Looking to buy a Dial Caliper....Any recomendations?

[FastFinger]

ETA*- the harbor freight ones work OK, if you're looking to spend about 15 bucks on a $2 caliper.

If you have any reliable 3rd party info indicating that there's some deficiency with the 6" Harbor Freight digital caliper - now's a good time to share it.

Otherwise note it measures dead on with my Sarrett, which has itself been calibrated.

BTW - this is the HF model I have.

And if you do know where to buy the HF $15 caliper for $2, how about sharing that info also so we can all save $13?

Looking forward to your contributions.

[Asphodel]

Personally, I tend to have a pretty negative opinion about taking the chances involved with inexpensive dial calipers.

Even the best of dial calipers is 'none too good'. Dial calipers are a convenience, as opposed to reading the vernier on a vernier caliper, granted......but they can, and will, malfunction.

The good ones are the Swiss 'Tesa' make, often found badged 'Brown & Sharpe', and the No. 120 Starrett. I've used both for many years, in inspection work, and find them much more reliable than the Japanese Mitutoyo make. (I'm not saying the Mitutoyo instruments are 'junk', understand......just not in the same quality level as the Tesa)

I prefer the Starrett 120 for the generality of medium-tolerance work, and have several of them......they are easy to re-set, should a tiny bit of grit get into the rack, and 'jump' the gear.

Unfortunately, Doug Starrett made himself some.......well, not exactly 'made enemies'.....but made some loyal Starrett tool users very unhappy when he made the decision to have some of his product line made in China. (If it really was Mr Starrett himself who would make such a decision.....I would not be surprised if some agency had 'leaned on him' in that respect........there are factors, in international trade agreements, which we, the public, will never hear about)

I've seen the Chinese 'Starrett' calipers.....they will look the same in a photo, but they are not the same in fit/finish as the American made ones.

Fortunately, the Starrett works has kept the No. 120 in production in this country. Just watch out for ebay sellers who sell the Chinese variety with weasel-worded listings, leading the purchaser to believe that they are purchasing the genuine American made version.

As we've seen here, quite a few people seem to have 'gotten lucky' with cheap dial calipers........but they really are a 'gambling device'.....

If you really want accuracy at a low price, a vernier caliper, one with the .050 'long scale' is to be preferred. I use the Starrett make, but the best Swiss or German ones are slightly better in terms of fit and finish. They can often be found quite reasonably on ebay, but, understand the chance you take when purchasing any used inspection tool. Any tool of that type really should be sent to a cal lab for verification.

If you really must use an inexpensive dial caliper, form the habit of verifying the zero by closing the jaws, every time you use the caliper. If you've ever heard the impolite language used by someone who scrapped a valuable part by trusting a dial caliper, you'd understand.

cheers

Carla

[Jicko]

Personally, I tend to have a pretty negative opinion about taking the chances involved with inexpensive dial calipers. Carla

Taking chances, how so?

I always have something that i KNOW the exact size is for caliberation, and test, side by side.

[bohoki]

the harbor freight digital one i have is spot on and way more convienient than a verner or a dial

the one i got is all stainless and it was $19 about 5 years ago

they have plastic ones now in like 4 ,6 and 8 inch

but all i ever use mine for is for checking brass 1.755 or higher i trim

[SCMA-1]

I got the stainless digital one from Harbor Freight for $15; it's been perfect. Why do some people think they must spend alot of money for quality? There are all sorts of market forces that determine the final price of goods or services and price paid is never proportional to quality received.

SCMA-1

[JagerTroop]

If you have any reliable 3rd party info indicating that there's some deficiency with the 6" Harbor Freight digital caliper - now's a good time to share it.

Otherwise note it measures dead on with my Sarrett, which has itself been calibrated.

BTW - this is the HF model I have.

And if you do know where to buy the HF $15 caliper for $2, how about sharing that info also so we can all save $13?

Looking forward to your contributions.

I didn't say that they cost $2. They are only worth $2. I admit, I have a pair of HF calipers, and for the most part they work fine. However, they are not very durable, and tend to "wig out" (if you own them, you know what I'm talking about).

The bottom line is: if you are measuring something that requires accuracy down to .001", I'd rather be safe than sorry. Isn't piece of mind worth the extra 20 or 30 bucks? I only say this because, I use them on a daily basis for work. If I were just using them for hobbies, and for non critical parts, then it wouldn't matter as much.

Just my 2 cents