budget digi vernier calipers?

[Wedg1e]

I have a few digital calipers ranging from Mitutoyo down to Aldi specials and find them all to be as accurate as each other (at least to three decimal places) - part of my job is metrology of calibration blocks used by UT techies so we have a set of UKAS-traceable slip gauges from midgie's todger up to 100mm. As other have said it's the slide action and ease of fine-tuning that separates the junk from the good stuff.
I also have some of the Chinese digital scales sold by various places for use on lathes and mills etc. with a remote read-out; they aren't waterproof so if you get the slides wet the readings go to rats'. They're fitted to my Perrin jig borer which has no flood coolant but as long as I'm careful with the squirty bottle they work fine. As per a few websites I've modified mine to work from a DC PSU so they don't need batteries which is just as well given how inaccessible they are on the mill!

 

[pedrobedro]

I have a Lidl digital which works fine and the battery has lasted years, slide action is smooth enough. I also have a dial gauge type in a case which has a 22mm calibration block included. I acquired it ages ago and it still gets lots of use in the shed.

 

[monkeymark]

Just seen these on gumtree.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/digital-vernier/1086382867

 

[ukracer]

When did you get them Aldi stuff usually has 3 year warranty. I have had verniers from there before and they are fine..

 

[brightspark]

Just seen these on gumtree.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/digital-vernier/1086382867

good job i got a few sets its only 8 miles from me coulda pulled the rug from underneath u there

 

[monkeymark]

good job i got a few sets its only 8 miles from me coulda pulled the rug from underneath u there

I'm not interested in them, just thought they could be useful to someone else.

You must be a bit closer than me too.

 

[Rob Heath]

Ive just brought a pair of moore and wright digital calipers. Paid about £18 brand new, very pleased with them

 

[Wallace]

Ive just brought a pair of moore and wright digital calipers. Paid about £18 brand new, very pleased with them

I would call my pair high 'end budget digi calipers' for the quality to price ratio, they wer nice out of the box but a tweak on the gib strip screws and they feel better but not had time to check the internal to external accuracy yet. I have a Chinese pair given as a present that have been fairly good for external measurement but way out for internal, might as well grind the ears off!

The other old Chinese pair that were reasonably accurate internal and external started glitching occasionally on the display so they took a trip up & down the workshop. I was impressed with how hard the heat treatment was as the depth pin went through a steel cabinet door on trip two and still moved afterwards!

 

[richie00boy]

I've been looking at this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140738103604

Is made to DIN862 so should be reasonably accurate.

 

[mechman]

Hi all
I bought a digital vernier (£9) from lidl two year ago, no probs still on original battery.
Norm.

 

[steveo3002]

I've been looking at this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140738103604

Is made to DIN862 so should be reasonably accurate.

trouble is many of them look the same from £5 - 30 , and the chinesse wont worry about putting a few din stickers on them

might keep an eye out for good used ones or see if i can handle some cheapies in the shop before buying

 

[simplysimon]

I've been looking at this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140738103604

Is made to DIN862 so should be reasonably accurate.

I think I'd rather have a name I know like M&W for the same money, although I'd be surprised if they were not made in Asia somewhere

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291141031624

but don't uses them anywhere near suds, they and all these cheap digital callipers just don't hold up to a pro pair

 

[steveo3002]

went with the moore and wright ones in the end , much much nice to use than the aldi ones

 

[Rocketman]

there ok for 99 percent of jobs but if u want accuracy use a micrometer and if you realy need and can afford them buy a set of gauge blocks to test your equipment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauge_block

They make great parallels for a mill

"If I see anyone using gauge blocks on the cnc again they will get the sack"

though the same guy said

"If I here anyone whistling in the toolroom again they will get the sack"

 

[ford34/2]

I've been looking at this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140738103604

Is made to DIN862 so should be reasonably accurate

certainly plenty in the catalogue: - slow to load page though all in Group 1
http://www.mib-messzeuge.de/library/download/katalog/pdf/2013.pdf

