a year and no issues, had to change the battery once in that time

just remember you get what you pay for from Crapy Tire
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That's not my experience, you hardly ever get what you pay for anymore.

With the lower cost chinese stuff you get more than you paid for four times out of five. Remember you didn't pay much so expectations aren't that huge.

Unfortunately you get a piece of scrap metal junk about once out of five tries as well. Maybe it averages out, but you never know what to expect from any individual item.
 
The accuracy spec for those is around .008". I have the Mitutoyo Absolute for everyday use and these for thinking/ideas/tinkering. My mics are for checking something important.
 
as stated earlier,,, you get what you pay for
i do use the mastercraft digital when i have to do multiple readings of around the same size, i find as long as you move it slowly its good enough, but when sliding it faster ive found it will sometimes slip and measure differently, you can only get so accurate with a wheel going back and forth

but....
61829_470892924803_645734803_6773057_335929_n.jpg

one of these for the garage and one for inside the house, for checking if the mastercrap is reading correct and doing important stuff its way better and never #$%^'s around on ya
61829_470892929803_645734803_6773058_4264311_n.jpg

sometimes its all in the name, it measures the same whether hot or cold
 
Budweiser360 said:
Calipers are only accurate to the .001 anyway, no matter the make. These cheap Can. Tire work great for the price and they are accurate and repeatable. If you need to measure to the .0001" you need to get a Vernier mic.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but how many guys doing reloading or whatever around the house need to work closer than .001. Nobody really. I'm a machinist and I have digital mics that measure to five decimal places but I've only really needed them a few times in 10 years but they are nice to have when you do. Day to day my Mitutoyo or Brown and Sharp calipers are used all the time.
 
Reads half eh?

That could be right handy info to start with, if it could translate into the guts of that caliper having the ability to be set up to selectively read by half. Would make for a cheapo digital not-quite-readout for a lathe cross slide, to be able to select between radius and diameter.

Wonder if it's built in or was just a fluke?

They sure don't feel like a Mitutoyo, but they weren't $150 either. My Mastercraft ones read the same two inches on the setting standard I have, as my well used Mitutoyo ones do. I'd check them against gage blocks, but I don't have a set.

For generic use on a reloaders bench, they beat hell out of a set of Chinese calipers with an RCBS sticker on them for $70, by a long shot!

Cheers
Trev
 
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