Cheap dial calipers.....

[Nesse1]

I have a set of Mitutoyo dial calipers that I love, but they don't come back to zero consistently, so they can't be trusted. They got bad to the point where I took them apart, and I thought I fixed them, but the same thing started to happen again. At this time, I'm straight digital Mitutoyo, and love them. I love the fact that I can switch between metric and imperial with the push of a button. I don't treat them nicely, but there is never a problem. The cheapo Harbor Freight clone calipers eat batteries like no tomorrow.

 

[RJSakowski]

First off I was taught that most dial calipers were only accurate within .003" Do a gauge R&R (reliability & repeatability) study on your caliper and you may not be so quick to claim accurate to a .001".
And for the OP.
If you made the gear jump dropping it, toss it. Doesn't take much booger up that gear.

I check my calipers against my micrometers from time to time. I can't recall ever seeing a difference to within the resolution of the calipers. How accurate a reading is depends greatly on the user's technique. There is necessariully some clearance on the slide to permit free movement. Using undue force on the thumb wheel can twist the moveable jaw, giving a higher reading as a result. Just like using a micrometer, using a consistent technique will give more consistent results. Cheaper calipers will be more prone to errors of this type as the caliper beam is n't finished to the same degree of accuracy as a quality name brand and the gibs are usually adjusted looser to compensate.

As to the gear jumping with a shock, the pinion shaft on mine is spring loaded so if hits an obstruction on the rack, it isn't damaged. A shock can cause it to jump a tooth. Another possibility is that the dial pointer will spin on its shaft. They are press fit on and a sudden shock can cause them to slip. That was the case with my Craftsman calipers. It kept getting worse over time and I finally fixed it with a tiny droplet of CA gliue.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I have a set of Mitutoyo dial calipers that I love, but they don't come back to zero consistently, so they can't be trusted. They got bad to the point where I took them apart, and I thought I fixed them, but the same thing started to happen again. At this time, I'm straight digital Mitutoyo, and love them. I love the fact that I can switch between metric and imperial with the push of a button. I don't treat them nicely, but there is never a problem. The cheapo Harbor Freight clone calipers eat batteries like no tomorrow.

Had a coworker on a different shift borrowing my starrett dial calipers and he kept dropping and generally abusing them.

Mentioned this to my leader and he got me a set of MIT digitalis and also handed me a second set of MIT digitals saying “Don’t mix these up”.

Turns out the second set wouldn’t hold dimensions accurately when you shut them off, and you had to reset zero every time you turned them on. They were fine otherwise as long as you remembered this.

Did my usual thing but I set the junk calipers juuust so to let me know if anyone used them.
And stowed the new ones away.

Took about a week of the 2nd ops guy complaining about this guys parts being out of spec to get him to stop using them.

No parts were ruined in the events that took place, but that guy was the first to get downsized.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I check my calipers against my micrometers from time to time. I can't recall ever seeing a difference to within the resolution of the calipers. How accurate a reading is depends greatly on the user's technique. There is necessariully some clearance on the slide to permit free movement. Using undue force on the thumb wheel can twist the moveable jaw, giving a higher reading as a result. Just like using a micrometer, using a consistent technique will give more consistent results. Cheaper calipers will be more prone to errors of this type as the caliper beam is n't finished to the same degree of accuracy as a quality name brand and the gibs are usually adjusted looser to compensate.

As to the gear jumping with a shock, the pinion shaft on mine is spring loaded so if hits an obstruction on the rack, it isn't damaged. A shock can cause it to jump a tooth. Another possibility is that the dial pointer will spin on its shaft. They are press fit on and a sudden shock can cause them to slip. That was the case with my Craftsman calipers. It kept getting worse over time and I finally fixed it with a tiny droplet of CA gliue.

The thing to remember about dials is they do not have a spring to take up slack in the gear train like an indicator does.

This is why digital calipers outshine them.

Plus there’s a lot of neat tricks you can do to save time.

 

[atunguyd]

The thing to remember about dials is they do not have a spring to take up slack in the gear train like an indicator does.

This is why digital calipers outshine them.

Plus there’s a lot of neat tricks you can do to save time.

