Digital caliper... cheap but decent

[David Meiland]

Once upon a time I owned a Mitutoyo dial caliper, but it got away from me somehow (might have sold it, don't recall). A little googling shows expensive digital models from Mitutoyo and Starrett, but I doubt I need to spend that much. Typical use would be to check material coming out of the planer or sander, and maybe checking the occasional drill bit or whatever. Not making space shuttle parts here. Got a rec for a low-end model that's still reasonably good, or should I just man up and buy an American one? I recently put together a 12" Starrett combination square from two different eBay buys and it sure is nice.

[jpierce]

I think i saw one in the Hartville Tools catalog.

I switched to a dial one so I didn't have to deal with batteries, but I bought mine locally.

[newman]

how much is cheap?

I bought a mitutoyo digital for $120. digital is nice because you can convert from mm to inches instantly. I suppose for woodworking most of the $30 -$50 calipers would work fine, but a good quality tool will stay accurate longer (with proper care).

[newman]

I think i saw one in the Hartville Tools catalog.

I switched to a dial one so I didn't have to deal with batteries, but I bought mine locally.

mine is solar - no batteries :)

[jpierce]

mine is solar - no batteries :)

Oh....sun dial calipers then huh?.....lol

[newman]

Oh....sun dial calipers then huh?.....lol

so you would get different thickness readings depending on time of day? LOL

[Adam444]

Frankly, for what you're talking about just about anything would work. The tolerances just aren't that tight (unless you're measuring wood to +/- 0.001.

Of course, it's nice to have a few tools that are truly accurate. I think Starrett is the only American company left. Brown and Sharpe is part of a Swedish company. Mitutoyo makes fine tools but they are Japanese.

[newman]

Frankly, for what you're talking about just about anything would work. The tolerances just aren't that tight (unless you're measuring wood to +/- 0.001.

Of course, it's nice to have a few tools that are truly accurate. I think Starrett is the only American company left. Brown and Sharpe is part of a Swedish company. Mitutoyo makes fine tools but they are Japanese.

a lot of the Starrett stuff is made in China now, and from what I've seen, not impressive...

[Dan Clark]

Once upon a time I owned a Mitutoyo dial caliper, but it got away from me somehow (might have sold it, don't recall). A little googling shows expensive digital models from Mitutoyo and Starrett, but I doubt I need to spend that much. Typical use would be to check material coming out of the planer or sander, and maybe checking the occasional drill bit or whatever. Not making space shuttle parts here. Got a rec for a low-end model that's still reasonably good, or should I just man up and buy an American one? I recently put together a 12" Starrett combination square from two different eBay buys and it sure is nice.

David,

I've had this Wixey 6" version: http://www.wixey.com/calipers/index.html for about a year. It's a little unique in that it shows metric, and decimal and fraction inches. It's probably not the quality of a Mitutoyo and Starrett, but it's step up from the cheap ones.

Resolution is .001 inches. Accuracy is .0005 inches. Repeatable accuracy is beyond my ability to measure. I checked it against one of my Starrett rules and it exactly matches the rule. It's more precise than anything else I have so it's difficult to tell it's true accuracy.

I've had a dial caliper and a cheap slide caliper for a while, but no longer use them. About two years ago, I got a cheap digital caliper which worked OK, but didn't have an auto-off feature. Auto-off is critical. Without it, the battery will be dead in next to no time. When I got the Wixey, I threw it out.

I've been very happy with this Wixey caliper. The display is easy to read, it locks firmly, and the slide moves easily with the wheel. The fit and finish are pretty good. The case is decent too. And yes, it has auto-off.

They are $38 on Amazon.

Regards,

Dan.

[dgbldr]

I have a Starrett (older, US made) that's dead accurate. Don't take it in the field.

I bought a cheap Harbor Fright one and it checks dead accurate against the Starrett. To within better than a thousandth. Just go to HF or wherever with a good one and check the cheap one you're buying against the good one.

Edit: Yes the HF one does have auto-off.

[whiskytangofoxtrot]

2nd vote for the Wixey Dan C. linked to, I've had the occasion to borrow that same one from a fellow woodbutcher in the past when needed :)

It's solidly made for the $, and accurate "enough".

[PaliBob]

2nd vote for HF
$19.99
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...7675&Submit=Go

I bought the non fractional 6 inch model
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...8851&Submit=Go

Reason being that instead of $24.99, HF had it on sale for $10.95

HF prices are on a yo-yo. At the price I paid, they are still making $.
No complaints on quality, all SS & comes in a hard plastic case with a foam cut out so it won't bounce around. I like the 'Zero" button so that differential measurements are a snap. also came with a spare LR44 button battery which should last me forever.
.

[Adam444]

a lot of the Starrett stuff is made in China now, and from what I've seen, not impressive...

Oh my, my father must be turning over in his grave. He was a machinist and had quite a few Starrett tools (which I was fortunate enough to acquire).

[David Meiland]

I bought the Wixey this morning. Amazon said it was 2 months backordered, so I ordered it directly. Might still take months to get.

[Dan Clark]

David,

If you get to the point were you gotta have it, Woodcraft has them for $52: http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/202...l-Caliper.aspx.

Regards,

Dan.