Which Dial Caliper?

[Eddyde]

I have Helios, Starrett, Mitutoyo and Etalon analog calipers and a Mitutoyo digital caliper. All work well but for analog, the Etalon is by far the best of the bunch. Smooth and very accurate and Long Island Indicator considers it the best of the breed.

The Mitutoyo 500-752-20 digital is incredibly accurate, smooth, has large digits that I can read with my old eyes and is coolant-proof. I'm on my second year with the same battery; I'm sure the auto-shut off helps.

To assess accuracy, I checked my Etalon and Mitutoyo digital against my Mitutoyo grade 0 Cerastone gauge block set and both read dead on. This gauge block set is in the range of 0-4 microns, which is way beyond what a caliper should be able to register, but both read dead on for every single block in the set. I also wrung the 1" and 3" blocks and both still read dead on.

Tesa, Etalon and Brown & Sharpe calipers are made in the same factory but the Etalon has a thumb wheel, which is important to me so I can recommend it. The Mitutoyo digital I cited is the most accurate, smoothest and easiest to read caliper I own and I can also recommend it. If I could only have one, it would be the Mituotoyo digitial but mostly because I'm an old fart.

I checked the prices, the Etalon, it is about twice the price of the Mitutoyo so hard to justify, especially since LII says they are all pretty much made from Chinese parts. I Have that same digital Mitutoyo but it dropped a while ago and its not reliable anymore.

 

[mmcmdl]

I Have that same digital Mitutoyo but it dropped a while ago and its not reliable anymore.

They're not meant to be dropped ! ( but I realize **** happens )

 

[Eddyde]

They're not meant to be dropped ! ( but I realize **** happens )

Yeah I know but it was one of those Rube Goldberg type accidents where something got inadvertently nudged and that caused a chain reaction culminating in a tray of tools to flip onto the floor. If I only had a video...

 

[Eddyde]

...Such is life in the cramped workshop...

 

[projectnut]

I started back in the late 70's with Starrett and Mitutoyo dial calipers. They did the job then mainly because in those days all measurements I needed were imperial. As time went on, I bought a cheap HF digital model for rough metric translation. For the last 20 years I've been using Mitutoyo digitals that are not only accurate but will measure in both metric and imperial.

I loved the old dial models but found that too often I needed both metric and imperial values on the same part. Switching from one dial unit to another was a pain. It required twice as many tools and they both needed to be within arm's reach at a moment's notice. My latest acquisition is a Mitutoyo 500-752-20. Now that I've gone to the dark side, I don't think I'll ever switch back. The convenience of having the dual measurement scales at the touch of a button far outweighs my attachment to the older dial styles.

As an FYI I do have half a dozen HF digitals I use mainly when on the road. The Mit's and Staretts had to be watched like a hawk or they could disappear. No one cares if the HF tools are left in plain sight for days at a time.

 

[fcs]

Now that I've gone to the dark side, I don't think I'll ever switch back. The convenience of having the dual measurement scales at the touch of a button far outweighs my attachment to the older dial styles.

I don't see why, in this days of electronics and displays in everything, a digital caliper can't switch to a simulated dial mode. For those times when relative differences are more important than absolute measurements. Would save on the mental subtraction. If I wasn't so shiftless I'd make one and patent it.

Edit: Those of you who are paid forum supporters are missing the spectrum of ads lately; today its Come to Jesus vs. Epic Bikini Fails. We are being rent asunder.

 

[Boswell]

I don't see why, in this days of electronics and displays in everything, a digital caliper can't switch to a simulated dial mode. For those times when relative differences are more important than absolute measurements. Would save on the mental subtraction.

My Mitt digital calipers have a zero button so when I need to make a relative measure I just make the first measurement, hit the zero button and then make the second measure and the difference is displayed. Metric or Imperial. They are also solar powered so I never need to change a battery. EZ-PZ.

 

[Navy Chief]

My Mitt digital calipers have a zero button so when I need to make a relative measure I just make the first measurement, hit the zero button and then make the second measure and the difference is displayed. Metric or Imperial. They are also solar powered so I never need to change a battery. EZ-PZ.

Was going to say the same thing, relative measurements with digitals is dead simple.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Dabbler]

I have a stainless MITutoyo vernier (not dial) that I learned on 50 years ago. I have 2 Igaging non-absolute, which are my normal shop tools, but my preferred calipers for turning are my 6" and 8" Mitytoyo 'Absolute' calipers. I didn't get the solar ones, because the distributors up here charge 70$ more for them, which prices them out for me.

I trust the Mit calipers to +/- .003 even though they're always better than that, For more accurate stuff the micrometers come out, but only then.