Buyer Beware: The $10 Digital Caliper

[gr8legs]

Whilst getting a couple of extra 'throwaway when they go bad" plastic digital calipers to scatter around the shop I didn't read the specifications very carefully before getting these.

I mean really, I expect every digital caliper to resolve down to 0.001 inches. We live in a world of thousandths after all, right?

WRONG!

These are perfectly nice calipers available from many sellers on the 'Bay but only indicate to 0.01 inches. Hundredths.

My bad for not reading the specs - which were completely accurate - nor looking carefully at the pictures. My bad again.

Buyer beware - there are $10 calipers that DO read to 0.001 - just not these.

Stu

 

[MrCrankyface]

I've done the exact same thing, saw the price and instantly ordered 5 of them only to realize the only measure 0.1mm(4 thou) which is useless for machining.

 

[ericc]

I can't tell. Are the jaws plastic? They might be useful around the blacksmith shop. I have a set of General calipers good to 1/128". Actually, I don't trust them even for that. But they are fine for measuring hot stuff.

 

[MrCrankyface]

The ones I bought, that looked the exact same but metric, were some kind of grainy plastic. Didn't feel or look like regular ABS/PP.

 

[gr8legs]

I can't tell. Are the jaws plastic? They might be useful around the blacksmith shop. I have a set of General calipers good to 1/128". Actually, I don't trust them even for that. But they are fine for measuring hot stuff.

Yes, all plastic. Probably not good for hot stuff. The General ones are OK (if metal) but 1/128 isn't particularly useful. I like (now that I have found them) 1/64" because they correspond to common fractional drill sizes. Makes sorting a grab bag easier

The ones I bought, that looked the exact same but metric, were some kind of grainy plastic. Didn't feel or look like regular ABS/PP.

These also switch Imperial / Metric but not fractional.

 

[Ken from ontario]

I had a couple of them but my reason for buying was for their plastic body/frame. they were easy to cut to shorter length to use on my tailstock for measuring depth of cut. unfortunately soon after I installed one I realized I needed to measure more accurately than 0.01" so I removed it and never looked at it again, total waste of money.

 

[Reddinr]

I feel your pain. I bought a cheap digital caliper at a local HW store, against my better judgement. Reads to 1/1000's but the repeatability is as-if it had one less decimal place. It just feels sloppy too. I use that one for some general wood working as it has fractional readout. But for metal I'm sticking with Mitutoyo from here on out. Worth every penny in my book.

 

[Karl_T]

Ya gets what ya pays for. A $100 Mitutoyo or Fowler reads almost as good as a micrometer. A $10 horrible fright - not so much.

 

[gr8legs]

Ya gets what ya pays for. A $100 Mitutoyo or Fowler reads almost as good as a micrometer. A $10 horrible fright - not so much.

Yep, I agree completely - but for the quick and dirty stuff where I'm in a black hole or loaning out a tool the cheapies have their place.

Less crying / screaming when one gets bent / broken / lost.

"Never loan out a good tool." - me

Stu

 

[Papa Charlie]

I think we have all made those quick purchases only to find out that we didn't look close enough. I have lost count. One of the perils of the modern day digital store world.

Recently I was looking for some old John Wayne movies on Amazon. You can buy used and sometime new for less than $10 delivered. Well didn't see the note that two of them were for EU play only. Too cheap to return them so they went in the garbage.

Still don't know why the would advertise the EU only play units here, you would need a DVD made in EU that has the decoder to read it. Oh well, live, learn and slow down. (Note to self)