I used a few sets woodworking and setting machines and cutters up, the racks were prone to fine wood dust, but kept clean, never had any problems even with cheapy plastic dial ones from I think might have been Rabonne or Draper,Worst was keeping the pointer zerod, in a usable place as it jumped when the rack was dirty. made from grey plastic, got two, an imperial and a metric one, my Favorite Rolls Roye one, self zeroing etc etc, is a Tessa. But you can buy a few Aldi ones for one Tessa. I have a few metal digital ones including Aldi. The plastics whilst pretty useless against the digital ones were pretty shockproof when knocked and dropped!! but still read to .01

Stan

 

[graffian]

they aren't waterproof so if you get the slides wet the readings go to rats'. They're fitted to my Perrin jig borer which has no flood coolant but as long as I'm careful with the squirty bottle they work fine. As per a few websites I've modified mine to work from a DC PSU so they don't need batteries which is just as well given how inaccessible they are on the mill!

I watched a drop of coolant hit the display on my Mitutoyo calipers and instantly the display went. Next day the display worked, except it's missing
the first digit, the decimal dot and half the second digit; I have used it for about ten years like that and I can't remember having to think about it.
I have never really worried about the calipers and often pick them up with wet hands, or put them down on a wet table, last year the display was
changing i.e every time you zeroed it it read different; I stripped the head and cleaned the swarf and goo from under the display and it worked fine again. I was a bit annoyed as I had decided on buying a new pair, but until I have killed them I can't.

 

[MrFluffy]

I have cheap stainless calipers as described, theyre fine for rough working, the mic's and more come out for more precision than they offer. And I'm somewhat spoiled that I now tend to pick them up instead of the really good quality vernier calipers I used for years, simply because when your tired its easier to read them under flouro light.
And theyre cheap, so cheap that I printed off a plastic caliper holder and screwed it the wall behind every machine and each machine has its own set to hand which lives in its own place so I dont have to go hunting when switching between. When lidl's or aldi have them in, I tend to pick them up. Ebay you are dealing mostly with the bottom of the barrel box shifters, so its a crap shoot if they send them at the tiny profit margins or not.
What are crap are the plastic or "carbon composite" aka faux metal plastic ones, the frame flex in the pair I have means they can't repeat within 0.1mm reliably when used with the thumbwheel to apply pressure, which is ok for woodwork, but for what I do its chocolate fireguard territory. As someone pointed out to me when I complained, they are also non magnetic, so may be designed for different target market.

 

[julianf]

If anyone is keen, i have a set of the 6" Mitutoyo's that dont look as if they have ever been used (in box, with cellophane wrapping, but the wrapping has been opened) - it will take a me a while to find them etc. but it seems a sensible time to mention it, in case anyone is desperate.

(i bought them for spares, as the price was right, but i dont really forsee me breaking my existing set any time soon)



note: i know forsale posts need to go in the forsale section, but id need to find them / be motivated etc. before posting there, so really, its only as it seemed sensible to mention them - if such behaviour is out of line, apologies / deletion etc. would be in order! : )

 

[sardine]

I've used The £7 eBay verniers for at least a year now, no problems, they are cheap and nasty but when I find I've chucked an engine block on top of them I can live with it. When I left my Starrett ones out in the rain I had a face like a trod on chip.

 

[eSCHEn]

If anyone is keen, i have a set of the 6" Mitutoyo's that dont look as if they have ever been used (in box, with cellophane wrapping, but the wrapping has been opened) - it will take a me a while to find them etc. but it seems a sensible time to mention it, in case anyone is desperate.

(i bought them for spares, as the price was right, but i dont really forsee me breaking my existing set any time soon)



note: i know forsale posts need to go in the forsale section, but id need to find them / be motivated etc. before posting there, so really, its only as it seemed sensible to mention them - if such behaviour is out of line, apologies / deletion etc. would be in order! : )

My cheapies from Maplin are utter dross so I'd be interested Julian, you got a price in mind? Feel free to PM if you want to do it there.