Has HF digital calipers dropped in quality?

[Nessal]

So I bought one of those Harbor Freight digital calipers that people rave about. I got the old one 2 years ago. The price was right and the quality of the caliper actually exceeded my expectations. It is very accurate and repeatable. Today I decided to get another one since they had it on sale for $20. The packaging looks exactly the same. Even the picture of the caliper on the box was the same as the old one.

When I got home to take a look at it, it was definitely a new version. Here are the changes that I noticed on the new one. Top caliper is the new one, bottom caliper is the old one.


Cosmetic Changes
1. The body is no longer black but silver.
2. The case is different
3. The numbering on the slide is a different font
4. Instead of one screw the prevents the center slide from coming out on the back, it is now a crossbar.
5. The back no longer has a conversion chart but a crappy useless sticker with the brand "Cen-tech" on it.

Functional Changes
1. When sliding the jaw down the body, it feels more "rough" than the old version. The older caliper feels REALLY smooth and nice when opening the jaw up.

2. The new one has lag time when the digital readout is displayed. For example, when you slide the jaw down the body at a constant rate, the read out skips from 1.567 to 2.829 to 3.719. The old one has no lag time and reads really fast. It displays the number very quickly thus showing the measurements in smaller increments as you move.

It's a bit hard to explain but think of the old version like a Rolex watch where the second hand "rolls" instead of ticking from second to second.

3. The new version no longer powers on from a off state when the jaw is opened. The old one is more convenient because you don't have to keep pushing the power button when it shuts off.

4. The new LCD screen contrast is not as nice as the old one.

5. The font size of the readout appears to be a little bit smaller than the old one.



I can live with the cosmetic change, but the functional change is annoying as hell. Have anyone bought a set of these recently and can confirm this? I'm thinking about going back and try to find the older version.

Here are pictures of the two in question. The new version is on top and the old version is on the bottom.

[phish]

it's HF, not Mitutoyo or Starret

[fairfaxjim]

I think you just spent more time than the both calipers are worth comparing the "good" HF caliper with it's new "evil twin."

To be brutally honest, the only HF purchase that I haven't been pretty disappointed with (even taking the price into consideration) is a couple of screw into the dirt gizmos that hold an umbrella. They do work, and since they have no moving parts, haven't jammed up or fallen apart. Only HF purchase I can say that about. They have managed to take cheap worthless Chinese merchandise to a whole new level.

[Fishslayer]

it's HF, not Mitutoyo or Starret

Yup. I have the new HF one and an older one I got for $20 at Kragen. Both do what they're supposed to do and are plenty accurate for my needs. I'm happy enough with both for what I paid for 'em.

[OldLandParkPat]

I have to totally agree. I found the very same thing with them.

I've used the blackface HF calipers in my machine shop for 2 years. Pretty much wore them out with daily use, and I tried 4 pair of the new silver face and they are complete junk.

THe old HF black face units were very good and repeatable easily within .001. Now I'm going to buy Mitutoyo, but if I could find another black face HF that worked as well as the old ones, I would not hesitate to buy one.

[AJAX22]

Why not drop 30-40 bucks on a nice Mitutoyo on ebay?

[Nessal]

Yeah I'll probably look into that. It's just that the old HF version worked so well I saw no reason to upgrade. I went back earlier today to get another and it's the same deal.

Also I noticed that it is less accurate compared to the old one. The caliper misses the zero by 0.001 when you close the jaws. The old one was perfect every time.