I think this depends on the dial caliper in question. I have a TESA branded caliper that I bought in terrible condition and restored. When I pulled it apart I was surprised to find that out was pretty complicated inside (way more than my Mititoyo dial caliper). Complete with a gear set and spring to maintain resistance on the gear train and eliminate backlash. I think the same calipers are branded brown and sharp over there in the US

Edit: here are the calipers in question. That drawing on the top of the page is the exact gear train I saw inside mine

Dial Calipers

Dial Caliper TESA CCMA-M Dial caliper with shockproof mechanism made from the same components used in the manufacture of swiss watches. Unique

www.arc-bg.com

Sent from my SM-S908E using Tapatalk

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I think this depends on the dial caliper in question. I have a TESA branded caliper that I bought in terrible condition and restored. When I pulled it apart I was surprised to find that out was pretty complicated inside (way more than my Mititoyo dial caliper). Complete with a gear set and spring to maintain resistance on the gear train and eliminate backlash. I think the same calipers are branded brown and sharp over there in the US

Edit: here are the calipers in question. That drawing on the top of the page is the exact gear train I saw inside mine

Dial Calipers

Dial Caliper TESA CCMA-M Dial caliper with shockproof mechanism made from the same components used in the manufacture of swiss watches. Unique

www.arc-bg.com

Sent from my SM-S908E using Tapatalk

Yup, Tesa and B&S are my go to when needing dial calipers.

A well broken in set has a feel you just can’t beat.

 

[MG&L]

These short stories remind me of the customers that come in to the shop for a gun repair and want to share their latest rifle/revolver/pistol purchase because of the deal they got or how accurate or well built it is supposed to be... then say they never plan to shoot it. Je ne comprends pas.

 

[acruxksa]

I've got a cheap set of digital dial calipers, a mitutoyu digital set and an old school mitutoyu analog version.

I typically use the cheap one for making 3d printer parts and the mitutoyu digital for quick work in the garage. I rarely pull out the analog mitutoyu's because they belonged to my dad and as such, are irreplaceable.

I don't find the cheap ones to be inaccurate, but they do eat batteries faster and the magnetic strip has started to lift causing measurement issues, so I'll likely be ordering another one pretty soon.

 

[woodchucker]

I've got a cheap set of digital dial calipers, a mitutoyu digital set and an old school mitutoyu analog version.

I typically use the cheap one for making 3d printer parts and the mitutoyu digital for quick work in the garage. I rarely pull out the analog mitutoyu's because they belonged to my dad and as such, are irreplaceable.

I don't find the cheap ones to be inaccurate, but they do eat batteries faster and the magnetic strip has started to lift causing measurement issues, so I'll likely be ordering another one pretty soon.

Try a pair of Igaging calipers. I have a digital pair, not expensive, and they don't eat batteries. They are accurate as well. BIG numbers.

 

[Dabbler]

I used a Mitutoyo analog vernier caliper for the first 30 years, complimented by a 0-1 10$ Starrett micrometer.

*then* I found an Igauging digital caliper a Lee Valley tools on clearance for 14$ *game changer* So good I bought a spare one (not yet trusting them) on sale for 29$...

They both still work, and are nice. But I got the 'Mitotoyo bug' - I bought a brand new Mit digital caliper (that has become my daily driver) 3 years ago. The others are spares and sit with batteries removed in my tool chest. I did find a 8" used Mitutoyo for bigger measurements,... I even gave away my pristine Mit Vernier caliper to someone who needed it.

Ah the cycle of life! I went with my friend to help him load a Kijiji purchase, when a pair of verniers caught my eye... Now I own a Mitutoyo dial caliper (for when batteries are dead), and a Mitutoyo analog vernier that sits permanently at my computer desk.... 30$ inclusive...

They all read within .001 of each other. The Igauging ones go through a battery after a year and a bit (of having the battery installed), but it is a very small cost to run it (CR2032 cells are very cheap). The Mitutoyo digitals run about 3 years on a SR44 battery (NOT LR44 - they have half the energy and 1/4 the storage life), turned on or not.

Surprisingly, I haven't had to change the batteries on the dial caliper or the analog vernier!

Some day soon I'll be giving away one of the Igauging calipers to someone starting out, in a gift basket of sorts.