Calipers??

[mikeinla]

Buy once cry once....

I use Mitutoyo.

WRONG- not always

I purchased a Mitutoyo and a cheap caliper. Guess which one is still working??
The Mitutoyo was sent back to them and they wanted $100 to fix it. I paid $150 for it originally.
The cheap Frankford is still working.

[17+1]

WRONG.

I purchased a Mitutoyo and a cheap caliper. Guess which one is still working??
The Mitutoyo was sent back to them and they wanted $100 to fix it. I paid $150 for it originally.
The cheap Frankford is still working.

Your sample size is 1.

I have seems dozens of machinists with the calipers you show and they last for years.

Maybe you got the lemon, because your results are definitely not typical.

[mrbigsteel]

I prefer a dial, because the batteries never die. But either of those will absolutley work for you.

Agree with this comment.

If you go digital, remove the batteries when not in use as they draw current even when not being used. I later bought a dial caliper so I would not have to worry about batteries.

[RNE228]

Add me to the Mitutoyo crowd. I use them at work and home.

I like the dial version for reloading; I prefer to watch the pointer movement compared to a bunch of flashing number.

FWIW, I have a 30 year old Lyman dial caliper that I got when I first started reloading. I have compared measurements numerous times to my better calipers; it has always been spot on.

[RNE228]

Add me to the Mitutoyo crowd. I use them at work and home.

I like the dial version for reloading; I prefer to watch the pointer movement compared to a bunch of flashing number.

FWIW, I have a 30 year old Lyman dial caliper that I got when I first started reloading. I have compared measurements numerous times to my better calipers; it has always been spot on.

[RNE228]

I understand the frustration when something does not work, and especially when there's a charge to fix it.

We use those calipers all the time at work; some folks are a bit rough on them. We use other Mitutoyo measuring equipment too. All of it has been rock solid.

WRONG- not always

I purchased a Mitutoyo and a cheap caliper. Guess which one is still working??
The Mitutoyo was sent back to them and they wanted $100 to fix it. I paid $150 for it originally.
The cheap Frankford is still working.

[Bumslie]

We all love nice and well made tools, but lets be honest here. We aren't building a space ship, this is reloading. Harbor freight is more than adequate if that's within the individual's budget.



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[kcstott]

We all love nice and well made tools, but lets be honest here. We aren't building a space ship, this is reloading. Harbor freight is more than adequate if that's within the individual's budget.



Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Correct.

A cheep $15-$20 set from HF will read to plus or minus .001" all day every day. and that is all calipers are really good for. Starrett B&S, Mitutoyo just not needed.

I'll add to the fire I've hated mit digital's from day one. Measuring tools should not require batteries. coolant and cutting oil screw them up. and they are just not the best. Sorry I'll stick with my swiss made dials. No batteries needed and you can clean them without ruining them.

[nitehawk117]

I have Lyman dial type, Hornady digital and Dillon digital that came with my press. They all work fine. For the tolerances needed in reloading any of the major reloading brand ones should do you fine. I've used Starrett building jet engines and working on aircraft but they are a lot more expensive. I would stay away from the Harbor Freight or other Chinese cheap ones. I wouldn't doubt that some of the reloading brand ones are from China too, but I would hope(maybe not) that they put a little research into what they put their name on.

[reverser]

Just watch out if you’re buying Mitutoyo. There are fakes of their digital calipers floating around. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

[rg1]

I have dial calipers as backups. I've purchased cheap digital ones such as Kobalt and they eat batteries. Next reloading session and the batteries are dead. Only the display turns off. As mentioned there are lots of fake Chinese knockoffs being sold on sites like Ebay or Amazon plus others. To avoid the possibility of being duped buy from a reputable dealer such as this one:

https://www.msi-viking.com/Mitutoyo_500-196-30_6-Inch_Absolute_Digital_Caliper

I highly recommend this Mitutoyo caliper. You won't regret spending a little more. I've used calipers in industry for many years and this caliper is quality.

[sigstroker]

Jeez, for what you guys are talking about you could buy a dozen Harbor Freights.

If coolant and cutting oil will ruin them, don't put coolant or cutting oil on them.

[NoHeavyHitter]

I use the Harbor Freight digital calipers (4 & 6inch) and they work just fine. I also have have SMIEC (Chinese) dial calipers that I picked up several years ago that test accurate. My Starett manual-digital micrometer keeps them all honest. So far, so good.

[hambam105]

How much does the OP know about a Datum Line?

[Beatone]

Mitutoyo are the best for sure. Used them for 20 years. 12 or 6 inch.